Charlotte’s ears pricked, and she wondered if there was the slightest hope of scoring an interview. While she loved Gran and didn’t mind looking after her, she’d kill to break into the graphics field and gain more independence. No rich men for her. No marriage either. She wanted to step into Ms. Independent’s shoes and answer to no one but herself.
“I’ve already booked an interview slot.” Jenny flashed a grin, sharing her confidence with each of them in turn. “I intend to grab that spot.” She shook out her long blonde hair and picked up her coffee. “I heard they’d stopped taking applicants because they have enough.”
“Charlotte wants to go into graphic design,” Gran said casually.
“Charlotte?” Elizabeth’s plucked brows rose to new heights. “How are you going to manage a job? Who is going to look after Mum when her lupus flares up? Who will run our errands? No, it’s impossible. We need Charlotte to cook meals and run the household for us.” She reinforced her words with a glower that dared Charlotte to argue otherwise.
Charlotte picked up her toast with a trembling hand and forced herself to take another bite. It helped to still the tap-dancing in the pit of her stomach and dammed up her words of protest. She was saving every cent she could, but her bank account remained depressingly small. One day, she promised herself.
“She doesn’t have the qualifications to apply for the job,” Jenny said, her tone and pointed look running along Smug Street. “So it’s a moot point. I hope Ash Marlborough sits in on the interviews. He’s amazing. And he’s single.”
“It wouldn’t hurt to have an in with a rich bachelor,” Elizabeth said in a thoughtful manner, obviously dismissing any further thoughts of Charlotte getting a job.
“Exactly.” Jenny smirked in Charlotte’s direction again. “A job and a rich lover in one swoop.” She’d made a turn onto Complacent Drive.
“He has scars on his face,” Rachel said with distaste. “I can’t look at him for longer than a few seconds. Imagine having to kiss him.”
Jenny shrugged. “Who cares what he looks like if he has money?”
Charlotte wanted to clap her hands over her ears, or even better, go back to bed. Instead she dispensed toast, fruit and cereal and made another pot of coffee, tuning out the usual morning discussions and avarice from her stepmother and stepsisters. Her mind turned more pleasant corners, drifting to the previous night and her Zorro lover. He’d asked her for a dance early on in the night. They’d laughed and talked about the different costumes. She’d felt like a real princess in her apricot ball gown with full skirts and the beaded bodice that cupped, lifted and flattered.
The best part was her invisibility to her stepmother and stepsisters. Her dark brown wig and skillful makeup, courtesy of Gran’s best friend Esther, had completed the fantasy, and Zorro’s attention made her feel extra special. Their conversation had morphed into design and different advertising promotions they’d enjoyed, and an undercurrent of lust hummed between them, growing more urgent as the evening progressed. Charlotte removed the dirty plates from the table and made Gran another pot of tea, the twinge of her muscles reminding her of their frantic lovemaking. Heat burst onto her cheeks, her hands shaking as she stacked the plates in the dishwasher.
“I need you to take my costume to the drycleaners,” Rachel said.
“Mine too,” Jenny said.
“You can take them all,” Elizabeth instructed.
Charlotte opened her mouth to object and snapped it shut again. She’d only find herself in the middle of another argument. Same old, same old.
“Charlotte, dear. Could you find me a pen and notepad please?” Gran asked. “What are you all doing today?”
“I’m going to stay with my friend at the beach,” Jenny said. “I’ll be back late Sunday afternoon.”
After handing over the requested items, Charlotte resigned herself to another evening of looking after Gran. A night alone in front of the telly since Gran went to bed around eight. At least the rugby was on and she could ogle the players to her heart’s content while working on one of her craft projects. Maybe she’d do some artist trading cards with a rugby theme. Yes, that would work.
“Can I borrow your digital camera, Elizabeth?” Gran asked.
“It’s in my room, Mum. Get Charlotte to grab it for you when she makes my bed. I must go or I’ll be late for my meeting.”
Her stepmother and stepsisters left to enjoy their weekend, and Charlotte worked her way through the house, picking up clutter and cleaning as she went. She made a mental note to ring the taxi company. Maybe the driver had handed in the apricot rose that went with her gown. Maybe. She couldn’t remember if she’d still had the rose when she left Zorro in the hotel room. You sneaked, Ms. Feisty, Charlotte’s annoying inner dragon, drawled with a heavy helping of disbelief.
“Charlotte!” Gran called.
“Did you want something?”
“I have a list of items for you to purchase for me. Here’s some money. There should be enough for you to have a quiet coffee and for a cab as well. You’ll need it to drop the dresses at the dry cleaners. Pass me the phone please, dear.”
“I can’t leave you alone for that long.” Charlotte had noticed the hectic color in Gran’s face and her labored movements this morning, despite her determination to share the family breakfast. “The dresses can wait until Monday.”
“The items on my list can’t. I’m going to ring Esther. We want to work on a scrapbooking project together.”
Charlotte found herself overruled and ousted from the house. She hurried through her chores, but even so didn’t return to the house until late afternoon. She staggered through the door with three bags of groceries.
“Where have you been?” Elizabeth narrowed her gaze. “What are those disgusting marks on your neck?”
“Charlotte?” Gran’s voice came from the nearby lounge. At least her presence would probably halt Elizabeth’s tirade.
“We’ll discuss this later,” Elizabeth snapped, and she brushed past Charlotte, leaving a lingering trace of a spicy perfume in her wake.
“You should have reapplied the concealer,” Gran said. “Come and show Esther.”
“Gran, you shouldn’t eavesdrop.” Charlotte peered in the hall mirror. She sighed at the telltale bruises and entered the lounge. “I don’t think more makeup will help, and why would Esther want to see my neck?”
“Did you get everything on my list?” Gran asked.
“I did. I’ll bring it in after I unpack the groceries.”
“Excellent.” Gran clapped her hands together and cast a conspiratorial grin at Esther. “I have news. You have an appointment at Marlborough Media on Tuesday at five thirty. They managed to squeeze you in.”
About Shelley
USA Today bestselling author Shelley Munro lives in Auckland, the City of Sails, with her husband and a cheeky Jack Russell/mystery breed puppy.
Typical New Zealanders, Shelley and her husband left home for their big OE soon after they married (translation of New Zealand speak – big overseas experience). A twelve-month long adventure lengthened to six years of roaming the world. Enduring memories include being almost sat on by a mountain gorilla in Rwanda, lazing on white sandy beaches in India, whale watching in Alaska, searching for leprechauns in Ireland, and dealing with ghosts in an English pub.
While travel is still a big attraction, these days Shelley is most likely found in front of her computer following another love – that of writing stories of romance and adventure. Other interests include watching rugby (strictly for research purposes), cycling, baking bread and curling up with an enjoyable book.
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Other titles by Shelley Munro
Contemporary
Wild Child
Cat Burglar in Training
One Night of Misbehavior
Blindside
Fringe Benefits
Lovers at Last
Ain’t Misbehaving
Playing to Win
Summer Encounter
Reformed Bad Girl
Stranger Things Happen
Friendship Chronicles
Secret Lovers
Reunited Lovers
Clandestine Lovers
Part-Time Lovers
Enemy Lovers
Military Men
Innocent Next Door
Soldiers with Benefits
Safeguarding Sorrel
Bundle
Military Men
Paranormal
Sea of Change
Price of Love
Lynx to the Pharaoh
Curse of Brandon Lupinus
Dragon Investigators
Blue Moon Dragon
Blood Moon Dragon
Middlemarch Capture
Snared by Saber
Favored by Felix
Lost with Leo
Bundle
Middlemarch Capture
Middlemarch Shifters
My Scarlet Woman
My Younger Lover
My Peeping Tom
My Assassin
My Estranged Lover
My Feline Protector
My Determined Suitor
My Cat Burglar
My Stray Cat
My Second Chance
My Plan B
My Cat Nap
My Romantic Tangle
Bundle
Middlemarch Shifters 1 – 3
Middlemarch Shifters 4 - 6
House of the Cat series
Sampled & Seduced
Captured & Seduced
Claimed & Seduced
Merry & Seduced
Stranded & Seduced
Seized & Seduced
Hunted & Seduced
Festive & Seduced
Bundle
House of the Cat
Sci-fi/Futuristic
Interplanetary Love
Alien Encounter series
Janaya
Hinekiri
Alexandre
Bundle
Alien Encounter
Gay Romance
No Defense
Best Man
Last Wish
Curse Across Time
Eye on the Ball
Fallen Idol
Historical
The Spurned Viscountess
Evening Tryst
Unforgettable
Copyright Page
Part-Time Lovers
Copyright © 2017 Shelley Munro
ISBN: 978-0-9941483-9-1
Cover: The Killion Group
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without the prior written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotation embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Shelley Munro