Living in Secret: Living In..., Book 3 Read Online Free Page B

chimed again.
    I’m still waiting, Connor.
    He bared his teeth at the screen and typed out a quick response.
    See you at the party, Victoria.
    Then he turned his phone off.
    “What about this one?”
    Victoria looked up from the rack she was sorting through.
    Eleanor had her hand outstretched, holding up a dress that looked more like a scrap of red silk than it did an actual dress. It was an off-the-shoulder number, very short, and was the deep red, nearly black of the darkest, most expensive of red rose petals.
    Victoria wouldn’t wear it in a million years.
    “Seriously, Ell?”
    “Oh come on, it’s perfect.”
    “You wear it then.”
    “I’ve already got mine sorted out.” Eleanor cast another glance over it. “You can’t deny it’s sexy.”
    Victoria turned back to the rack of clothes she was examining. “I don’t do sexy. You know that. I’m not even sure if I’m going to go anyway.”
    She and Eleanor had spent most of the day looking for a dress for Victoria to wear to Kahu’s party, a futile mission as Victoria had kept pointing out to her friend since she probably wouldn’t go anyway. But Eleanor had been adamant. She was “fucking going to Kahu’s party”, and she was “going to wear a sexy fucking dress”.
    Victoria didn’t particularly want to do either but it looked like she wasn’t going to have a choice in the matter, at least not about attending the party. Kahu was a very old friend. She couldn’t not go to what was ostensibly his farewell party.
    Pity Connor was also going to be there.
    She set her jaw, ignoring the sudden burst of anger flowering inside her at the thought of him. He was being a grade A bastard about signing those papers and she still didn’t know why.
    It’s not over…
    Why on earth would he think that? When he’d made no effort to talk to her or see her, or even discuss their separation with her for over a year. It was as over as a marriage could be so why he thought any different, she didn’t understand. Not when he’d never given her even one sign that he wanted them to stay together.
    She jerked a hanger along the rail, looking sightlessly at the next dress on the rack. It was black. Plain. A high neckline and longer sleeves. Mid-calf length. Very conservative and pretty much exactly what she was looking for.
    “Oh fuck no,” Eleanor said from behind her. “You’re not trying that thing on. I forbid it.”
    Victoria let out a slow, silent breath. “It’s more me.”
    “Yes, it is. Elegant. Classy. Conservative. And there’s nothing wrong with that, believe me.”
    She turned and met her friend’s direct gray eyes. “I can hear the ‘there’s everything wrong with that’ in your voice, though.”
    Eleanor’s gaze was uncomfortably sharp. “Okay, I’ll be honest here. I’m worried about you, Vic. You’re working a lot and you’ve lost weight. And…” She stopped. “I don’t want you to go to London.”
    Victoria had told her friend a month or so ago about her plans and Eleanor had been unimpressed. In her usual direct way, she’d told her that leaving was not going to solve her problems. Which presupposed there were problems to solve and there weren’t.
    Only a long lost daughter who had turned up out of the blue and a husband who refused to sign the divorce papers.
    Jessica was not an issue—the letter Victoria had been sent had been short and to the point. A brief note to explain she was well, she was with a family who loved her and she loved them. That she wanted to reassure her mother she was okay. She hadn’t left any contact details, which indicated she didn’t want Victoria to return the contact and Victoria was okay with that. Her daughter was safe and well, and that was all that mattered.
    And as to the husband…
    “I know you don’t want me to go. But the job is a good one and—”
    “It’s not about the job. This is about Connor, isn’t it?”
    Victoria turned away, uncomfortable. She slid the black dress along