Free The Perfect Match by Katie Fforde

was nice or not.
    She had just spotted a useful downstairs cloakroom when the doorbell rang. She went to let her client in.
    Bella stepped back, confused. Dominic stood on the doorstep shaking an umbrella.
    ‘Oh!’ she said. ‘I was expecting someone else.’
    ‘Who?’ he asked, a dark eyebrow reaching towards his silver hair.
    Bella sighed. ‘I don’t know. Er – come in. Let me show you round. We won’t be able to see the garden, I’m afraid. The weather’s getting worse.’ She’d dealt with some difficult clients in her time, but they would seem easy compared to having to show Dominic round a house.
    He put his umbrella in the corner of the porch. ‘We can look at it through the windows.’
    ‘If we can see through the driving rain,’ said Bella, trying to smile. She knew he was in the area, she knew he was looking for a house: she shouldn’t have been surprised, really. ‘Come through to the sitting room. It’s not a bad size.’
    ‘Hmm,’ said Dominic, making his opinion quite clear.
    ‘It has got rather a lot of furniture in it,’ said Bella. ‘If it didn’t have these massive sofas—’
    ‘It would still be very narrow.’
    Bella opened a door. ‘This is the dining room.’ She rapped on the wall. ‘You could possibly knock through?’
    ‘Hmm,’ said Dominic again.
    Bella wanted to do a professional job for her own sake as much as Dominic’s, but the house wasn’t helping. ‘I’m sorry you’ve got me instead of the boss.’
    ‘It’s all right. He promised me I’d be in very good hands when he told me.’
    This was unusual. Why did Nevil bother to tell Dominic he couldn’t do the viewing?
    ‘He also referred to you as his fiancée.’
    This was a shock. ‘Agh! Did he?’
    ‘You sound surprised.’
    ‘It’s not official,’ Bella explained hurriedly, trying to gloss over her rather extreme reaction. ‘We’re not telling people yet, really.’ So far, she’d only told Alice.
    ‘And you’re not wearing a ring.’
    Bella looked at her left hand as if to check. ‘No. Shall we see upstairs now?’ She desperately wanted to get this viewing over with. The house was vile and being with Dominic made it difficult to breathe.
    She stood in the doorway of the bedrooms while Dominic inspected them. ‘Three doubles,’ she announced.
    ‘Only an estate agent would describe this room as a double.’
    ‘You can get a double bed in there, with room to get in on both sides, and there’s space for a small wardrobe,’ she said irritably, forgetting Dominic was the client.
    ‘So, do your parents like Nevil?’
    Bella was instantly sent back to a summer day when the agency where she and Dominic had worked together organised a fun day in aid of charity. Her father and Dominic had ended up playing on the same cricket team and she and her mother had sat together watching. Her mother had turned, indicating Dominic, who was bowling. Bella had just said, ‘Married.’ Her mother had sighed. And while they had never said as much, she knew they didn’t much care for Nevil. ‘What’s not to like?’ she said flippantly.
    They made their way downstairs. ‘There is a little cloakroom, useful for storing buggies and things. Which kind of baby did you have? Girl or boy?’
    ‘A little boy.’
    ‘So is Celine going to come up and house-hunt too? Or will she leave it to you to find the right place?’
    ‘We’re not married any more.’
    This was the last thing that Bella had expected. ‘My goodness!’
    ‘I would have thought you knew that.’ He sounded sceptical. ‘You and Celine were close at one stage, weren’t you?’
    Bella frowned. ‘Not really. Obviously we’ve met but—’
    ‘Oh, don’t be disingenuous, Bella. It doesn’t wash.’ He sounded angry.
    ‘I’m not. Celine and I only ever saw each other at company dos and I certainly didn’t know you’d got divorced. Should I congratulate you or commiserate?’
    He shrugged. ‘Whichever.’ He paused. ‘Are you sure you