‘If you say so…’ Clearly she didn’t believe me, but that was on her because it was true.Yes, Jake was really sweet today but it just wouldn’t work.
Nope.No way.I couldn’t go there again.
‘Tell me at least that you showed your gratitude in other ways?’
‘I must’ve thanked him a million times.And I was surprised, because I thought he’d get all big-headed and gloaty, but he was actually humble.’
‘So does that mean you’re warming to him?’
I paused, considering my response.
‘Let’s just say that I’ve seen another side of him.It’s possible that he’s not as arrogant as I thought, but that doesn’t mean we’re best buddies now or that I want to jump his bones.’ A disobedient wave of tingles shot down my spine.‘Just because he was sweet for one day doesn’t mean he’s like that all the time.’
‘True.So do you know where you’re going tomorrow or is that another surprise?’
‘Haven’t got a clue.’
‘Well, wherever you go I’m sure it’ll be fun.Especially now you know you’ve got your very own knight in shining armour!Anyway, babe, I’d better go.Be good and if you can’t be good, be careful!’ A mischievous laugh echoed down the phone.
And before I had time to tell her that I wouldn’t have any need to be careful because I had no intention of doing anything at all with Jake, she hung up.
19
HALLE
It was Tuesday morning and we were on the luxury coach heading to another secret excursion.
I was so tired after the excitement of the horse riding and sightseeing that I’d passed out on my bed and missed dinner.
When I woke up, I saw that Jake had messaged to ask if I was coming to the restaurant, but by then, it was too late.It was sweet of him to text though.And when I replied to tell him I’d fallen asleep, he was understanding.I’d ordered room service, then went to bed.
Breakfast with Jake this morning was surprisingly fine too.We’d talked more about the horse riding and he told me about the horses at his uncle’s farm.We were chatting so much that before we knew it, we had to leave to board the coach.And it was only when it set off that we realised we hadn’t collected the photos from yesterday’s excursions.
I didn’t tell Jake this, but I was dying to see the pictures.I was tempted to ask him if I could take a peek at the ones on his phone, but I was too embarrassed.Looking at the printed versions as part of our daily ‘love’ tasks was fine because that was one of the ‘rules’.But I’d told Jake repeatedly how much I hated photos, so suddenly begging to see them would sound contradictory.
‘Thanks for the playlist,’ Jake said.
‘Did you like the songs?’ I asked.
I’d chosen ‘Hollywood’ by Madonna, ‘Dark Horse’ by Katy Perry and Juicy J, ‘Crazy Horses’ by The Osmonds, ‘Lost Angeles’ by The Aces and ‘Holding out for a Hero’ by Bonnie Tyler.
I almost added ‘Thank You’ by Dido, but when I remembered that the lyrics included her gratitude for giving her the best day of her life, I thought it’d be way too gushy.
Even though I’d wanted to include ‘Hero’ by Mariah Carey and the same title by Enrique Iglesias, three knight-in-shining armour songs seemed like overkill.
‘I…’ He paused.‘You were showing your age a bit with The Osmonds and Bonnie Tyler.’ The corner of his mouth turned up.
‘You can blame that on my dad.He loves seventies and eighties music, so it rubbed off on me.’
‘Your dad has great taste.I’m a fan of those decades too.’
‘Yeah?’ I frowned.‘Who do you like?’
‘I loved bands like Guns N’ Roses, Bon Jovi, Kool and the Gang, singers like Prince, MJ, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Luther Vandross, Phil Collins, Tina Turner… I could easily list dozens more.’
‘Yes!As Dad says, they don’t make them like they used to.’
‘Your pops is right.That’s why so many modern songs sample the classics.’
