Catch of The Day: Destiny Romance Read Online Free PDF Page A

must have remembered what she said yesterday before she’d wheeled out of the car park – about only planning on being here for two months. Dutifully ignoring him, she grabbed Mrs D’s clipboard and scrawled her contact details on the bottom of the rather stunted list. That’d show him.
    ‘I’d love to be involved,’ she fibbed, beaming at Mrs D.
    The shriek of the landline on her desk cut through the air – the first time it had rung all morning, which meant it actually worked. A glance at the caller ID made her insides liquefy.
Christa.
    ‘I’d better take this,’ Winnie said shakily. ‘Nice to meet you, Mrs D.’
    The woman ambled towards the door with a wave, leaving the dreaded scones on Winnie’s desk. ‘No problems.’
    Alex shot to his feet too, and winked. ‘Guess I’ll wait to hear from you then.’
    Ugh. Perish the thought. Unfortunately, she had no other choice. As she watched his back retreat, she picked up the grubby handset and tried not to think about what germs might linger from the ninja-trained mortgage broker who’d once sat in her place. ‘
Beach Life
.’
    ‘Winnie, what the heck’s wrong with your voice?’ the editorial director exploded down the line in her schoolteacher-like British accent.
    ‘I just had a, um, little accident with a hot cup of coffee.’
    ‘Well, that’s no good for hopping on the lines and getting the brand message out there. I hope you were making plenty of calls – I couldn’t get through.’
    ‘Yes, I was . . . of course.’
    Christa plunged on, firing directives, while Winnie massaged her aching temples. It was going to be a long day. Scratch that – a long
two months
. But she couldn’t wallow in despair. She had to keep her eye on the prize; her return to glittering Sydney depended upon it. Otherwise she was stuck in Kingston for good, which was even more terrifying than Christa herself.

Chapter Three
    Alex surveyed the crowd at the Crown Inn’s front bar. The pub was unusually busy for a Monday night, thanks to a fundraiser for the local firefighters. He wasn’t one for crowds, but he needed a pint after the day he’d had. It had started with a very ordinary morning of fishing – the pots turned up more seaweed than crays, affecting his cut – and had gotten worse. Particularly when he’d found out who he’d be working for in his photography sideline. Winnie was exactly the kind of self-important, haughty city slicker he liked to steer clear of these days.
    ‘That’s a beauty you’ve got on your forehead,’ his mate, Kirk, another deckhand, remarked. His dark eyes had a dangerous glint. ‘Which sheila you upset this time?’
    Alex tipped more ice-cold ale down his throat, thumping the glass back on the bar. ‘It’s nothing. Just a minor nick. An accident.’
    Kirk leant in, and Alex could see every dark spike of hair on his head. ‘You should tell the girls first-up you don’t do relationships. Save that pretty mug of yours.’ Alex’s scowl prompted a smile and Kirk stepped back again. ‘I’ll just assume you walked into a door then?’
    ‘Assume away.’
    Alex saw Kirk turn his head towards the door, his eyes widening appreciatively. Conversations seemed to have paused, like someone had used the TV remote’s mute button on the crowd. Against his better judgement, Alex shifted his gaze in the direction of all the attention – and immediately wished he hadn’t. The sight was like a sucker punch to the stomach.
    Winnie hovered at the entrance, wearing a weird grey dress – different from earlier – and too much war paint. In that moment, she looked like an innocent lamb, oblivious to the fact it was about to be sent to the slaughter. Olive bustled over, temporarily saving her. The crowd of mostly men were behaving like private schoolboys who’d never shared the same air with a young woman before.
    ‘Where’ve you been, love?’ Olive chirped noisily at Winnie’s side.
    The strawberry blonde