The Wedding Invite (Lakeview) (Lakeview Contemporary Romance Book 6) Read Free

“Really?”
    “Yes. The back-pain and tiredness you’ve been experiencing are probably down to stress and overwork but – ”
    “I had suspected that,” she interrupted, nodding sagely, “but I thought I’d get it checked out – just to be sure.”
    “Well, you’re absolutely right. Now your blood pressure has dropped a little from your last reading – which is good news – although I do feel that you could benefit from some more exercise.”
    Nicola glanced downwards, and grimaced. “Doctor, you don’t have to tell me that. And at my age, things can only get worse.”
    “Will you listen to yourself? I wish I could still see the world through the eyes of someone in their thirties. But for your own sake, we should try and do something about that weight. Go out and about do some shopping, out with the dog around the lake a few times – anything to get the blood moving.”
    She groaned. “OK, I promise I’ll make the effort. Thanks doc.”
    Nicola left the surgery and made her way out front towards her car. It was quarter past eleven, and she was due at work at twelve – not a lot of time to spare. The rumbling in her tummy reminded her that she had skipped breakfast and she resolved to stop off somewhere on her way.
    The traffic through Main Street was crazy, and she was quickly running out of time. It was times like this she thought, that she really missed her bicycle. When she cycled, she used to zip around everywhere in no time – not to mention the fact that the exercise was good for the figure. But these days unfortunately, she was stuck with the blasted car.
    Up ahead, Nicola spied Ella’s café on the corner – the Heartbreak Café as the locals called it. Perfect - she could pop in, grab a salad roll (and, despite Dr Kelly’s advice, some of Colm’s famous chocolate Twix cake) and be in and out of there in no time. Though the lake carpark nearby looked busy, and there didn’t seem to be any spaces near the entrance. Nicola looked impatiently from left to right. She really didn’t have the time to go searching for a space further down and … oh, blast it, one of the parent and child ones would have to do – there were a few of them vacant and she wouldn’t be more than a minute in the café.
    She made it back to the office just before twelve.
    “The boss-man’s gone out to lunch,” Sally the receptionist told her. “He said to tell you he’d speak to you later.”
    “Thanks. I’m just going to grab a bite at my desk now but if you need anything give me a shout.”
    Just after two o’clock, Nicola put her hands behind her head and yawned. Despite the sunshine earlier, the day had now turned wet and dreary – typical Irish summer – and she just wasn’t in the mood for all this paperwork. Unfortunately, as it was once again the end of the month, invoices needed paying and the accounts needing updating. She couldn’t wait until Motiv8 Leisure Club was doing well enough to employ an accountant full-time to look after this stuff. Situated in the new business park just outside the town, he and his partners had spared no expense in setting up a state-of-the-art leisure club which they hoped would attract local residents as well as Lakeview’s growing commuter population. But initial registrations had been slow and their membership figures were well under target.
    A Dublin native, Nicola had been surprised by the ambition of the place given its more rural location. From the outside, it looked nondescript but once inside clients never failed to be taken aback by the spacious and airy reception area which had been decorated in soothing cream and purple. Huge banana-plants, palms and fiscus trees created a tropical and luxurious feel, as did the vivid modernist prints hanging on the cream-coloured walls.
    A relaxation and meditation room was situated just off the main reception, and the glass-fronted gym enabled staff to keep an eye on any overenthusiastic fitness fanatics. A twenty-metre,