A Fragile Heart (BBW Billionaire Light Romance) Read Free

wanted to shake some sense into him, she wanted to ply him with questions about dropping out of uni, and tell him what a fool he had been, and she wanted to throw her arms round him and tell him everything could be sorted.
    In the end, she took him across Trafalgar Square to the old church of Saint Martin's in the Fields, down the stone steps to the cafe in the crypt and found a table at the back of the room, which was busy with customers.
    “Don’t you dare move,” she warned him.
    She piled a tray with vegetable soup,   cheese baguettes, two doughnuts and two coffees. She gave him time to eat and realised just how hungry he must have been as he wolfed down his food.
    “Thanks, that was great,” he said, wiping his mouth with his sleeve.
    “Just tell me everything, Josh,” she sighed.
    “Well, simple really. It was all a big mistake. I realised I was on the wrong course. I just couldn't get to grips with it. I should have gone into anything to do with music ... it didn't even need to be Uni. Some sort of job in the music industry would’ve been better. So I left after I met these two other guys who are trying to form a band.”
    “Where have you been living?”
    “On floors at people's rooms at first, then once my student loan was all gone, I moved into a sort of a squat and sometimes during the day I spend the time busking at the underground. At least its dry.”
    Elena took a deep breath and pushed to the back of her mind all the warnings of the dangers in living rough in any big city. If she’d known what was really going on she would have had even more sleepless nights worrying about her little brother.  
    “You can come and sleep on my sofa until you sort yourself out,” she offered, “but I warn you, first a shower, then we'll take your clothes to the launderette, which just happens to be below the flat.   You'll have to try and find at least a casual bar job or something. I can pay the rent and bills, but you must try and contribute towards food. And I don't earn enough to give you spending money. Okay?”
    He was exhausted and nodded in agreement. And so the temporary pact had been agreed.  
    Surprisingly, it worked out reasonably well, as Elena worked during the day and Josh was often playing gigs at small pubs at night and coming back in the early hours. He would sleep until around mid-day and then usually had a few hours temporary bar work or casual washing up to go to.  
    They’d both agreed to keep the truth from their parents for the time being. There was an understanding between them that they couldn't keep up the story for too much longer, and it must be Josh who would choose when to tell them the reality of the situation.
    Josh stirred.
    “So? How was the marathon?” he asked yawning.
    “It was only a fun run, not a marathon,” Elena replied. “Although it felt like it at times.”  
    She hobbled across to the kettle.
    “Coffee?”
    “Thanks. Hey, what's wrong with your foot?”
    Elena made the coffee in two big, colourful pottery mugs, then sat down with Josh on the sofa.
    In a few words she explained how she had tripped and twisted her ankle, about the man who was just bringing his Sunday papers in and found her on his front doorstep, and the incident of the frozen peas.
    “Wait, hang on ... Did you say this was one of those Regency houses, near the park?”
    She nodded, sipping her coffee. She still felt thirsty and wished she’d made tea instead, or collected some fruit juice from the corner shop.
    “And he invited you in?”
    “Yes, he gave me a glass of water and put some peas on my ankle.”
    “You do realise this guy must be seriously loaded? There isn't anything around there that’s worth less than around seven or eight million, at least.”
    “Well, it was elegant inside,” she told him. “All marble floors, sweeping stairways, and huge vases of flowers.”
    “What about him? Was he young, old, married, surrounded by photos of family and kids?”
    It was