Nikki Moore - Cocktails in Chelsea

A division of HarperCollins Publishers

www.harpercollins.co.uk

Harper Impulse an imprint of

HarperCollins Publishers

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published in Great Britain by Harper Impulse 2015

Copyright © Nikki Moore 2015

Cover images © Shutterstock.com

Cover layout design © HarperColl‌insPublishers Ltd 2015

Nikki Moore asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Digital eFirst: Automatically produced by Atomik ePublisher from Easypress.

Ebook Edition © February 2015 ISBN: 9780008114770

Version: 2017-10-10

This is for all the fabulous, lovely and enthusiastic bloggers, reviewers, readers and fellow authors who have supported and generally raved about the #LoveLondon series so far. Every review, rating, Tweet, Facebook mention, blog post, purchase or email is truly appreciated. You’re all stars; thank you.

Spring is a time for new beginnings so this story is also for anyone starting out on a journey, whether it’s a professional or a personal one. Be fearless, and enjoy it.

Contents

Cover

Title Page A division of HarperCollins Publishers www.harpercollins.co.uk

Copyright Copyright Copyright Dedication #LoveLondon Series Cocktails in Chelsea Also by Nikki Moore Nikki Moore About HarperImpulse About the Publisher Harper Impulse an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF www.harpercollins.co.uk First published in Great Britain by Harper Impulse 2015 Copyright © Nikki Moore 2015 Cover images © Shutterstock.com Cover layout design © HarperColl‌insPublishers Ltd 2015 Nikki Moore asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins. Digital eFirst: Automatically produced by Atomik ePublisher from Easypress. Ebook Edition © February 2015 ISBN: 9780008114770 Version: 2017-10-10

Dedication Dedication Dedication #LoveLondon Series Cocktails in Chelsea Also by Nikki Moore Nikki Moore About HarperImpulse About the Publisher This is for all the fabulous, lovely and enthusiastic bloggers, reviewers, readers and fellow authors who have supported and generally raved about the #LoveLondon series so far. Every review, rating, Tweet, Facebook mention, blog post, purchase or email is truly appreciated. You’re all stars; thank you. Spring is a time for new beginnings so this story is also for anyone starting out on a journey, whether it’s a professional or a personal one. Be fearless, and enjoy it.

#LoveLondon Series #LoveLondon Series Skating at Somerset House New Year at the Ritz Valentine’s on Primrose Hill Cocktails in Chelsea Strawberries at Wimbledon Picnics in Hyde Park

Cocktails in Chelsea

Also by Nikki Moore

Nikki Moore

About HarperImpulse

About the Publisher

Skating at Somerset House

New Year at the Ritz

Valentine’s on Primrose Hill

Cocktails in Chelsea

Strawberries at Wimbledon

Picnics in Hyde Park

Thursday

Sofia Gold sighed as she stepped into the trendy bar on the King’s Road. If she cared less about being polite, she’d be wearing her own clothes. Instead, she was tugging down the hem of the clinging, vibrant yellow designer dress Tori and Christie had wrestled her into and fighting the urge to pull the plunging neckline up a few inches closer to her chin.

While showing off tons of leg and cleavage wasn’t her at all, she had to admit the yellow outfit didn’t look too bad with her long golden hair, which Christie had made her straighten. It was just a shame she was being slowly crippled by towering four inch high heels. They might make her short legs look amazing, but the balls of her feet were already aching and they’d only left the girls’ exclusive white-pillared, black-gated residence twenty minutes before.

Of course she liked partying, enjoyed going out and having a laugh. After all skating ramps and riding the waves on her beloved surfboard couldn’t take up all of her spare time. She was also lucky enough to live in Bournemouth, and the coastal town had a great night life humming with stag and hen parties despite its reputation as the retirement capital of the south. The difference was, she usually went into town in tight jeans, mid-range heels at most and a cropped vest-top, not in outfits that felt designed to torture. Plus she drank at lively bars with the best, pulsing music and happiest, loudest crowd, not airy warehouse spaces with tons of lighting, exposed vintage-looking iron pipes and dark wooden floors packed with privileged and wealthy trust-funders.

But Tori and Christie were Mum’s best friend’s daughters and she’d promised to make an effort during this visit. If she offended them it’d be a giant dinosaur bone of contention with her mother for years. The idea of being on the wrong side of her mum was scarier than the thought of wearing the outfit for the evening.

‘You look lovely, Sof,’ Tori leaned close to whisper into her ear, ‘but you would look better if you stopped pulling at the dress constantly. Just try and own it.’

‘Thanks,’ Sofia murmured.

It was good advice.

Except.