Out of Practice Read Online Free PDF

amused innocence and he gave Holly a conspiratorial smile that knocked the breath from her chest.
‘Now, was there anything else I’m supposed to be keeping quiet about?’
    Dan shook his head. ‘I give up, I really do.’ He sat down on one of the sofas and started rummaging around in the biscuit tin. He snaffled a couple and passed it over to Holly, who
perched on the arm beside him. All the good ones were gone, she noted, casting aside half a Jammie Dodger and the broken corner of a chocolate Bourbon. Settling resignedly for a rich tea finger
with the consistency of cardboard, she was frankly just glad of the distraction. Anything that meant she didn’t need to add to the speedy back and forth banter around her. They clearly were
the best of friends, she decided, as the two men mocked each other mercilessly for her benefit.
    By the time she’d finished off her biscuit, she knew more about their personal lives than was probably healthy.
    Dan had clearly had a hideous break-up with Julia Channing. Holly was actually really looking forward to meeting her properly now, because the mental picture building from their descriptions was
somewhere in the region of Cruella de Vil. She also got the impression that Dan wasn’t quite as together as he’d have her believe. There was the occasional sharp glance in Taffy’s
direction that seemed to be warning him not to overstep. But, if Julia was even half as awful as Taffy maintained, it was hard to imagine Dan being too upset about the split.
    Holly didn’t miss the warning look from Taffy either, as Dan teased him for being the local Romeo. ‘Quite the heart-throb of the Larkford Rugby Club, aren’t you, Taffs?’
It seemed his commitment issues extended into his work life too – preferring to have the freedom and flexibility of a locum contract, despite working here almost every day. And it certainly
seemed as though Taffy was not short of female company, if everything Dan was saying happened to be true, much though Taffy protested.
    An inexplicable wave of disappointment washed over Holly. She managed to smile and laugh along with the joke of course, but every time she looked over at him, Taffy’s gaze was resting on
her. She felt a little stupid and embarrassed now, for imagining that it meant anything more than a friendly welcome.
    Holly was actually getting quite exasperated with herself. She really didn’t feel that she was putting her best foot forward today. She’d been nervous, of course, but she
hadn’t expected to feel quite so drowningly overwhelmed. Obviously, it would take a little while to settle in – she was walking into a tight-knit practice, where the team’s
personal and professional lives clearly overlapped. Grace, Dan and Taffy were going out of their way to put her at ease and to bring her into their circle, but Holly was getting frustrated. Here
she was, tongue-tied and blushing like an imbecile. She wanted them to meet bright, witty, attractive Holly. So far today, she had less charisma and drive than a Victoria Sponge.
    With no warning, Dan suddenly stood up and strode across the lounge to where Julia Channing, the tall slender blonde, had made an entrance. She clearly wasn’t running
short in the self-confidence department, thought Holly tetchily. Words were being exchanged and Julia was waving a day-glo Post-it in Dan’s face. Holly strained to hear what was being said,
but Taffy reclaimed her attention.
    ‘It’s like watching a train wreck in slow-motion with those two. Personally, I can’t help thinking that to dislike each other quite so very much, there must still be something
there . . .’
    Holly watched as Julia flicked a silken curtain of hair over her shoulder and, giving Dan one last disparaging look, she sashayed across the lounge towards them.
    ‘Incoming,’ muttered Taffy under his breath. ‘Brace, brace, brace.’
    Holly took a deep breath and willed herself to make a better showing. She didn’t wait for