Extract: Our Little Secret by Claudia Carroll

Our Little Secret by Claudia Carroll 

Release Date: 8th February 2018
Publisher: Avon

Genres: Mystery / Thriller

A sparkling story about what happens when you let someone into your life… but they turn out to want more than you’d bargained for!

Sarah Dee has the perfect life. A high-flying job in a law firm, a beautiful daughter and a house to die for. So how does she find herself looking in through the kitchen window while another woman enjoys it all?

When Sarah takes pity on a struggling young graduate who can’t get a job, she thinks she’s doing the right thing. She’s being kind, generous and helpful to others, as she always is. But as Sarah allows the younger woman into her home, her law firm and even her family, is there more to this pretty youngster than meets the eye? And could this be a good deed that goes further than expected?

Claudia Carroll does it again with a sparkling new novel about what happens when your life becomes up for grabs…

EXTRACT

Sarah

Last Spring, there was very little I couldn’t have told you about the ins and outs of Ireland’s recent case-law history and all manner of legal judgments I’d barely looked at since leaving college myself. By Easter, I could almost have taken a test in it. I’d insisted on prepping Lauren so thoroughly for the intern’s job at Sloan Curtis that at one point I actu­ally went to bed dreaming about corporation tax law and you name it versus whoever, 2009.

‘You know, you’re going to an awful lot of bother over this beautician mate of yours, whoever she is,’ Harry sniffed at me over the top of his computer one day in the office. ‘For feck’s sake, Sarah, we’ve got our pick of Trinity and UCD graduates to choose from.’

‘I know.’

‘So why are you so insistent that this Lauren one get the gig? You know as well as I do that all she’ll end up doing is photocopying and making coffee.’

‘Harry, I’m asking you to trust me,’ I told him firmly. ‘Believe me, this girl really is something special.

She just needs a helping hand right now and think of how great you’ll feel knowing that you’ll have changed a young woman’s whole life for the better?’

‘If you ask me,’ he said, shrugging and turning back to the screen on the desk in front of him, ‘she’d make more money working in that kip of a beauty parlour you found her in. At least she’s getting cash tips in there.’

‘Oh ye of little faith,’ I said mockingly, smug and secure in the knowledge that Lauren would knock this job inter­view right out of the park. Besides, I thought, the only reason why Harry was prejudiced against the girl was because by then Liz had developed a right flea in her ear as regards Lauren.

It all dated back to that night a few weeks back when I’d let Darcy out to a party with some of her pals from school. Lauren was in the house too, when Liz called around for a takeaway and a big Saturday night gossip, as she regularly did. But when I conked out on the sofa after a glass of wine too many, it seemed Liz had got herself worked herself up into an irrational temper at what happened next.

Not wanting to disturb my girls’ night in, and not having enough money on her for a taxi, apparently Darcy had called Lauren looking for a lift back to her friend’s house. The following morning when all this came to light, I gave out yards to her for not ringing me first, but part of me could at least understand where the poor kid was coming from.