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Dear Reader,
This is my first story in a duo about friends Reuben Tyler and Caleb Connor.
Reuben is my original bad boy. A sports agent with a delicious Irish accent and film star looks. Every time you read about Reuben, think Colin Farrell—he was in my head the whole time I was writing this story. Reuben’s about to meet the perfect woman to show him what love is—he just doesn’t know it yet.
Lara Callaway has had a jumble of jobs and finally ended up as nanny to Addison and Caleb Connor’s son. She’s been saving for her dream holiday—a cruise—for months and is just about to jet off when she has her own Sliding Doors moment: she gets an earlier tube home and finds her boyfriend in bed with someone else. With one loser boyfriend after another, she’s determined not to make the same mistake again. Her Sliding Doors moment leaves her with nowhere to stay just before her holiday, and she has to ask Addison if she can stay temporarily at her place. Trouble is, Caleb has also told his friend Reuben Tyler he can stay. When the pair finally meet, sparks fly—namely because Lara thinks he’s a burglar and hits him over the head.
I loved writing this duo with Reuben introducing Lara to a world of glamour and prestige. How could a girl possibly resist?
Thanks for reading,
Scarlet Wilson
PS: I love to hear from readers. Contact me via my website, scarlet-wilson.com.
CHAPTER ONE
LARA TRIED TO hide her sniffles as the door opened and Addison’s chin nearly hit the perfect hardwood flooring.
‘Lara? What on earth...?’
She didn’t wait for her to finish. Rain was dripping off the end of her nose and running down her back as she tried to bump her impossibly heavy case over the entranceway of the house. The case gave a squeak and one of the wheels catapulted merrily into the air, spinning off down the front steps and along the exclusive London street.
She swallowed the impossible lump in her throat. It pretty much summed up her life right now.
Addison pulled her by the elbow and slammed the door behind her. ‘What’s wrong? What’s happened?’
Lara’s stomach coiled up. She hated this. She hated turning up like this. Even though she tried to hide it, she knew Addison was stressed enough without adding anything else into the mix. Her pretty face had been marred by a permanent frown for the last few months Lara had been acting as a nanny for her and her husband, Caleb.
She took a deep breath. She was still in shock and the words just seemed to come out of nowhere. ‘I had a Sliding Doors moment,’ she breathed, before dissolving into tears.
‘A what?’ The frown was back. Addison had no idea what she was talking about.
Lara shook her head, her blonde hair sending raindrops splattering all around them. ‘I went home earlier than he expected. I caught the earlier tube.’ Her voice wobbled.
Addison took a deep breath and stood up a little taller. ‘And?’ She could be scary when she wanted to be.
‘And Josh was in bed with the next-door neighbour.’
She wobbled and Addison caught hold of her elbow and steered her through to the kitchen. ‘I’m sorry, Addison. I know you’re just about to go on holiday but I had nowhere else to go. I just stuffed everything into my case and left.’
Addison flicked the switch on the coffee machine. ‘That ratbag. How dare he? You’ve paid the rent on that flat for—how long? And he does this to you?’
She opened the cupboard and pulled out two cups then sat down on the stool opposite Lara. ‘What are you going to do?’
Lara hesitated. The timing was, oh, so wrong. ‘I’m sorry, Addison. I know you’re leaving in the next few hours. This is the last thing you need.’ It was the absolute last thing. Although to outsiders Addison and Caleb Connor had the perfect life, Lara could tell that things were strained. Their son, Tristan, was a dream to nanny, a happy, well-mannered little boy with the biggest smile in the world. But things in the household were far from happy. Addison had been strangely silent these last few weeks, and Caleb’s presence had been virtually non-existent. Lara had the distinct impression this month-long holiday was make or break for the couple.
She bit her lip. ‘I wondered...can I stay for the next couple of weeks? Just until I try and sort things out? I’ll need to find somewhere else to stay.’
Addison didn’t hesitate. ‘Of course you can. No problem at all. Caleb and I will be gone in the next few hours. You can have the place to yourself and take some time to get sorted.’
She pressed some buttons on the state-of-the-art coffee machine. She frowned at Lara, ‘Double shot?’
Lara nodded. Addison pressed a few more buttons for the extra shot for Lara and decaf for herself and the steaming hot lattes appeared in seconds. She held up two syrup bottles. ‘Gingerbread or caramel?’
