Page 57 of Away With You
I frown at him.Has he not seen this place? Problems simply cannot exist here. It’s too wonderful for problems.
“What do you mean?”
He nudges me forward, and I follow his lead, peering back inside.Wow, it’s almost as pretty as the outside.
“What?” I question as we step in from the bright sunshine.
It takes a minute for my eyes to adjust, but now that they have, from where I’m standing, it’s all spectacular. As you enter the room, the hardwood floor is peppered with glass floor panels, so you can see the ocean from the inside! The ceilings are high and vaulted, with a large ceiling fan bringing in and distributing the cool Caribbean Ocean air. Off to the side is a large flatscreen TV, and beyond that is a decadent-looking bathroom, complete with a large free-standing bath and a rainfall shower. My eyes dance over the smaller details, the candles on every surface, the jar of biscuits on the table next to the bed—
The bed. Singular.
Ah. This is the problem.The king-size, large as this island, plush as a marshmallow, bed. The bed. The only one bed.
I turn to face Nathan, whose eyes are glued to me, noting the exact moment the realisation finally hits me. His eyebrows raise as my cheeks catch on fire, my gaze drifting back to the offending piece of furniture right in the middle of the room.
Me, Nathan and the bed. All in the one room. Why hadn’t I thought about this before now? I’m a reader of romance; this is not an unheard-of scenario for me.
“It’ll be fine,” I blurt out into the heavy silence.
He smirks as he stalks towards me. “Are you sure?”
I glance at the bed and back at the man in front of me, the man more beautiful than anything else I’ve seen today.
“Yes, I’m sure,” I lie. “Of course we’re sharing a bed. It’s what couples do.”
His eyes flare while his cheeks tinge with pink, and I take a small step away, backing outside to draw in a deep, cooling breath. This is what we’re here for. To be a couple. Sharing a bed will be fine.
I look back at Nathan, who still hasn’t torn his eyes away from me, and wonder when I got so good at lying. Nothing about this will be fine. I’m going to be sharing a bed with Mr Nathan Jackson.
The Mr Nathan Jackson.
Yikes.
CHAPTER 15
KATIE
I fasten the straps of my gold sandals, taking in a deep breath and wondering for the hundredth time how I got here.
Not that I can complain when ‘here’ is heaven on Earth, but right now, mere moments away from meeting Nathan’s parents, his brother and his ex-girlfriend (the ex-girlfriend he may still yearn for), all while pretending to be his new girlfriend, it’s all a bit…much.
“Relax.” Nathan takes my hand in his, and my body complies. It’s like he’s Xanax in human form; one touch and all my neuro-receptors calm right down.
I straighten up and pull at the straps of my dress, smoothing down my hair. “Easy for you to say. You know what we’re walking into.”
He stops walking and places his hands on my shoulders. “You have nothing to worry about. You have more intelligence and class in your little finger than that entire room of people down there. Not to mention you look incredible tonight.”
The fading light of day hides my blush (I hope), and I wobble a smile back at him. Tonight, I’m wearing one of the manyRosie-approved dresses from our shopping day together. It’s the fanciest dress I’ve ever worn; a burnt orange colour with a corset top-half and a skirt that floats down to the ground. The straps are made of delicate gold chain, and it’s so fitted that I have to wear it tonight before I indulge in all the buffet breakfasts and all the biscuits. After that, there’s no way I’ll squeeze myself into it.
“Soak it in.” I point to my still-slick-sleek-straight hair, hanging long and heavy down my back. “After several minutes in this humidity, it won’t look like this again.”
He rubs the strands between his fingers, a small smile on his face. “If it gets too bad, we can always get you Monica-style braids.”
My funny bone tickles. “You watchFriends?”
“Of course. I know it’s outdated and sometimes problematic, but it makes me laugh every time. That episode in Barbados where Monica’s hair grows bigger and bigger is one of my favourites.”
I squeeze his arm as we meander towards the main reception area, where the sounds of the welcome party drift towards us. “It’s mine, too. Mum and I used to lie in bed and watch it on repeat. As soon as the final episode finished, we’d start right back up again.”
