Missing Booze, Men Who Sell You Out, and Shattered Cottage Dreams
Nora, Twenty Minutes Earlier
I sit,clicking my fingernails on the top of my desk. I can finally go home for the night, and yet…I’m still here, trying to decide if I should go up to Theo’s room to talk to him or not. Obviously he has something to tell me. Or ask. He wouldn’t have come down here four times today otherwise. And that last time was just plain weird, with the whole Banana Boat thing? No way he uses Banana Boat. I’m sure he buys some brand I’ve never even heard of, that costs more per bottle than I spend on a month’s groceries.
I should just be bold. March right up to his room and knock. I know he’s there, and he was receptive to my text last night. Very receptive. Our conversation was incredible. The way he opened up to me and how he seemed to get me when it comes to my dream. There’s something happening between us. I can feel it, and I know he can too. Otherwise, why would he have asked if we could talk? And why would he have come down here four times today?
I’ll go.
But first I’ll freshen up.
I hurry to the bathroom down the hall with my handbag, take my emergency toothbrush and paste, and brush my teeth, concentrating extra hard on my tongue. Then I apply some lipstick and check my hair to make sure it’s still in the bun. A little messy, but hopefully in that sexy librarian sort of way.
Okay, Nora. This is it. You can do this. Theo is just a man, after all. He puts his pants on one leg at a time. So he’s wildly rich, incredibly handsome, well-educated, and highly sought-after. He is just a man.
He’s also a man who has given some slightly confusing signals. But still. Signals nonetheless. I’ll go up to his room, knock, and tell him I’m about to go home for the day but thought I’d see if he needed anything before I leave.
In the elevator, I press three and wait for the doors to close while my heart thumps madly in my chest. I’m almost to his room when the door opens and Carolina Armas comes out, wearing a bathrobe.
Hide!
There’s nowhere to do that though!
She spots me. Her lips curve up in a smile and not a particularly nice one at that. “Nora, what are you doing on this floor at this hour?”
I have no answer for that. “I’m following up on a sunscreen issue.”
She lifts an eyebrow. “A sunscreen emergency? At night?”
“Yes,” I answer, my voice betraying me with a squeak. “For tomorrow. I told Barry, the cameraman, I’d make sure he had his Banana Boat before morning.” I nod a few times, hoping to hypnotize her. “Mission accomplished.”
I turn on my heel and go back the way I came, only to have her catch up with me. Damn her long legs. “You’re probably wondering what I was doing in Theo’s room dressed like this.”
“Nope. None of my business.” I pick up my pace.
“We’ve been keeping it a secret, but since you caught me, I guess the cat is out of the bag,” Carolina says with a light chuckle. “Please don’t tell anyone.”
I push the down button at the elevator. “Tell anyone what? I don’t know anything.”
She presses up, and there’s something so smug about the way she does it. It’s like she’s saying,I’m going up in life, and you’re going down, peasant.“Tell anyone that Theo and I are going to be married.”
My heart feels as though it’s been sucked dry and has turned to dust. I stare at her smug, rich face. And boy is it both smug and rich. Not one visible pore. No wonder Theo wants to marry her. My breath has left my body, but somehow I manage to say, “Congratulations.”
Come on elevator, where the hell are you? This building only has four floors!
“Not right away, of course. He has far too much on his mind this year to think about a wedding. But when things settle down, he’s going straight to Harry Winston.”
The up-arrow lights and the doors open. Of course her ride comes first. That’s exactly how the rich get richer. Okay, that didn’t make sense, but still. Not fair.
Smiling at me, she says, “Well, that’s me. Thanks for keeping our secret.” She steps on and gives me a wink, putting a finger over her lips.
The second the doors close, I put both middle fingers in the air and aim them at the ceiling, tracking her movement. “Go to hell, bitch,” I mutter before feeling silly and putting my fingers away.
A few seconds later, the doors open and I step on, only to be trapped with Carolina’s perfume for the ride to the ground floor.
That’s it. I’m going home, but first I’m stopping at the gelato place for a large cup of Nutella with whipped cream. And maybe a churro. That would be good too.
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