Free To Have and to Hold by Jane Green

blonde before the double doors swing shut. “That is the new office ball-breaker. Josie Mitchell. Used to run Risk Arb at Goldmans, is here to be COO of Equity Capital Markets.”
    “
That’s
Josie Mitchell? Christ, I always pictured her as a frump. She’s not the new office ball-breaker, my friend. Did you see those legs? She’s the new office babe.”
    Dave raises his eyes to the ceiling. “You mean Joe Chambers’s new office babe. Careful, Joe. She’s not some bimbo. You want to be careful with this one. You know what the Goldmans bonuses were last year, so you know we must have paid a fortune to tempt her over here.”
    “Maybe she heard there was a better class of man at Godfrey Hamilton Saltz.”
    Dave snorts with laughter. “She’s not some bimbo you can screw and forget. That’s all I’m saying. Be careful.”
    “Careful? It’s my middle name. Anyway, I have no intention of screwing her. I’m a reformed man, not to mention a married one. Which reminds me”—Joe checks his watch and picks up the phone again—“I have to call the travel agent before I leave.” He punches the number in and sits back on his chair.
    “Jackie? Hello, darling, it’s Joe. Did you manage to get a room at the Lygon Arms? You did? Oh, that’s great, you’re an incredible woman, did anyone ever tell you that before?”
             
    “
W hat’s this?” Alice looks down at the white envelope Joe has just slid on to her pillow. They have feasted on minted lamb salad and tabbouleh, on succulent fresh raspberries and homemade vanilla ice cream. They have drunk a 1990 Bordeaux and two espressos each. They have undressed in the privacy of their dressing rooms and have met again in bed, where Joe has smiled his come-to-bed smile and reached out for her to come into his arms.
    And now Joe is lying on his side of the bed reading the
Financial Times,
and Alice is lying on hers, reading the latest novel that everyone is talking about.
    “Open it.” Joe puts the paper down and watches her with a smile.
    Alice tears the envelope and pulls out a brochure for the Lygon Arms and a faxed piece of paper confirming a reservation for two in the Charles I suite for Friday, April 15, and Saturday, April 16. The coming weekend.
    “What’s this for?” She’s smiling.
    “For us to have a romantic weekend away. I thought you could do with a rest from our hectic London life, and I know how much you love the country so I thought I’d surprise you.”
    “Oh, it is lovely.” Alice grins and rolls over to kiss him. “What a lovely, lovely surprise. I can’t wait. Oh no.” She groans, remembering that Saturday night is dinner with Emily and Harry. “What shall I do about Saturday? Emily and Harry.”
    “Cancel them,” Joe says. “They won’t mind.”
    “But I’m always canceling Emily,” Alice says, “and she’s so excited, and anyway, I want to meet Harry. Can we change our booking? Could we go the weekend after?”
    “Absolutely not. I’ve already arranged everything and I’m not changing it.” Joe crosses his arms. “I’m telling you, Emily will understand.”
    “No. She always understands and I promised her I wouldn’t do it again. We won’t be able to go.”
    “Alice, you’re being completely irrational. If we canceled now we’d still have to pay for it, which is crazy. I’m not going to cancel it.”
    “Okay. Then let’s bring them with.”
    “And who’s going to pay for it?”
    “You are. This will be my birthday present.”
    “Your birthday isn’t until May.”
    “I know. Consider it an early gift.”
    “Alice, the point of this weekend is to have time together.”
    “But you love Emily, and anyway, don’t we always have much more fun when we’re with friends?” This last isn’t strictly true in Alice’s case, but she knows that Joe is almost always happier in a crowd, and sure enough, Joe shrugs in agreement.
    “Go on then,” he says, seeing how happy it makes her. “You can phone