Chapter 14
Fourteen
Ipractically press my nose against the glass window of an antique shop with a bright-red awning just off High Street. A shiver of excitement runs along the length of my spine. “Oh. My. Goodness. This has to be ten times better than a Disney amusement park.” I’m bouncing up and down on my toes.
There are rows upon rows of doors, lamp bases, and chandeliers. There are chairs, tables, door handles, windows, and even a few kitchen sinks. It’s as if there is a helium-filled balloon inside my stomach, ready to burst. I have to go in. I can’t wait a moment longer.
“Excited much?” Art chuckles.
“Beyond excited,” I squeak. I give him the best impersonation of a puppy dog I can muster. “Can we please go in?”
“Yes. The entire reason I brought you here was so you could shop for your new home. Angela mentioned you had some Pinterest boards for inspiration. I thought perhaps you might find something here. That is assuming you’re looking for period furniture.”
Without thinking about what I’m doing, I wrap my arms around him in a big hug, pinning his arms by his sides.
He staggers backward two steps into the shop’s window.
His body is firm. The fabric of his jacket is soft and smells of fresh detergent.
“I am! Thank you. You’re the absolute best and the world’s most amazing officer.
” I glance up at his hazel-brown orbs, dancing in amusement.
“Can I have that in writing?”
“If you want.”
“You know what, a video recording is better. That way people can’t claim your note is a forgery.”
“Whatever you want.”
I feel the warmth of his body radiating through his suit.
For a few moments, I envision myself leaning in.
His strong arms would wrap themselves against my body, pulling me closer to him.
He’d tell me I’m beautiful. Then I’d expose the nape of my neck to him, and he’d plant a slow trail of kisses up it until he reached my mouth.
His lips are so full and a lovely shade of cherry-red.
A dog’s bark, however, brings me back into reality.
A woman walking a white highland terrier gives us the side-eye as she passes us, pretending not to be nosy.
I’m reminded that we’re standing in a very public place where anyone can see us and recognize me.
We can’t afford to have somebody snap our photo and sell it to the tabloids.
I pull back and release Art. He adjusts his tie while I straighten my jumper.
I don’t need to look at my reflection in the window to see how I probably look like a mess right now.
I imagine my hair is wild and my face a bright, lipstick-red.
My body feels like I’ve been standing next to a wood-burning stove for an hour or two while wearing two or three thick woolen jumpers.
I study the sidewalk, trying to regain control over myself.
That was too close. The sooner I put Jenna’s plan into action, the better.
I’ll arrange a date with one of her friends for later this week.
Art clears his throat and pulls the door open. A bell chimes. I lift my chin. “Ali—ma’am. If you would.”
We enter.
“Cheers and welcome.” A woman with curly, short strawberry-blond hair approaches us. She’s wearing retro eyeglasses with a pearl strap, a red-and-white checkered dress, and has a black cardigan draped over her shoulders. If I had to guess, I’d say she’s in her mid-thirties.
“Hello,” I say in return.
“How may I help you two today?” Her eyes flicker directly to Art, ignoring me as she drinks him in. A feral cat inside of me wants to growl that he’s off-limits, but that’s way outside of my bounds. Especially since he isn’t my boyfriend. He’s just a friend. And my bodyguard.
“We’re just looking,” he answers curtly. The playfulness he exhibited earlier has disappeared. The mask is firmly in place.
To my satisfaction, disappointment flickers behind her eyes. I add, “I’m doing up a flat and I may need some reclaimed items, like doors, when I move into the next phase of the project.”
The saleswoman focuses on me. “Oh my! Princess Alice!” She curtsies.
“I . . . I . . . I’m sorry. I didn’t recognize you at first, Your Highness.
” She immediately shifts into business mode.
“As you can see from our stock, we have a wide selection of items. I’m sure we have exactly what you’re looking for. What period is your flat?”
“Victorian,” I answer tonelessly, attempting to disguise my annoyance.
“Mmph. That happens to be the majority of our inventory. Our Victorian and Edwardian collections are going to be located in our basement. What you see out here is more contemporary.” She signals for us to follow her.
We cross the sales floor and over to a set of stairs tucked into the back wall of the shop.
We’re the only customers inside. “Feel free to have a browse. If anything catches your fancy, do let me know. We’ll be happy to hold any items for you. ”
“We will,” Art assures her. He places his hand on my shoulder and gently urges me forward. Something tells me he can’t wait for us to be alone again downstairs. I can’t say I blame him. The saleswoman is making me uncomfortable too.
Once we’re out of earshot, I joke, “Do you need to scout the floor before I’m allowed to explore?”
“No. I checked out the lay of the land last week. I wanted to bring you here as a surprise. Today just seemed like the right time.”
The fact that Art knows I’d like scavenging through items other people may consider to be junk sends my heart into a flutter. “How did you discover the shop?”
“By chance. Angela and I have been tasked with putting together some reports and maps for the office about your new neighborhood. Once I discovered this boutique, I immediately knew I had to bring you here.”
“Well, you’re right. We’ll probably be making multiple trips here in the near future if their stock is any good.”
“I don’t know what to look for, ma’am, but if you ask me, I think their stuff is pretty decent.”
“Oh, it’s more than decent. You may never get me out of here.”
Art glances at his watch. “You have about three hours until they close.”
“Only three hours? That’s barely enough time to scratch the surface,” I whine.
“Then you’d better crack on with it.” He smirks.
Similar in layout to the ground level, items are sorted by type. My eyes are darting every which way. I’m overwhelmed with how many things there are. I decide the best way to tackle this conundrum is to take a lap around the room and see what calls to me.
I glance over my shoulder at Art. “I’m right behind you. Don’t worry about me,” he says.
Taking his words to heart, I rub my hands together and begin my treasure hunt.
Art’s a good sport about it all. I end up spending the entire three hours meticulously taking photos and recording the tag numbers of every single door, chandelier, lamp, electrical socket cover, and other items I’m interested in.
I decide to hold off on making any impulsive purchases until I’ve had some time to have a think over how I want the interior to look, and the first phase of construction is complete.
I’ll pop some of the photos from today into Photoshop and play around with a few different renderings.
As much as I want to buy everything I saw today, that’s not realistic.
I do have a budget. I’d originally set aside ten thousand pounds, but I’m hoping my parents might be willing to chip in a few extra pounds to my loan.
Either way, I know I can’t have everything I want all at once.
This is a long-term project. I’ll buy things over time.
The kitchen and sitting rooms are my top priorities since those are where I’ll be spending most of my time.
“Do you think she hates me?” I mutter to Art on the walk back to the car park.
“Who?”
“The sales associate. She kept the shop open an extra half hour for us and we walked out of there without making a purchase.”
“We told her when we arrived, we were browsing.” He shrugs.
“I know that’s what you said, but to me, that implies that we’d buy something. Especially being in there that long.” I rub the back of my neck. “They’re a small business. I feel like I’m cheating them.”
“Ma’am, I wouldn’t worry two bits what she thinks or about not making any purchases. The shop has been in business for over a hundred years, and I’m sure it’ll last another hundred just fine. Besides, if they were in a dire situation, their prices wouldn’t be so premium.”
He clicks the key fob and the doors unlock. I place my hands on my hips. “How do you know that?”
“While you were busy making a spreadsheet, I had plenty of time to google the prices of similar pieces of furniture.” He’s smug. “I wanted to make sure you weren’t being taken advantage of.”
“And?”
“Considering we’re in London, everything I saw looked to be comparable to items in other UK shops. They’re at the upper end, but within range.”
A sudden thought hits me. “Do you think they’d raise them even more because of who I am?”
“There’s always that probability.” His lips thin. “But if they decided to pull a trick like that, you have photographic evidence you could use to call them out on it.”
Climbing into the car, he turns over the engine and exits the car park. “Where would you like to go, ma’am?”
“It’s Alice. We’re alone,” I remind him.
His eyes soften as he glances at me in the mirror. “Where to, Alice?”
My stomach does a somersault at hearing Art say my name. “All that shopping has made me hungry. How about we pick up some takeaway for dinner. I’ll even let you pick where we go, my treat.”
I hope he takes the bait and doesn’t fight me over dinner. We missed lunch because of me. He was so patient. This is my way of paying him back.
He hesitates a few moments, an internal battle of wills playing out inside him. “I’m a man of simple tastes. How about Pret?”
“Sounds brilliant.” I clap my hands together.