A Simple Mistake Read Online Free Page A

a purity about her, a quality that held an enormous amount of attraction for him. He also knew by the things she’d said today it was because of her faith.
    ‘I still believe in God, you know.’ She drew the confession out of him like a magnet attracting iron.
    ‘I wondered where you stood on that.’
    ‘Mum talks to me about it every now and then but I usually change the subject.’
    ‘She just wants to make sure you’re heading in the right direction when you die. So do I.’
    Talking about God made him on edge. He looked at her, this girl he’d known so well, loved so much and was now in front of him again, a grown woman. And he couldn’t wait any longer.
    ‘Lainey, why did we break up?’
    ‘You tell me.’
    Her blue eyes were like lasers. He had an inkling as to what it would be like if he were a naughty boy in her class. ‘Why didn’t you answer any of my letters?’
    She froze, her mug halfway to her lips. ‘What letters?’
    ‘I wrote to you for six months and you never wrote back.’
    ‘I never got any letters.’
    ‘Are you sure?’
    ‘Of course I’m sure!’ She looked as stunned as he felt.
    He got up, running his hand through his hair. ‘I’ll bet you anything Roger got to them first and never gave them to you . I always thought he might do something like that.’
    ‘Nick, he didn’t.’ Lainey was pale. ‘I asked him. I thought the same thing. He promised me that none had come to our letterbox and he wouldn’t lie.’
    No, given his profession, hopefully not. ‘But how could that happen? Six months’ worth of letters can’t just vanish!’ He sat down again. ‘This is crazy.’
    ‘Where did you send them?’
    ‘To the address you gave me, number three-six-eight Bradford Rd. I still remember it; I would’ve written it on about twenty enve—’ He broke off at her stricken look. ‘What?’
    ‘That wasn’t it.’ Her voice was tiny. ‘We were three- zero -eight. You must have misread the numbers. I remember writing them in a hurry.’
    ‘Are you serious ?’ It was such a simple mistake. ‘I don’t believe it. For years, I thought you didn’t write back because you were mad at me for sleeping with you, for leaving you, for goodness knows what else. I tried tracking down your phone number but I could never get it. And it’s because I didn’t read your handwriting properly? This is insane.’
    ‘And I thought you hadn’t written because you were too busy being famous.’ Lainey hugged her knees to her chest, her voice catching. ‘When I didn’t hear from you I thought you’d found someone prettier, which was what I was afraid of all along, and you didn’t want me anymore.’ Lainey jumped up and headed for the verandah, stumbling in her haste.
    Nick didn’t know if he should go after her or not. She was leaning on the rail, her back to him. Was she crying? He needed to know.
    He went out and touched her arm. ‘Lainey?’
    She turned, her eyes brimming, then buried her head in his shoulder and wept.
    Nick held her tight, his cheek against her hair. He couldn’t believe what had happened. He was still coming to grips with seeing her again; now there was this.
    She’d been tucked away inside his heart all this time. It felt like his soul had been holding its breath, waiting to see her again. The enormity of it all knocked him sideways.
    They stood there until Lainey’s tears slowed to a few sniffles. ‘I need a tissue.’
    ‘Yes, you do. I don’t think my t-shirt can hold any more water.’ It made her smile a little bit.
    They went inside and sat down. Nick stroked her back while she mopped herself up, shocked at the strength of his feelings. More than anything, he wanted to kiss her better, but he didn’t dare.
    She turned to face him. ‘It changes everything, doesn’t it?’
    ‘Yeah, it does.’ The implications were huge.
    ‘There’s something else I need to tell you.’ Lainey was still pale, but composed.
    ‘Fire away.’
    She hesitated then smiled.