Versace Sisters Read Online Free PDF Page B

in for sleep, then came
back downstairs.
    Tony had put away the ice-cream and cleaned up the
milky mess on the floor. Sera put her uniform on soak,
retrieved the few hidden runaway groceries, and then prepared
tinned soup and toasted sandwiches. As she served
dinner in front of the television, she glanced at the starburst
clock above the manetelpiece. She only had an hour to pull
herself and the house together before the Stitch 'n' Bitchers
were due to arrive. How was she going to do it?
    Joan peered suspiciously at her tuna toastie.
    'Bread's a strange shape,' she said.

~ 4 ~
    Sera didn't do skirts. Even with long skirts, there was far
too much risk of leg exposure for her liking. But what
could she do? White linen skirts were a major look this
season, and Sera was a woman who hated to miss a trend.
    After the chaos of the day and Joan's usual sarcasm it
was a relief to finally escape to her room and get dressed for
tonight's Stitch 'n' Bitch.
    She scrutinised her reflection in the full-length mirror,
assessing all angles. Both legs were almost entirely hidden by
the ankle-grazing, white linen wrap-skirt, but she still wasn't
sure if she had the courage to wear it. Maybe if she stood up
all night she could prevent any wardrobe malfunctions?
    At least her taupe silk cami and new bejewelled flip-flops
from Witchery posed no such fashion concerns. She'd
seen the shoes at lunchtime, the shiny stones across the toes
glittering prettily, and had been unable to resist such a
must-have purchase.
    Of course then there had been the problem of squeezing
in a pedicure after work and finding the right chocolate
nail polish to match the stones. But it had been worth
juggling an extra hour of childcare, getting off work early
and cancelling her much-overdue smear test one more
time, she decided, wiggling her toes happily.
    Damn it! She hadn't had time to even think about
buying wool or needles for tonight's knitting session. It had
been months since she'd finished her last project: a rather
tragic-looking scarf which Madeline had refused to wear.
She'd made a half-hearted attempt to start a beanie for
Harry, in his favorite Roosters colours, but she'd lost her
knitting bag somewhere – a cute Olga Berg number she'd
picked up in the last Myer sales – and kept hoping it would
turn up. That was a great bag.
    But really, Stitch 'n' Bitch was just a convenient excuse
for wine and a whine, and that was fine by Sera. She just
wished Bella was going to be there. They hadn't caught up
for ages.
    She took a last look in the mirror. Her bare ankles sat
vulnerable and exposed beneath the hem of her skirt, un -
accustomed to the glare of daylight. She couldn't do it. She
ran back to her wardrobe and pulled on a pair of taupe
leggings from a drawer overflowing with tights, stockings,
footless tights and leggings.
    'Hey gorgeous, nice to see you in a skirt. It suits you,'
Tony said, coming into the bedroom to change.
    'Yeah, yeah,' Sera brushed away the compliment and
quickly ducked away as he moved to kiss her. 'You'd better
get a move on, your business studies class starts in fifteen
minutes.'
    'Gettin' there,' he replied, slipping on his Nike laceless
street shoes. 'At least Mum's off to her Italian lesson so she
won't be underfoot for you and your friends.'
    Sera shook her head. 'No, sadly Mavis's car has a flat
battery so she won't be able to go.'
    'Oh, damn,' Tony halted on his way out of the room,
pulling a tight white T-shirt over his broad chest. 'And on
the night you're hosting too.'
    'Never mind,' Sera replied with a brave smile, 'I'm
sure she'll behave when company's here. She's pretty disappointed
about missing Italian though.'
    'You'd think she'd be fluent by now,' Sera said. 'She's
been taking those classes for ages.'
    'Yeah, but she never uses it. Anyway, I'm off, gorgeous.'
Tony smiled, blowing her a quick kiss as he bounded down
the stairs.
    Sera checked in on the sleeping children before heading
down to the kitchen to prepare some