“Oh my goodness, I’m afraid to ask what happened but I think I already know. Constance should have escorted him to a chair instead of just sending him in this direction.”
The entire situation was funny and absurd. Carrie couldn’t help but burst into laughter at the older woman’s fearful expression. Was she afraid that Carrie was going to scream and complain? Call the cops? Walk out without buying anything?
“Thankfully he didn’t see anything of importance.”
Carrie was sure he’d seen it all before. And much better. He’d dated a long list of glamorous beauties.
Alice glanced over her shoulder to where he’d been standing. “A man like that could get me to show him anything he wanted. No questions asked. This will make a funny story at the next office Christmas party.”
It was going to make a funny story sooner than that. Carrie would tell Paige the next time they talked. They would both get a king-sized laugh out of it. It was such a small world.
“Glad I could help, Alice. Now that Tyler Gaylord has found the exit, did you find that blouse in my size?” she asked hopefully.
The woman beamed and held it up. “I certainly did.”
Carrie would chalk the afternoon up to one of those strange moments that you giggle about years later. It might even make Max laugh. Or maybe not. That stick up his butt probably made it difficult to laugh or have fun. When she’d seen him in interviews he didn’t seem that stodgy.
It might just be her that brought out the pompous ass in him.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Max had insisted on taking her out the next night for dinner. To be seen together in a casual way. Walking arm and arm down the street or coming out of a movie theatre. He explained it was the best way to introduce a new relationship to the public. Float a balloon and see how it goes over. Since she’d never fake-dated anyone she had to take his word for it.
He didn’t get out of rehearsals until late and she’d wanted to see The Eye at night so she sent him a text that he could meet her there. By the time she’d taken the thirty-minute ride and returned, he was waiting for her on the ground.
Looking around like he was casing the joint and checking his watch.
“You’re late.”
Nice to see you too.
He’s a nice man. He’s a nice man. Paige says he’s a nice man.
If she repeated it enough, would her wish come true?
“I’m sorry. I waited in line longer than I thought. It was amazing up there though. The city is beautiful at night.”
That seemed to soften him up slightly. “It is, isn’t it? It’s been years since I rode The Eye at night. I should have gone with you.”
She glanced over her shoulder at the long line and smirked. “I’m game if you are.”
The look he gave the queue could only be described as longing. He wanted to do it but he was already shaking his head no. “We’d better not. My luck has held this long and I’d be pushing it if I tried to stay longer.”
“Your luck?”
His gaze darted around nervously and he hunched his shoulders. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll book us a private ride for one day next week. A whole car just to ourselves. Doesn’t that sound better?”
Not really. Carrie liked meeting new people and she’d talked to several during her own ride but it was clear Max didn’t feel the same. His loss.
“Sure, whatever you want. Are you ready for dinner?”
“I am. Do you trust me to pick the restaurant?”
If she didn’t like it she could always order a pizza later. “That’s fine. Where are we going?”
Max smiled. “A little place not far from here. I think you’ll like it. We can have our privacy there.”
More of that privacy stuff. He had quite the fetish.
Carrie figured out why when they stepped out onto the sidewalk. There were blinding flashes of light and his arm went around her immediately, pulling her into his side protectively.
“Don’t look at them. Don’t give them the money shot they’re looking for. One of the Eye employees must have called the paps or maybe one of the people in line tweeted I was here. Just stay close and I’ll get us out of this.”
This turned out to be a crush of photographers that all seemed to be yelling at once. It didn’t take a genius to see why Max didn’t like crowds and why he’d asked for some privacy. She ought to smack her forehead, she’d been so stupid. Tonight explained quite a bit about this man she’d tied herself to.
To his credit, he didn’t leave her side for a millisecond, keeping her close while he flagged down a taxi and bundled her in. The paps seemed to take that as a challenge and actually followed them, shooting pictures as their cars pulled up alongside, like a Formula One race through the streets of London. It was incredibly dangerous and she was more than relieved when they went through an almost red light that caught the rest of them. Max directed the driver to pull over and she stumbled out of the vehicle, still shaken by what she’d experienced.
“Are you okay?”
The taxi drove away and they were standing on a street corner but apparently Max had thought ahead. They were right next to a Tube station.
She nodded, breathing slowly to get her beating heart under control. “I am just surprised they’d go to those lengths to get a photo.”
His brows pinched together. “That was actually rather tame. Shall we go before they catch up?”
They quickly caught a train but she didn’t know enough about the city to know what direction they were going in. He was seated next to her but he’d hardly spoken since they’d boarded, simply making sure she was comfortable. Nudging his elbow, she moved closer so he could hear her without everyone else being privy to their conversation.
“Thanks.”
“What for? Getting you out of there? It’s my job to take care of you.”
She didn’t take offense at being referred to as someone’s job. If she’d learned anything about Max in the short time she’d known him was that he took his responsibilities very seriously. It would be just like him to call many things in his life a job or work.
“I’m still grateful. I’ve seen Paige and Nate with the paparazzi but they were never chased around London in the dark.”
The car stopped and Max stood, helping her to her feet. A cheery automated voice told her to mind the gap as she exited the tube and she followed him to the street.
“Where to next?” she asked, looking around. She had literally no clue where they were.
“You mentioned once that you like Italian food. We’re close to some of the best Italian food in London, maybe the world—except for Italy, of course.”
She glanced down at her casual attire. “Am I dressed for this palace of culinary delight?”
He gifted her with one of his true rare smiles. “It’s very come as you are.” Offering her his arm, he led her down the street, slowly enough that she could take in the little shops and restaurants. “I hope you like this place. It’s owned by an old friend from school. He’s always willing to get me a table on short notice.”
“Where are we? I mean, in relation to where we were?”
It might help in learning her way around.
“Close by. We’re in a section called the South Bank.” He stopped and held up his palm, pointing just above his wrist. “The South Bank is down here. Here is the Thames. Here is the city of London. Now up here is my home in Hampstead. We’ll get you a map for the Tube. You can get pretty much anywhere you want to go on it. If I remember correctly, you don’t have much public transit where you’re from.”
Taking in the buildings so close together, she nodded. “We’re too spread out. Americans love their elbow room.”
“I’ve learned that. I’ve always said that I’d like to take a car ride from one coast to another. See those wide-open spaces that I’ve heard so much about.”
She couldn’t stop the laughter that bubbled up and he gave her a strange look. “Sorry, it’s just that when w
e were kids my mom and dad would take us on road trips for our summer vacation. Pack us all in the minivan and see how many states we could hit in two weeks while Greg and I argued about where we would stop and whether the other had encroached on our personal space. It wasn’t all that glamorous.”
“It’s sounds like good fun,” he said kindly. “I still think I’d like a trip like that.”
If he kept acting human like this, the next four months weren’t going to be so bad. She might even enjoy herself.
They’d resumed walking and now he was opening the door of a small restaurant, the delicious smells hitting her straight in the olfactory senses. Her stomach gurgled in approval and she could have kissed him at that moment. Everything smelled like perfection. The place looked bigger inside, all done in earth tones with splashes of blue and green here and there.
A portly man with a thinning hairline came to greet them, a big smile on his face and his arms opened wide. “Maxwell, I was wondering if you were going to make it. It’s good to see you, my friend.”
They hugged and then Max stepped back, placing his arm around her waist. “We ran into a spot of trouble but we’re here now. Carrie, I’d like you to meet Albert Whittaker. Albert, this is Carrie Johnson.”
The man beamed and heartily shook her hand. “Any friend of Max’s is a friend of mine.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Whittaker. Your restaurant is beautiful and everything smells amazing.”
“Call me Albert. You must be starving. Max said that you were visiting the Eye before you came here. Did you like it?” Albert kept up a steady stream of conversation as he showed them to their table. “Now make sure Max shows you his impressions. He does the best I’ve ever seen.”
Max’s cheeks were red and he was trying to hide behind his menu but Albert was having none of it. He slapped his old friend on the back and launched into a tale about the time they snuck out of boarding school to go do a voodoo ritual one of them had read about out on the grounds. Now this was a Max she could hang out with.
“A voodoo ritual?” Carrie teased, accepting the glass of wine the waitress slid in front of her. “What kind?”
Propping his head in his palm, Max groaned. “We were cursing our mathematics professor because we had an exam coming up.”
Both men looked surprisingly boyish, their sly grins lighting up their faces. There was more to this story than they’d revealed so far.
“And did you succeed?”
“Hardly,” Max said dryly. “We almost set fire to ourselves melting some wax and did manage to scorch the grass rather badly. Part of the ritual was to sacrifice a chicken and of course we couldn’t do that. So instead we brought our baked chicken from dinner out there and sort of went through the motions. Pathetic, really.”
Laughing so hard that tears were flowing down her face, Carrie held her stomach as she hiccuped once or twice. For his part, Max was laughing as well as he and Albert bantered about who had run faster when they thought they’d been caught. This was pure gold. “Awesome. Just awesome. How did you do on the test? It sounds like it would have been easier to just study.”
“Poorly. My mum grounded me during break.”
Albert slapped Max on the back again and headed to the kitchen. “I’ve got a million of these stories, Carrie, but I’ll leave you to have dinner. Anything you need, you let me know.”
Carrie studied the menu. She wanted to hear more stories but her hunger needed to take precedence. “Remind me to tell you some stories from a few slumber parties I attended. Teenage girls are just as silly as teenage boys. Have you ever heard of ‘light as a feather, stiff as a board’?”
Frowning, Max shook his head and placed his menu on the table. He probably knew all the really good things to order. “I don’t think so. Should I have?”
“It may be an American thing. I’ll tell you about it…if you want me to. It’s not all that interesting, actually.”
What grown man wanted to hear about the day to day lives of young girls? Especially this man. She had the distinct impression he barely tolerated her when she spoke.
Then he smiled. A real, genuine smile that changed his entire face from forbidding to kind. Even his ice blue eyes were in on the action, becoming a softer shade, like a blanket for a newborn boy.
Her heart fluttered and for a moment she forgot to breathe. The veneer, the mask, he’d been wearing was gone and this was…him. All it had taken was an old friend to rip away that protective layer.
“I’d love to hear about it.”
CHAPTER NINE
Having no siblings Max didn’t realize the life of an American teenager was quite that colorful. He’d had no idea that if he bit a wintergreen Lifesaver in the dark it would spark. That was actually a little frightening, but he was definitely going to try it.
He’d also learned about games girls played at slumber parties and he certainly wished he’d been a teenage boy crashing that party. He’d missed out on girls practicing kissing. He would have been happy to volunteer as a test subject rather than their bed pillows or stuffed animals.
“You braided each other’s hair and experimented with makeup?”
They were currently consuming a huge slab of tiramisu after filling up on spaghetti, lasagna, and garlic bread. He liked that Carrie wasn’t afraid to eat. So many women around him ordered a salad and complained about having to watch their figure. Food was meant to be savored and enjoyed and it was even better in good company.
Carrie was definitely good company. He’d chosen well.
“We did,” she confirmed, her pink tongue snaking out to catch a morsel falling off her fork. His breath caught in his throat at the sight of her licking at the fluffy marscapone. “Don’t even ask to see the photos because I’ve hidden them under lock and key. Thank God this was before Facebook and Instagram were much of a thing.”
“Do you embarrass easily? As an actor I don’t have much sense of shame, I’m afraid.”
Laughing, she waved her fork in the air. “I can’t embarrass too easily because it feels like I’m always doing stupid things. Somehow I get myself into situations that are deeply humiliating. You’re lucky you don’t care about those things. I could have used you earlier today when I went shopping for clothes and Tyler Gaylord saw me half-naked in the changing room.”
What the…?
Almost choking on his water, Max slapped the glass down on the table. “Tyler was in your changing room? He barged in while you were changing? What in the hell was he doing there?”
Her brows went up and her mouth twisted. “He was looking to buy a gift for his girlfriend. Someone named Angie. Anyway, I heard a crash and I thought it was the saleslady, so I opened the fitting room door to see him leaning over a naked mannequin he’d knocked down. Luckily, I was wearing a skirt, high heels, and a bra so everything important was covered but I think he and I were both pretty mortified.”
Carrie…in nothing but a skirt, high heels, and bra… Were the heels red? Damn, he loved red high heels on a female. Every nerve in his body had woken up and was now paying close attention. His filthy teenage boy mind had already conjured up an image of her in a tight, short skirt and a black lace bra. All the blood in his brain had migrated in a southerly direction and he’d lost track of what she’d been saying.
“…so he apologized and left after explaining that it was Paige who recommended the shop. It’s all okay, really. It’s not like he really saw much. I’ve shown more skin in a bathing suit.”
Fuck, now he was thinking about her in a bikini. This was going from bad to worse. He needed to change the subject right away or his mind would stop functioning completely and he’d simply be a drooling mess babbling incoherently.
“So we have a party to attend on Saturday night,” Max said, feeling a trickle of sweat at his hairline. “I can have my publicist call a few designers and see if they are willing to dress you for it.”
Wrinkling her nose, she seemed to take the switch in topics in stride.
“Honestly, I’d rather not unless it’s some big event. It’s a fundraiser, right?”
“For the children’s hospital. Black tie and there will be a red carpet.”
She was scrolling through her phone. “Paige gave me the name of a London stylist. Yes, here it is. Why don’t I call her in the morning and see what she says?”
“Excellent idea.”
With a smile and a sigh, Carrie set down her fork and patted her stomach. “That was great. Good choice on the restaurant. Albert seems like a terrific guy too.”
Albert was one in a million, along with his wife and kids. They treated Max the same way today as they had before anyone had known his name.
“I can assure he is one of my oldest and dearest friends. A truly good person.”
Playing with her fork, Carrie fidgeted in her seat. “Listen, I want to apologize about earlier. I’m sorry about the way I acted.”
It was sweet of her to say she was sorry but he had no idea what she was talking about.
“That’s thoughtful of you but I don’t think you have anything to be sorry for actually. Unless you’ve done something I don’t know about.”
She tilted her head, their gazes colliding. Every time he looked into her amber-colored eyes he saw something he hadn’t seen before. This time it was the flecks of gold around the iris.
“I was acting bitchy at the Eye. It’s just…I thought you were being difficult about me doing touristy stuff and being a little late. But after the whole paparazzi thing and then seeing you with your friend Albert, I get it. That’s why I’m sorry. I judged too quickly.”
He should let this go but some little voice was egging him on. “What is it that you think you know, Carrie?”
“I get why you have the protective veneer with people. Why sometimes you act like a pompous, arrogant asshole. You don’t know who you can trust or what they want from you so you keep them at arms’ length. You’re totally different with Albert than you are with most people. I can see who you really are.”
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