Rules for Dating a Romantic Hero Read Online Free PDF Page A

properly alone, for once.
    ‘So you argue, like all couples do, blah blah.’ Jim was scribbling this down in his notebook. ‘They’ll love that. And Laura’s Place, the bookshop, was it your idea?’
    ‘Yes,’ said Laura.
    ‘So … you just said to your boyfriend, can you give me the money?’
    ‘Er, no,’ Laura said. ‘I had to write business proposals for his family’s Trust and for three other charities. I also had to apply for a loan from the bank and help from the council. It’s taken two years to get this off the ground.’
    ‘Sure, sure,’ Jim said. He nodded in a dismissive way. ‘What would you say, then, to those who accuse you of using your boyfriend’s money and position to open this shop?’
    ‘Well, I’d say yes, of course,’ said Laura. She could feel herself getting annoyed. ‘How else could I have done it?’ She knew that didn’t sound quite right and it wasn’t what she meant. Nerves made her voice rise. ‘It’s a serious business proposal. We are still short of the fifty thousand pounds we need to get the whole thing going. But it’s vital in this climate that we push ahead. One hundred and sixty libraries have been shut down in the last two years. A quarter of book-buying budgets have been slashed.’
    She turned to Nick, hoping he’d back her up, but he was fiddling with his phone, and somehow this made her angrier. ‘Hey.’ She leaned down and pushed his hands.
    Journalist Jim looked up, alert as a panther. Nick stuffed the phone into his pocket. ‘Sorry. Crisis in the tea-room.’
    Laura knew he was lying, in that split second.
    ‘Great,’ Jim said, scribbling some more. ‘I’ll get that all in, thanks Laura. So … wedding bells? When’s the big day happening, hm?’
    Laura was caught off-guard. ‘For who?’
    Jim Cutler laughed. ‘
For who
? For you, of course.’ There was almost a note of scorn in his voice. ‘Everyone wants to know. I was at the bookshop earlier and at least three people were wondering when you two are going to make an announcement.’
    Because you asked them, that’s why,
Laura thought.
    ‘I see,’ Laura said. Nick was silent.
    ‘Look guys, sorry. I have to ask this stuff, you know, it’s my job. It’s what sells papers. People love this kind of story, it’s gold dust. It’s what’ll get you your money, too.’ He didn’t sound sorry at all. ‘So what’s the next step?’
    Nick raised his hand. ‘Look, Jim, we’re not going to answer those kinds of questions.’
    ‘Why? It’s what people want to know.’
    ‘Really? I can’t imagine anyone’s that interested.’ Nick’s voice was level, but Laura knew that tone. It meant, leave us alone. ‘And it’s no one else’s business.’
    ‘Is that all you’ve got to say about it to people who work on the estate and are wondering about their future? To our readers, who want you to be happy?’
    Nick stood up. ‘Yes. That’s all I’ve got to say. Most couples don’t have journalists and villagers breathing down their necks all the time. We’re quite private. All in good time.’ He cleared his throat. ‘Hey, give us a break, Jim.’
    He sat down on the sofa next to Laura and put his arm around her. She took his hand and squeezed it. ‘Yeah,’ she said, trying to show support. ‘Just like Nick said.’
    Jim watched them both, then asked calmly, ‘D’you get on OK with your sister – Rose, is it?’
    ‘Of course,’ Nick said carefully, after a pause. Laura kept a straight face. ‘She’s a bit bossy, but I tell her that all the time. Why?’
    Jim shrugged. ‘Well, Lady Rose told me you’ve been saying you’re desperate to have children. She said you’re worried about the future and who’ll inherit this place. She said … where is it?’ He flipped through the pages of his notebook. ‘Here it is.’ He read slowly, stumbling over his shorthand. ‘Yes. “Nick has told me he has to make some changes. He needs to work out what happens with Chartley. You’ve