The Wedding Date by Ally Blake Read Free Book Online Page B

wondered if the time was right, for the first time, to ask about
his
family. She had no idea if his parents were alive or dead. Missionaries or UFO-chasers. Or the King and Queen of some small European country populated by only themost beautiful people. Or if he spent Sunday lunch with them every weekend.
    But at the last second she baulked, unsure how far to press the quiet moment. Instead she just said, ‘Mum’s been married again. Twice to date.’
    Promising to love and honour each of them with as much supposed vim as she had their lovely father. Each and every time clearly nothing more than a pretty lie. It was why Hannah would never make another person such a promise unless she really meant it. Unless she knew she would be assured of the same level of commitment right back. The idea of doing anything else made her feel physically ill.
    She looked to where her mother was now drumming up help in the shape of goodness knew who.
    She felt Bradley turn away to watch Virginia. Moth to a flame. Then he said, ‘Your mother …’
    Hannah stiffened, preparing for the thing she’d heard a million times before.
Your mum’s so glamorous. And Elyse is like a little doll. While you are … different.
    ‘She’s …’ Bradley paused again. ‘I do believe that dress of hers is the place ruffles come to die.’
    Hannah laughed so unexpectedly, so effusively,so delightedly, it fast turned into a cough.
    Bradley gave her a thump on the back. It only made her cough all the harder. And feel
absolutely
certain that her earlier fantasies of Bradley doing anything out of a deeply buried sense of human-being-like protection were just that. Fantasies. The likes of which she needed this long weekend without him in order to stamp out.
    Once she’d caught her breath, she said, ‘Virginia does like her ruffles. As well as her pink fluffy cardigans and cocktails with umbrellas in them.’
    The rhinestones went without saying, but the crease in his cheek told her he’d heard her all the same.
    She smiled. She couldn’t help herself.
    Then, as though he too felt the strange familiarity building between then, he frowned and looked away, up at the clear crisp sky. He sniffed in a trail of ice-cold air and thrust his hands into his pockets. Shutting her out.
    And there she was, feeling like a satellite to his moon. If that wasn’t reason enough to put an end to her impossible crush, she didn’t know what was.
    ‘The day is moving on and we’re standing still. Time to get a move on. I’ll drop you at your resort and then be on my way.’
    ‘Resort?’
Hannah could all but hear her exclamation bouncing off the band of clouds hovering above the hills in the distance.
    Bradley didn’t even flinch. ‘Spencer’s itinerary has me starting at Cradle Mountain. I studied his route, and it actually makes good sense. As does giving you a lift, since you clearly need one.’
    Hannah snapped her mouth shut. If she’d been in charge of setting his itinerary she would have said the same. But she was on holiday. Out of the loop. And, yes, she
was
in need of a ride.
    She threw her hands in the air and headed for the terminal.
    He followed, his long legs catching up with her in two short strides.
    She swallowed down the lick of envy at the happy tone in his voice. ‘This car that Spencer hired had better be something big and solid. The roads on this island can get mighty windy.’
    ‘It’s a black roadster. Soft-top.’ His large hands waved slowly through the air, as though he was tracing its curves in his mind.
    Never before had Hannah felt so jealous of a machine.
    ‘Are you kidding me? Seems to me he’s passed on his drooling habits.’
    A gentle kind of laughter tickled her ears.
    She walked faster. But with his long, strong legs the blackguard kept up without any effort at all.

CHAPTER FOUR
    ‘A RE we there yet?’ Hannah muttered, stretching as much of herself as she could in the confined space of the ridiculous sports car Spencer had