A Simple Mistake Read Free Page A

uncompromising and full of rules. Hannah had been there for her in amongst the changes, but it was Nick who got her through.
    And then he’d left and her life had unravelled rather spectacularly.
    Lainey shifted in her bed. It had taken a long time to get to the comfortable place where she was now. It was predictable, uncomplicated and she liked it.
    She loved living in Sydney teaching her sixth graders and was committed to her church. Her relationship with her mother, Roger and step-sister Sarah was the best it had ever been. If she allowed Nick back into her life, even a little, everything would be affected.
    His keenness to see her was scary and thrilling. After all, he wasn’t just Nick anymore. He was a star, surrounded by amazing, talented people and could take his pick from all the glamorous girls he met as a matter of course.
    But he wanted to see her, Lainey Sullivan, commoner.
    She also knew she couldn’t bear to have him break her heart again and she ran the risk of that happening, despite the painstaking repair job she thought she’d accomplished. It had taken only a few moments of conversation to realise how vulnerable she was, even after all this time. And now they’d made contact again, there could be no more excuses.
    She had to tell him her secret.
    * * *
    Nick couldn’t sleep.
    Admitting defeat, he got up and pulled back the curtains from his eighteenth floor window, gazing at the city lights spread out in a twinkling profusion below.
    The weariness he’d felt earlier had fled the moment he lay down and stretched out his extra tall frame in the king-sized hotel bed, memories of Lainey toppling over one another in their efforts to be noticed.
    Why had their relationship ended? Why hadn’t she answered his letters?
    He’d often thought about her, wondered if she ever thought about him, then told himself not to be daft. Lainey had obviously changed her mind. It’d taken him a long time to get over her but he had. Now, seeing her again had stirred him up.
    There was still a connection. He hadn’t imagined it.
    They’d been ridiculously serious about each other as teenagers but it had been genuine; at least it had been on his part. When her mother had married the new pastor with the missing humour gene and an extra control-freak one instead, it had been so hard. He didn’t know how Lainey had coped living under the ‘Roger Regime’.
    Being there for her was the least he could do. She’d always encouraged him with his music and songwriting, heaped praise on him and told him when something wasn’t working. The best part was he could be himself with her, get cranky when he was frustrated and vent his impatience. She would either help him laugh it off or tell him to pull his head in. These days, being himself was a luxury that seldom happened. He was a public figure now, always on guard.
    Nick let out a lengthy sigh and let the memories take over, the vista in front of him usurped by a vision of a warm smile and a pair of vivid blue eyes.
    She was every bit as captivating as he remembered.

Chapter Three
    Driving home from church, Lainey found she couldn’t remember anything about the sermon. Her mind had been on other things.
    Lainey inserted her key into the front door, her thoughts whirling. Had Nick really been happy to see her or was it her imagination? What if he was just being polite? Maybe he’d had second thoughts and tossed her phone number into the nearest bin. What if—
    The phone was ringing.
    Lainey dropped everything and snatched it up. ‘Hello?’
    ‘Good. You’re home. I wasn’t sure if you’d be at church or not. Do you still go?’
    ‘Hi. Yes, I’ve just come in.’ Lainey gripped the handset, her heart leaping at the sound of Nick’s voice.
    ‘I’ve just got back too. We all stayed overnight at the hotel where the wedding was held.’ There was a hesitation, then, ‘Would you like to spend the day together?’
    Can a duck swim? Is a fire engine red?
    ‘That would be