Second Thoughts Read Online Free Page B

I would never have allowed it.”
    “I think Faye knew that, otherwise she would have enticed Eli into booking a package deal weeks ago.” Melissa grabbed her bag off the sofa and peeked inside.
    Bettina’s phone rang. Picking it up, she groaned when she recognised the caller. “It’s the DJ. How much do you want to bet he’s cancelling us?”
    “He might not be.”
    Bettina answered the phone, within seconds their conversation was over and she disconnected the call. “Just like I said. Cancelled. Some bullshit about his wife having to go abroad to see a sick relative. I bet he got a better gig. Now I’m going to have to spend the whole evening trying to replace him.”
    “Not everyone lies, Bettina. He might be telling the truth.”
    She dismissed Melissa’s comment with the wave of her hand. “I beg to differ.” She should have known better than to think she could have relied on the cocky prick who thought he was the best thing since sliced bread. When she’d seen his spiky hair and sleeved tattoos she should have sent him packing there and then, but he talked a good talk and she had been taken in by him. Next time she was going to trust her instincts. In her role as a head hunter, her gut instinct on first impressions was worth its weight in gold. She couldn’t help but use the same tool to judge everyone she came into contact with.
    Melissa shrugged. “I’d better go; I don’t want to be late for my own party. I’ll see you later.” She blew her a kiss and headed out, leaving a trail of sweet perfume behind.
    Bettina’s eyes followed her as she disappeared behind the door. She gave a slight shake of her head and smiled at the thought of the woman she had fallen in love with the second she’d laid eyes on her. The path towards a romantic relationship with Melissa had been a difficult one to navigate. Of course, Bettina hadn’t expected it to be easy. The hard blows life had dealt the young woman in such a short space of time would be trying enough for the toughest of people let alone a twenty-one year old. She had taken in a lost child and watched proudly as she grew into the woman she was today.
    That Melissa had embraced her idea about having a baby together gave her hope that the past was well and truly under the bridge and they could now move on to the next phase of their lives.
    At thirty-eight, Bettina was at an age when many people considered her too old to be getting married and starting a family. To her it was all bah humbug . What was the point of settling down before you met the right person? Had she stayed with her ex-partner all those years ago, she would have missed out on meeting Melissa and that in itself would have been a tragedy.
    She poured herself a large glass of wine and slouched back against the sofa, a wry smile on her face. Sometimes you had to take fate into your own hands – that was the only way to get what you wanted. Bettina knew that from first-hand experience, because that’s exactly what she had done all those years ago.

Chapter Seven
    By early evening, the venue Eli had chosen for the hen do was alive and kicking with loud music from the eighties and high-pitched female chatter.
    “Down the hatch!” Faye shouted out, encouraging the group of women crowded around a large table to down the shots they held in their hands.
    “Down the hatch,” the women called back, raising their small glasses in the air before knocking them back.
    Melissa gritted her teeth as the liquid slid down her throat and warmed her chest. She didn’t know why she drank shots, even when she knew they made her sick. But she couldn’t sit there drinking Coke all night. Faye would never let her live it down. She put the glass down before standing. “Hey, you guys,” she said, addressing the twenty friends from secondary school and university Faye had managed to gather for the party. “Thank you so much for coming tonight. I really am grateful you made the effort. It’s great to see you