The Aura Read Online Free

hung behind a veil of thin cloud, barely casting shadows, but at least alleviating the gloom of the previous few days.
    “Katie, how are you doing? Dad called to tell me what happened. Do you need me to come up?”
    “I’m fine. Everything is healing quickly. Paolo came over and looked after me. It was nothing. Just a silly accident.”
    “Uh huh.”
    “What does that mean?”
    “It means that you’re not telling me everything,” he said. “Dad sounded really worried about you and said something about… well, he seemed to think you were suffering from a concussion.”
    I shifted my weight, aware again of the ache around my knees. “Can I call you when I get home?”
    Leo paused. “Why don’t you come over this weekend? The boys would love to see you, and you can bring me up to date on how Dad’s doing.”
    I thought for a minute. Rebecca and I were planning to see a movie on Sunday evening, but I had nothing else to do. The drive to Oxford would be a good distraction.
    “Yes,” I said. “I’ll come for dinner tomorrow and stay the night.”
    “Good, great.” Leo sounded relieved. He was worried; my Dad was worried. I had to get better quickly so everyone would stop worrying about me.
    At lunchtime, I took a taxi to the doctor’s office. I was tense with anticipation, half hoping that the doctor would easily identify the cause of my visual disturbances, half dreading that the diagnosis would be unspeakably terrifying. The visit was inconclusive, however. The doctor, a portly, middle-aged woman with grey hair and bad teeth, examined my eyes and ears, pressed on various parts of my skull and wrote out an order for a CT scan. Then she offered me a prescription for antidepressants, which I refused.
    As soon as I was out of the doctor’s office, I called the radiology department of the local hospital to make an appointment for the scan. To my relief, they were able to fit me in on Monday afternoon. At least I wouldn’t have to wait too long, in suspense.
    I got back to my desk, had my coat off and was working when Alan came in with Josh and another team member, Ben, in tow.
    “Team huddle,” Alan said. “Just want to be sure you’re all working your asses off on the Montgomery project. This one is crucial. Get it right and we’ll be deluged with new contracts. Jack will be coming in for the next meeting and we all want to look good for Uncle Jack, don’t we?”
    I liked Jack Cohen. He was the other founding partner and had acted as my mentor since I joined the firm. Older than Alan, he didn’t work full time, but I gathered that he networked, lunched with influencers and came in a couple of times a week to see how things were going. Alan referred to him as the ‘big gun’. “We only wheel him out for special occasions,” he’d say. “And for the Christmas party.”
    When Alan walked towards the door, I sighed with relief. At least he hadn’t referred to my time off again. But, just when I thought I was safe, he swung around to look at me.
    “Kate. You’re outstanding at what you do, but I’m sensing a lack of commitment. Too much time off, and a recent tendency to distraction. Step it up, young lady, and give these two guys the full benefit of your talent. I’ll be keeping an eye on you.”
    Ben smirked, his small dark eyes glistening with amusement. Josh told him to cut it out and, as soon as Alan had gone, leaned forward across the desk towards Ben and me.
    “We need to cooperate if we’re going to get everything completed on time,” he said. “We’ll split the project into parts and we’ll each handle the details we’re strongest at. Kate, you’ll have functional design and Ben will work with…”
    I tuned out, thinking it was ironic that Alan was picking on me just as when I was starting to feel like my old self and finding enthusiasm for the project. But he was right. I’d been distracted ever since my mother died. The shock of her death had knocked me sideways. And now this