The Last Goodbye Read Online Free PDF

pants and a nude silk knee-length tunic over them. She had layers of beads around her neck and she was wearing impossibly high heels, which put her easily over six foot. Her glossy auburn hair was pulled back into a simple bun, showing off her angular face.
Will stood up to greet us. He leant over and kissed me on the cheek. “Kate – it’s great to see you again. You look brilliant – pregnancy suits you!” He was dressed in a blazer and open-necked shirt, revealing some dark chest hair at the top. He had a faint shadow of stubble on his jaw and his hair was carefully styled up with gel. Together they made a striking couple.
Ben and Will shook hands awkwardly. If Ben didn’t like Will, the feeling was mutual. I always got the impression that Ben was just a little too strait-laced for Will. Will was a man’s man, a complete alpha male. He worked long hours in the City and he lived by the motto ‘ Work hard, play hard ’.
We took our seats opposite them and the waitress passed out menus. She handed the wine list to Will.
“Love the jeans, Kate!” Nat said as she opened her leather-bound menu.
“Shut up, you! Clothing manufacturers must think that pregnant women lose all sense of style as soon as they get pregnant. We’ll see how well you’ll do when it’s your turn.”
“Well, you’ll be waiting!” She laughed that deep throaty laugh of hers. Men loved Nat’s laugh.
We read through our menus.
“It’s so hard to decide what to choose!” Nat moaned. “I’m torn between the venison and the beef.”
“Well, why don’t you go for the venison and I’ll get the beef so then you can try both?” Will suggested.
“You don’t mind?”
“Of course I don’t – anything to keep my lady happy.”
They exchanged a smile.
When we were done, we closed the menus shut again and placed them onto the table in front of us.
“Your hair really suits you like that, Nat,” I said.
“See, I told you!” Will said, turning towards her. “It shows off her beautiful face, doesn’t it?”
I nodded in agreement.
Nat blushed. “I couldn’t decide whether to put it up or down coming out tonight.”
“Well, either way, you always look good.” He pulled her in towards him and kissed her tenderly on the forehead.
Ben and I need not have been there. I tried not to let my shock show at how attentive and affectionate he was being towards her. He was all over her. I had only met him casually a couple of times before so I had never really observed them properly together.
“So now for the all-important bit,” Will said, opening up the wine list. “What are we having, guys?”
“The Châteauneuf-du-Pape is good – remember, we had it the last time we were here, Kate?” Ben said.
“Yeah, it was,” I said. “Pity I can’t drink it tonight though.”
“What about the Barolo – everyone happy with that?” Will asked, not even listening to Ben’s suggestion.
The waitress came back over and placed a basket of bread on our table.
“This one here is squid-ink bread.” She pointed towards a black-coloured one. “This dark-brown one is Guinness bread and this here is Spanish tomato bread. I hope you enjoy them.”
“Looks good,” Nat said.
“Are you ready to order yet or would you like me to leave you to make up your minds for a little bit longer?”
“I think we’re all ready,” Will said, looking around at us.
“Yep, I’m good to go – I’m starved,” Ben said.
Nat and I nodded in agreement. We ordered our food and Will ordered the Barolo.
“Good choice.” The waitress nodded in approval, which seemed to make Will happy.
We sat in silence for a while and I watched Ben as he idly dipped his finger into the wax that had dripped from the candle and let it cool before picking it off again.
Will broke the ice. “So, Kate, you’re almost halfway there now, Nat tells me. What hospital are you going to?”
“St Mary’s.”
He picked up a slice of the squid-ink bread from the basket and pulled it apart. “Very