Page 68 of BillionHeir
“Perfect. It is settled then. I will be around to collect you and give my dear aunt a kiss on the cheek in half an hour.”
“Well,” I say, putting my phone back in my pocket. “That was Colin. He will be here soon.”
“He is a good boy.”
“I am still not sure I should go with him. What if you need me?”
“I will be just fine here. Visiting hours are almost over anyway. Go and have fun with your cousin. Maybe he can lift your spirits,” she says gently.
“I am just not sure I am up for it, mum,” I whine melodramatically, coaxing a melodic laugh from her.
“All the more reason to go out. It will cheer you up. You better get changed though, darling. I am afraid you are a bit,” she pauses before finding the right word, “bedraggled, if I’m honest.”
“Mother!” I exclaim, rising from the edge of her bed to inspect myself in the mirror mounted above the sink across the room. “Okay. You might have a point.”
I reach up and furiously try to tame my frizzy hair, but it has dried into what can only be described as a halo of chaos. It is no use. I am going to have to do some serious damage control. I grab my bag and dig through it before going into the loo to change and apply some makeup.
When I come out of the bathroom in a fresh pair of jeans and soft cream-colored sweater, Colin is sitting next to my mother’s bedside speaking quietly with her.
“It is about time. It took you so long I thought I was waiting for the Queen.”
I let out a laugh. That is my cousin, teasing me from the first moment he sees me. Perhaps a night out is just what I need to get my mind off everything going on lately.
I pretend to primp and fluff my hair. “I couldn’t go out looking like something the cat dragged in,” I say with a pointed look at my mum.
“You know I always think you are beautiful, Chloe,” she says with a sweet smile, ignoring her earlier comment.
“I know you do,” I say, kissing her on the head before turning to Colin. “Are you ready, then?”
“I was born ready,” Colin says cheekily.
“You going to be alright without me?”
“What do you think I was doing before you got here? Sitting around waiting for someone to take care of me?”
“I suppose you are right. But I intend to stay for a while, so you better get used to it.”
“I will work on it. Have fun, you two.” she says with a wink, waving one last time as we walk out the door.
Once we are outside on the footpath, I lace my arm through Colin’s as we make the short walk to a nearby pub. We don’t need anything fancy to have a nice time. That is a good thing because when we walk into the first place we find, it is clear that ‘fancy’ is the last word you would use to describe this place. There is a not-so-thin layer of grime coating every surface save for the table tops and the bar that runs down the length of the building. There is a smattering of people seated around the place, probably locals if I had to guess. Goodness knows this isn’t the type of place a tourist would wander into. Some are seated alone and others are talking cheerfully with friends.
The smell of stale beer causes me to wrinkle my nose. It is not a pleasant smell, more the kind that stays with you long after you have gone home. The kind of smell that grows on you until it becomes comforting.
I forgot just how much I used to love it here in London. There is an authenticity to the pubs here that you can’t get anywhere else. There are American bars that try to imitate it, but there is something charming and special about a true British pub.
“What will it be?” The barkeep asks in a thick accent when Colin and I approach the bar.
“Boddington,” I answer as Colin lifts two fingers to signal that he would like one as well. The man doesn’t waste any time filling two pints and handing them over.
Colin and I take our glasses to a table in the back with a view of the front door so we can watch for any familiar faces, but still far enough away that no one is going to overhear our conversation.
“Tell me everything,” Colin says once we are seated.
“Everything?”
“Ev. Rey. Thing.”
“About what? The US?”
