Wish 01 - A Secret Wish Read Online Free PDF Page A

But she didn’t feel like working the room tonight. Her stiletto heels were pinching her toes, and her facial muscles were tired of smiling. At the very least, she needed to sit down for a few minutes and catch a second wind before the band started playing. There would be dancing and more toasts to endure. She had to find her party spirit – and fast.
    “Mrs. Prescott, are you all right?” Lindsay, the party coordinator, a perky blonde in her early thirties, had a clipboard in her hand and a worried look on her face.
    “I’m fine. The party is lovely. You did a wonderful job. Thank you.”
    The tension in Lindsay’s face eased. “You’re very welcome. I hope you’re having a good time.”
    “Yes, of course. Have you seen my children around?”
    “They left right before you cut the cake. Your daughter told me that she was driving your son to a sleepover or something like that. I assumed you knew their plans.”
    She’d known they’d each made plans to spend the night somewhere else since she and Blake had booked a room at the hotel, but beyond that she knew very little. She was disappointed that they’d left so early. They hadn’t even wanted to watch her cut the cake. They hadn’t wanted to do much of anything with her in recent years. She’d attributed their distance to the teenage years – Sophie was sixteen now and Michael was fifteen. They had their own lives.
    But she knew the distance between them had started years earlier. Her devotion to Blake and his career had forced her to miss some of the children’s events. Blake needed her to host parties, to travel with him, to support his career, and she’d always believed that helping him achieve his goals would give her children a better life. And it had. They lived in a big house. Her kids had nice clothes, the latest electronics and computers. They lacked for nothing, and that was because of her effort. Still, deep in her heart, she missed having a real relationship with them.
    Well, maybe she hadn’t been the best mother, but she was a fabulous wife. That she had no doubts about.
    Speaking of being a wife, maybe it was time to find her husband.
    She strolled through the ballroom, keeping a sharp eye out for Blake. As the minutes passed, she grew more and more annoyed by his absence. Lately, he never seemed to be around. She didn’t mind being in his shadow, as long as he was actually near enough to cast one.
    The party had spilled out into the hallways that ran along the ballroom. She smiled and waved to several guests as she searched the halls for Blake. She turned the far corner, wondering if he’d gone into the kitchen or one of the banquet offices to speak to someone. She thought the corridor was empty until she saw a couple almost hidden by a tall plant.
    She stopped abruptly, recognizing the broad shoulders of her husband. The woman with him had long red hair and she wore a very short black strapless dress. She couldn’t have been more than twenty-five years old.
    As Carole watched, the redhead leaned in and whispered something in Blake’s ear. Then she slid her lips along his cheekbone. The intimate gesture was unmistakable.
    Carole’s stomach turned over and her heart skipped a beat. Oh, God! Was this it, then? Was her husband already having an affair with a younger woman?
    She must have let out some kind of sound, because suddenly Blake whirled around and saw her. His eyes glittered the way they always did when he was nervous or guilty. The woman with him didn’t appear worried at all. She looked triumphant, as if she’d just won some big prize.
    “Carole,” he muttered, walking toward her. “Have you met Krystal Cunningham? Her father just made a very large donation to my campaign.”
    She heard the explanation. She didn’t believe it. She wanted to stamp her foot and scream at him that he was a liar and a stupid one at that, to fool around with this woman at his wife’s birthday party. But she couldn’t do any of those things.