Stella Makes Good Read Online Free PDF Page A

at the clock. Eight o’clock. Shit! Brett would have left for work over an hour ago.
    She struggled out of bed and wrapped a light dressing-gown around herself. A quick survey of the house revealed that Will had also departed for school. She walked back into the bedroom, and was about to flop down on the bed when she saw her phone flashing—a text message from Toby. Instantly, she was transported back to her drunken flirting of the night before when she’d been not so secretly rebelling against her mundane suburban life. It had seemed like a good idea at the time . . .
    ‘We’re heading to party,’ cute Toby had told her. ‘You keen?’
    Was she keen? He could have told her he was off to wrestle crocodiles and she’d have joined him.
    But now? In the harsh light of day, it was a different story.
    Hands shaking, she read his message. What a night, hey? Not what I expected. Dinner next week?
    God! She shook her head, deleted the text, and dialled Stella’s number.
    ‘Please tell me we didn’t end up at a suburban sex party last night where we sprang Steve dressed as a baby,’ she said.
    ‘Okay.’
    ‘Good. I was hoping it was all a bad dream.’ Carly paused. ‘I’ve driven along that street so many times.’
    ‘Same,’ Stella said.
    Carly took a breath. ‘Toby was cute.’
    ‘Yeah. Not so sure about his friend Pete.’
    ‘He sent me a text.’
    ‘Who? Pete?’
    ‘No. Toby.’
    ‘I’m not surprised. You were all over him.’
    Carly shook her head at the memory. ‘Don’t remind me. I’m an idiot. What are we going to do about Jesse?’
    ‘Like I said last night, let’s leave it for the moment. It’s too bizarre. How are you feeling?’
    ‘Disgusting. Ashamed. Embarrassed. Hungover.’
    ‘Okay,’ said Stella, ‘you’ve painted a pretty clear picture. Take two Nurofen Plus and go back to bed.’
    After hanging up, Carly curled up on the bed and slowly pieced the events of the night together. After their awkward run-in with Steve, the four of them had hightailed it out of the house, leaving Pete behind. Last Carly had seen, he’d been enjoying the attentions of three women dressed up as headmistresses. Where did people find the energy? All she’d wanted to do last night was cut loose—drink some wine, maybe dance. Then she’d met Toby and now he’d texted her.
    What the hell had she been thinking, flirting with him? Things weren’t great with Brett, but that was no reason to behave the way she had. Carly wanted to die of shame.
    She remembered that, earlier in the night, Stella had been annoying her about behaving inappropriately. Sometimes she really should listen to Stella. But Carly had been having a good time and had wanted to forget for a couple of hours everything that was going on in her life. Forget that her oldest son, Nicholas, had gone overseas for the year; and that her other son, William, had less than two years left of school before he’d be taking off as well. Then what? She’d float around alone in this big empty house while Brett continued to work twenty hours a day, seven days a week.
    She missed Nicky intensely. He said he hated her using the pet name, but when she did and he was in a receptive mood, his whole face lit up like he was seven years old again. It made Carly feel like she was dancing on clouds. It broke her heart that she wouldn’t get to see that gorgeous face for another ten months.
    She got up from the bed and walked into the kitchen, searching for something to make her feel better. She ate a banana and instantly wanted to throw up.
    Had she really told Stella and Jesse she wanted a fuck buddy? She’d only been joking . . . sort of. Bloody hell, she wasn’t a bad person. It was just that Brett spent more time at work than he did at home. And when he was here, he was preoccupied and tense. He had two Blackberries and it wasn’t uncommon for both to be glued to his ears at all hours—when he wasn’t chained to his iPad. The closest sexual companion