Over You Read Online Free PDF Page B

we’re so mature and sensible these days!’ she said, wide-eyed.
    ‘Table for three, please,’ Lisa said crisply to the waiter, as if she were in a grand hotel instead of a dive-y little cafe.
    ‘Anywhere you like,’ he said, pressing a pile of greasy menus into her hand.
    Once they were settled with a beer each, Nell planted both elbows on the table and leaned forward. ‘So, Miss Lisa,’ she started, ‘back to your love life . . .’
    ‘Oh God, do we have to?’ Lisa moaned.
    ‘You might as well tell us now, before you get too drunk and lose all your inhibitions,’ Nell pointed out. ‘At least this way you can give us the edited highlights while you’ve still got your wits about you.’
    Josie laughed. ‘And well winkle the really juicy bits out of you later on,’ she said, tilting her bottle of Peroni and taking a long, cool gulp. Delicious. She raised an eyebrow. ‘So, let’s guess. He’s your personal trainer on some kind of two-for-one deal.’
    ‘Cheeky cow!’ Lisa said, spluttering on her beer. ‘My personal trainer is as gay as fairy lights. No, it’s . . . Well, there’s nothing serious. I’m just dating, you know.’
    ‘Anyone particularly falling-in-lovable?’ Nell pressed.
    Lisa shook her head. ‘There hasn’t been for ages,’ she said, suddenly looking down at the table. ‘Years. No, these are all just casual flings. A bit of fun, you know the score. Excellent sex, now bye, who’s next?’
    ‘Sounds good to me,’ Josie said, even though that was a complete lie. The thought of still having loveless shags with dates who didn’t set her heart racing filled Josie with dread and pity – how could Lisa bear it, not having met the right man and settled down with a family by now? How could she stand sleeping alone all those nights, with nobody putting their arms around her? But she certainly wasn’t going to say as much.
    ‘Do you ever hear from – what was his name? – Guy?’ Nell asked.
    Lisa shook her head. ‘Nope. Nada. ’ She tipped her head back, avoiding Nell’s questioning gaze, and had a long slug of beer.
    Josie had a swig of hers too, wondering what was going on in Lisa’s head. She could tell there was no chance of getting any more answers about Guy or anyone else right now. Lisa’s private life had always stayed far more private than Josie’s and Nell’s, even during their most drunken confess-all girly nights in. Josie had known via Nell that Lisa had had her heart broken really badly a few years ago by this bloke Guy, but Josie had never even met him, and hadn’t heard the full story. Besides, at the time it had happened she was still in the throes of early motherhood – the boys were probably no more than a year old, and her mind was full to its brim with their lives. Long heart-to-heart sessions about anything else had not been possible. Nell, too, had been away somewhere hot and Third Worldish, so hadn’t been able to fulfil her best-friend comforting duties either. Josie felt bad that Lisa had had to go through her heartbreak without her two closest allies beside her.
    ‘Anyway, what about you?’ Lisa asked, turning to Nell. ‘How’s it all going with your boyo in the valleys? Any plans for sprogging or vows or anything serious yet?’
    Nell shook her head, her mouth in a funny little twist. ‘Nope, nada ,’ she parroted. ‘It’s all over, me and Gareth. As of last week, I am an eligible bachelorette once again.’
    Josie put down her beer harder than she meant to and it banged on the table, sending a surge of bubbles fizzing up its green neck. ‘What happened? Why didn’t you say something earlier?’ she asked.
    Nell shrugged, a cagey expression slipping over her face. ‘Just because,’ she replied. ‘I don’t really feel like talking about it. So . . .’
    ‘OK,’ Lisa said, her dark eyes on Nell.
    Josie leaned over the table and squeezed Nell’s hand. ‘Are you all right?’ she asked. ‘Change the subject if you want, but . .