Shadows Over Paradise Read Online Free Page B

hard on something, I’d want people to know!”
    “Me too,” chimed in Honor. “I don’t know why you want to hide your light under a bushel
quite
so much, Jen.”
    “Because it’s enough that I’ve enjoyed the work and been paid for it. I’m happy to be … invisible.”
    “You were always like that,” Honor went on. “You were never one to seek the limelight—unlike me.” She giggled. “I enjoy it.”
    “So, are you still acting?” Sean asked her.
    “Not for five years now,” she answered. “I couldn’t take the insecurity anymore, so I went into radio, which I love.”
    “I’ve heard your show,” Amy interjected. “It’s really good.”
    “Thanks.” Honor basked in the compliment for a moment. “And you two have had a baby, haven’t you?”
    “We have,” Amy answered. “So I’m on maternity leave.”
    “And what are you working on now, Jenni?” Carolyn asked.
    I fiddled with my wineglass. “A baby-care guide.”
    “How lovely,” she responded. “And are you a mum?”
    My heart contracted. “No.” I sipped my wine.
    “Doesn’t that make it difficult? Writing a book about something you haven’t been through yourself?”
    “Not at all. The client’s talked extensively to me about her experience—she’s a midwife—and I’ve written it up in a clear and, I hope, engaging way.”
    “I must buy it,” Amy said to me. “What’s it called?”
    “
Bringing Up Baby
. It’ll be out in the spring. But I always get a few complimentary copies, so if you give me your address, I’ll send you one.”
    “Oh, that’s kind. I’ll write it down.” Amy began looking in her bag for a pen.
    “You can contact me through my website,” I suggested. “Jenni Clark Ghostwriting. So … how old’s your baby?”
    At that Sean took out his phone and swiped the screen.
    “She’s called Rosie.”
    I smiled at the photo. “She’s gorgeous. Isn’t she lovely, Honor?”
    Honor peered at the image. “She’s a little beauty.”
    “She’s what, six months?” I asked.
    Amy’s face glowed with pride. “Yes—she’ll be seven months a week from Wednesday.”
    “So is she crawling?” I went on. “Or starting to roll over?” Beside me I could feel Rick stiffen.
    “She’s crawling beautifully,” Amy replied. “But she’s not rolling over yet.”
    Sean laughed. “It’ll be nerve-racking when she does.”
    “You won’t be able to leave her on the bed or the changing table,” I said. “That’s when lots of parents put the changing mat on the floor—not that I’m a parent myself, but of course we cover this in the book …” Rick had tuned out of the conversation and was talking to Carolyn again. Al turned to me. “So can you write about any subject?”
    “Well, not something I could never relate to,” I answered, “like particle physics—not that I’d ever get chosen for a book like that. But I’ll do almost any professional writing job: not just books, but corporate reports, press releases, business pitches, memoirs—”
    “Memoirs?” echoed Vincent. “You mean, writing someone’s life story?”
    “Yes—usually an older person, just for private publication.”
    “Do you enjoy that?” Vincent asked.
    “Very much. In fact it’s what I like doing best, my favorite kind of project. I love immersing myself in other people’s memories.”
    Vincent looked as though he was about to say something, but then Carolyn began asking him about golf, Amy was telling Rick about yoga, and Honor was chatting to Al about his work as an orthodontist. She was drawn to him, I could tell. Good old Nina for putting them together. Suddenly Honor looked at me, grinned, then tapped her teeth. “Al says I have a
perfect
bite.”
    I raised my glass. “Congratulations!”
    “Not just good,” Honor said. “Perfect!”
    “Don’t let it go to your head,” Al said.
    She laughed. “Where else is my bite supposed to go?”
    Soon it was time for the speeches and toasts; the cake was