62 Days Read Online Free PDF

briefly at her and then at me.
    “ I see… well that’s nice dear. Would you mind getting me another glass of Bucks, Mark darling?” She handed him her empty glass.
    Mark went off for the Bucks Fizz. Paula quickly narrowed her eyes on me.
    “ Rachel… don’t mess my son about, understand me? He never completely got over that business with Charlotte, the little bitch.”
    “ Oh no, you don’t understand Paula. I really am his friend. Not his girlfriend. When he said he swept me off my feet, he meant it literally, I fell on him. He had to pick me up.” I am startled and horrified by this sudden change in her attitude. She has completely the wrong idea.
    “ Well I’m not so sure about that. He’s definitely got that look on his face.”
    “ What look’s that?”
    “ You know.
That
look.”
    I could have fallen over and laughed or cried. Or something in between. What was she on about? I didn’t want to ask or know. I gave her a small smile and kept quiet. Mark was returning with mothers drink and one for me. I studied his face for the ‘you know’ look. I couldn’t see anything obvious. I made a mental note to look again later. And ask him about Charlotte. Maybe I’d tell him about Jon… just a little. Friends could discuss their hugely disappointing love lives, couldn’t they?
    A glass of Bucks Fizz later, I relaxed into the event completely. Mark took me off for a stroll around the gardens for a while. It was a lovely warm afternoon and very beautiful in the grounds. We had a good talk about general things. I find out he is 29, likes scuba diving, golf, horses, skiing, a bit of hiking now and then, but he’s too busy to do much of anything these days. I tell him I’m 25 I can play the guitar reasonably well, I’m good at drawing and I like horses too, I used to ride a lot when I was younger. I’d also love to try scuba diving and skiing one day, if I ever get to go to those type of places. We then move on to family.
    “ What do your parents do for a living?” He asks me.
    “ Dad is a geography teacher and mum is a dental nurse, nothing too exciting I’m afraid. What about yours?”
    “ My father owned a company of surveyors. He retired this year and sold it. That’s how I got into the business I’m in. I followed in my father’s footsteps and became a surveyor.” He smiled a little. “Hardly exciting either I’d say… Mother used to teach piano but lately she seems to be more into committees and charity things. We’re a typical upper middle class family Rachel.” I get another smile.
    “ But you went off and did your own thing though Mark. That’s something to be proud of.”
    “ Yes, I borrowed a lot of money from my father and the bank and took a big risk with my first small project. Thankfully it all worked out. God knows what would have happened if it hadn’t.” He stopped and looked at me. “Sometimes we have to take risks in life, don’t we?”
    I am wondering if there’s an underlying meaning to that comment when he takes hold of my hand and we start walking past a long ornamental lake and fountain.
    We finally made our way back to the wedding reception. The cute little bridesmaids and pageboys are running around playing on the lawns and veranda outside the conservatory under the watchful eye of the older ones. In my Bucks Fizz happy haze I felt like I was in the middle of a beautiful Jane Austen movie setting.
    We sat on the veranda on a stone bench for a while watching the children romp around before we went back inside. Mark wandered off shortly after Cameron arrived with her boyfriend and he had settled me in with them. The pair of them were perfectly dressed in coordinating outfits and looked just like catwalk models. She chatted away at me and at him in her plummy voice. She worked in retail as a fashion buyer for Selfridges in the West End in London. I was quite fascinated by her fashion and clothing conversation, even more fascinated with the way she pronounced her