CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Nora
Corey leaned his hands against the bathroom sink with a towel wrapped around his body and pleading puppy eyes. ‘Will you help me do my hair?’
With the event tonight, he’d dried it the way I’d shown him last week, but scattered next to the sink were hair ties and bobby pins waiting to be used.
‘Damn, Corey. You’re going all out tonight. Hoping to meet your soulmate?’
He nudged my ribs with his small elbow then grabbed fistfuls of his hair. ‘Shut up. I looked up some easy hairstyles so I could keep all of this out of my way. Honestly, you’re lucky I didn’t leave work early to get a haircut.’
‘All right, all right. Come here.’ I grabbed Corey’s shoulders and moved him in front of me, then started gathering hair to pin into place.
I missed my hair. If I could pluck the strands from his scalp and stab them into mine, I would.
Each day in this foreign body became more familiar, yet reminders of our differences found me at every corner I turned.
Especially within the office under the scrutinising glare of his father.
I could never truly be Corey Flemmington, not in the way that horrible man expected.
‘Are you nervous to be Corey Flemmington at a black-tie event?’ he asked.
I hesitated, with his long black hair in my hand. ‘I don’t think so. Should I be?’
‘Well, there’s a chance a journalist or someone will try and sneak a little interview about the event, but I’d be more concerned about the fact you’ll be spending another night in the same vicinity as my father outside of work hours.’
My face scrunched into an involuntary scowl. ‘Please. Every day of his life is work hours, whether you’re in the office or not.’
Corey shrugged and lowered his eyes like a child that had been told ‘no’.
I’d always thought it had been hard on me having no father around, but compared to Corey, I think I got it easy.
It’s all or nothing for me. You’re either in my life with something to offer that betters it, or you’re out of it.
Negative energy can manifest too hard until I’m an insecure ball of doubt, and I couldn’t live a life like that. I wouldn’t be living, I’d be existing.
I put the final hair pin into place and spun him to face me. ‘Now, let’s do your makeup so you can meet Mr Right tonight.’
I dropped Corey’s keys into the valet’s palm, then held out my arm so Corey could grasp it with his freshly painted fingers.
Despite my insistence for colourful nails, he handed me his boring beige hand which made his nails blend in with his fingers.
If he’d had it his way, he would have had chipped nails with no polish at all.
Over my dead body. If he’s going to be photographed as me tonight, I needed to look perfect.
Likewise, I’d made the effort to ditch his blue-framed glasses and try out contacts. It had only taken seventy million tantruming stomps for me to squeamishly press them against my eyeball. Taking them out would be another story.
‘Should we walk up and find your mum?’ I whispered.
Red carpet rolled from the street to the three-story building lined with photographers and journalists. I straightened my black jacket and shook the creases from my pants.
‘Yeah, but if someone calls out for a photo, we can’t say no. They always keep an eye out for big names, but hopefully there’s enough people here at the moment to distract them so that they don’t notice me. Well, you.’
‘Mr Flemmington,’ a voice ahead called.
‘You put the thought into the air.’ I rolled my eyes.
The camera’s harsh flash against the deep night sky transported me to Hollywood.
I tucked my hands into my pockets and twisted side to side with no idea how to show Corey’s good angle.
A quick glance at Corey showed me he also had no idea which was my good side, because he stood front-on like a mannequin.
Only Corey could make a deep blue dress pinched at the waist hang from me like a potato sack.
‘Move around a little, give them a good pose,’ I whispered.
‘Why? I normally just stand here.’
I slid my arm around Corey’s waist and grabbed his hip to turn him sideways, angling him towards me so he had to look over his shoulder for the photographers.
‘That’s my good side.’ I gave him a wink.
The flashes increased as more cameras turned towards us.
‘Corey. Who have you brought with you?’
My heart pounded as realisation set in. Corey Flemmington, son and future CEO of Zealy Insurance, had his arms wrapped around the waist of a mystery girl. A mystery girl with painted nails, at least.
‘Now you’ve done it,’ Corey sighed.
‘Keep them wanting more.’ I shrugged, then grabbed his hand and dragged him inside.
‘They’re going to think we’re a thing,’ Corey whined.
‘We are a thing,’ I reminded him. ‘A magical tangled web of body parts.’
Corey’s eyes darkened and his lips tugged into a half-smile. ‘You’re right. We are a thing.’
Something about the gleam in his eyes sent my stomach into knots.
We stepped through the entrance where an enormous, tiered chandelier hung from the centre of the ceiling, illuminating the cluster of round tables decorated with white roses.
The white tablecloths draped to the floor and waiters swerved through the maze of people with trays of canapes and tall drinks.
It almost looked like a wedding reception.
Corey’s mum stood by the stage on the other side, her silver sequins catching light like a disco ball.
When she looked up, I cleared my throat and plastered a smile over my face.
‘Show time.’ I laced my fingers through Corey’s and weaved us through the tables to the stage, bumping a sharp corner because I still hadn’t mastered tight spaces in this enormous body.
Delight poured from his mother’s face as her gaze bounced between our hands and outfits. As she spoke, I spotted a pink stain on her teeth.
‘You’ve got a little lipstick here,’ I whispered, rubbing my left front tooth in demonstration.
‘You’re such a good boy.’ She patted my cheek and ran her tongue over her teeth.
She linked her arm through mine and turned to Corey. ‘It’s so nice to see you again, Nora. Your dress is absolutely divine.’
‘Thanks. You look nice, too,’ Corey mumbled.
I rolled my eyes at his lack of response and nodded to his brothers.
Steven had one arm around his wife, Julz, in a gorgeous pastel pink gown, and the other holding their six-month-old daughter, Gwen, in a sweet lavender dress.
A perfect happy family. It was clear why Corey didn’t want Steven to jeopardise this life he’d built.
I’d do the same considering Oliver had wanted to be a nurse ever since he spent a week in hospital with pneumonia when he was twelve, and Rowan borrowed a Food is Medicine book when he was eight and hasn’t shut up about it ever since.
But Corey deserved it, too.
Ben clutched a glass of amber liquid like his life depended on it, and Luke texted Corey earlier to say he wouldn’t make it. Two more brothers he didn’t want tangled in his father’s disgusting business practices.
‘Your father will want to see you. Did you get some photos out front? It’s important they see you at events like these,’ his mum insisted.
‘Events about dogs?’ I asked.
‘Fundraisers,’ she emphasised with narrowed eyes.
Corey took three glasses from a passing waiter and handed them to me and his mother.
‘Thank you, Nora.’ She took a sip and nodded. ‘Yes, they chose a beautiful champagne for tonight. Don’t you think?’
A shadow appeared behind me before either of us could answer. If I was a dog, the prickles on my skin would be heckles rising.
‘Your mother’s glad you made it,’ Mr Flemmington’s voice grumbled.
I spun to face the bald-headed man that made Corey’s life hell day in, day out.
‘And what about you?’ I challenged.
‘What about me?’ His bushy eyebrows pulled together, just as they did every time he showed an ounce of emotion.
‘Are you glad I made it?’ I wanted this man to admit his son was worth more than the disappointment he made him out to be. More than what my father seemed to think of me – nothing.
‘Corey,’ Corey hissed at me.
At the sound of Corey using my voice, Mr Flemmington used the distraction to avoid my question and twist his head as though just realising Corey’s presence. ‘Good evening, Nora. I trust you got my email?’
Corey’s cheeks warmed to the same colour as Julz’s dress. ‘Yes.’
Their conversation died faster than I wished I could right now. No one spoke, the silence begging me to lighten the mood with a joke or dance or something. Perhaps I could start a Conga line.
‘Work-related matters can wait.’ His mum wrapped her arm through his dad’s, and insisted he escort her to meet some other members of the committee, twisting her head to wink at me and Corey.
‘What are you going to do about the offer from my dad?’ Corey picked at his nails.
‘You’re going to chip the polish.’ I grabbed his hands and pulled them apart, keeping them in my grasp so he wouldn’t do it again.
My stomach swirled at the intimacy. To everyone else, we appeared like a regular couple.
Beneath my disguise though, I was a mess of emotions.
I wanted more for Corey. More for us. More than the world could offer during these unfortunate circumstances.
Perhaps the universe was simply looking out for me.
I’d never wanted to rely on a man, so the universe had made the one man I’d considered letting in unavailable.
‘You didn’t answer my question.’
I sighed. ‘That’s because I don’t know the answer.’
His fingers widened and weaved through mine, grabbing my fingers with a squeeze before softening his grip. The swirls in my stomach deepened.
‘Nora?’ The voice to my side sounded oddly familiar.
I twisted my neck to see my mother barging through the crowd, both of my brothers flanking her like soldiers.
‘What on earth are you doing here?’ Her eyes darted to our hands for a brief moment, but the smile on her face lingered.