Falling for You by Jill Mansell Page B

risky.” Fraught, Maddy raked her fingers through her already drastically raked hair. “He’s in London today. He left the envelope with his receptionist to hand over to me.”
    â€œBut don’t you see? That’s even more romantic! ‘I need to see you, properly.’” Nuala swooned as she read aloud. “‘Saturday night, seven o’clock, my apartment. Let me know if you can’t make it. Hope you can. Kerr.’ Ooh, nice apartment,” she added with approval, noting the address. “And lovely, masterful handwriting. If you aren’t up for it, can I go instead?”
    â€œI want to go, more than anything.” Maddy watched a ladybug inch its way along the edge of the table, then spread its wings and take off like a Harrier Jump Jet. “But how can I?”
    â€œWhat d’you mean, how can you? Are you mad?” squeaked Nuala. “You have to go!”
    â€œMarcella would kill me.”
    â€œWhat Marcella doesn’t know won’t hurt her,” Nuala blithely retorted. “How’s she ever going to find out? My mum’s next-door neighbors got divorced last summer. It turned out that the husband had been having an affair for the last fifteen years and his wife hadn’t had any idea!”
    As if that makes it all right , thought Maddy. “But—”
    â€œAnyway, you already know you’ll go.”
    â€œWhat?” Maddy stared at her. “How can you say that?”
    â€œOh, come on. Why else would you show me the letter? That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?” Looking pleased with herself, Nuala said, “Because you knew I’d say you had to meet him. Face it, you know me. I’m hardly likely to tell you never to see him again, am I? You want me to persuade you to go to his apartment tomorrow night, so it’s my decision and not yours.” Squishing an ant with her thumb, she beamed across at Maddy. “Plus, of course, it’ll be my fault if anything goes wrong.”
    Maddy couldn’t speak.
    â€œSee?” Nuala said happily. “I’m not as daft as I look, am I?”
    â€œGod, I didn’t even realize what I was doing.” Maddy let out a wail, snatching the letter and shoving it back into her pocket. “I hate it when you’re right!”
    â€œSo there you go. You have my permission to see him. And wear something sexy.”
    â€œWe’re only going to talk .”
    â€œGood grief, are you mad? If he’s as gorgeous as you say he is, and meeting him is this risky, what on earth’s the point of just talking?” Nuala raised her eyebrows in disbelief. “I mean, if Marcella’s going to go ballistic anyway—not that she will find out, of course, but if she did—you may as well be hung for a sheep as for a lamb.” Pausing, she frowned. “You know, I don’t actually understand what that means. I mean, why would anyone want to hang a sheep or a—”
    â€œ Time’s up ,” bellowed Dexter like a sergeant major from the back door of the pub.
    â€œHonestly, he’s such a bossy pants,” Nuala grumbled, but she was already on her feet, gathering up their empty glasses.
    Maddy, wondering why on earth she was asking advice from someone whose idea of a perfect partner was Dexter Nevin, said, “Will you two end up getting married, d’you think?”
    â€œGood grief, no.” Vigorously, Nuala shook her head. “Not a chance.”
    Oh well, that was something to be grateful for.
    â€œI’ve already asked him,” Nuala went on, blowing her bangs out of her eyes. “He turned me down flat.”
    â€œWhat are you, a three-toed sloth?” bawled Dexter. “Get a bloody move on, woman. There are customers dying of thirst in here!”
    Wishing she’d thought to bring Sophie’s potato gun along with her, Maddy shook her head and said, “Wouldn’t it be nicer to