Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
M aya reread the newspaper on the table and her heartbeat fluttered. The hunt for the No.1 Ethereal Lane Designer was hitting a peak and she didn’t know whether to be scared or excited at the prospect of more sales! The last piece she designed - white gold layers of entwined White Willow with its silvery slender leaves and heavy diamond clasp, had been worn to a gala and the customer, who had worn it, was on the front pages of practically every newspaper and magazine. This would mean even more enquiries for Maya, but her mind was distracted recently by a certain popular movie star who lived just up the river and his indecent proposal, she grinned. He was clearly already comfortable in their fake relationship as he’d kissed her in her kitchen and again before he left to seal the deal. It had almost blown her mind, and he’d grinned cheekily and said they needed practice if they were going to convince friends and family that they were a genuine couple. Her legs had almost buckled after the kiss and they’d been messaging in the few days since.
Maya was sure the meal meant nothing and Noah probably cooked for multiple women and kissed anyone he cared to, but she was enjoying flirting for the first time in ages, even if it was all make-believe. Her slumbering libido was waking up at full pelt and she was suddenly raging with hormones and thinking about sex every five minutes! She’d sent Romy a photo of Noah cooking dinner in her kitchen as they’d decided this was a way to prove they were dating and had got what felt like a million questions back. They’d spent an hour on the phone the previous night and Romy now understood why they hadn’t met yet, which was a relief. She had agreed to let Arthur know, but otherwise to keep it to herself until Maya had a chance to speak to their grandparents, Leah and Matt.
Maya grabbed a fresh sketchpad and her bag and headed out to meet Joe. She’d been slack on updating her ideas for her designs lately as Bertha was way too busy most days and the vibe wasn’t relaxing, but she was determined to draw a few flowers that day and hoped to see some Meadowsweet with its lace-like blooms and Geat Willowherb with its small pink, four-petalled flowers with paired, opposite leaves, cream centres and long seed capsules. Heaving her bag onto one shoulder as she walked, she picked up her pace and, after checking the time, jumping on board as they were throwing the ropes off of the side of the boat. Joe chuckled when he saw her red face. Roman grinned and took her bag for her. He gave her a signal of some sort with his eyes, but it came out like a lopsided blink.
‘Are you okay, Roman?’ she asked in concern, but he just nodded and spoke to the customer who was asking about the best place to sit to see Noah’s house.
Maya frowned and then noticed that the boat was jam-packed with people and more were running up the pathway to get on board as they departed, then they stopped and slumped with disappointment as the boat moved away from its mooring. Turning to Joe and happy that business was booming, she came face-to-face with Robbie Latton. Maya gasped in shock, but her first instinct was to run her eyes over him to check that he was okay. He greeted her and then pulled her into his arms for a hug and planted a kiss on her lips.
The crowd of people around them whooped and cheered and took pictures of them on their phones. ‘What are you doing here?’ she asked breathlessly, looking around at their rapt audience.
‘Noah told me you were here today, and I wanted to see you as soon as I could to say thank you.’
‘You already sent me flowers,’ she flushed bright red and then dipped her head as everyone was listening to them. Maya grabbed his hand and led Robbie through the throng to Joe’s captain’s cabin, which was more of a storeroom - much to the disappointment of the crowd. Already wondering how many of those posts would immediately be displayed on social media, she groaned, but at least it wasn’t her and Noah splashed around just yet.
‘I wanted to say thank you in person,’ Robbie grinned, snapping her attention back to the chaos. She didn’t know what to think other than he was gorgeous and still holding her hand. ‘Let me take you to dinner?’ he asked, brushing his hand through his thick red hair. He had slight stubble and a solid jawline. He was taller than her, but not by much, and he wore designer jeans and a very expensive-looking shirt, with sunglasses in his chest pocket. She tried to catch her breath, then remembered that he’d mentioned Noah.
‘Does Noah know you’re here?’ she asked with interest. He raised an eyebrow in question, then let it go .
‘Nope. He’d tell me to go to your house, but I think on my feet and I was nearby.’ Robbie looked through the window at the crowd now situated outside the captain’s quarters, who were trying to pretend not to be staring. ‘Noah might have been right,’ Robbie admitted, ‘in hindsight. I can see how he came to knock coffee all over you now.’
Maya giggled and twirled her hair around her fingers. ‘You are bonkers! I don’t know how to get you off of this boat safely because you’re so famous. You’ll have to stay in here forever,’ she indicated the small room.
Robbie beamed cheekily, and a sparkle came into his eyes. He did an evil, mwah ha ha ha sound and then laughed. ‘My plan to get you alone worked,’ he said rubbing his hands together theatrically. He grinned as she spluttered with laughter.
‘You don’t have to take me out to dinner,’ she added, quite enjoying the attention now and ignoring the fact that someone might plaster her picture all over social media in the arms of this heartthrob.
‘I know. I want to,’ he said simply, his eyes ever watchful.
‘Like a date, or as friends?’
‘Friends,’ he answered after a heartbeat. ‘I heard from a trusted source that you have a boyfriend,’ he winked, and she blanched.
‘It’s just something I said in jest that Noah took seriously.’ She wasn’t sure how much Robbie knew of what was going on, but he seemed pretty informed on what was supposed to be a secret, but then she herself had blabbed to her siblings to get some relief from their questions about her new boyfriend. She hadn’t told them it was fake though, as what would be the point of that ?
‘Noah told me,’ Robbie apologised, but didn’t look in the slightest bit sorry. ‘I hope that’s okay, but when he explained he had a gorgeous new girlfriend, in my usual style, I didn’t let the matter drop until he told me every single detail. I feel I’m part of the plan because you jumped in the river after me and set this whole love pact thing in motion.’ he waggled his eyebrows at her.
‘Love pact? It was a joke,’ said Maya in exasperation, her hackles raising.
‘I’m sorry if you feel ambushed,’ soothed Robbie, taking her hand. ‘Noah definitely needs you if you feel up to helping him?’ he carried on without waiting for an answer as if it was a given. This guy was quite dramatic, waving his hands around in expression and she wasn’t sure he was even listening to anything she said. ‘Tabitha is a nightmare and Noah seems to think that you are the answer to all our prayers. You certainly are to mine. You saved me and I won’t forget it,’ he said earnestly and Maya’s heart softened a little. ‘I want to take you to dinner to make sure this works for you, too. It’s not all about Noah, however much I love him.’
Maya flushed at the mention of Noah. She’d agreed to go to a garden party he was hosting soon, but she wasn’t sure if that was his way of letting everyone know about them. She was still resolutely single in real life and how often did a girl get asked out by one of the nation’s favourite comedians, even just as friends – a hot comedian to boot?
‘What did he tell you about this pact?’ she asked, hoping for honesty.
Robbie regarded her thoughtfully for a moment and then replied, ‘That you were both agreed about dating to stop Tabitha from bothering Noah and to get your family off your back, but if I’m being completely honest, he didn’t sound too ecstatic when I told him I was going to ask you to dinner.’ She blushed again and wondered if she could find a window to open. ‘He’s my best mate and I want him to be happy. It’s unlike him to want to do something like this, so...’
‘He must be desperate?’ she finished for him, making him falter and give her an apologetic stare. ‘I’d like to go to dinner,’ she decided suddenly, brushing her hair out of her face and looking up at him. ‘What have I got to lose?’ Robbie slung his arm around her shoulders and she noticed Roman was ushering their very reluctant guests back towards the exit, as they must have docked. ‘We’ve just docked. Are you staying aboard for the journey back?’
‘Nope. I’ve got a gig tonight and wanted to speak to you first. Can I call you?’ he asked.
‘Yes. I’d like that,’ she replied, her stomach fizzing with nerves. She handed him her phone, and he added his number. ‘Text me your number and we can set up a date,’ he grinned and kissed her on the cheek. She laughed at his confidence, but she certainly wasn’t complaining. Getting surprised at work by one of the world’s hottest men while another popped round to watch a movie with her! Maybe Noah’s proposal could be the bit of fun that her life was lacking and get her friends and family off of her back at the same time about her dormant love life! She couldn’t wait to see the look on their faces when she actually brought home the very sexy movie star, Noah Benedict!