The Guest List Read Online Free PDF Page B

just started ringing. ‘Now get to work, you.’
    ‘Yes, boss.’
    The rest of the morning continued without challenge. Cara made her way through her work, fielded phone calls from clients, and essentially fell into her usual day-to-day work routine. It wasn’t until one o’clock began to approach that her stomach started to make its usual protest that it was time for something other than what was on her to-do list.
    This time, though, the rumbling of her stomach also reminded Cara that there was something she’d forgotten to do when she came in that morning.
    As if on cue, the front door to the office flew open and in walked a familiar person. The very same person she had meant to phone earlier.
    ‘Hey there sunshine,’ her sister-in-law called out.
    ‘Ah Kim, I completely forgot. I meant to call you earlier to apologise and—’
    ‘Call me for what? So you could cancel on me?’
    Cara looked guilty. ‘Actually yes – sorry. I’ve got a lot more work on and—’
    ‘Well tough, I’m here now, so get your stuff. I don’t know about you but I’m starving.’
    Kim ran her own cosmetics distribution business, supplying beauty salons and hotel spas the length and breadth of the country with her carefully chosen range of luxurious bath and body products.
    A former model, she was ideal to front such a glamorous business, but despite being involved in such an image-obsessed field, Kim loved her grub and, besides never missing a meal, was also one of those maddening women who could easily get away with carrying a few extra pounds.
    Today she was dressed in head-to-toe Prada. Or was it Primark? Cara couldn’t be sure. With Kim it could easily be either, and whether clad in designer or high street, she always looked fabulous. Her bouncy blonde locks reflected the office track lighting above and her peach complexion glowed with vitality, setting off her almond-shaped brown eyes. She was in her late thirties, almost a decade older than Cara, but at five foot eleven and in great shape, her sister-in-law could very easily outshine the considerably younger models who so often graced the pages of her company catalogues.
    ‘Now, what would you say to a good burger?’ she asked. ‘That and some chips, I’m mad for chips.’
    Cara shook her head. ‘You know I hate you, don’t you? Chips by the bucketload and still you can fit into those skinny pencil skirts.’ Although Cara was reasonably slim, she had frustratingly wide hips and as such pencil skirts had never seen the inside of her wardrobe.
    Kim shrugged and turned to Conor. ‘Hey, Clooney, do you think you can run the show without her for an hour? Or will the whole place fall asunder if she’s not here?’ She knew Conor well and always jokingly referred to him, even to his face, as ‘Clooney’; the comparison not just attributed to Conor’s good looks, but also his perpetual bachelorhood.
    ‘I think we might just survive,’ Conor said. He looked at Cara. ‘But if you’re going for chips, bring me back some?’
    ‘Bloody hell, I don’t have much of a choice now do I? OK then,’ she said, shaking her head, ‘screw the diet for today; chips it is.’
    Gathering up her bag and coat, she said goodbye to Conor and walked through the door as Kim held it open for her.
    ‘You’re on a diet?’ Kim enquired. ‘Why?’
    ‘Erm, because unlike some, I wasn’t in line when they were handing out perfect genes.’
    ‘Oh nonsense, you look gorgeous. But speaking of fitting into things,’ her sister-in-law said, with a meaningful smile, ‘I won’t be fitting into pencil skirts for much longer.’ Cara turned, her eyes widening. ‘That’s right, here we go again.’ Kim laughed and pointed to her stomach.
    ‘That’s great news! When did you find out?’ Cara smiled, going to embrace her.
    Kim was a wonderful mother to Olivia and Lindsay, and she knew that the new Clancy baby too would find itself welcomed into a family full of love. Although she was a little