Page 88 of Valentine Nook
I beam with pride. Academy, take back my Oscar because that pie is my greatest achievement this year.
“Really? You like it?”
“Yes. Wow,” she mumbles, taking another huge bite. “Are you enjoying it?”
“Sure am.” I nod and pick up my own fork before Clemmie eats it all. “But boy, Pierre takes his job seriously.”
Clemmie’s eyes brighten as she snorts in amusement. “Yeah, he does. It’s why I stopped with roasting a chicken. I couldn’t take the disappointment in his tone every time I got something wrong.” She finishes the champagne and chases it with a full glass of water. “I nailed that chicken, though.”
“Can Lando cook?”
She shakes her head. “Better than I can, though that’s not a stretch. One of the pitfalls of having every meal prepared for you. There are other things I’m good at. Hendricks is the only one of us who can legitimately cook.”
I hold my hands up. “Hey, I’m not judging. Us kitchen novices have to stick together.”
She’s just about to reply when her phone lights up on the table, and she catches sight of the time. “Shit. Hendricks is going to kill me. I promised I’d go and help him with the late shift at the vets. I should have been there five minutes ago.”
She shoots out of her chair and gathers up her bag. I stand to walk her to the door and am wrapped in a hug.
“I’m so glad you’re here, Holiday. I know it’s only temporary, but I hope we’ll be friends for life.”
For a moment, I’m too stunned to speak.
I have my girlfriends back in New York, but Clemmie is the first person I’vetrulymade friends with in a long time. My life is so transient, and I exist in circles of colleagues and air kisses, where we cross paths at industry parties or events or on the next film set before we drift off on our separate ways.
But when I hug her back and reply, “You bet your ass we are,” I mean every word.
I wait by the front door as she rushes out and down the path. As I’m closing it behind her, two huge magpies land on the fence and stare at me.
Two for joy.
One for Lando, one for me.
If my time in Valentine Nook is destined to become the memory of one more fleeting episode in my life, then I’m making the most of it.
We might have had our dinner together, followed by time in the fountain. But after Lando came to find me this morning and asked if I’d meet him for a drink, tonight has all the ingredients of a proper date.
One I hope will continue where we left off the last time.
The champagne emboldens me to spend the next three hours prepping for my date like I’m about to hit the red carpet.
I soak in a bubble bath, scrubbing myself from top tobottom. I apply a deep conditioning treatment to my hair. I shave my legs. I wax.
I spread a clay face mask, followed by a sheet mask that promises to remove all wrinkles while plumping my skin to its fullest potential. I follow with toner, serums, and moisturizers that assure me they do the same.
I slather my body in a fragrance that smells so good I almost turn myself on.
But deciding what to wear takes the longest.
I try on four dresses, a cute skirt and top combo I’ve yet to wear, and jeans and a cute off-the-shoulder tee before returning to the first dress I tried on. A long dress printed with multicolored florals that swirls around my feet. I bought it from one of the village boutiques because it reminded me of the beautiful flowers blooming in the front yards I kept passing.
Pairing it with flats, I add a slick of lip gloss and finish with mascara and run out the door with ten minutes to spare.
I don’t spot Lando when I walk into The One True Love, and it’s busy enough that there are no spare tables, so I pull out a stool at the bar and sit down. It’s the first time I’ve been in here by myself, and aside from a few double takes as I peer around, no one’s staring.
The novelty of being seen around Valentine Nook has worn off, and it brings a huge smile to my face.
I’m still smiling when Eddie appears carrying a large tray of clean glasses. “’Ello, ’Oliday. You look pleased with yourself.”
