Effortless Read Online Free

to work. A couple of the correspondents stopped by to review their package scripts with me and discuss placement in the show. I’d managed to stack the first twenty minutes by lunchtime and ran the segments by Sam to get any needed feedback. So far, so good.
    At one, I decided to take a break and grab something to eat. Plus, I had to call Stephanie and tell her the news. Even though we’d technically been engaged since July, Alastair and I had kept it between us. The summer had been such a stressful time for both of us that we decided to stay quiet until I was settled here and we were ready to let everybody else in on the secret.
    I stopped myself mid-dial. My parents. I had to tell them first. And my sister. Lowering the phone back into the cradle I considered my options. It was early back home, barely past eight in the morning. My mother was probably having her third cup of coffee and debating whether or not to meet her circle of friends for a leisurely lunch. My dad was most certainly working. Even though he’d retired a few years ago he still did consulting work for the bank on the side.
    I should do a video call
. A small laugh escaped my lips. Trying to explain Skype to them would be nothing short of hilarious if I wanted to tell them face to face.
    My dialing was interrupted a second time by a knock on my door.
    “Sorry to bother you. These were just delivered.” Meredith walked in carrying a sizable bouquet of red roses.
    “They’re lovely,” she said, placing them on the desk. “You’re quite lucky.”
    Not saying anything further, she left. I searched for a card and found one nestled in with the baby’s breath.
    If my calculations are correct, these will make you smile. Looking forward to tonight.
    Yours, ARH xx
    Oh no. Tonight. Dammit.
    I grabbed the phone and dialed his office.
    “Holden World Media.”
    “Hi, Simone. It’s Lia. Is he busy?”
    “Hold please.”
    His assistant sounded miffed at my familiarity on the phone. Or maybe I was just being paranoid. I stroked the pretty petals while listening to some rather dire sounding hold music.
They should probably play some of their own artists’ music instead of this
, I thought, twisting the phone cord.
    “Holden,” he answered, irritated.
    “I’m not bothering you, am I?”
    “Amelia.” The desirous way he said my name gave me an unexpected rush. “Not at all, kitten. Did you get my special delivery?”
    “I did. They’re beautiful.” I paused. “Is everything okay? You sound stressed.”
    Silence permeated through the phone before he answered. “Everything’s fine. I’m about to go sit with the finance team so you caught me just in time.” He lowered his voice. “Have you been doing as I asked all day?”
    The phone nearly slipped out of my hand from the tremor of yearning that shot through my body. I composed myself before lowering the boom about tonight. “Um, so, I’ve been invited out for cocktails tonight with Julian. Well, invited is too kind. He sort of told me it was happening and where and when to meet him.”
    “Did he?” he asked, clearly annoyed. “What time?”
    “Eight. He said he has a table at Pulse already reserved so—”
    “Will Garrison be there?”
    I could hear the scowl in his tone.
    “Not that I’m aware of. Do you want to come with me?”
    “This wasn’t quite what I had in mind for us,” he muttered. “I should stay here later seeing as you’ll be out. Maybe I could stop by around nine?”
    “If you’re not too tired. Julian likes to harass you into appearing on the show every time he sees you.”
    “I’m never too tired for you. Plan on seeing me at nine then.”
    * * *
    The taxi arrived to pick me up at quarter to eight. I gave my hair one last fluff and checked my lip-gloss. I’d read a little bit about Pulse and my impression was that it was fairly swanky. I did another quick check in the hall mirror at my black sparkly tank dress and was off.
    As the cabbie drove me through