Free The Wedding Invite (Lakeview) (Lakeview Contemporary Romance Book 6) by Melissa Hill Page B

Normally she took a hardline approach with her sales team, believing that respect and a little bit of fear would get better results than treating them all like babies. But today, one of the newer girls on her sales team had asked Helen for advice, and she had nearly bitten off the poor girl’s head. Glancing in the rear-view mirror, she indicated right and drove towards her apartment in Monkstown.
    She needed a break. Even a decent night out would do, but when was the last time she’d had one of those? As expected, the delectable Richard Moore hadn’t been in contact. In the same way that all the promising men she had gone out with had never again been seen or heard from, once they learnt of Kerry’s existence.
    It wasn’t fair. Why should she be doomed to a lifetime of spinsterhood just because she was a single mother? She had done her best for Kerry, was always doing her best for Kerry and what did thanks did she get for it all? Absolutely none.
    Kerry was tearful and needy and now, thanks to Jo, she was becoming increasingly aware of her speech difficulty. She always made Helen feel guilty for going out at night without her, although she loved staying at Auntie Nicola’s where she could play with Barney or sometimes Auntie Laura’s where she was fussed over by Neil.
    But what about Helen? Who would fuss over her?
    Helen let herself and Kerry into the building, then checked the post-box in the hallway. There was only one envelope addressed to her and she recognised the handwriting immediately. Great – Jamie’s guilt money. At least that might help pay some of these speech-therapy bills.
    She put the key in the door of their modern, expensiveground-floor apartment. What was wrong with her lately? Why was she so down all the time? But she didn’t need to look very far for an answer.
    She was desperately lonely. She wanted – no, she needed someone – someone to share the gossip when she came home after a long hard day in the office, someone to get excited as she did over the football results. She needed intelligent, exciting conversation, something more stimulating than questions from a three-and-a-half-year-old. She needed someone to cuddle up to when she was feeling down, someone to share her problems and tell her that everything would be all right.
    Someone who didn’t leave a mess in the kitchen, and toys all over the living-room.
    Helen just needed someone to love her, to fulfil her, to make her happy .
    In the same way Jamie had before Kerry had come along and ruined everything.

11
    O n Tuesday morning , Nicola was yawning as she approached the leisure centre. She hated opening up, especially at this hour, and sure enough there were some very early birds waiting in the doorway, ready and anxious to fit in a workout before heading off to a full day’s work.
    She remembered with a shudder that because of Ken’s idea to bring in more custom, they were now holding a Mother and Baby swimming morning on Tuesdays. Terrific, she said to herself as she greeted the members outside the Motiv8 entrance: hours of unruly kids and fussy mothers was just what she needed today. She switched on the lights and the electricity and soon a handful of members appeared from the changing rooms eager to begin a warm-up.
    Although she wouldn’t admit it to Laura, Nicola had been sent into a tailspin by the news of Dan’s impending second marriage.
    At the time, she had read the invite word for word and dismissed it with a cursory wave of her arm. “What he does these days is none of my business,” she had said airily and waited in the car while Laura went to return the invites to Amazing Day Designs. According to her friend upon her empty-handed return from the store, the wrong box had been given out to the other party a day earlier and hadn’t yet been returned.
    Nicola now wondered whether Dan had been aware of the mistake, whether he had seen Laura’s invites. He would almost certainly recognise the name.
    She shook her