Chapter 9
BECCA
Where are we going tomorrow night?
I checked the words in my text message for spelling and punctuation—yes, I did that—and pressed 'send'.
I only had to wait a couple of minutes for a reply.
Somewhere nice.
I grimaced at the phone. "No, really. I thought you'd take me somewhere horrible," I said under my breath.
How nice?
Very nice.
I frowned.
Somewhere I need big shoes?
Seriously, I need to know what to wear.
If he replied with a bikini emoji, I would—
He didn't respond for five minutes. When he did, it was with an emoji of a dress and a person with a bow tie.
Fancy then?
I shook my head. He'd have to explain that one later.
"Do I own anything that fancy?" I asked out loud.
Fortunately, I got no response. I'd be scared if I did, since I was alone.
My mother used to say, “I’m crazy, not insane.” Let’s not cross that line, shall we?
I opened my wardrobe and searched through everything hanging inside. My short black dress with beading on the bodice might do. That or I'd have to go shopping for something new.
I never needed an excuse to shop, but I didn't want to give Hawk the wrong idea.
Or did I? If he thought I was into him already, he might drop his guard and not work so hard on winning our bet.
That would make it easier for me to win.
Not like I had any doubt I would. I'd fallen down that rabbit hole before; caring for him and letting him break my heart.
I wouldn't do it again, even if the rabbit himself was hot, smart, and had muscles on top of muscles…
"Stop it," I muttered. Thinking about him made me hot. That would make it harder to be around him, much less win.
I tugged the black dress out of the closet and slid the hanger out. I replaced the hanger and stepped into the dress.
It showed a decent amount of cleavage and accentuated my waist and hips before it flared out a little. It was cute. Right for somewhere nice, but not somewhere very nice.
I glanced at my phone. I was tempted to ring and ask him for specifics, but I suspected he wouldn't give them to me. Short of calling every restaurant in the area and asking, I'd have to guess.
Anyway, it was unlikely they'd tell me if he had a booking. They might think I was like Harvey, just a sleazeball from the press digging for dirt.
Shopping it was then.
I changed into a maxi skirt and a t-shirt, grabbed my stuff and headed out the door.
One advantage to living where I did, a mall and a bunch of restaurants and bars were only a walking and staggering distance away.
I wasn't sure if I'd find anything 'very nice' here, much less in my price range, but it was free to look. If I found nothing, the black dress would have to do.
Maybe I'd find some brown shoes like the emoji. I imagined his face if I turned up in those, and smiled. That would serve him right for being so cryptic.
I briefly imagined how he'd react if I wore nothing else, but I blushed at the idea of being naked in public.
In private, maybe…
No, think unsexy thoughts, I told myself. Think bet winning thoughts.
I slipped into the first clothes shop situated on the outside of the mall.
It was a small boutique, with a select collection at a select price, in select sizes.
It didn't take me long to realise I wasn't going to fit into their size minus-a-bajillion, even if the prices on the swing tags weren't eye-watering.
One dress would cost me two mortgage payments. Hard pass.
I shot the saleswoman a smile and slipped out the door as quickly as I could without looking like I was running from the scene. She was probably used to people reacting that way. A sale a week would pay her wages and cover the costs for the salon. Okay, maybe two sales.
I headed for the main doors into the mall. The moment I stepped through, the sound of upbeat, poppy mall music and the intoxicating smell of coffee hit me.
Food court first then. I lined up for a cup, but resisted the cupcakes in the display stand on the counter. Even the one with a piece of chocolate sticking out of the top. I was pretty sure I put on five kilos just looking at it.
I tapped my card to pay for my coffee and stepped away from the counter. I'd only taken a handful of steps when something wound around my legs from behind.
I held back a squeal of surprise and looked down. Two small arms and little hands were wrapped around my thighs.
"Um. Hey there." With my spare hand, I patted a young arm. "Are you okay?"
I managed to peel a hand away and turn around. The little girl who grabbed onto me couldn't have been more than four or five. A couple of curls covered her face
I crouched down in front of her. "Where's your mom?"
Tears overflowed in her eyes. "I can't find mommy!" she wailed. "I wanted a cupcake, but then she goed away!"
"Oh," I said. "You saw the cupcakes." I tilted my head at her. "Did you run away from mommy to look at the cupcakes?"
She shook her head. Then she averted her eyes. "No," she said slowly.
"What's your name?" I asked gently.
"Penny." She had blonde hair like me and blue eyes almost the exact same shade as Hawk's. If he and I had children…
I swallowed. Where did that thought come from? Hell? "Okay, Penny. I'm going to help you find your mommy, all right?"
"A' right," she replied.
"Where was she when you saw her last?"
Penny frowned. She looked around and pointed toward the longest, busiest section of stores in the whole mall.
"Right. I don't suppose you have a phone?" Kids seemed to start younger and younger these days.
Penny shook her head, then said, "Mommy has a phone. It has nudie men on it."
I held back a laugh. Me too, kid, me too. None I'd let a kid this age look at, but it wasn't my place to judge.
"Do you know her number?" I asked hopefully.
"Five," Penny replied.
"Is that the first number?"
Penny shook her head. "It's her favourite number."
"Oh." Well, that narrowed it down. Not.
"I think we'll have to go to the desk and have them call your mommy on the loudspeaker. Come on."
I stood and debated whether or not I should hold her hand. I didn't want to get arrested for trying to help her, but she needed comfort.
"How about you hold on to the hem of my skirt," I suggested. I tugged out a handful and held it out for her to grip. "Don't let go, okay?" I said firmly. Who knew what kind of people frequented crowded malls, looking for lost kids just like this? Nothing was going to happen to her on my watch.
I glanced around and located the 'Information' sign high up on the wall. "We're going this way." I managed a sip of coffee and forgot I hadn't let it cool for long enough.
"Oh fu— Um, fudge." I stuck out my tongue and blew a few times.
"My mommy says it's naughty to say bad words," Penny said.
"Errr, fudge isn't a bad word," I said.
"You weren't going to say fudge," Penny said. She gave me one of those wise-beyond-her-years looks some kids did so well. "You were going to say—"
"Look out for the man with the giant teddy bear," I said. “He can hardly see over the top."
Penny gaped at him, while I thanked my lucky stars for the distraction.
"I wanna teddy," she declared.
"You can take that up with your mommy," I said. No wonder my friends who had kids moved into houses. That teddy would take up a good half of my apartment.
"Look, here's the desk," I said cheerfully. "Hey there, I found a lost little girl."
"I'm big," Penny declared.
"Lost big girl," I corrected, while the man behind the desk smiled indulgently.
"Name?" he asked.
He picked up his microphone and made the announcement over the bustle and noise of the mall.
"We'll have to wait, ma'am. Can I ask you to stay too? I'm not allowed to have a kid here alone."
"Of course," I replied. He seemed a nice enough guy, but it was easy to point fingers and make mud stick.
I recognised the irony that I did that with Hawk.
Anyone who saw me with Penny could suggest almost anything, even though we were out in the open the entire time.
I could lose my job over whispers like that.
I was a hypocrite, I realised, for making assumptions based on random photos, then getting pissed at people making assumptions about me. I resolved to ask Hawk about those photos at dinner later.
"Penny! Oh my goodness, I've been looking everywhere for you!" A heavily pregnant woman waddled through the crowds toward us. She looked exhausted and anxious.
"Mommy!" Penny shouted. "I went to look at cupcakes, then you were goned."
"Gone," her mother corrected. "What have I said about running off?" In spite of her tone, she was clearly relieved. She held out a hand to Penny.
Penny shook her head and jerked a thumb toward me. "She said don't let go." She held up her fistful of my shirt.
Her mother and I exchanged looks and burst out laughing.
"It's okay honey," I said. "You can let go since your mommy is here."
Penny let go and skipped to her mother's side.
"Thank you." Her mother gave her a hug.
"You're welcome," I said with a smile. "She's a sweet kid."
Mom smiled fondly. "She is, but she can be a handful, just like her father."
"Men usually are," the man behind the desk said.
I grinned. "Truth." Some more than others. I watched Penny and her mother disappear into the crowds.
Suddenly the whole idea of buying a new dress just so I could win seemed sort of stupid.
The black dress was perfectly nice. I even thought about backing out of our bet.
I was sure Hawk wouldn't care. I could find exclusives elsewhere if I had to.
Hawk Florence wasn't the only person in town.
Not even the only hot, influential guy. There were more important things in life than careers and silly bets.
If I tried to end the bet, would that mean I conceded defeat? Hell no. But if I didn't win, it wouldn't be the end of the world. There were worse things in life than love.
I stepped away from the desk and finished my coffee while I looked in store windows. I found no shoes which looked like the emoji, but I found a new shade of purple nail polish. If that wasn't a win, I didn't know what was.
I even found a new mascara and remembered I was almost out of toothpaste.
I felt like an adult when I stepped back out in the afternoon air. Best of all, I had coffee. With that in my system, I could take on the world. Or at least, Hawk Florence.
My phone buzzed as I was heading up the street. I pulled it out and glanced at the screen. Grace had sent me a message.
Good luck tonight, you've got this.
I laughed.
Thanks.
Any idea what a shoe emoji means?
IDK foot fetish?
I snorted.
I hope not.
Same.
I was about to put my phone away when it buzzed again.
One more thing. Don't forget to wear your best underwear.
I tucked my phone in my pocket. With a smile on my face, I hurried off home to get changed.
May the best person win.