by Sandy Barker
Lucy caught Briony’s eye and Briony didn’t miss a beat. “Come on you two, let’s go watch the snowboarders.” She pointed to a giant half-pipe where snowboarders were doing tricks for a large audience of “oohing” and “ahhing” spectators.
“But I want a hot chocolate …” Lucy heard Bradley say as Briony herded him and Bridget away.
“Come on,” said Will, taking her gloved hand in his. He led the way through the crowd to a bustling coffee shop on the edge of the square. The bell above the door tinkled as they entered, and the scent of coffee and cinnamon filled the air.
It was toasty warm inside the coffee shop and Lucy could already feel the prickle of sweat under the many layers it took to withstand the outside temperature. She pulled her pompom beanie off her head and slid her hands out of her gloves, and by the time Will had led her to a table in the corner, she had already unzipped her coat and was slipping it off her shoulders.
“You get used to doing that,” Will said. At Lucy’s confusion, he quickly added, “Stripping off every time you go inside. Oh, I didn’t mean strip …” He shook his head at himself, obviously embarrassed, then grinned at his own expense. “Why can’t I say anything right today?”
Lucy grinned back, grateful for something funny to break the tension between them. “I knew what you meant.”
“Uh, yeah, even so, I’m going up to the counter now before I embarrass myself further. What can I get you?”
Lucy looked at the hot chocolate in front of the woman at the next table. It was in a tall glass mug and looked exceptionally rich and delicious. It was even topped with whipped cream and shaved chocolate. That line from When Harry Met Sally popped into her head, “I’ll have what she’s having,” but it was loaded with innuendo and she and Will were already dancing around what was happening between them.
Lucy pointed to the woman’s hot chocolate surreptitiously. “One of those please,” she said quietly.
“Be right back.”
Lucy watched Will as he manoeuvred amongst the tables, glad to have a moment alone to sift through everything she was feeling. What was she going to say to him? “By the way, Will, your sister was properly ticked off about us kissing, and I think we should go back to being ‘just friends’.”
But if Lucy was completely honest with herself—and she’d been mulling this over ever since talking it through with Steph—she didn’t want to be just friends with Will. He was the first man who she could really talk to and she fancied the pants off him.
If only it would come to that—Will with his pants off. Oh, Lucy, that’s crass, she chided herself.
She watched as Will approached the counter and smiled at the teenaged boy taking his order. As he engaged in the simple transaction, her thoughts tumbled over each other.
He is so handsome. That smile, those eyes, those strong, capable hands. Much more of a Graham than a Miles. Although Miles truly is a lovely man. Just that I don’t fancy him. But I definitely fancy Will. And he’s lovely. He’s like Miles and Graham all wrapped up in one.
So, Lucy was properly falling for Jules’s brother, something that just might destroy her friendship with her best friend, and she had no idea what to do about it. She’d have to decide soon, however, because he was making his way back to the table with her hot chocolate and a smaller mug, which she presumed was coffee.
“Here you go,” he said, placing the hot chocolate in front of her. He took his seat and wrapped his hands around his mug. “So …” he said.
“So …” she replied. Come on, Lucy. Be a grown-up. “You were right about me seeming a little distant today, and I’m sorry.”
“Was it me?”
“No.”
“Are you sure? Did I do something wrong?”
She’d give anything to wipe that miserable look off his face. “No, Will, I promise. I just …” Lucy realised there was no way to say what she needed to say without throwing Jules into the muck. She took a sip of hot chocolate. Goodness, that’s delicious. When she looked up a Will, he was watching her intently.
“I like you … rather a lot, as it turns out.” His face split into a grin.
“You did say that last night, but I wasn’t sure … you were, uh …”
“I was completely off my trolly.”
“I haven’t heard that expression before, but yes, you were.” He smiled at her gently, which gave her the confidence to keep going.
“Well, as they say, ‘in vino veritas’. And those things I said—and I do remember—I meant them. You’re quite extraordinary and I know you think of yourself as a Miles, and in a way you are, because he is so thoughtful and lovely, but you’re also a Graham, truth be told, because I think you are absolutely gorgeous.”
She dropped her gaze and took another sip of the delicious hot chocolate. Will was grinning at her when she summoned the nerve to look at him again and she involuntarily smiled back—until her stomach twisted at the thought of what she had to say next.
“But …” His smiled faded and a crease took hold between his brows. “I let it slip when I spoke to Jules early this morning that I’d kissed you, and she didn’t seem particularly pleased with me.”
Will’s head cocked to the side and his frown intensified. “Hold on, what? Jules …? What did she say exactly?”
There was no way Lucy was going to repeat verbatim what Jules had said. “She just seemed shocked, that’s all, and not in a good way. She made it quite clear that you and I being together … well, she made me feel a bit rubbish, to be honest.”
“Well, yeah. I mean, I’m feeling ‘a bit rubbish’ too, now that I know what’s going on.”
“Maybe she was just being protective.” Lucy now found herself in the odd position of defending Jules to Will.
“I’m twenty-nine, Lucy. I have my own place, my own company. I don’t need my older sister to step in and protect me. She’s out of line. Oh, hey, that’s why you didn’t talk to her when she called.”
“Yes.”
“And then I went and gushed to her about you.”
Lucy’s eyes widened. “You did?”
“Yeah, I did. But I didn’t know then that she’d given you a hard time. Do you want me to handle this?”
“Perhaps, but what if …”
“What if what?”
“What if we …”
“Lucy, say it.”
“What if we fall for each other, I mean, properly, and it all goes pear-shaped and you get hurt again? I don’t want to be the person who does that to you.”
“Lucy, what are you talking about? What did Jules tell you?”
“It wasn’t Jules; it was your mum.” Lucy realised too late that she’d revealed far more than she should have.
“My mom? Geez, Lucy, who else have you been talking to about me?”
“No, I … that’s not how it was. Will … Oh, I don’t know how I’ve made such a mess of things.”
He stood. “We should just go. Let’s find the others.” Before she knew what was happening, Will had zipped up his parka and was out the door, the tinkling of the bell sounding more ominous than welcoming. She quickly gathered her things, shoving her hands into her gloves and pulling on her beanie as she slipped on her coat and hurried after him.
“Will,” she called to his back. He stopped but didn’t turn around.
She ran past and stood in front of him, placing her hand on his chest. He seemed both hurt and frustrated and he wouldn’t look at her. She dropped her hand, dismayed.
“Oh Will, I’ve completely messed things up and it was the last thing I wanted to do. Jules and your mum, they love you. And yes, Jules was a cow to me, but it’s only out of love for you, I’m sure of it. And yes, I was cross with her—furious actually—but I think I understand her motivations now, even though I’m still not sure what to do about it. Anyway, that’s why your mum sought me out, because she knew that something wasn’t quite right, and all she said was that Jules was probably worried you’d get hurt like you did with yo
ur last serious girlfriend. That’s all. She didn’t want to say anything else, because it’s your story to tell, if you want to—and I agreed, so I didn’t press her. Your mum, I mean. Oh, bollocks, did any of that make sense?”
There was a long moment when Will didn’t speak, his face creased into a frown. Then the frown lessened, and he met her eyes.
“Yes, Iris, that all made perfect sense.”
A smile lifted the corners of Will’s mouth, and he seemed about to say something else when they heard, “Hey, you guys! I’ve been looking for you.”
They turned together and saw Briony jogging up to them. Lucy saw Will flick his wrist towards him and check the time. He’d said they would be an hour and it had been far less than that. When Briony reached them, Lucy realised there was panic in her eyes.
“It’s Bradley,” she said, out of breath. “This way.” Lucy glanced quickly at Will, seeing the concern on his face, before they followed Briony into the crowd.
Chapter 21
Chloe
“So, I won’t be too long, two or three hours at most,” said Archer as he packed up his leather satchel with essentials. “There’s the photo shoot first, then the interview, and they’ll drop me back here afterwards.”
“Cool,” said Chloe, standing on her tiptoes to give Archer a kiss goodbye. He gave her a smack on the lips and wrapped his arms around her waist as hers went around his neck.
He leant back, his arms still encircling her. “I am so pleased you came with me to London, and that you refused my offer of your own suite.” It was a polite way to refer to the fact that they’d not only shared a room, but a bed. Chloe’s mouth quirked at the memory of everything they’d done in that bed.
“Now, if you get hungry, order what you like from room service. And there’s a spa here, if you’d like to get a treatment, or something. Just charge it to the room. I should be back in time to take you to lunch before we go to Winter Wonderland. You’re still keen on that, yes?” His inquisitive half-frown was incredibly sexy.
“Definitely. All things Christmassy, remember? And I’ll be fine on my own. I’m going to take the longest, hottest, bubbliest bath in the history of the world and just chill out here ’til you get back.”
“You’re absolutely sure?”
“Yes! Now go, or you’ll be late, and they’ll write nasty things about how much of a diva you are.”
He laughed and gave her another quick kiss. She was tempted to turn it into a much longer kiss, and maybe something more illicit, more of what had taken up most of last night, but she really didn’t want him to be late. She waved him off from the door of the suite and shut it quietly behind him. “God, he’s just so …” she said aloud, followed by a guttural “grrr”.
Basking in the first moments of solitude she’d had in what seemed like forever, she practically skipped to the bathroom where she turned on the water to fill the giant bath. “Who knew I’d come to think of hot water as a luxury,” she murmured. While the tub was filling, she foraged around her toiletries bag for a sheet mask and some hair treatment.
She slid out of the fluffy bathrobe, hung it on a hook, then wet her hair in the shower with the handheld nozzle. In front of the mirror, she slathered on the thick, creamy hair treatment, then from the selection of Four Seasons bath salts, chose the cinnamon-scented one and sprinkled it liberally into the bath. It was nearly ready.
She tore open the foil of the face mask, unpeeled it, and pressed it onto her face. “If you could see me now, Archer …” She giggled at her reflection, knowing that there was no way in the world he was ever going to see her looking like that.
The bath was three-quarters full, and she turned off the tap before stepping in carefully and stretching out along its length. The water came up right under her chin and, with a satisfied groan, she let her arms bob gently in the fragrant water as the water sluiced through her fingers. She closed her eyes, slipping into a luxurious doze.
“Who the hell are you?” shouted a brash American female voice.
Chloe’s eyes flew open, her battle to sit upright in the deep and slippery tub causing a tsunami of bath water to cascade over the edge onto the floor. It took a moment for her to realise where the voice had come from and when she looked behind her at the bathroom door, she was more surprised than when she’d opened Cecily’s front door to Archer.
Madison Strumpet was in her hotel room.
What the actual fuck?
In the few moments Chloe hesitated while she struggled to comprehend what was happening, Madison strode into the bathroom and stood tub-side glaring down at Chloe. “I said, who are you? Besides the skank he was kissing in those photos.”
Ouch. It had been easy enough to forget about her likeness being splashed across the internet when it was just her and Archer, but Madison’s words were like a slap. And not only was Chloe naked, her head was slathered in in goop and she was wearing a flaccid hockey mask. She may have felt amazing only moments before, but she knew she looked a sight. Madison, however, looked every bit of the million dollars she earned per movie, and just like the girlfriend of the world’s biggest film star.
Still, Chloe was the Chloe Sims, event manager extraordinaire, recently bedded by Archer Tate, and not going to be intimidated by this interloping cow. Mega-bitch activated, Chloe peeled off the face mask, planted her feet firmly on the bottom of the bathtub and stood. She was pleased to discover that standing in the tub, she was slightly taller than Madison. She looked down at Archer’s ex and, with as much authority as she could muster in her naked state, growled, “Hand me a towel.”
Madison blinked twice and, mouth agape, looked about for a towel. She seemed on autopilot when she lifted a large, fluffy bath sheet from the railing and handed it to Chloe, averting her eyes from Chloe’s nakedness.
“Now give me a moment,” Chloe commanded.
Still seemingly dumbstruck, Madison acquiesced and, mumbling an apology, left the bathroom. Chloe’s heart was thumping so fast, she took a steadying breath. Activating her mega-bitch mode always came with a jolt of adrenalin, and she’d need to calm down if she was going to handle this situation with any kind of composure.
She dried off and wrapped herself in the bathrobe, all the while trying to determine her next move. With a towel, she removed as much of the hair treatment as she could, then scooped her shoulder-length bob into a hair clip at the back of her head. She splashed water on her face to remove the sticky residue of the face mask and looked at herself in the mirror.
She would have preferred to be fully dressed and made up before dealing with Madison Bloody Strumpet, but she knew that would be pushing it. It was time to face the ex.
She pulled her shoulders back and lifted her chin, then walked through the bathroom door to the rest of the suite. Madison was seated on one end of the couch, looking like she’d been blindsided. She didn’t seem to notice that Chloe had come into the room and started a little when Chloe spoke.
“You’re Madison.”
Madison drew in a sharp breath and lifted her eyes to Chloe’s. Chloe stayed standing, wanting the keep the upper hand for as long as possible. “Yes. I am. And again, who are you?”
In event management, Chloe had handled her share of tyrants, micromanagers, whingers, whiners, and idiots—clients, vendors, and colleagues alike. She was also well-versed in “diva” and knew a bluff when she saw one. Madison was all bravado and no substance. It clearly wouldn’t take much to make her crumble into a sobbing ball of misery, but Chloe hesitated.
As experienced as she was in an array of people-management situations, she’d never handled a petulant ex who seemed to be on the precipice of a breakdown. She was also not a cruel person and, really, her own position as Archer’s love interest was also rather fragile. She had no idea where they were heading, if anywhere at all.
She was going to have to tread lightly to navigate these uncharted and muddy waters.
“I’m Chloe,” she said simply. She sat on the armchair opposit
e Madison, who seemed to have recovered from her stupor and glowered at her. “I’m here with Archer.” Though true, she could tell the words had stung. It was in the quiver of Madison’s lower lip—her very beautiful lip. God, she’s so pretty—even in this state.
“Why?”
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what you mean.”
“Why did he bring you here?” Madison asked, her tone making it clear that she thought Chloe was dim.
“Well, you’ll have to ask him that. But I am here with Archer, and I’m wondering what you’re doing here. How did you even know where he was staying?”
Madison looked down at her hands, then raised her right forefinger to her teeth and nibbled on the cuticle. “I know someone in his publicity team,” she mumbled.
Chloe shuddered, knowing that discretion was paramount in any kind of publicity role and that whoever had leaked to Madison would be looking for another job by the end of the day. “And I’m assuming you also know someone on the front desk too? This is the Four Seasons. They have famous people staying here all the time. Surely, they have stringent security measures in place.”
Madison stopped nibbling her cuticle and shot her a look, and Chloe just knew she was about to be served. “Well, yes, obviously, but you see, they do know me here, because Archer and I have stayed here together many, many times.” Ouch. A point for Madison.
“You weren’t expecting me, though.”
“Of course not. Why would they have given me a key card to his room if they knew someone else would be here?” Oh, game on Ms Strumpet.
“Oh, so now you’re implying that he doesn’t know I’m here, that I’m the interloper. We checked in last night. Together.” Madison’s eyes darted to the unmade bed and she scowled. “I’m assuming there was a change of shift on reception since then,” added Chloe. “But all that’s irrelevant now. The important question isn’t how but why are you here?”
Madison’s chin lifted. “It was a mistake.”
Well, that was completely vague. Thank you very much, Madison. Chloe was starting to tire of this ridiculous verbal match, and she sighed loudly. “What was a mistake?”