“Kayla? Have you spoken to her?” Tasha tried to sound nonchalant.
“Mmm and she seemed most reluctant to discuss your meeting beyond telling me you and she have agreed everything and that she is ahead of schedule. Perhaps you’d like to tell me what she’s not.”
Tasha was under no illusions that his apparent calm, flat tone was a true reflection of just how irked he was at being kept in the dark indirectly by Kayla and most definitely directly by her.
“I don’t know that now is the time, not that there’s much to tell.” She tried to distract him from this line of conversation, knowing it would be a bone of contention. “Do you think we could Skype or Facetime this week because I really do miss you, James?”
Her seductiveJamesmade him laugh.
“That may not be such a good idea with Lizzie around, plus I like the idea of you missing me. It means you will be very pleased to see me when you come home,” he teased.
Lizzie stirred as Tasha considered her response. “Hold on, I think Lizzie wanted to speak to you.”
She left them alone and after about ten minutes of chatting, Lizzie gave Tasha the phone back and made her way to bed.
“I should be going too, I have an early start,” said Tasha after kissing Lizzie goodnight.
“Please tell me you don’t really believe that by hanging up you are off the hook or that I will forget that you’re keeping something from me about our wedding plans?”
“I don’t know what you mean, Mr Maybury,” she said incredulously.
“You know exactly what I mean and I will find out, Miss Winters.” He laughed. “Especially as I am paying Kayla.”
“Yes, but I pointed out that if word got out that Kayla didn’t follow the instructions of the bride she may never work again. Now, I am going to bed,” she announced, making him laugh again.
“I am going to have to keep a closer eye on you I think, Miss Winters,” he told her and meant every word of it. He didn’t want her to keep things from him and more than that he didn’t want her to try and circumvent him about their wedding or anything else, although he trusted her not to do it with malice. “It seems strange to think that in a few weeks I won’t be able to call you Miss Winters anymore.”
“Maybe you will. We haven’t actually had that discussion about my name after we are married, have we?” Before Jim could answer she added, “But I know we will, just not tonight, please, I really need to go to bed.”
“This will not go away, Tasha. We will discuss it, but not tonight. Go to bed and behave tomorrow and send me pictures.” He needed her to tell him what Kayla wasn’t and he needed her to fully understand that keeping things from him was not an option. Not things that mattered. Things that involved them both and their family, but for now he’d let her get away with the thing with Kayla, not least because he really did trust her. “I love you, baby.”
“I love you, too,” she replied and after hanging up climbed into bed where she fell asleep almost immediately.
Chapter 20
Lizzie was beyond excited the following day as she and Tasha ate breakfast together at a coffee shop near home before heading to the large, luxury hotel suite that was being used for the photo shoot. Tasha laughed as Lizzie asked question after question, seemingly without waiting for any reply; who will be there? Will I be able to help or do anything? Are there going to be other models there? What are you going to model? Has Lucy designed everything you’ll be wearing? Do you get to keep the clothes?
Tasha put her hands up to signal her surrender. “Stop!” She laughed, loving Lizzie’s enthusiasm. “Let’s just go and see what’s what,” she said as she drained her tea cup and got to her feet.
They climbed into a cab and as they settled into their seats Tasha’s phone rang. She smiled a little as she saw that it was Gerry calling her.
“Hey, Tash, princess.” His words were immediate and entirely natural when she answered the call.
“Gerry.”
“I was going to call you later in the week and arrange a time for us to hook up, but I had a weird call earlier. Somebody’s snooping around asking questions about you, you and me.” He sounded concerned as he shared the details.
“Really? Press?”
“No, not press, I don’t think, but I’m not sure who or what they were. They asked about us and how we’d met and got together, but also if I knew any of your other boyfriends,” he told her. “It was very odd, Tash, creepy almost with the offer of cash, big cash for juicy stuff. I told this bloke to sod off, but he left me a number in case I changed my mind. I thought you’d want to know.”
“Yes. It’s probably just a journalist or something, but thanks,” said Tasha.
“Do you fancy getting together this week?” he asked, reverting to a happier topic.
“Yeah, that would be good. Jim’s daughter is with me this week,” she explained, automatically ruling out a nightclub or a big, drunken night.
“What about Thorpe Park or something? Bring her along, and Pip and Dan if you fancy it,” he suggested.
