Page 46 of You Had Me at Chateau
‘Only the one of Vincent van Gogh’sStarry Nightthat covers most of my back,’ I reply with a completely straight face. ‘But don’t worry, it won’t be a copyright issue, because in mine all of the stars are replaced with breasts.’
Caleb stares at me, wide-eyed.
‘I’m joking!’ I quickly insist. ‘No, no tattoos. I’m too indecisive, and too much of a baby – at least I think I am.’
‘Oh, you’re cracking jokes?’ Caleb teases with a grin. ‘I forgot you make those. That’s all good then. The gig is yours.’
I muster up some faux enthusiasm – although, if I’m being honest I’m actually incredibly curious about the process, and amoddly looking forward to playing at being an influencer, even if it’s only for a few days.
‘So, when do we start, boss?’ I ask.
‘When are you free?’ he replies.
‘Well, I’m having dinner with the other writers this evening,’ I reply. ‘So, tomorrow?’
‘Tomorrow sounds great,’ he says.
‘What will you do tonight?’ I ask, curious about his plans.
‘Oh, I’ll find something to amuse myself,’ he replies with a shrug. ‘Did you know they have a nightclub here?’
‘Wow, really?’ I say, genuinely surprised. ‘I had no idea.’
‘Yeah, they have all sorts,’ he tells me. ‘Maybe we can do some exploring together.’
‘That would be great,’ I say, wondering if they have anything else I should make the most of while I’m here, on my free trip, hanging out with the king of freebies.
‘Yeah, I know how to treat my fake girlfriend,’ he jokes.
‘Oh, please,’ I reply, playfully holding up my hand in a stop motion. ‘I’m more like your prop girlfriend, if anything. Right, well, I’ll get going. See you tomorrow.’
‘See you tomorrow,’ he replies with a smile. ‘Maybe we can take you to get your nails done in the morning.’
‘What’s wrong with my nails?’ I ask, offended for a split second, but as I glance down at my dark purple nails, now chipped and in need of some serious TLC, I can see where he’s coming from.
‘You’re going to be holding lots of things in your hands,’ he points out. ‘The nails always have to be on point.’
‘I bet they don’t for the men,’ I clap back, eyeing his hands.
Caleb holds out his hands, and okay, he does actually have really nice nails for a bloke. They don’t look like they’ve been manicured, necessarily, but they’re neat, with just enough shine to not be suspicious.
‘Fair enough,’ I say with a laugh as I head for the door. ‘See you tomorrow.’
‘See you tomorrow,’ he replies, still grinning.
I head back out into the cold – boy, it always feels worse, when you’ve been warm for a while.
Okay, truthfully, I am actually really looking forward to this weird little project. It will be nice to have an interesting life for once, even if it is only for a few days – and it isn’t technically my life.
21
I feel like a teenager, although, to be honest, not even my own parents held me accountable like this. I thought I was a grown woman – turns out I was wrong.
‘Where have you been?’ Mandy asks, her tone sharp and clearly annoyed.
‘Down at the resort,’ I say simply, my heart pounding. I have no idea what I’ve done wrong, but I fear the consequences anyway.
Mandy’s eyes narrow, and I would guess that her blatant irritation isn’t really about me being late at all. It’s more likely about seeing me with Henri earlier, in his bathroom – something she has yet to bring up with me, and I can’t say I’m looking forward to when she does.
