Dream a Little Dream Read Online Free PDF Page B

him. And knowing I completely overreacted makes me feel like an idiot.’
    Drawing her frappuccino glass a little closer, she sucked the creamy coffee goo up, tiny sip by tiny sip, signalling how much she no longer wanted to talk about Dominic Christy.
    Rochelle hooked Liza’s hair back from her face. ‘You used to love being asked out.’
    ‘That was then.’
    Angie frowned. ‘Why have you been horrible to the others at the centre?’
    ‘I hadn’t realised that I had. But now Nicolas’s brought it up, I’m going to have to talk to Fenella, Imogen and Pippa.’ Liza groaned.
    ‘And isn’t it up to you how you speak to your clients?’
    ‘In a way. But the benefit of having several therapists under one roof is the potential for sharing clients around. Having – hopefully – loved their reflexology treatment, a client might be receptive to trying ear candling or Indian head massage with Fenella, or hot stone therapy and aromatherapy with Imogen. Nicolas says that me chasing away custom risks dragging the whole centre down. And, of course, we pay him a commission on every fee, so the fewer I receive, the less I pay him.’
    Rochelle snorted. ‘Just don’t swear at any more customers. Go to work tomorrow and apologise, be repentant, penitent, whatever you think it needs. Sorted.’ She sat back, draining her cup.
    ‘And what about the mad fools Nicolas’s got lined up to take my treatment room? No. The whole Stables set up isn’t working for me, not just because Nicolas wants me out but because he’s a crap businessman. It ought to work, to have a treatment centre in the grounds of a posh hotel, with all those guests coming and going, but Nicolas has this stodgy old business model and doesn’t want change to come within shouting distance of it. He likes to present himself as the boss, but he’s just a glorified landlord, managing the premises, contributing little but taking a salary out. I know that Fen and Immi are worried, too, but they’re being a bit ostrich.’
    Rochelle frowned in thought. ‘Can you become the investor? To keep these other people out? Then you could make all your whizzy changes.’
    ‘I might be able to raise some money, but that doesn’t resolve Nicolas being dead weight, or us pulling in different directions. Getting more deeply involved with him and his finances would make everything worse.’
    Angie patted her arm. ‘You should at least try and stay where you are until you’ve got somewhere lined up. I’m sure the others realise that you’re not yourself. Everyone knows that Adam did this to you, Lize.’
    ‘It wasn’t his fault,’ she said, automatically.
    ‘Yes, it was!’ they chorused. ‘It was the way he and his nightmare of a mother handled the break up that knocked all the stuffing out of you,’ Rochelle added. ‘What does Cleo think about what’s happened?’
    ‘I haven’t told her. She’s got her hands full with baby Gus suffering from horrible colic. She and Justin haven’t had a night’s sleep since he was born and she’s extended her maternity leave. She’d probably tell me that I need to get out more.’
    Angie dropped her cup back to the table with a clatter, eyes shining. ‘Yes, you do. With us. We’ll take you to clubs—’
    ‘Pubs to start with,’ Rochelle amended. ‘Let her work up to clubs when her good-time muscle memory comes back. Friday, Liza?’
    ‘Um … OK, thanks,’ agreed Liza, not feeling equal to resisting, but wondering if she really felt thankful. Friday was only two days away.
    Angie twinkled at her. ‘And you ought to see men again, Lize, just to cure yourself of Adam.’

Chapter Three
    Hands slid from Dominic’s feet, to his legs; stroking, trickling. The woman was working her way up his body. Hands cool. Mouth hot.
    In an instant he was hard and aching. He wanted to move, to pull her closer, to get her out of her clothes … but his limbs were disobedient: light yet heavy, as if he both floated in water and was