Read A Walk in the Park for Free Online Page B

looked round to see who was about to throw up. Embarrassingly, it appeared to be her. Everyone else was now shrinking back and gazing at her in horror. Honestly, a bit of hyperventilation and a hand clapped to your mouth and people jumped to all the wrong conclusions.
    â€œI’m all right—” She began to protest, but not convincingly enough to prevent a matronly lady grabbing and manhandling her down the stone steps while simultaneously whisking a supermarket reusable bag from her capacious handbag.
    â€œDon’t worry, dear. I’m a nurse, I’ll look after you. Just vomit into here and you’ll feel better. It’s the heat.”
    â€œReally, I’m fine.” Lara was trying to make herself heard but the plastic bag was crackling and the bossy woman was plunging her facefirst into it, as if she were a horse being fitted with a nosebag. Someone else was holding her up in case she fainted. It took a while before she could twist her head free. “You can let go, I don’t need the bag, I’m not going to be sick!”
    OK, she hadn’t meant that to come out quite so loud. This time the woman heard her. “Are you sure?”
    â€œI’m sure.” Lifting her face, Lara saw that everyone had heard her. Instead of watching Evie and Joel over by the gravestones, they were now all fixated on her instead, in the wary manner of people who suspect there may still be a chance of being caught in the line of fire.
    All of them, that is, except Flynn Erskine.
    Who was staring at her in stunned disbelief.
    The bossy nurse said, “Fine then, if you’re sure,” and stuffed the crackly reusable bag back into her sensible handbag.
    Flynn moved closer. “Lara?”
    Of all the situations she’d imagined in which they would meet again, having her head forcibly plunged into a plastic bag hadn’t featured high on the list.
    And she certainly hadn’t expected to see him today. When Evie had emailed her shortly after their reunion, she had told her that Joel and Flynn were good friends, having got to know each other following Joel’s move to Bath. She had gone on to explain that Flynn would have been Joel’s best man today, had he not had an inescapable previous engagement in Australia preventing him from being here.
    It had been startling news, but Australia was a long way away. Lara had digested the information and convinced herself there was no need to let it worry her. She could relax and enjoy the wedding.
    Except now he was here…
    â€œOh my GOD,” squealed a girl in her twenties, “what’s happening now? Is the wedding off ?”
    Every head swiveled away from Lara. Having concluded the heated debate with Joel, Evie was now hurrying across the parking lot toward a middle-aged couple standing beside a sleek silver limousine with a girl in a pale green bridesmaid’s dress. Joel, remaining where he was, shook his head at his best man and signaled that things weren’t looking great by drawing an index finger across his own neck.
    Lara jumped as Flynn materialized at her side. Oh good grief…
    â€œI can’t believe it’s you.” He kept his voice low. “This is amazing. Did Evie track you down?”
    â€œKind of.” Having thought she could cope, Lara now realized she couldn’t. He was too close, it was too much, and they were surrounded by too many people… overwhelmed by his proximity and by the faint but still familiar smell of his skin, she found herself unable to meet his gaze. She could feel it though. And the sight of his tanned hands gave her another jolt; Gigi’s were a smaller, girlier carbon copy of them. Their knuckles were eerily alike. OK, this was agonizing; they had a million things to talk about. But how could they possibly do it now?
    And maybe Flynn had come to the same conclusion. He looked across at Joel, then at Evie. “So what’s going on?”
    â€œNo