Chapter 5 ~ Isabella ~
S peechless, I stared after the departing Ferrari with its rather dented rear end.
What on earth had that been?
Or rather... WHO on earth had that been?
Dusk was slowly settling around me. A few cars drove past. Lights were coming on in the windows of the houses and skyscrapers surrounding me. People hurried by on the sidewalk.
I stood on the street next to my small, green, dented Toyota, feeling as if the world around me had become different than it was just half an hour ago.
The way that man had looked at me!
As if... as if I were something truly special. The stranger's gaze had triggered a tingling sensation in me that I'd never known before. I had been in love a few times in my life. Most recently with Owen. But I had never felt anything like this before.
I rubbed my eyes with my hand. The Ferrari was nowhere to be seen.
Had that really happened?
Slowly, I lowered my gaze to the phone in my hand. I unlocked it.
Carter Jenkins.
The name and corresponding phone number appeared on the display.
It had really happened.
I had never felt so strange before. So... special.
The impact I had felt in the car earlier seemed to still be reverberating through my body. Or was it something entirely different? My reaction to the attractive Carter Jenkins? I couldn't tell. Carter had disappeared too quickly.
I walked around my Toyota once, examining the car from the front. The bumper was pretty dented. Or had it been like that before? My car had been through so much that I couldn't say exactly which dent I had driven into when and where. I thought about the dented rear of the Ferrari. My stomach tightened unpleasantly again.
How on earth would I pay for this damage? My insurance wouldn't be enough to cover it.
My head was pounding.
No money, no money, no money.
Should I just drive home and hide in my bed?
Isabella Abbott! You're on your way to a bachelorette party! For the first time in ages, you want to really enjoy yourself. Today has been shitty enough! You deserve a change of pace. Besides, Fiona, Judy, and the others will rip your head off if you don't show up. And on top of that... maybe everything isn't as bad as it seems.
I thought about Carter Jenkins' last words. In my head, I was already calling him Carter. Without Jenkins. Hadn't he said that he wanted to find a solution with me where I wouldn't even have to inform my insurance? I hadn't imagined that, had I?
No.
And I certainly hadn't imagined that after saying this, he had winked at me in a way that made me feel even warmer than I already was. For a moment, I had wondered if he was flirting with me. Didn't things like this only happen in movies? In those Hollywood comedies I occasionally watched with Hayley, such things happened. People had an accident, met someone, and a few months later, they were standing at the altar with that very person.
Isabella Abbott, you old dreamer. Just because the guy was good-looking doesn't mean anything. You've met plenty of attractive guys in your life and flirted with some of them. And what did you get out of it? Nothing but trouble in the end. You scared off all the decent guys early on and ended up empty-handed or even with a broken heart. Just stay away from men, and you'll be better off. That's worked well for you since breaking up with Owen.
That was indeed true. I had fared well with that approach.
But if you wanted to make sure your heart was never broken, you could never give it away.
And if you never had any trouble, you also never had any fun.
Right?
I was in the mood for fun since I had looked into the stranger's bright blue eyes.
For a lot of fun.
My heart, however...
A loud honk sounded beside me. I startled out of my daydreams.
A blue Ford was trying to pull out of a parking space at the curb and couldn't get past my Toyota. The Ford's window was rolled down. A bald man with a red face glared at me angrily.
"What the hell are you doing? I've noticed before that women can't park. But parking in the second row and then staring at your own dented heap as if it were the eighth wonder of the world is really too much. Get out of here right now!" The man grew angrier and angrier and finally shouted at me loudly.
I stared at him, dumbfounded. Sure, I wasn't parked in the most convenient spot. But did he have to freak out about it? Couldn't he just politely ask me to move and wait a minute?
"Did you win your driver's license in a lottery or what?"
I resisted the temptation to give a rude answer or flip the man off. This insolent guy might attack me or even report me to the police. That would be the last thing I needed. I'd had enough trouble for today. Wordlessly, I turned around and got back into my car.
It was time to move on. The girls were probably already waiting impatiently for me at the Hotel Tiffany.
Just ten minutes later, I stood in front of the hotel's main entrance, nervously rummaging through my bag. The accident, the attractive Carter, and the unfriendly man in the Ford had distracted me so much that I hadn't checked whether I had the crown with me or not.
I checked all the compartments of my bag.
Nothing.
Oh, plenty of other things: Kleenex, lipstick, my birth control pills, my phone, money, keys, my sunglasses, which I definitely wouldn't need tonight anymore...
But no sign of my crown.
I sighed. A quick glance at the clock showed me that I was now significantly late. Driving back home, getting the crown, and coming back here would cost me at least another hour. I couldn't do that.
So I was facing another punishment. For another evening without a crown.
Oh well.
The main thing was that we all had fun. I grinned. Maybe my punishment would really get the evening going.
I entered the hotel through the main entrance and headed for the bar. It was nice to feel like a guest again, even though at that moment I would have given anything to get a job here. But before I could lose myself further in thoughts about today's events, my friends ambushed me.
"Isabella! Where have you been for so long?" Judy called out.
"And where's your crown?" Mira added.
"I... uh... well, I think I forgot my crown."
"Aha!" Mira, Judy, Elly, and Fiona exchanged a meaningful look.
"Then we'll have to think of a punishment for you right away!" Judy grinned at me. "But first you need to get in the mood. Here!" She pressed a cocktail glass into my hand. I sipped the red-orange drink.
"Oh, a Tequila Sunrise!" I rejoiced. The cheerful, colorful mix was one of my favorite drinks.
"You need to hurry up," Elly ordered. "We've each had two already. And you need to catch up!"
"Is that my punishment?" I wanted to know, as the laughing girls pulled me towards the bar.
"Nooooo," Fiona giggled. "That's just to get you in the mood. You look like you've got a bee in your bonnet. Or several bees."
That was true, of course.
Was it that obvious?
I had tried to put on my happiest face, but apparently I hadn't succeeded.
"Did something happen?" Mira asked.
"Oh... I had an accident. I rear-ended some guy," I explained and emptied my Tequila Sunrise in three big gulps. I could already feel the alcohol going to my head and a pleasant feeling of elation and relaxation spreading through me. Exactly what I needed after such a crappy day like today.
"You need to drink to that," Elly said and pressed another glass into my hand. Another Tequila Sunrise. I smiled to myself.
"Then I also need to drink to the fact that I got fired today," I declared.
"WHAT?" Four pairs of eyes looked at me in shock.
"I got fired," I repeated and sipped my second Tequila. Well, I didn't really sip. I took a big gulp. The stuff just tasted devilishly good and eased the tension in my body. I had truly earned a fun evening. When was the last time I had drunk alcohol? It must have been ages ago. Owen had never liked it when I wanted to drink, so I had abstained for his sake. Pretty stupid of me.
"And what will you do now?" Judy wanted to know.
"Celebrate!" Mira shouted and looked at me.
I nodded emphatically. "Exactly. I'm rid of that stupid boss and for that... yes, for that I should drink at least one. If not two."
"But you have your apartment and the loan..." Fiona chimed in.
I didn't want to think about that at all right now. "I do. And today is your bachelorette party," I replied and emptied the second Tequila Sunrise in three big gulps.
"Exactly! And it's time our Isabella here has some fun again," called the already slightly tipsy Elly. The bartender looked at me questioningly.
"Another one," I nodded. He slid an already filled glass across the bar to me. At that moment, "Let's Get Loud" by Jennifer Lopez blared from the speakers installed in the wooden ceiling above us. The karaoke song from my last punishment.
"Yeah... Isabella should sing. Come on, Isabella," Elly cheered enthusiastically.
"Booooring," Judy snorted and pushed her empty glass towards the bartender with a nod. "She already knows that punishment. We need something new."
"I'm curious," I replied. Then a hiccup escaped me and I took a giggling sip of my third Tequila Sunrise. Had I eaten anything today? Probably not.
So what?
"Who did you rear-end?" Mira wanted to know.
"Mira! We're not talking about that anymore," Judy chuckled and reached for the next Tequila Sunrise on the bar.
"A Ferrari," I mumbled. "And the guy who was in it..." I didn't finish my sentence, but instead licked my lips with relish. "Top-notch," I added then.
"WHAT?" Judy's eyes widened. "You rear-ended a... So he looked good?"
"Pretty much," I answered and grinned at the memory of Carter's tousled blonde hair, his bright blue eyes, and athletic body. By now, all the alcohol had made me pleasantly warm. The thought of Carter made me even a little warmer.
"Oho, just look at her face," came from Judy. She flashed me a look. Then she raised a hand. "Girls, I have the perfect punishment for Isabella!"
"What? Let's hear it," Fiona giggled.
"It shouldn't be about me, but about Fiona. This is her bachelorette party." I made a half-hearted attempt to escape my impending punishment.
"Yeaah... my night. And I want you to get a punishment." Fiona nudged me in the side, laughing.
Well then. I took a big sip of my third Tequila Sunrise. Or was it already the fourth? I couldn't remember exactly. But what did it matter anyway?
"Sooo..." Judy looked conspiratorially around the group and then whispered something in Fiona's ear.
"Oh yes! That's good! That's very good indeed!" Fiona giggled.
"What? Come on, tell us!" Elly urged.
"Excluding us is mean," Mira grumbled with pursed lips.
"Isabella has to kiss a man," Judy announced, looking around the group for approval.
"What?" My slightly foggy brain registered the words slowly. "I have to do what?"
"You haven't had any fun in the last few months. We weren't even allowed to mention men. Unless they were ancient, neutered, or fathers. Or all of the above. It's time for you to come out of your shell. And since you're slowly starting to notice attractive guys again, we're giving you a little push now. So you can enjoy life again!" Judy looked at me triumphantly.
"Great idea," Mira chimed in.
"But what if the man doesn't want to be kissed?" I asked.
"Then it's even funnier," Elly giggled and winked at me. "Kissing someone you know and like, anyone can do that. But this is about something else. You're supposed to kiss a stranger who has no idea about his luck. And who knows what might happen then..." She squinted her right eye.
I was supposed to just kiss someone?
Well...
Isabella. Admit it. Earlier, you would have loved it if Carter had... well, maybe not kissed you, but somehow touched you. Stroked your hand. Just to know what it feels like. His skin on yours.
So if I imagined now that I would kiss Carter, then I should be able to press my mouth to the lips of a stranger.
"We'll choose the man," Judy announced.
Oh God.
Help.
Hopefully not some old codger.
While the four girls let their gazes wander through the hotel lobby, I took another big sip of the Tequila Sunrise I was holding.
"There!" Elly finally called out loudly and pointed her finger to a corner. Two men were sitting at a low table there, talking.
"Shh! If you shout so loudly and point over there, they'll notice what you're up to," Fiona warned and pulled Elly's hand down. We all looked to the corner. I squinted my eyes.
That was...
Was it possible?
My pulse quickened.
"I meant the younger of the two, of course, not the older one," Elly announced.
"Obviously," Mira giggled. "The older one would be glad to be kissed at all. That's no challenge for Isabella. But the younger one..."
The younger one was wearing a suit and sneakers.
He had tousled blond hair.
And even though I couldn't see his eyes at that moment because his back was turned to me, I knew exactly what color they were.
Bright blue.
Carter Jenkins.
At the other end of the room sat the attractive Carter, talking to another man.
"That's him," I breathed.
"Who?" asked Elly, the only one who had understood my words.
I cleared my throat. "That's the man I rear-ended."
"Where?" Elly wanted to know, looking around searchingly.
"The man I'm supposed to kiss. That's the one I rear-ended."
Elly looked at me uncomprehendingly. After a few seconds, she realized what I meant and burst out laughing.
"Heeyyyy girls, did you hear that? What a coincidence. Isabella rear-ended this exact guy!"
"Shh!" I said angrily. What if Carter heard us and looked over here? So far, he hadn't noticed me.
"Why 'shh'?" Elly looked at me grinning. "You're going to kiss the guy anyway in a minute, so it doesn't matter if he sees you."
"You rear-ended him?" Fiona and Mira let their gazes wander back and forth between Carter and me.
"Then we've picked the right man," Judy rejoiced. "You do find him attractive!"
I nodded. That was exactly the problem. Where I had just been struggling with the idea of kissing any random man and thought I'd better think of Carter while doing it... now the idea of kissing Carter made me shiver. From head to toe. A warm, exciting shiver.
But...
Why not, actually?
"Isabella." Fiona seemed to be the only one who sensed how I felt and took my hand. "Go for it. Nothing bad can happen." She smiled warmly at me.
Well...
After I had already rear-ended Carter earlier, nothing worse could happen, right? I would smile at him, kiss him, and then go on my way. A harmless kiss, where my lips would rest on his for a moment. A promise. Nothing more.
But also nothing less.
The thought of Carter's lips on mine sent another shiver through my body.
"Alright," I said.
In one gulp, I emptied my glass, straightened my shoulders, and took a step towards the table where Carter was talking to the other man.
Just do it, Isabella. Sometimes you have to grab life with both hands to make dreams come true.