Letting Go Read Online Free PDF Page A

positive thoughts, there was a knock at her door and, accompanied by a loud bubble-bursting snap , Jodie entered holding a cup of coffee.
    “I was just making some, and I thought you’d like a cup,”
    she said brightly.
    “Thanks, Jodie,” said Laura in surprise. Okay, she decided as Jodie left the room, she’d give her a go for a bit longer. She’d just talk to her about the gum.
    She was wondering whether she could go shopping instead, when she suddenly remembered her promise to take Kate Merlo to lunch. She reached for the phone. Today was the perfect opportunity, if Kate was free. When Kate hung up the phone, her heart was fluttering as she considered she was about to have the closest thing to a date that she could have dreamed of, with the woman she adored. Laura had asked her if she liked Japanese food, suggesting a restaurant across town. Kate said that sounded great but confessed, feeling conscious of her inexperience, that she’d never tried Japanese food before. In her warm 28
    smiling voice, Laura had reassured her that it would be all the better if she hadn’t tried it before. It would be an adventure.
    Laura paused in her reading of the wine list and looked across the table at Kate. She was studying the menu with great interest. Her hair was braided today, and she had pulled the plait over one shoulder, twirling the end of it in her fingers. She was softly biting her lower lip in concentration.
    “Do you have to hurry back to work today?” asked Laura.
    Kate looked up at her. “No, it’s a quiet day. I’ve given them the number of the restaurant, so they can call if they need me.”
    “Good,” said Laura with a smile. “We can order some saki then. You’ve got to try that. I thought I’d order us both a glass of Chardonnay to start with. Does that sound all right?”
    “Yes, fine,” said Kate, smiling. She held Laura’s gaze with her usual unsettling directness.
    Glancing down at the menu in Kate’s hand, Laura asked,
    “Is there anything there that appeals to you?”
    “It all sounds great, but I think you’d better order,” said Kate with a grin, handing the menu across to Laura. Laura laughed. “Okay, I’ll order a selection of entrees. I think that’s the best way to enjoy Japanese food.”
    Soon the dishes began to arrive. “These little fried dumplings are called Gyoza,” Laura explained. “You should mix a tiny bit of that Wasabi paste into the dipping sauce. But be careful with it. It’s hot.”
    “Oh, and California rolls,” said Kate enthusiastically, 29
    helping herself to some. “I’ve had these before. I love them.”
    The flasks of warm saki arrived, and Laura poured some into Kate’s tiny cup. “You have to pour mine now,” she said.
    “It’s considered either rude or bad luck to pour your own saki. I can’t remember which.”
    Kate laughed. “Okay,” she said, filling Laura’s cup. Laura savored a piece of sashimi and looked at Kate. She was obviously enjoying this experience and Laura found herself taking delight in introducing it all to her. They talked about all manner of things as the lunch progressed, and Laura discovered Kate was interesting and good company.
    “So, you mentioned you paint in your spare time,” said Laura. “What sort of painting do you do?”
    “Well, I studied fine art at college, as well as graphic art,” Kate said, running her plait through her fingers. “I like working with acrylics on canvas. I paint lots of different subjects, but I’m really getting into landscapes at the moment. My style is surreal, though. I’m more interested in portraying moods and engendering emotions than creating reproductions of things.”
    “Has any of your work been shown anywhere?”Laura asked.
    Kate laughed again. “God, no. That’d be wonderful, but I wouldn’t know where to start. The truth is, I don’t know really how good they are.”
    “Well, I know the woman who runs the Women’s Art Gallery. She’s a friend of a