Praise for Nina Harrington
âI look forward to reading this authorâs next release â¦
and her next ⦠and her next. It truly is a stunning debut, with characters that will remain in your thoughts long after you have closed the book.â âpinkheartsocietyreviews.blogspot.com on Always the Bridesmaid
âRich with emotion,
and pairing two truly special characters, this beautiful story is simply unforgettable. A keeper.â âRT Book Reviews on Hired: Sassy Assistant
âA well-constructed plot and a scrumptious,
larger-than-life hero combined with generous amounts of humour and pathos make for an excellent read.â âRT Book Reviews on Tipping the Waitress with Diamonds
NINA HARRINGTON grew up in rural Northumberland, England, and decided at the age of eleven that she was going to be a librarianâbecause then she could read all of the books in the public library whenever she wanted! Since then she has been a shop assistant, community pharmacist, technical writer, university lecturer, volcano walker and industrial scientist, before taking a career break to realise her dream of being a fiction writer. When she is not creating stories which make her readers smile, her hobbies are cooking, eating, enjoying good wineâand talking, for which she has had specialist training.
MIMI FIORINI RYAN picked up the poster for London Fashion Weekend and scanned down the list of events until she came to a small paragraph of elegant bold script, which encapsulated her entire future in a few short lines and sent her heart racing:
Langdon Events is proud to present an exclusive fashion show in aid of the Tom Harris Foundation for Climbing for the Disabled.
The New Classics collection from Studio Designs will be introduced by their head designer, Mimi Ryan, one of Londonâs brightest new talents.
Tickets selling fast.
The words were almost swimming in front of her. Mimi had to blink several times to clear her head and come to terms with the fact that she was awake, and that this was not a dream.
âWell, what do you think? You look a bit stunned.â
Poppy Langdon leant across the desk and bared her teeth. âDo you hate it? Because Iâm not sure I can change anything with only a week to go.â
Did she hate itâhate the fact that, after ten years of study and working every evening and weekend, she finally had a chance to show her clothing designs to the public? Hate it?
Mimi grinned at the bubbly blonde. She had only known her for a few weeks but she was rapidly becoming a good friend whom Mimi felt able to trust with something as important as the organisation of her dream fashion show.
âNoâI donât hate it. Itâs just that â¦â
âGo on. I can take it,â Poppy whimpered. âTell me now and get it out of your system.â
Mimi coughed a reply and shook her head for a second before coming round to the other side of the desk and hugging Poppy warmly before grinning down at her.
âItâs just that I have been working towards this day for a very long time. It means so much to me, I canât tell you. Thank you so much for giving me a chance. I donât hate it at allâI love it.â
Poppy breathed out a sigh of relief and hugged her back.
âYou are welcomeâbut I should be the one who is thanking you! If you hadnât stepped in last month I wouldnât have a charity fashion show at all. You are going to be a total hit! I predict it now. We have already sold loads of tickets, so you can stop worrying and start enjoying yourself.â
Poppy grinned and crinkled her nose. âEven if we are in the middle of a heat wave,â she added, flicking her long hair away from her neck. âWhy is it so hot in June? And how do you manage to always look so cool and elegant in black?â
Mimi took a breath and tried to answer Poppy without betraying the inner turmoil.
If only Poppy knew how very hard Mimi had worked to look so cool and elegant. It was all about looking the part on the outside. From the black trouser-suit that had taken her a week to tailor down to her simple mocha-silk tee and antique gold wrist-watch she had inherited from her mother. Every breath Mimi Fiorini Ryan took was totally focused on one thing: persuading Poppy Langdon that she had made the right decision to use Mimiâs first clothing collection as part of her charity fashion show.
âMe?â Mimi replied, glancing down at her wide-leg trousers and loose top. âNatural fibres, I supposeâand I am indoors most of the time.â She paused then tilted her head. âHow is the iced coffee?â
âDivine!â Poppy replied with a warm smile, fanning herself with a brochure and shrugging up her shoulders in delight. âI had no idea there was an Italian bistro just around the corner. You are so resourceful!â