His Hired Girlfriend
Page 7
“You do like kumara, Jay?” Alex asked, watching him.
Jay looked up at her with his brows raised. “Kumara?”
“Yeah, kumara,” Alex said, nodding her head. “You’ve had three big pieces already.”
“I have? I don’t remember eating them.”
Peter and Mrs. Thompson started to laugh. Then Peter said, “She means sweet potatoes.”
“Yeah, we call them kumara. It’s a Maori word for sweet potatoes,” Alex said.
“Kumara,” Jay said. “I like the name.” Everyone laughed.
After a good, hearty dinner and then dessert of ice cream and fruits, Alex said good night to the Thompsons and left. It was already very cold and dark outside as she rushed to her car. She was about to get in when Jay called out to her. “Hey, sorry to bother you.”
“That’s okay,” she said, shivering and hugging herself against the cold wind. “Oh yeah, totally forgot. Your jersey.”
Jay said, as Alex was about to take her jacket off, “No worries. You can give it back to me tomorrow.” A very good excuse, he thought, to see her again.
“Tomorrow? What’s happening tomorrow?” Alex asked, confused.
“We have a lunch date,” he said, grinning from ear to ear.
“We do?” she asked, her brows rose, her heart beating just a little faster than usual.
“Yeah.” He came closer to her. He could smell a hint of that lovely floral scent from her hair, and he wanted to get closer. He also wanted to keep her out of the cold wind because she was shivering.
“Peter told me you’ve agreed to my proposal,” he lied. “I thought we should meet tomorrow for lunch and arrange everything. How long do you have for lunch?”
“An hour.”
“Only an hour, huh?” He sounded disappointed. “That’s too short. How about we change to dinner?”
“Okay,” she said, nodding her head and started rubbing her hands about her cold arms to get some warmth.
Jay saw this and moved closer. Now they were only inches apart. He thought that she was so close to him maybe she could hear his beating heart.
“Dinner it is then,” Alex confirmed, making a move to open the door. “What time?”
“How about straight after work? What time do you finish work?” he asked, watching her getting into the driver’s seat.
“I finished at five,” she said, inserting the key to start the engine.
“How about six thirty? Gives you time to go home and change,” he said, smiling at her.
“Why can’t we just meet at like quarter past five or something? I don’t need to change.” She looked up at him in the dimness of the night.
She didn’t need to change? Now that was new to Jay. He thought every woman wanted to shower and change into something nice before they go out to a dinner date. Apparently not this one. Maybe she didn’t think this was supposed to be a date.
“That’s cool, it’s up to you. Five fifteen it is then,” he said.
“Can we go to SAN Café? I missed my salmon. Your shout, right?”
“Yeah, it’s on me. SAN Cafe is it. Good night.”
“Night, Mr. McCartney,” she said and shut the door.
Jayden watched as she drove away into the darkness. “Mr. McCartney, huh?” he mumbled as he made his way back into the house.
He found Peter by himself in the living room. He came to join his friend on the couch and watched the sports news Peter currently had on the tele. Apparently the Kiwis really love their rugby, and he found himself falling in love with the sport too –what with the kicking, tackling, and vigorous running. But he wasn’t a fan of the guy named Dan Carter who did ads for all kinds of thing – especially for Jockey. Apparently all the girls adored him because of his good looks. He wondered if Alex was one of them.
A moment later when the ads began, Jayden said, “Hey, Pete, what’s wrong with Alex’s dad?”
Peter glanced sideway at his friend. “Interested, are you?”
Jay grinned. “If she’s going to be my girlfriend, I have to know about what’s going on in her life. Not all but just the basic.”
Peter chuckled. “You mean your fake girlfriend?”
“Nobody supposed to know except for you, me, and Alex. Got that?”
“Got it,” Peter said. “And Alex’s dad, Jacob, has heart problems. Long story short, if he gets any worse, he’ll needs a heart transplant. I personally think he needs it right now, but Alex doesn’t have the money.”
“I see,” Jay said, nodding his head.
They both were silent as the ads ended and sport news continued. Jayden sat there and watched, though his interest had already waned. He was thinking about Alex and her dad. She needed money for her dad’s heart transplant. Maybe that was part of the reasons why she had agreed to help him because he had offered her money.
The thought of his money helping Alex and her dad lifted his spirit. It made him feel good. Funny how he had never felt that good before when he had made donations to many of the sport clubs back in New York.
***
“SHIT!” JAYDEN SWORE under his breath. He was in a total panic, wondering where he was supposed to find a white singlet. He had been searching in every God’s damn shops that sold women’s clothing across this small town for a whole day and still hadn’t been able to find a single white singlet. Where had Alex bought that darn thing from?
He glanced at his watch and saw that it was nearly five o’clock. That meant Alex would be finishing work soon and she’d be meeting him for dinner at SAN Café.
He was now in the Meridian, one of their so-called ‘big’ malls, looking like a lost ignoring charge duckling. Not that he was little, for God’s sake. He was over six feet tall and every female he passed – young or old – were gawking at him from head to toe.
Geez, he thought, he really hated shopping. How could people say shopping was fun? Even worse, he wondered, how could people get addicted to shopping?
Hold on, hot shot! You’re a guy, and guys never like shopping. Period!
He walked towards the exit, shoulders slumped. The stupid weather didn’t help with his mood either. It was raining again.
Oh whatever, he’d just have to give up. ‘Sorry, Alex,’ he thought, ‘can’t replace your singlet because—’
What the!
He did a double take and grinned. There it was – the singlet.
He hurried into the small underwear shop that was hidden away from sight, his spirit now lifted. He browsed through, wondering what size Alex was. Small? Yeah, she’d be a small. He picked one white, size small and then thought that he’d better take two instead. Grinning to himself like an idiot because he felt very proud indeed for finding the very same singlet he had damaged, he strolled over to the counter where the young woman there was watching him with interest. Then his eyes caught the bras. Oh God! He had never been into a lingerie shop before and this experience was completely new to him.
His eyes were big and wide as he took it all in, bras all in different colour and sizes, some plain and some with frills. He placed the two singlets on the counter and said, “Hi.”
“Hi,” the young woman replied, smiling at him, her eyes appreciating what she saw. She picked up the two singlets and said, “You’re not from around here, are you?”
Jay shook his head as he eyed her name badge. It said Brandy. He glanced at her pretty face and said, “No.”
She nodded and said, her shapely brows rose, “For your girlfriend?”
Jayden hesitated. Did buying underwear for Alex meant that she was his girlfriend? He didn’t know. Then just to be on the safe side, he shook his head. “No, it’s for, erm, my sister.”
Brandy laughed merrily. “Whoa, I’ve never seen guys coming into lingerie shops like this to buy his sister underwear,” she said, her dark green eyes intense on his handsome face.
Jay smiled pleasantly and said, “Well, I’m not like most brothers.” Damn, he never thought he was that good at lying.
“You want to buy your sister bras, too?” she asks curiously.
Jay glanced at Brandy and nodded. “Yeah,” he said, walking toward the rows of bras.
Brandy followed him. “Do you know what size she is?”
Jay crocked his head to one side in thought. What size was Alex anyway? She must be a small, since she was rather tiny in person as a whole.
“She’s about this high,” he said, indicating with his hand to his chest. “And this thin,” he continued, also indicating with his two hands of the space in front of him.
“I don’t think we can measure the size of her bras from that.” Brandy shook her head. “But from what you’re telling me, she must be a size small?”
Jay nodded.
“I think we should try a size 12. Now do you know what cup she is?”
Jay widened his eyes. “What?”
“Cups. Do you know what cup she is? A, B, or C like mine?” Brandy pointed down, drawing out her chest just a little bit for him to notice.
Not looking at the sales assistant who was obviously begging for his attention, Jay glared at the arrays of bras and tried to fit the bras in front of him on to Alex’s breasts that he had glimpsed on Sunday night.
Shit! The memory came to him vividly, and instantly, his mind started reeling, wild with imagination.
‘Now, now, Hot Shot, pause right there! Don’t you dare go any further. Think what cup she could be. Think, man, think!’
B! He was pretty sure that she was a B.
He said to Brandy, “B.” Then he turned back and picked one that was a size 12 with a cup B, which was designed very beautifully with light pink laces.
Brandy said, “You’re done?”
Jay nodded.
Once his purchase was done, Jay thanked Brandy for her help and left without a backwards glance. If he were to look back he would have seen that young Brandy was watching him with longing as he was walking away.
Jayden strolled the short distant to SAN Café and waited for Alex to turn up. He found the place very pleasant this evening, as compare to the hectic of that Saturday afternoon. The mood and atmosphere, he thought, was just right for a first date, what with that lovely soothing, south-east Asian classical music, the golden hue of light from the waterfall chandelier, and cosy décor of red, gold and brown. A pretty young waitress placed two menus in front of him, poured him a glass of water and politely told him that she’d be back when his friend arrived.
Jay nodded pleasantly and then scanned the menu. Very nice, he thought. Very nice. A moment later he saw Alex entering the restaurant. His heart was glowing as she smiled and advanced towards him.
“Hey,” she greeted, sliding into the chair opposite him.
“Hey,” he replied. “How was work?”
“Fine. Have you ordered?” she asked, taking off her jacket.
“No, I was hoping you’ll be able to help me,” he said sheepishly.
“That I can,” she stated, picking up the menu. “Don’t worry. The food here is very healthy. Do you like barbeque?”
“Yep.”
“Good. I think you should go for the Fusion. You get all kinds of barbeque meat in Cambodian style.”
“Sounds good. I’ll have that.”
“Okay,” Alex said, smiling.
Once the young waitress had taken their orders, Jay thrust out the shopping bag towards Alex. “Here.”
Alex glanced up to see the pink bag, which looked oddly familiar, dangling in front of her. “For me?”
He nodded.
She took it and peeked inside. She saw the neatly folded singlets and bra. The singlets were exactly the same one he had spilt beer on and the bra was unlike any she had ever used before. This one was very pretty with pink laces and frills. She usually wore plain black or white.
She blushed and gazed at him, her eyes large. “You don’t have to do that, you know.” She couldn’t imagine how on earth he had managed to buy her underwear. She herself had always been embarrassed every time she went to buy herself such items.
“I know, but I want to considering the fact that I’ve destroyed your singlet,” he said. “Well, aren’t you going to thank me?” He grinned.
Alex blushed and smiled. “Thank you.” She really didn’t mind accepting the gift. After all he did damage her singlets. Not that it was completely damaged, of course. It was still wearable.
“Hey, I’ve got something for you as well,” she said and took out his jersey from her bag. “Here.”
“Oh whoa, thank you very much,” he chuckled. “You didn’t forget after all.”
“Nope, I didn’t,” she said. “So okay, let’s get down to business then.”
Jay leaned forward then. “Look, I’ll be leaving in two days time. How much are you asking?”
Alex bit her lip. “Are you sure you don’t mind about the price?”
“Nope.”
“Thing is I’m not exactly sure as yet. Can I tell you when I know? It’s basically the full price for Dad’s heart transplant.”
Jay studied her for a moment and then nodded. “Sure, when ever is fine. But since I’m leaving soon, I’ll give you my cell phone number and my email address. How about that?”
Alex agreed with a nod of her head.
Their food arrived and Alex watched as Jay enjoyed his various barbeque meats marinated in a sauce he had never taste before.
*****
CHAPTER 7
Eight Weeks later
NEW YORK CITY, USA
ALEX WAS VERY tired and frustrated. Finally, she thought with some small triumph, she had arrived in New York City. Now standing there at the lobby of LaGuardia Airport, she just wanted to collapse on the floor and rest. But of course she couldn’t do that because that would be weird, considering the fact that there were still people around even though it was 4am, US time.
Where was Jayden anyway? Oh God! What if he had forgotten to come and get her? Well she couldn’t blame him if he had because she was late. She was supposed to have arrived yesterday afternoon. But being a clumsy, inexperienced traveller that she was, she had managed to miss a flight from Sydney to LA and then the rest was history.
She was still upset that she had missed that flight. It was a first class seat. Now she would never know what it was like sitting in that luxurious, comfy seat with the air hostess serving her every need. Damn!
Turning her attention back to her dilemma she thought that if she didn’t see Jay within the next five minutes, she’d take a taxi and check in to the nearest hotel and then she’d give him a ring to tell him where she was. She had called him back in Sydney and again in LA where she had stayed the night in the very luxurious hotel, with Jay’s expense of course. She had told him that everything would be fine and that she’d arrive in New York City the next day.
Now here she was, standing there like a lost lamb, not knowing what to do or where to go. She was never any good at finding her bearings in a new country. She just hoped that she was not going to get lost.
No, no, she reminded herself, she would not get lost. Provided that she had enough money, she’d be able to get back to New Zealand safe and sound.
Alex dragged her luggage across the huge terminal and walked towards the rows of seats near the window. She searched around just in case Jayden was some where near by, waiting for her. When she saw only the faces of strangers, she sighed and slumped on the seat.
“Alex!”
Her stomach knotted. She turned and her heart soared with relief and happiness. “Jay!” she murmured. Her throat was so tight that her voice was barely above a whisper.
She rushed over to him with her
heavy bag in tow. Before she knew what she was about, she dropped the luggage and hugged him hard, like he was her long lost relative.
With her face snuggled against his chest, her arms around his middle and tears brewing in her eyes – she whispered, “Jay, I’m sorry.” Then it was suddenly too much for her. Perhaps she was too tired and she couldn’t control her emotions anymore, and so she started whimpering and tears started rolling down her flushed cheeks from her eyes.
Jayden wrapped his arms around her small, quivering form – content just standing there, hugging her – and people looking at them with a knowing smile on their faces. Ah, lovers finally reunited.
Jayden’s heart had leaped with happiness when he had first spotted her sitting there. She had looked scared and lost. He couldn’t help himself. He just wanted her to not be scared anymore. He wanted to see her smile and be carefree. He especially wanted to see her smiling at him.
Alex drew back and glanced up at him, her eyes red, and her lips trembling in the most delicate way.
Jay saw her face, which was inches from his, and his heart nearly broke. Damn, she looked like she had been through hell. He cupped her face in his big hands and said gently, “Hey, I’m here now. I told you I’d be here, didn’t I?” Then he wiped her tears with his thumb.
Alex swallowed and nodded. “I know, but...when I didn’t see you I thought...and then I saw you and I...”
“Hey, come on. You’re tired,” he said and then turned to pick up her luggage. “My car is this way.”
Alex sniffed and then wiped her tears. “Okay,” she said and followed him toward the exit.
The cool night air soothed both Alex’s turmoiled emotions and her overheated skin. She took a few deep breaths and told herself that everything was all right now because Jayden was here. Yes, Jayden was going to look after her and nothing bad was going to happen.