Love Overdue by Ali Berg and Michelle Kalus - Extract
- Allen & Unwin
- Jul 1
- 3 min read
Read an extract from Love Overdue by Ali Berg and Michelle Kalus.
What happens when your first love walks back into your life… and doesn’t even remember you? In this exclusive sneak peek of Love Overdue, you'll meet Lauren Green—a woman who's buried her past behind lesson plans and to-do lists—just as it comes crashing back into her life.
Read the opening extract below and hear from the authors themselves as they share the heart, humour and inspiration behind this warm, witty second-chance romance.
With a barely audible groan, April slumps into one of the chairs opposite my desk. Having taught her in Year One, I have a soft spot for the kid. But somehow, over the past few weeks, this once cherub-faced little girl, who cheered with glee when I announced spelling tests, has transformed into an almost mute, perpetually surly tween.
This meeting marks my third encounter with April just this year, and we’ve only been back at school a month. One of the delightful perks of stepping out of the classroom and into a leadership position is the privilege of having stern conversations with kids determined to drive their teachers to the brink of insanity.
I’m about to start our chat when the door bursts open. A man enters with his head slightly lowered, talking on the phone. He’s wearing an immaculately tailored suit. He pulls up a seat next to April and, without so much as glancing in my direction, holds up a finger to indicate ‘just a minute’. I force a smile at, presumably, April’s father.
This is the first time I’m meeting him. He’s your typical MIA parent, too busy and too important to take an active role in the rearing of his own child. The only titbit I know about him is from overheard whispers between the mums at pick-up who are obsessed with his ‘striking resemblance’ to Kit Harington. I lean over to catch a glimpse of his face, which is hidden behind an almost identical mop of curls to his daughter’s, forgetting my desk chair is missing a crucial bolt. Down I go, hitting the floor with all the elegance of a baboon. My shoulder takes the impact, sending a sharp twinge along the right side of my body.
I roll onto my back, groaning. ‘Ms Green, are you okay?’
I open one eye at a time. Two blurry figures appear bent over me. One of them reaches down a hand, which I take before I’m hoisted up. Stumbling slightly, because I haven’t embarrassed myself enough, I fall into April’s dad’s arms. My vision clearing, I look up at him.
And then I wonder if I hit my head and am suffering from a life-threatening concussion, because standing in my office is a walking time capsule of my most mortifying teenage memories, the absolute last person I expected to see: Jamie Sultana, my high school heartbreak.
Pulling away, I swipe at invisible dust as I smooth the fabric of my blazer. As a test of my cognitive processes, I recite in my head the names of the last five prime ministers. When I seem to pass, I look up again, ready to be returned to reality.
But no. It’s Jamie, it’s definitely Jamie. I would know those peacock-blue eyes, those cheekbones, that slight cleft in his chin, anywhere.
I go to say his name, but before I can, Jamie juts out his hand.
I stare at it, dumbfounded, then shake it, my palm clammy. ‘Ms Green.’ I’ve introduced myself on an impulse, going along with whatever game he’s playing.
‘Jamie Sultana, April’s father,’ he says formally, showing zero recognition.
I stare at Jamie, my mouth slightly agape, my body erupting in a cold chill. Surely he can’t have forgotten me . . . ? Granted, I’ve aged a bit since he last saw me—even the most religious skincare regime has its limits. I have also abandoned my once-curly hair for the glossy allure of a (ridiculously pricey yet worth every cent) Dyson hair dryer. And maybe he’s thrown off by Lauren on my nameplate, but even so . . .
Am I really that forgettable?
An extract from Love Overdue,
available in all good bookstores now.
Love Overdue
by Ali Berg and Michelle Kalus
Lauren Green thinks her first love story is shelved for good—until life decides to write a surprise chapter. A sexy, quirky rom-com for fans of Emily Henry.
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