chapter 21
1298 Words
Titus
I’ve been in some fancy places in my time—lots of top hotels and exclusive resorts—but hand on my heart, I’ve never been anywhere like this.
“It’s so light,” Heidi says as we walk into the reception hall, “like a cathedral.”
“It’s the high ceilings,” Vicky says, “and it’s south-facing, too.”
“It sounds so strange,” I reply, “because in New Zealand, all the best properties are north facing.”
“Oh, of course,” she says, “how weird that sounds!”
Beautiful oak paneling and polished granite tiles give way to a set of steps leading up to the next floor. Alan leads us all the way through to the rear of the house. I catch a glimpse of the kitchen—more English oak in the cupboards and tables, a huge AGA, a central island with a granite pillar as the centerpiece, and a breakfast area surrounded by exposed stonework with a glass roof above. Several people wearing white aprons are working at the counters, preparing platters for this evening.
“Come through to the sitting room,” Vicky says, taking us into an elegant room with a wood burner set into an arched bay, more oak paneling, and oil paintings of old-fashioned hunting scenes.
“Champagne?” Alan asks, extracting a bottle from the bucket by the table.
“Ooh, yes please,” Heidi says.
I nod, too, and he proceeds to open it and pour it into four narrow glasses.
Heidi accepts one of the glasses. “Your house is absolutely gorgeous.”
Vicky looks pleased at her compliment. “Thank you, I love it so much. We’ll show you around in a while, but feel free to come and go as you please this weekend. There’s a pool and a gym that you must come up and use whenever you want.”
Come up and use? The phrasing strikes me as odd. Where are we staying, then?
“We can’t wait to introduce you to the rest of the family,” she continues. “They all want to meet the couple from New Zealand. We didn’t want to overwhelm you on your first night here with an intimate dinner party with everyone, though. We thought a cocktail party would be more informal, you know, drinks and nibbles so you can mingle.”
Heidi glances at me. Assuming she’s alarmed by the thought of a cocktail party, I wink at her.
“So how long have you two known each other?” Vicky asks.
“About eight years,” I reply as Alan passes me a glass. “Heidi was sixteen. I kissed her at a party, and she turned the color of a tomato.”
Heidi’s eyes widen comically as the two of them chuckle. I grin and sip the champagne.
“But you didn’t get together then?” Vicky asks.
“No,” I say. “Her brother was one of my best mates and he’d warned us not to go near his sisters.”
“It’s understandable, I suppose,” Vicky says. “Sixteen is quite young. I guess he doesn’t mind so much now, though?”
“Yes,” I reply. “I mean no.” I’m not quite sure what she’s asking.
“We’ve put you in the gatekeeper’s cottage,” Alan says, passing me a glass. “It’s smallish, just the one bedroom, but nice and private. There are great views over the river.”
Heidi catches my eye, and her eyebrows rise. Something’s bothering her…
And then Alan’s words sink in. Wait, what? I open my mouth to speak, but my brain has gone blank.
“Please excuse us for a moment,” Vicky says. “Alan, can you double check with Sam that he’s stocked the fridge in the cottage, please? I want to check with the chef that everything’s okay for later. We’ll be back in a couple of minutes.”
“No worries,” I manage to mumble, and the two of them leave the room.
Heidi immediately comes over to me. “They think we’re a couple,” she whispers urgently.
I blink. “I told him on the phone that I was bringing a friend.”
“I guess he extrapolated,” she says. Her voice holds a touch of sarcasm, but she seems more amused than annoyed.
“Why did he do that?”
“Maybe because you told them you kissed me?”
“Oh. Yeah. I thought it was funny. Shit.”
“Why didn’t you say something when he said about us staying in the cottage? That was the perfect opportunity to set them straight.”
“I panicked,” I reply. “I’m so sorry. I’ll explain.” I run a hand through my hair. I can’t believe I’ve screwed up already. I really wanted to make a good impression, and this isn’t a good start.
She inhales, then lets the breath out slowly. “Look, you don’t have to say anything.”
“What’s the alternative?”
“One of us sleeps on the sofa?”
“It’s not just about the cottage. They think we’re a couple. We’d have to pretend to be an item all weekend.” I can’t say the idea doesn’t appeal to me, but I’m here to get funding, not to get laid.
Heidi’s trying not to laugh. “Honestly, you’re such an idiot.”
“I’m so sorry.”
She rolls her eyes. “It won’t be that bad. We can fake it, surely?”
My gaze slides over to her. “I hope you’ll never have to do that with me.”
“Jesus, really? You’re cracking s*x jokes when you’ve just bolloxed everything up?”
“It’s a defensive mechanism. I’m dying a little inside.”
She chuckles and, to my surprise, slides an arm around my waist. “It’s not the end of the world. We’re good friends, aren’t we? We can fake love for the weekend.”
I look down into her sparkling blue eyes, and my stomach flips. Oh s**t. I’ve screwed up big time.
“We need to get our story straight,” she says. “I’m assuming they think I still live in New Zealand, and we came over together?”
I’m distracted by the feel of her tucked under my arm. I put an arm around her shoulder, fighting the urge to kiss her. “I guess.”
“All right. We started dating over a year ago, not this Christmas just gone, the one before. We live together in your apartment in Auckland. I teach in a primary school there, the one I did my training at.”
“Okay. We’re not engaged, though?”
“You haven’t asked me to marry you yet,” she says playfully.
“That’s because I’m a f*****g i***t,” I murmur, looking at her mouth and watching her lips curve up.
“We’ll have to make up the rest as we go along,” she whispers. “And Titus, don’t worry about it. If we screw up, we’ll just tell the truth and say we were embarrassed. It’ll be fine.”
I’m not so sure, but I can hear Vicky coming back, and there’s no time to argue.
“Relax,” Heidi whispers, and to my shock she lifts up onto her tiptoes and presses her lips to mine.
“Aw,” Vicky says as she comes in and catches the kiss. “Young love.”
“Sorry,” Heidi replies, pulling back. “It’s hard to keep my hands off him.”
“That’s understandable.” She smiles. “Come on, I’ll show you around the house.”
- Writer
