‘Anyone want to take a walk with me to the nearest drugstore?’
Chapter Twenty-One
W e come back from our all too brief stay at the Melted chocolate spa feeling refreshed and lovely, except for Chantal, who couldn’t have any of the treatments because, no surprises, she
is
pregnant. Our friend has come back looking very stressed instead of relaxed. Her delicate features are pinched and drawn, and my heart goes out to her.
On the other hand, I’m pink and glowing and feel as if I’ve been scrubbed and polished from the inside out. I’m sure I’ve lost about seven pounds of unwanted skin alone. I also feel very positive about my future, which is good news as I’m meeting Crush for dinner tonight and I’m going to take the bull by the horns and come clean about my ill-advised fling with Marcus. I can only hope that he’ll understand.
In an attempt to blind him with my beauty, I’ve bought a new dress. As my credit-card limit has already gone stellar, a little more will make not the slightest bit of difference. I’ve chosen a pretty blue silk, girly dress, and to ensure that I’m heading even further towards poverty, I bought some espadrilles to match. Not exactly attire for the fullforce of the British winter, but I’m still basking in the reflected glow of the California sun and some judiciously applied St Tropez tanning cream. I can only hope that the goosepimples will stay away long enough for me to wow Crush.
My cab pulls up outside Victor’s, a trendy restaurant in Charlotte Street that Marcus took me to a couple of times when he was trying to apologise for misdemeanours. How much we have in common now. Who would have thought that the boot would ever have been on my unfaithful foot? It’s too mortifying for words. Despite the cold, my palms are clammy. A rush of warm air hits me as I enter the restaurant and then I go all warm inside as I see Crush sitting waiting for me. I quickly strip off my coat, and the maître d’ leads me across the crowded room to join him.
Aiden stands up as I approach. ‘You look fabulous,’ he tells me earnestly, and his voice is filled with affection.
I kiss him and then slide into the seat opposite. He pours me a glass of wine and we chink glasses together. ‘To us,’ he says.
‘To us.’
‘Did you have a wonderful time, Gorgeous?’
‘It was great,’ I say. ‘It was the first time that we’ve all been away together and I hope we’ll do it again.’ I just feel sorry for Chantal, but I don’t want to tell Crush about that just yet. ‘The spa was lovely.’
‘I liked to think of you naked and smothered in chocolate,’ he lets me know, and I blush. I have to confess that when I was naked and smothered in chocolate, I thought of Crush a lot too. ‘I’ve missed you so much.’
‘I’ve missed you too,’ I tell him truthfully.
‘And I’ve got some good news for you.’ He grins while I wait to hear it. ‘I’m not going back to Australia,’ he says.
I nearly spit out my wine. ‘You’re not?’
Crush takes my hand in his. ‘I don’t want to mess up this relationship,’ he says. ‘I realise that us being apart was putting a strain on things. This is too important to me.’
Having nearly spat it out, I now glug the rest of my wine down hurriedly.
‘Targa have agreed that I can be based in the UK. I’ve put a great deputy in place in Sydney. I’ll have to go out there on a regular basis, but most of the time I’ll be here.’ He spreads his hands jubilantly.
‘Wow,’ I say.
Crush frowns – as well he might. ‘You don’t sound overjoyed,’ he notes. ‘I thought you’d be pleased.’
‘I am,’ I say. ‘I’m really, really pleased.’ This is going a bit quicker than I imagined it and, if I’m honest, I’d quite liked the sound of going to live out in Australia. My heart goes into freefall. Crush, it seems, has given up a great opportunity for me. How am I going to tell him about Marcus now?
‘But?’
I sigh heavily.
Chapter Twenty-One
W e come back from our all too brief stay at the Melted chocolate spa feeling refreshed and lovely, except for Chantal, who couldn’t have any of the treatments because, no surprises, she
is
pregnant. Our friend has come back looking very stressed instead of relaxed. Her delicate features are pinched and drawn, and my heart goes out to her.
On the other hand, I’m pink and glowing and feel as if I’ve been scrubbed and polished from the inside out. I’m sure I’ve lost about seven pounds of unwanted skin alone. I also feel very positive about my future, which is good news as I’m meeting Crush for dinner tonight and I’m going to take the bull by the horns and come clean about my ill-advised fling with Marcus. I can only hope that he’ll understand.
In an attempt to blind him with my beauty, I’ve bought a new dress. As my credit-card limit has already gone stellar, a little more will make not the slightest bit of difference. I’ve chosen a pretty blue silk, girly dress, and to ensure that I’m heading even further towards poverty, I bought some espadrilles to match. Not exactly attire for the fullforce of the British winter, but I’m still basking in the reflected glow of the California sun and some judiciously applied St Tropez tanning cream. I can only hope that the goosepimples will stay away long enough for me to wow Crush.
My cab pulls up outside Victor’s, a trendy restaurant in Charlotte Street that Marcus took me to a couple of times when he was trying to apologise for misdemeanours. How much we have in common now. Who would have thought that the boot would ever have been on my unfaithful foot? It’s too mortifying for words. Despite the cold, my palms are clammy. A rush of warm air hits me as I enter the restaurant and then I go all warm inside as I see Crush sitting waiting for me. I quickly strip off my coat, and the maître d’ leads me across the crowded room to join him.
Aiden stands up as I approach. ‘You look fabulous,’ he tells me earnestly, and his voice is filled with affection.
I kiss him and then slide into the seat opposite. He pours me a glass of wine and we chink glasses together. ‘To us,’ he says.
‘To us.’
‘Did you have a wonderful time, Gorgeous?’
‘It was great,’ I say. ‘It was the first time that we’ve all been away together and I hope we’ll do it again.’ I just feel sorry for Chantal, but I don’t want to tell Crush about that just yet. ‘The spa was lovely.’
‘I liked to think of you naked and smothered in chocolate,’ he lets me know, and I blush. I have to confess that when I was naked and smothered in chocolate, I thought of Crush a lot too. ‘I’ve missed you so much.’
‘I’ve missed you too,’ I tell him truthfully.
‘And I’ve got some good news for you.’ He grins while I wait to hear it. ‘I’m not going back to Australia,’ he says.
I nearly spit out my wine. ‘You’re not?’
Crush takes my hand in his. ‘I don’t want to mess up this relationship,’ he says. ‘I realise that us being apart was putting a strain on things. This is too important to me.’
Having nearly spat it out, I now glug the rest of my wine down hurriedly.
‘Targa have agreed that I can be based in the UK. I’ve put a great deputy in place in Sydney. I’ll have to go out there on a regular basis, but most of the time I’ll be here.’ He spreads his hands jubilantly.
‘Wow,’ I say.
Crush frowns – as well he might. ‘You don’t sound overjoyed,’ he notes. ‘I thought you’d be pleased.’
‘I am,’ I say. ‘I’m really, really pleased.’ This is going a bit quicker than I imagined it and, if I’m honest, I’d quite liked the sound of going to live out in Australia. My heart goes into freefall. Crush, it seems, has given up a great opportunity for me. How am I going to tell him about Marcus now?
‘But?’
I sigh heavily.
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