“I don’t see anything,” Nikki says.
“Not a thing,” Tessa adds. “It may beinyour head, rather than on it.”
“It's not carved in deeply yet,” I say, feeling oddly defensive about a frown line that I don’t want. “But it’s just a matter of time. I was thinking maybe I should get a bit of…” Lowering my voice, I whisper, “Botox.”
“Botox?!” Tessa yells. “Absolutely not!”
“Shhh!” I gesture for her to lower her voice.
“You don’t want to start that shit now,” Nikki says. “You’ll be stuck going in for injections every three months for the rest of your life.”
“Plus, you’ll wind up looking like you should be on display at Madame Tussauds,” Tessa says. “You’re young and beautiful and screw anyone who tells you differently.”
“Agreed. Screw ‘em,” Nikki says. “Besides, isn’t aging gracefully more in line with your whole ‘women are equal and should stop trying to please everyone’ thing?”
I nod. “Excellent point.” Although, now that I think about it, I feel a lot more comfortable aboutotherwomen aging gracefully.
“Thank goodness you managed to squeak in an engagement already,” Tessa says. “Can you imagine how badly the royal staff would be on your arse to find a husband by now?”
“It would have been dreadful,” I say, plucking a folded robe off the shelf and walking into a changing cubicle. As I pull the heavy olive-green velvet curtain shut, I remember I’m supposed to be this super-strong, independent, kickass version of a princess. It’s all so new for me and I find I keep forgetting. “For them,” I add quickly. “Because if they tried it, they’d find out who’s really in charge of this woman’s life.”
“Will?” Nikki asks.
Poking my head out of the cubicle, I give her a glare.
“Just teasing. You’re incredibly terrifying,” Nikki says.
“Thank you.” I slide the curtain shut again and get back to undressing.
“That’s what she wants us to think, right?” Nikki asks Tessa loudly enough to let me know she’s having a go at me.
“I believe so,” Tessa answers. “And you are, Arabella. You’re utterly fierce.”
“Shut up, both of you,” I say.
There’s a knock at the door, and a woman tells us it’s time for our facials. “Let’s go get our beauty on,” Nikki says.
My phone buzzes and I glance down to see Will’s gorgeous face on the screen. “I’ll be right behind you, girls. Will is just calling via satellite phone.” I love saying that. It sounds so…adventurous. My fiancé is in a place so remote, he can only call via satellite.
“Make it fast. We have loads of girl talk to catch up on,” Tessa says.
“In other words, you don’t have time for phone sex.”
“Eww. I’d never do that here,” I say, then quickly add, “I meanat all. I’d never do that at all. I’m a lady,” I add, angling the phone just so, and swiping to answer.
"There's my birthday girl," Will says with that sexy, low voice, and that equally sexy grin of his. Behind him, I can see blue sky poking out behind a lot of trees.
“Hello, darling, do I look older? I feel so much older than I did last night when I went to bed." I give him a wry grin, pretending that I'm only kidding.
"Yes, I'd say instead of looking like you're seventeen, you appear almost old enough to have a drink at the pub now."
"I don't know whether to be flattered or horrified," I say.
"Flattered. Now, am I lucky enough to have caught you in nothing but a robe?" he asks, waggling his eyebrows.
"Yes, you have indeed," I say in a sultry tone.
"Come on, then. Undo the sash," he says. "Just the one time. For your birthday."
