Page 10 of The Pop-Up Cake Shop

‘Oh. Okay.’ I smiled indulgently at him. So Richard was still as fussy as ever about his tidiness and cleanliness!

‘Yes, so once you’re ready, if you could just tidy away all your make-up and other stuff into these drawers?’ He got up and demonstrated, opening and closing one of them.

I nodded, thinking how cute he looked when he was being serious. ‘No problem. There’ll be nothing left out, I promise.’

‘Great. We’ll leave in half an hour, shall we?’ He winked and walked out. ‘Enjoy the coffee,’ he called back.

With a sigh of happiness, I picked up the enormous mug and took a sip of the coffee. It didn’t taste quite as good as the aroma had promised. But it was still lovely to relax here, in this huge bed in this wonderful city, and have coffee brought to me by my lover!

‘The water should be piping hot for your shower,’ he called.

I smiled, took another swallow of coffee, set the mug on the bedside table and pushed back the covers.Rainforest shower, here I come!

He was right, of course. Here I was in ‘the city that doesn’t sleep’, and yet I’d been out for the count now for a good ten hours! There was so much I wanted to see and it was clear that Richard was really eager to show me around.

I definitely wasn’t complaining . . .

*****

‘Are you nearly ready?’ called Richard.

I popped my head out of the bedroom, where I’d been getting dressed and applying my make-up after my shower. ‘Just about.’

Richard had been ready for a while and was leaning against the wall in the hallway, coat on. He glanced up from checking his phone. ‘Have you cleared your stuff away?’

‘I have indeed. Everything looks . . . very tidy.’

‘Great. Come on, then. You look lovely. Let’s go.’

‘Okay, okay.’ Laughing, I ducked back into the bedroom, fluffed my hair in the mirror and grabbed my handbag before rushing out to join him. He was waiting with a smile and my coat held open for me.

‘Thank you.’ I smiled up at him as I shrugged on the coat. ‘I’m getting too used to this. Being treated like a princess. Rainforest shower. Fancy coffee brought to me in bed. A full itinerary planned just for me.’

‘Well, you deserve it. Come on.’ He opened the door and – feeling his urgency to get going – I ran down the stairs and out into the street as he locked up and followed me.

A van drew up as we were leaving and some women got out with mops and brushes.

I laughed as Richard took my hand and we walked swiftly along the street in the biting wind towards the diner. ‘I can’t believe the company pays for your apartment to be cleaned.’

He nodded. ‘There’s a laundry collection as well every week – bedding and towels.’

‘Crikey. You really have landed in Posh Town! Maybe I’ll suggest to Ellie that she should offer the same service toheremployees. She could come round and mop my floors and do a spot of laundry while she’s there,’ I joked, having to run a little to keep up with his long strides.

Reaching the diner, he pushed open the door and hustled me inside, out of the cold.

‘Right, what do you fancy to eat?’ He grinned at me as we sat down. ‘Actually, that’s the one thing that’s missing in thisfabulous new lifestyle of mine. I have to actually buy and make my own food.’

‘Oof. Shocking. I’d complain if I were you. A hard-working bloke like you deserves a personal chef at the very least.’

Chuckling, we looked at the menu.

‘Ooh, waffles with crispy bacon and maple syrup sounds amazing.’ I was hungry, I realised. And reading this list of breakfast choices was making my stomach rumble.

As we were waiting for our breakfast, I realised I’d forgotten to put my new earrings in. My lovely dad had bought them as a surprise gift for me to wear on my trip, and I adored them. But when I suggested we call in at the apartment after breakfast to get them, Richard was adamant that it wasn’t necessary.

‘But it’s on the way to the subway station. I’d just nip inside for a minute?’

He frowned at me for a second.

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