Page 91 of You Had Me at Chateau
‘Okay, show me the way to the parents, I am raring to go, and I can’t wait to meet them,’ he says, willing to boldly go where I have never dared to let any man go before.
We hold hands and leave the garage together, only to find Tom and my parents standing there, waiting for us.
‘Caleb, hello,’ Mum greets him.
‘Great to finally meet you in person, lad,’ Dad adds.
‘Come on, come with us, we’ve got so many people we want you to meet,’ Mum continues.
They take Caleb away, dragging him off into the crowd, and he almost vanishes like he’s crowd-surfing, only this has to be much less fun. This will really test his commitment, that’s for sure.
‘Well, well, well,’ I say to Tom, now that we’re alone. ‘You’re a dark horse, aren’t you?’
Tom just shrugs but his smug smile says it all.
‘Who knew you were such a romantic?’ I say.
Tom leans in and lowers his voice.
‘I will deny this if you ever tell anyone I said it but sometimes the people who write the best love stories are the ones who need a little help writing their own,’ he tells me, with a profoundnessI didn’t know he possessed. ‘Now, get after him, and make sure those two nutters don’t undo all my hard work.’
‘Thank you,’ I tell him, kissing him on the cheek.
I can’t believe I’m saying it but perhaps Tom is right. Maybe I’ve been so busy trying to write love stories for the page that I’ve been thinking about my own all wrong.
Yes, this week has been messy, but the future is looking a little clearer now. And that’s the best Christmas present of all.
49
EIGHTEEN MONTHS LATER
I’m currently on my knees, searching the carpet for my earring. One is in my ear, the other is nowhere to be seen.
I’m in a hotel room, and I was wearing it earlier, so there are only so many places it can be.
I thought this five-star room came with everything but, sadly, there is no way the concierge will send someone up here, to hunt for my earring – although, now that I’ve said it, I’m sure they would.
It really is gorgeous here. Plush cream carpets (that I’m terrified I’m going to cover in make-up), elegant mahogany furniture (that I’m also terrified I’m going to cover in make-up), and floor-to-ceiling windows offering a breathtaking view of London’s skyline – which are actually covered in make-up, because the first thing I did when I arrived here was press my face up against the glass to admire the view.
Caleb emerges from the bathroom, looking dapper in his tux, holding my small gold hoop delicately in his hand.
‘It was next to the sink,’ he tells me. ‘I was going to give you a lecture, on how it could have gone down the drain but, wow, you look beautiful.’
‘Do you think so?’ I ask, taking the earring from him.
I look in the full-length mirror, carefully putting it in my ear. The dress I’m wearing is a floor-length silky black gown that magically clings in all the right places and flows elegantly as I move. The dress is doing a lot – other dresses couldnever.
I smooth the fabric down, feeling a mix of nerves and excitement.
‘You’re going to knock them all dead,’ he says. ‘We both are – killing people is what we do.’
I laugh.
‘It’s okay for you to say, you’ve been to a million award ceremonies,’ I point out.
Caleb smiles at me in the mirror as he adjusts his cufflinks.
‘But this is my first book award ceremony,’ he reminds me. ‘And the first time I’ve been nominated.’
