Page 36 of Three's a Crowd
‘You go. I’m staying here. I’m not hungry anyway,’ he said, turning away from her and closing his eyes again.
Daisy was unnerved by this turn of events. She didn’t know how she felt about going out with Zach on her own.
No, don’t be ridiculous.
‘Okay, if that’s what you want, stay here. I’ll go on my own,’ she said, and without waiting for Adam’s reply, stomped into the bathroom to take a hot, powerful shower.
As the steaming water punished her skin, she tried to clear her mind of all thoughts of Zach and take a moment to reflect on her life. She was in a good position right now. She had a great job, which was very rewarding when everything went well, and she had Adam, who loved her.
But was she truly happy? There always seemed to be something missing, something slightly elusive that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. But that was just life, right? It wasn’t like it was a game you could complete.
When she returned to the living room of the suite, scrubbed clean and refreshed, she found Adam was fast asleep again.
She’d put on the only dressy skirt that she’d brought, which stopped just above her knees, and paired it with a sleeveless, silk, chemise-style vest. After adding some mascara to her lashes and a slick of dark-pink lipstick to her lips, she felt ready.
She was satisfied with the way she looked, even if it wouldn’t compete with the designer couture she was sure to be surrounded by. But she looked dressed enough to be out in Cannes. Elegant, but grounded.
There was a knock on the door as she applied one final coat of lipstick and she tripped over to it in her low-heeled sandals, swinging it open to reveal Zach, his tall frame filling the doorway.
He was dressed in dark, baggy cargo trousers which elongated his legs and a soft, light-blue, cashmere, V-neck jumper which fitted his broad torso perfectly.
Daisy felt the breath leave her body as she gazed at him. He really was heavenly to look at. No wonder he constantly won polls forsexiest man alivein the plethora of magazines that loved to feature him.
‘Daisy, you look gorgeous as always,’ he said, dipping his head in appreciation.
‘Looking pretty good yourself,’ she replied, hoping the slight squeak in her voice didn’t give away justhowpretty she found him.
‘Is Adam ready?’ he asked, looking past her into the room.
‘He’s not coming,’ she said, fighting a flush of embarrassment. ‘He’s sleeping off his hangover.’ She was trying hard to keep the annoyance out of her voice, but Zach obviously noticed it.
‘Oh,’ he said, looking surprised, then a little worried. ‘Okay.’
‘You don’t mind, do you?’ she asked hurriedly, suddenly wondering if he’d rather not go out with only her and wait for Adam to be in a better mood for a meal another night.
‘No, of course not,’ he said, to her relief. ‘That is, if you don’t mind?’ He said this gently, acknowledging the awkwardness that had been between them for so long.
‘I don’t. So, let’s go. I’m starving,’ Daisy said confidently, ushering him out and pulling the door closed behind them.
She didn’t want to make an issue of this. They would just go for a nice meal, catch up a bit, and then both retire to their respective hotel rooms so they were fresh for the next day.
‘Oh, I forgot to say,’ Zach said, stopping suddenly, ‘you’ll need your passport.’
Daisy looked at him in confusion. ‘What do you mean? Where on earth are you taking me?’ she asked, floored by this unexpected request.
‘Don’t worry, I’m not going to sweep you away to some secluded island in the Mediterranean for the night,’ he teased. ‘You just need it for later, that’s all. It’s a surprise,’ he finished, mysteriously, wagging his eyebrows.
‘Ok-aay,’ Daisy said slowly, trying not to laugh at the expression on his face and totally failing.
Returning to the room, she grabbed her passport from the safe.
Adam was snoring away on the sofa now and she swept past him, slamming the door behind her, ungraciously hoping it would jolt him out of his drunken stupor.
‘Here it is,’ she said, waving it at Zach as she caught him up, where he was waiting for the lift.
‘Great,’ he said, clearly refusing to elaborate on its necessity.
Daisy was intrigued. What could she possibly need it for? She could come up with no reasonable explanation.
