Chapter 2 #2
Anyway, she doesn’t seem to be having the same kind of issues that I do, so I guess we’re cool.
Ida gestures towards the row of planes through the window. ‘So, do you travel by PJ a lot?’
I shake my head. ‘No. Very rarely. I’m really aware of the carbon footprint they have. I’ve actually made a large donation to a charity that buys Amazonian rainforest to protect it from deforestation to balance our trip out.’
‘Nice.’ I’m gratified to see she looks impressed by that. ‘That makes me feel better about being a part of all this.’
‘Glad to hear it. I wouldn’t want you thinking I’m some evil overlord with no social conscience.’
She laughs. ‘No chance of that. I can see you’re a good guy. You have a bright and shiny aura around you.’
I raise a sceptical eyebrow. ‘You believe in all that?’
‘Sometimes. When I’m feeling whimsical.’
The server arrives with our drinks and we both thank her and take sips of our coffees, before turning back to each other.
Ida smiles, then puts her cup onto the marble-topped table in front of us and claps her hands together, ‘Okay. So talk me through how you need this emergency fake girlfriend thing to work during the wedding,’ she says. ‘And what’s our story? I mean, what should we tell people about how we met?’
‘Let’s just say we met online in a gaming chatroom. Keep it simple. Then we decided to meet in real life and hit it off and the rest is history.’
She nods slowly. ‘Okay. Sure. Better to keep it as close to the truth as possible to avoid slipping up, I guess.’
‘Exactly.’
‘And how convincing do you want to make this look?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I mean, how far do we go with the public displays of affection?’
Adrenaline shoots through me at the thought of this. ‘Good question. I think we should hold hands and sit close to each other, but we don’t need to kiss or anything. Just be flirtatious and try to look relaxed and happy around each other.’
I could swear I see a flash of disappointment in her eyes.
I have a sudden panic that now she knows who I am she’s going to try and turn this into a something real, but I know that’s unfair of me to think that. This was my idea, after all, and she’s not said anything to suggest that’s her game plan.
I’m probably just being paranoid – which to be fair to me isn’t exactly surprising. I’ve had a steady stream of advances from women since my billionaire status was publicly announced, after all.
‘Fine by me,’ Ida says, ‘But, just so you know, I’m a tactile sort of person so it won’t be hard for me to be more affectionate towards you if the moment calls for it.’ There’s a wry gleam in her eyes now, as if she’s somehow sensed my concerns and is teasing me about it.
‘Good to know,’ I say, hearing the slight strain in my voice.
I really need to lighten up.
‘So, is everyone else who’s going to the wedding about to turn up here?’ Ida asks, seeming to sense my discomfort and deciding to spare me.
‘No,’ I say, relaxing a little at the idea of moving on to the logistics for the week.
‘Everyone else will already be there when we arrive, which will be about 2 a.m. by the time we’ve transferred by yacht from the private airport on Maarfaru, and hopefully they’ll all be asleep so we shouldn’t need to see them until the next day. ’
‘Oh right. So no one else is flying with us?’ Ida asks.
‘Nope. Everyone else flew there yesterday from Manchester Airport. It was such a last-minute scramble I ended up chartering a plane to take the rest of the guests from there. Margot and Darian have been based up north for the last couple of years, near my dad and stepmum, and that’s where the majority of their friends live as well. ’
She lets out a long, low huff. ‘Wow. Well, that’s really generous of you.’
I press my mouth into a smile. ‘One of the many perks of being wealthy.’
‘Even so, it’s a lot of money to spend on your brother.’
‘Stepbrother.’
‘Right.’ Ida cocks her head. ‘How come it’s been such a last-minute scramble?’
‘The wedding venue in Croatia that my stepbrother had booked burned down a couple of months ago and they were really struggling to find somewhere else to hold the wedding last minute. As luck would have it, my friend Elliot’s hotel in the Maldives was free this coming week,’ I say.
She lets out a hiccoughy laugh. ‘That is lucky.’
‘Not for the company’s CEO who’d booked it out for his tech company’s annual getaway. Apparently, he had to cancel because he had an accident while volcano surfing.’
She widens her eyes at me then does an exaggerated blink. ‘Volcano surfing? What in the merry hell is that?’
‘I have absolutely no idea. And I have no interest in finding out.’
‘Well, no.’
She picks up her coffee and we both take a few more sips before looking at each other again.
‘Anyway, the first night is going to be a kind of hen and stag party in one with all the guests attending. I’m told there’s going to be a silent disco.’
‘You mean the thing where everyone wears headphones and dances to their own tune?’ Ida asks.
‘Exactly.’
‘Are you a good dancer?’ she asks with a twinkle in her eye. Clearly, she’s expecting me to say no and that I’m too cool to dance.
‘Yeah, I’m pretty good,’ I say, then smile at her look of surprise.