Page 13 of You Had Me at Chateau
‘Well, next time, maybe wait until you see a girl’s face before you start kissing her neck, yeah?’ I suggest.
He nods vigorously. I kind of feel like he’s stifling a smile. I guess it is funny, now that it’s not scary.
‘Absolutely. Lesson learned,’ he assures me.
As we step out of the lift, I take a moment to look him up and down. He’s tall – 6'2", maybe, so quite a bit taller than me (I’m 5'7") – and muscular, with broad shoulders that suggest he spends a lot of time at the gym, or attacking women in lifts. His blonde hair is artfully tousled, giving him that perfect balance of rugged but sophisticated. His chiselled jawline is the kind that makes you think of movie stars and superheroes, and his blue eyes are piercing, framed by lashes that are far too long and luscious for any human being, let alone a manly man. Why do men always get the best natural eyelashes?
All at once, it hits me where I recognise him from. I don’t know him personally, but he’s definitely a familiar face. He’s Caleb Carney, the guy from that reality dating show,Welcometo Singledom. Now he’s a full-time influencer, his face plastered all over social media, with millions of adoring followers. Jeez, no wonder women were trying to break into the building; he’s pretty much everyone’s dream man. He’s definitely having a moment in the public eye.
I try to act nonchalant as the realisation washes over me, but I can’t help the faint blush creeping up my cheeks. Caleb Carney, in the flesh, and he just mistook me for his girlfriend, and he practically humped me in a lift. Well, that’s one way to give a girl a confidence boost – so long as we ignore the part where he saw my face and freaked out, but that was probably more likely from the misunderstanding, rather than him just really hating girls who wear glasses. Then again, Ray did.
‘So, what are you doing here?’ I ask, trying to keep my voice casual.
‘I’m writing a book,’ he replies with a proud grin.
‘Of course you are,’ I mutter, because why wouldn’t he be? He’s gorgeous, famous, and now apparently an aspiring author. I suppose they let anyone have a stab at it these days, if they have enough followers.
‘I just had a meeting with my editor, and my marketing team,’ he adds.
Oh my God, he has his own marketing team? Sometimes I’m not even sure I get marketing.
‘I have a meeting, so I’ve got to go,’ I tell him as we hover outside the lift, because I can feel my confidence fading again. How am I supposed to compete with influencers?
‘I was just leaving anyway,’ he says, but there’s a strange look in his eyes. It’s not that he fancies me, because why would he, but it’s definitely something. He gives me a cheeky smile and a wink as he steps back into the lift, letting the doors close, leaving me more flustered than I’d like to admit.
‘Amber, there you are,’ Jen calls out.
Oh, now she seems pleased to see me.
‘Hello,’ I say brightly.
‘Did you take the stairs? You are bright red,’ she blurts as she looks me in the eye.
‘Oh, no, I’m fine, I just had a weird encounter with Caleb Carney in the lift,’ I reply.
‘Ah, say no more, he’s got us all a bit like that today,’ she replies. ‘Isn’t he a babe? He’s doing a book for us, you know.’
‘He mentioned that, briefly,’ I reply. ‘Like an autobiography, or…?’
‘No, no, a novel,’ she tells me. ‘A series, actually. ThinkKnives OutmeetsThe Hangover– it sounds like it’s going to be a lot of fun.’
Is she serious right now?
‘Right, come on, let’s get sat down for that chat. Can I get you a coffee?’ she asks.
Oh, now she’s breaking out the hospitality.
‘I’m fine, thanks, I had one with my lunch,’ I tell her.
‘Oh, how lovely,’ she replies. ‘Come on then, sit down.’
She leads me into one of the glass-walled meeting rooms – a different one to before – and smiles at me.
‘So, have you had any thoughts since we spoke last?’ she asks me. ‘Did you read any of the books? Are you going to give it a go?’
‘Some,’ I tell her. ‘They’re great, they really are, it’s just not really me. This new idea that I have, I really believe in it, I think I’d do a really good job with it, and there is definitely a hungry market for it right now. I promise you that, if you let me finish this, instead of the regular romcom I’ve been working on, you won’t be disappointed with it. I can turn it around to our original deadline – before Christmas – and then we can still publish next year.’
I mean, it needs a lot more work than the romcom but trust me, when you’re writing an idea you love, it just flows from yourfingers. It’s a pleasure to write and you find yourself doing it for fun, from morning until night, because you’re loving the world you’re creating and you don’t want to leave.
