Chapter 49
49
EIGHTEEN MONTHS LATER
I’m currently on my knees, searching the carpet for my earring. One is in my ear, the other is nowhere to be seen.
I’m in a hotel room, and I was wearing it earlier, so there are only so many places it can be.
I thought this five-star room came with everything but, sadly, there is no way the concierge will send someone up here, to hunt for my earring – although, now that I’ve said it, I’m sure they would.
It really is gorgeous here. Plush cream carpets (that I’m terrified I’m going to cover in make-up), elegant mahogany furniture (that I’m also terrified I’m going to cover in make-up), and floor-to-ceiling windows offering a breathtaking view of London’s skyline – which are actually covered in make-up, because the first thing I did when I arrived here was press my face up against the glass to admire the view.
Caleb emerges from the bathroom, looking dapper in his tux, holding my small gold hoop delicately in his hand.
‘It was next to the sink,’ he tells me. ‘I was going to give you a lecture, on how it could have gone down the drain but, wow, you look beautiful.’
‘Do you think so?’ I ask, taking the earring from him.
I look in the full-length mirror, carefully putting it in my ear. The dress I’m wearing is a floor-length silky black gown that magically clings in all the right places and flows elegantly as I move. The dress is doing a lot – other dresses could never .
I smooth the fabric down, feeling a mix of nerves and excitement.
‘You’re going to knock them all dead,’ he says. ‘We both are – killing people is what we do.’
I laugh.
‘It’s okay for you to say, you’ve been to a million award ceremonies,’ I point out.
Caleb smiles at me in the mirror as he adjusts his cufflinks.
‘But this is my first book award ceremony,’ he reminds me. ‘And the first time I’ve been nominated.’
‘At least we have that in common,’ I say, my heart pounding.
It’s still so surreal, that our book has been shortlisted for an award. Almost as shocking as the fact that it’s topped every chart going and that it has already been optioned by a Hollywood production company. Imagine seeing our book on the big screen! And I love that we did this one together – it’s our baby, and we’ve got another one on the way. A book, that is. You would definitely be able to tell if I had a baby on the way in this dress – you can almost see the outline of my lunch in my stomach.
‘Oh, while I was in the shower, I thought of a way to seed our twist in Chapter One,’ Caleb says, lacing up his shoes.
I laugh, loving how we can switch from typical couple talk to getting excited about plot twists, clever motives, and creative murders.
‘Tell me about it later,’ I say, glancing at the clock. ‘We need to get going, or we’ll be late.’
‘Let’s do it,’ Caleb says, kissing me on the cheek, careful not to mess up my make-up.
We head down in the lift, towards the ballroom where the ceremony is taking place.
The grand chandelier-lit bar is packed with elegantly dressed people, all chatting and clinking their glasses, as they wait for the ceremony to start.
As we make our way through the crowded bar, a familiar voice catches my attention.
‘Amber! Amber, darling, hello.’
‘Oh boy, here we go,’ I whisper to Caleb through gritted teeth as Mandy hurries over to greet us.
‘Amber, darling, you look fabulous,’ Mandy says, kissing me on both cheeks. ‘And Caleb, wow, so handsome.’
He gets two kisses too.
Mandy is flanked by Bette and Gina, as always, who follow suit, saying their hellos.
‘You two must be so excited,’ Mandy says, widening her eyes with excitement.
‘Everyone knows you’re going to win,’ Bette adds. ‘Have you written a speech?’
‘We’re just going to see what happens,’ Caleb tells her with a smile. ‘And if we are fortunate enough to win, we’ll speak from the heart.’
‘Oh, he’s so dreamy,’ Gina says. ‘Proper leading-man material. I’m surprised you’re not firing out romance novels left, right, and centre, Amber.’
‘Well, when I was writing romance, I mostly wanted to kill men,’ I joke. ‘Now that I’m writing about killing men, I’m all about the love.’
‘Beautifully put,’ Mandy says, laughing wildly. ‘So witty.’
‘This is why they’re going to win,’ Bette says with a nod. ‘And we’ll be cheering you on the loudest.’
Isn’t it funny how success attracts more success? Now that I’m doing well, I have the respect of people I struggled to get it from before. When I visit my editor, she treats me like a VIP. And here, tonight, everyone is making me feel so special. I don’t think my butt has ever been kissed as much as it has this year. I’m surprised I can sit.
‘We’d better take our seats,’ Caleb says. ‘But it was lovely to see you, ladies.’
‘And you,’ Mandy replies. ‘Come and see us for a drink later; we can celebrate your win.’
‘They always seem so nice,’ Caleb says quietly to me as we walk away.
‘Yes, they’re nice now,’ I remind him. ‘They think I’m cool now – thanks to you.’
‘Oh, I’m just such a cool guy,’ he jokes. ‘You’re welcome.’
Caleb might be joking but I do have a lot to thank him for. He turned up in my life at a time when I had no direction, no idea what I wanted, or what I was going to do, and it turned out he was everything I wanted – and my dream job was thrown in as a bonus.
Everyone is saying we’re going to win this award tonight, and yes, it would be great if we did, but as corny as it sounds, I feel like I’ve already won.
This isn’t the ‘happy ever after’ moment for Caleb and me, it’s only the beginning of our story, and every time I turn a page, things just seem to get better.