Love Rules Read Online Free PDF Page B

same Whistles jeans as her own but a size smaller, Finlay's mother who'd insisted Alice call her Mrs Jones despite allowing them to sleep together. Tom's mother who was insanely jealous of his affection for Alice and would thus drape herself over him quite alarmingly for the duration of their visits. But Mark's parents seemed to be simply nice, ordinary people.
    ‘You look like your dad,’ Alice suddenly announced though it momentarily halted conversation and fixed Gail's cake slice mid-air. Alice was happy to predict that in thirty years or so, the man seated opposite her, whom she was soon to marry, would look a little like the gentleman currently seated to her left.
    Charmed , Gail thought to herself again, charmed .
    Chris and Mark browsed the Sunday papers while Gail poured coffee and Alice effervesced over the beauty of their garden.
    ‘God, I completely love your verbena.’
    ‘Viburnum,’ Gail corrected lightly. ‘Have you a garden?’
    ‘Well, at the moment, I'm restricted to what the lifestyle mags call patio living ,’ Alice said. ‘It's basically a small, glorified back yard covered with cream gravel and pots with plants that die on me on an annual basis. And twisty wire furniture that looks amazing, cost a bloody fortune and is bloody uncomfortable.’
    Gail looked at Alice without expression at much the same time that Alice thought to herself shit! Is ‘bloody’ swearing? And Mark jerked up from the Sunday Times thinking oh shit, she bloody swore.
    ‘Perhaps once you're married, you'll find a house with a garden,’ Gail said diplomatically. ‘Herbaceous borders pretty much look after themselves and perennials do just what they're meant to do.’ She took a thoughtful sip of coffee.‘They needn't be expensive either.’ See, no need for ‘bloody’.
    ‘Lovely idea,’ said Alice warmly, helping herself to another chocolate because she noted that Gail was on her third.
    ‘Now, I want to hear all about the proposal,’ Gail said expectantly, ‘all the romantic details.’
    ‘Mum –’ Mark remonstrated, raising his eyebrow at his father for sympathy and assistance.
    ‘Did he get down on bended knee?’ Gail asked. ‘Did he take you to a restaurant and have the maître d' present you with a diamond ring?’ Mark groaned but Alice giggled. She thought Gail probably had the makings of a rather good mother-in-law. ‘Perhaps he whisked you off to Venice for the weekend and popped the question aboard a gondola?’
    ‘Last week,’ Alice grinned over to Mark who was attempting to disappear behind the Sunday Times , ‘at Mark's flat. He was cooking that amazing chorizo and butterbean casserole thing with the six cloves of garlic. We had a glass of Rioja. I was eating a carrot.’
    Gail had never been a fan of garlic, let alone Spanish peasant fare, but she tried to look enthusiastic.
    ‘It struck me, it simply struck me that it was the best idea ever,’ Alice said dreamily.
    ‘Yes, but how was the question itself popped ?’ Gail persisted. ‘Mark's father whisked me to Paris expressly to propose.’
    Alice grinned. ‘It was quite matter of fact, actually,’ she said, ‘I had to turn down the radio to be heard. It all made such perfect sense. Even though I had a mouth full of carrot, I just looked at Mark and said “Marry me, Mark, marry me.” He looked at me as if he was having difficulty understanding my language. So I swallowed the carrot, repeated the question and added “please”. Still he stared. And then he said yes.’
    Gail stared at Alice as if she had difficulty understandingher language. Chris just stared. ‘What's that on your shirt?’ Gail exclaimed, looking horrified. ‘On the collar and cuffs? It's brown.’
    ‘What?’ Alice looked at her collar and cuffs. ‘Oh bugger!’ she declared. ‘It's fake tan. I'll bloody kill Thea.’
    ‘Do you think they liked me?’ Alice asked Mark as they drove away.
    ‘Of course,’ Mark assured her, concentrating on the road,