Chapter 12 #2
“It’s just me and my dad. My mother passed away when I was young.
He moved up to Dallas to be close to me a few years ago.
I almost didn’t move here. I was afraid to be so far away from him, but he wasn’t about to let me pass up this opportunity because of him.
Also, there’s a wonderful spitfire of a woman named Carol who keeps an eye on him and keeps me updated, so that makes me feel a lot better. ”
“Good to have that peace of mind. Your mom was Hamish’s sister?”
“Yes. She and Uncle Ham were tight. They lost both parents when they were teens and sort of raised each other. And he helped my father raise me.”
“It’s just you, then? No brothers or sisters?”
“Nope. I’m the spoiled rotten only child,” she stated proudly.
“Wow! So you’re a costume designer, huh? That is so fascinating.”
“Want to know something hilarious?” She chuckled. “I’ve never had a single paying gig as a costume designer. After graduation, I studied photography in Europe for a couple of years then traveled the world and worked freelance.”
“Wow. Impressive. Are you still working as a photographer?”
“In some respects. I’m the creative director for a women's shoe company.”
“Shoes? Really?” He raised an eyebrow.
“What? You saw me as something else?”
“Well, yeah. The minute you walked into the hotel bar, I thought you were Kate Winslet.”
Claire smiled. She’d been waiting for their conversation to take this inevitable turn.
“I get that a lot. I was kinda shocked that you didn’t mention it that night.”
“I honestly did a double take. You could be twins.”
“It’s come in handy over the years. In fact, it’s the whole reason I ended up in Dallas.”
“Let me guess. With your incredible knowledge of sports, you worked for the Cowboys, didn’t you? Offensive line coach? Or team photographer, maybe?”
Claire laughed. “Don’t I wish! No, I worked in marketing for Sapphire Airlines for ten years.”
His face lit up. “Really? I love Sapphire! Fly them all the time.”
“The CEO of Sapphire walked up to me in the airport. He thought I was Kate Winslet. Of course, I quickly confessed that I was just a humble photographer. He didn’t believe me at first, so I showed him a small portfolio I had with me.
We talked for several minutes—he was genuinely interested in my work and a huge Titanic fan.
Anyway, we kept talking, and he offered me a job on the spot. ”
“That’s incredible! What are the odds?”
“It was an amazing opportunity. The Sapphire family was very generous to me, but I missed living on the edge, creatively speaking. I needed something more than airplanes. That’s what Avi offered me, so here I am.
And it’s not just shoes. The UK market is moving into athleisure.
It’s long, hard hours—but I’m having a ball. I work with some really cool people.”
“It sounds trite, but you truly can't put a price on happiness,” he said. “How great that you’re here in London, living your dream?”
“Well, not exactly.” Claire grinned. “The dream was to be an astronaut.”
“An astronaut?” Jay echoed.
“What could be better than floating in space? As a kid I was obsessed with the idea of being weightless. Then when I was nine, I got up the courage to ride my first serious rollercoaster.”
“What happened?” he asked.
“I puked about ten seconds into the ride.”
Jay answered with a sexy smirk, then leaned forward and dipped his spoon into her gelato. Heat rushed back through Claire, the same warmth she’d felt on the dance floor earlier, and she suddenly remembered something Molly once told her.
They’re eating off your plate one minute, then eating out of your hand the next. When he dips his fry in your ketchup, that’s code for ‘let’s get naked.’
“So, with your weak stomach and your struggles with science classes…” Jay teased.
“It was never gonna happen.” Claire finished his thought with a hearty laugh.
The gelato line now stretched out the door. Claire suggested they give up their table and move on. Outside, the night air had cooled, and she shivered. Without hesitation, Jay slipped his jacket over her shoulders.
“Cabs are back and forth past here all night,” he said. “Should be just a minute or two.”
“I don’t remember it being this cool when we left the party.”
“That’s because we worked up a sweat on the dance floor.”
“We did,” Claire agreed. “And I’ll have the blisters tomorrow to prove it. What I wouldn’t give for a nice pair of bunny slippers right now.”
“Think you’re up for a nightcap somewhere?” he asked.
Claire glanced at her watch. “I should probably get back to the hotel. Molly hasn’t responded to any of my texts yet, which means she’s probably royally pissed for ditching her.”
“Hopefully not so pissed that you can’t salvage the rest of your girls’ weekend,” he said.
“We’re like sisters,” Claire told him. “Fighting like cats and dogs one minute, fiercely loving and loyal the next.”
The lights of a cab bounced in their direction and Jay waved it down.
The driver blasted the radio, leaving them little chance for conversation.
When the cab pulled up in front of her hotel, Jay asked the driver to wait.
Claire stood facing him, savoring the delicious awkwardness that defined the end of such evenings.
“Did you really fail biology twice?” Jay asked, tilting his head suspiciously.
“I really did.” Claire laughed softly. “Is that a gamechanger?”
“No, it’s just…” He smiled. “After spending time with you in Jamaica, I was convinced you were some Mensa-level genius. You have an amazing recall of facts and figures and trivia.”
“You mean I’m a compendium of worthless information?”
“No, really, I even told Rob that you—”
“Wait.” She blinked in surprise. “You told your friend about me?”
“Of course,” Jay said. “I couldn’t stop smiling the next morning at breakfast. He had a pretty good idea why. And then I told him about the dream.”
“What dream?” she asked.
“I had a dream about you that night.”
“What sort of dream?” she asked, suddenly remembering her own, filled with snow and playful kisses.
“The sort of dream I’ll tell you about tomorrow night when we have dinner together.”
He reached for her hand and pressed a small matchbook into her palm with a smile.
“My number’s inside,” he said, his eyes suddenly serious. Promise you’ll call me as soon as you wake up.”
“But what about Molly?” Claire asked, her heart hammering against her ribs.
Jay winked. “Let her get her own matchbook.”
Claire closed the door as quietly as possible and tiptoed through the dark suite.
Shedding clothes with each step, she was down to just her bra and panties when she pushed open the bedroom door.
The lamplight shone, revealing two beds which had been neatly turned down.
Neither contained Molly. In seconds she had her phone in hand, frantic to reach her best friend.
"Yes?" a sleepy voice answered after four rings.
"Oh, thank God you’re alive.” Claire sighed in relief.
“Yes, Mother, I’m fine.” Molly yawned.
“Where the hell are you?"
"The absolute last place you’d expect but I promise I’m safe and being extremely well cared for," Molly whispered. "What the hell happened to you?"
Claire replayed the events of the evening, sharing the details of the surprise tête-à-tête that occurred inside the empty conservatory, followed by dancing, gelato, and gratuitous flirting.
“Is he there now?” Molly asked.
"God, no. We came back here, he escorted me to the door of the hotel where he politely kissed my hand and asked if I would please consider seeing him again."
"And then he got on his white steed, flipped his metal helmet visor into place, and rode off, right? How do you do it, Claire? I mean, honestly… Prince Charmings literally just throw themselves at your feet."
"Would you stop it, please? Now, are you planning on coming back here or what?”
“Um… not sure yet. I’ll let you know.”
“Okay, I need to call Hamish and apologize for leaving without saying goodbye. I tried to find him, but he kept disappearing. I sent him a text but—"
"Would you like to talk to him?" Molly asked.
"Yes…” Claire answered warily.
"Hold on,” Molly giggled. “He’s right here…”
“Wait, what?” Claire squealed with shock.