CHAPTER 12
NATHAN
“What are you frowning about?”
I glance at my sister, who is once again in my kitchen at the crack of dawn on a Saturday morning, staring at me with her eyebrows raised.
“Do you live here now?” I grunt out, my eyes honing back in on my phone. I can sense Katie’s discomfort flying off the screen and have no clue how to help her get past it.
She gives a careless shrug, opening the fridge door with a smirk. “You’ve got the good food.”
Fair enough.
“What’s going on?” She tilts her head to the phone in my hand. “You’ve got that expression on your face. Like you’re trying to do mental long division.”
I chuckle, because it sounds about right. Navigating this fake dating situation with Katie seems a lot like trying to divide three hundred and forty by five.
Tricky.
“This”—I wave my phone at her—“is kinda your fault.”
Her face lights up. “Tell me everything.”
I sit down at the kitchen bench, in front of a plate now piled high with desserts for breakfast, watching as she assembles a pot of tea.
“Well, as you know, I followed through with your bonkers idea to ask Katie to pretend to be my girlfriend.”
“You say bonkers. I say brilliant,” she interrupts through a mouthful of Jaffa Cake. “And I stand by it; it’s all working just as we planned.”
I take a sip of tea, humming my appreciation. My sister may be annoying and too all-up-in-my-business, but she knows how to brew the perfect cup.
“Well, I think Katie’s having buyer’s remorse. She seemed happy enough when she agreed to come to St. Lucia with me, but since then, she’s becoming more and more anxious.”
“In what way?”
I pass my phone to her, watching her face while she scrolls through them.
“Yeah, I see what you mean. And I also see a way to fix it.”
My sister. The relationship guru.
The fake relationship guru.
“Tell me.”
She chews on a mouthful of digestive, and I grit my teeth at how long she’s taking. Take smaller bites next time, Rosie!
“Katie’s just having a normal girl reaction, that’s all. Nothing a little shopping spree won’t fix.”
I re-read our text exchange, wondering if the answer is that simple. “How can you be sure?”
She points her teacup at me. “You read the subtext. Katie is feeling insecure about spending a week with strangers pretending to be something she’s not.
What she’s not saying, is that the strangers will all be wealthy, snobby and downright obnoxious, and as beautiful as we know she is, she’s no doubt worried she’ll be compared with the chic, glamorous Victoria, and she’ll come out second best. A shopping spree to fill her suitcase with designer everything will help with this.
She’ll at least dress the part of your girlfriend, even if she won’t feel it. ”
Huh. Can it be that simple?
“So, should I offer to take her shopping?”
“No, dummy. She’d never agree to that. You have to do something she can’t refuse.” Her grey-blue eyes sparkle, and she jumps up to grab her phone off the counter. “And I know just the thing.”
I watch, baffled, as she puts her phone to her ear and is in the middle of a conversation three seconds later. Whoever is on the other line is as chatty as she is.
“I know it’s Christmas Eve, but this is important. We’ll pay whatever it’s worth.”
Now my ears are perking. Rosie’s idea of responsible money management is as non-existent as her ability to stay out of my business.
“Nate? Give me your credit card.”
I stand up and glare at her, raising a brow and tapping my foot. “Explain, first.”
Her sigh matches her epic eye roll. “I’ve got Claudia on the phone.”
Blank stare.
“Claudia. From J’dore Chic? The most luxurious, the most elegant, the chicest boutique store on Bond Street. She’s agreed to close the store for the afternoon and have it available only for us. For a price, of course.”
“Won’t that be too much for Katie?” I argue. “A whole store opening just for her?”
Another eye roll. “This is perfect for her. Can you imagine Katie navigating the Christmas crowds? Or going from shop to shop to find the right outfits for this wedding? She seems more the type to shop online and hope for the best.”
An image of Katie in that long, ugly winter jacket springs to mind, and I don’t disagree. Although she looks incredible in anything she wears, her outfits don’t scream ‘I love to shop.’
“Fine,” I give in, handing over my black AMEX. It’s not like I can’t afford to do this, or that Katie doesn’t deserve it. It’s just a matter of making sure this is an enjoyable experience for her. To set the tone for the rest of the week.
“Great. We’ll see you there at 1 p.m.,” Rosie says after giving my credit card details to the stranger on the other end of the phone. When all this is done, I need to talk to her about credit card security.
“We’ll see you there?” I ask as she hands me back my card, with a big helping of reluctance. It’s not that she isn’t richy rich in her own right, I just think she gets a thrill from spending other people’s money.
She clears the table and smiles up at me. “Of course, I’ll be there. You think Katie will be comfortable shopping with only you?”
The girl has a point. “Fine. You can come. Now, I need to make sure Katie does, too.”
Rosie dumps her cup into the kitchen sink and beams at me over her shoulder. “Big bro, you leave that part to me.”
?·?·?
The temperature outside is below freezing, but inside this boutique store, it’s a balmy twenty-two degrees Celsius.
The entire place has an opulent yet calming vibe, with its muted tones and its warm, glowing light.
It even smells amazing. Rosie has picked the perfect place. Now we just need Katie to show up.
“She said she was coming, right?” I ask, pacing to the window to peer out into the busy street. Still no sign of her.
“For the hundredth time, yes. She agreed. She even said it sounds fun. Relax; she’ll be here soon. It’s difficult to get around London at this time of year.”
I glance outside again. “I should have sent a car for her.”
Rosie pulls a face.
“No? Too much?”
She nods. “Too much like Pretty Woman, for sure.”
Pretty Woman. I make a mental note to add it to my ‘to-watch’ movie list.
“Here she is,” she says now, tilting her head to the door.
My heart takes off, and I wipe my sweaty palms on the front of my jeans. The store, which had been a lovely temperature mere moments ago, is suddenly too warm. Or is that just the effect this woman has on me? Like everything is perfect and off-kilter at the same time?
“Katie!” Rosie rushes to the door, yanking her inside and into her arms. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
Katie pats her back somewhat shyly, before pulling away, giving me my first proper look at her.
Is it possible that, in the last five days since I’ve seen her, she’s grown even more beautiful?
She’s shucking off her winter coat, revealing a simple outfit of jeans and a burnt orange knitted jumper, the perfect contrast to her Mediterranean colouring.
Her hair is wavy and shiny, tumbling down her back, and her cheeks are pink and dewy from the frosty air outside.
She looks perfect.
“Hey, Kitty Kat,” I croak, gathering my tattered wits about me. She’s literally robbed me of my breath and has zero clue of her effect on me. “Thanks for coming.”
She smiles, a small uptick of her lips I feel in my gut. “I should thank you. This is a dream come true for every woman who’s ever watched Pretty Woman.”
I flash my sister a smirk, and she sticks her tongue out at me. Clearly, some parts of that movie are aspirational. I’ll have to watch it to find out.
“We’re going to have so much fun,” Rosie gushes, holding Katie’s hand and pulling her further into the shop. “Here, meet Claudia. She’s going to help us both get everything we need.”
“Um, little sis?” I call out, trailing behind them. “Just to clarify. Who’s getting the shopping spree today?”
Her expression is deviousness dressed up as innocence. “Both me and Katie? Remember? It’s my Christmas present from you, and we thought it’d be nice for Katie to come along.”
Ah, the little minx has outplayed me. “Right, yes. Of course,” I mumble, shooting a ‘we’ll talk about this later’ glare at her.
Katie shifts on her feet, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger. “Um, I don’t have to be here. If this isn’t something you agreed to.”
My eyes fly to her big, worried, hazels ones. “No, of course not. This is for you.”
She startles, and I smother a groan. “For both of you,” I amend. “A Christmas present and thank you present. Please, go. Have fun.”
“If you’re sure?” Her gaze is still troubled, and I nod with what I hope is an encouraging smile.
She has no idea how sure I am. If this is what it takes to make her more comfortable attending this stupid wedding next week, well, I’d buy her the contents of this entire store. And add some extras for Rosie as well.
“Let’s go!” My sister hands her a glass of champagne and nudges her towards the closest rack of dresses. “We’re going to have so much fun.”
Katie spares me one last glance over her shoulder before giving in, placing her champagne flute down on the table next to her and following Rosie’s instructions.
I stare until I see her shoulders relax and hear her husky giggle, then settle myself onto a couch strategically placed out of the way, in the room's corner. Knowing my sister as well as I do, we’re going to be here all afternoon; I may as well make myself comfortable while they do their thing.