Swansea Summer Read Online Free Page B

habit. People I work with do it all the time.’ Reaching into her pocket for a handkerchief, Judy dabbed her eyes. ‘That’s why I want to know what it’s like, Helen. It might be different if I did have someone up there besides Brian but I don’t, and I’m terrified he’ll go off and find another girl. I thought that if I slept with him we might become closer and then he’d stop volunteering for overtime and spend more time with me.’
    ‘It would be fantastic if you did come back.’ Katie was almost in tears herself.
    ‘That’s the nicest thing anyone’s said to me since I left Swansea and I had to come back to hear it.’ Judy hugged Katie as she moved next to her on the sofa. ‘I talked it over with my mother earlier. She said if I do come back, she’ll open another salon and let me run it for her. I would have to answer to her, but she wouldn’t be there day to day, so it would almost be like being my own boss. And there’s you three. You’ve no idea how much I’ve missed you.’ She hugged Katie again. ‘And our talks and nights out together. In London I even go to the pictures by myself if Brian’s not free on my night off. People there are too stuck up to give you the time of day. I thought before I went I’d make friends, but outside of Brian I hardly know a soul, certainly no one I can talk to beyond saying, “nice weather” or “it’s raining again”.’
    ‘Does Brian want to come back too?’ Helen demolished the pasty on her plate in two bites.
    ‘I doubt it. All he can talk about is his new job and promotion prospects.’
    ‘So what are you going to do?’ Lily asked.
    ‘Some hard thinking over the weekend.’
    ‘So it’s Brian and London or Swansea and your own salon.’
    ‘You make it sound simple, Helen. But it’s more complicated than that. There’s my pride for one thing. I hate the thought of coming back here tagged with failure after barely a month.’
    ‘Sounds more like common sense if you’re that unhappy, unless you really love Brian and don’t want to leave him.’ Lily took the fresh bottle of Babycham Helen handed her.
    ‘That’s just it, I’m not sure whether I love him or not but I thought that if we made love …’
    ‘He’s trying to push you into it,’ Helen broke in indignantly.
    ‘No. To be honest he hasn’t tried much beyond a quick kiss and fumble around my bra area since we lived here and I slapped his face for trying to take more liberties than I was prepared to give. That’s another thing that’s bothering me. If he loved me he’d want more. Wouldn’t he?’ Judy looked to Helen for confirmation.
    ‘You just said you don’t have anywhere private to go,’ Lily pointed out.
    ‘It wouldn’t be easy to find a place but if he were serious he’d make an effort to look for one.’
    ‘And what would you do if he did turn up on a date one night with a hotel key? Slap his face, or shout “goody” and run ahead of him up the stairs?’ Helen questioned.
    ‘I don’t know because I’ve absolutely no idea what making love is like. Now if you told me …’
    ‘You should never make love with a man until you are absolutely certain that you love him.’
    They turned to Katie in amazement, the same thought in all their minds. Surely not! Not quiet, mousy Katie who had given gorgeous Adam Jordan the brush-off after only a couple of dates.
    ‘At least, that’s what I’ve always thought,’ Katie qualified, her cheeks burning crimson.
    Judy was the first to regain her composure. ‘That’s easy to say, but how do you know the difference between having a crush on someone and being really in love with them?’
    ‘That’s easy. Look at my brother and Helen.’
    ‘We can’t all fall in love with Jack,’ Judy snapped irritably.
    ‘I’d scratch the eyes out of any other girl who tried.’ Helen threw a cushion at Judy.
    ‘Careful, that nearly knocked over my drink.’
    ‘I think that when making love seems like the right thing to do,