He got home late and then stayed up until four in the morning watching things on Netflix. He was having a hard time adjusting to the time change, and also, he didn’t like going to sleep. He kept having nightmares about freezing to death in Madison. In his dreams, he walked miles in the snow without seeing a single person. Sometimes he’d catch sight of Bunny, but she’d be just out of reach and she couldn’t hear him calling her name over the whistling wind.
He awoke that morning just before noon and quickly rushed into the shower. He didn’t want to be late for lunch so he made it quick. He was already dressed when he heard a knock at the door.
“Craig honey, it’s me.”
“Come on in, mum.”
She opened the door and quickly shut it behind her. “Oh good, you’re awake.”
He ran the towel over his hair. “Yeah. Still getting over the jet lag.”
“Well listen dear, your father and I have some guests over.”
“Oh, for this surprise lunch?”
“Yes.” She walked over and opened his curtains to let the sun shine through. There wasn’t much sun, but it brightened the room a bit. “I invited Kali and Ashley to thank them for helping you.”
Craig stopped dead in his tracks. “What? Here?”
“Where else?” She took the towel from his hands and walked to hang it back in the bathroom. “Ashley was quite enthusiastic about a visit.”
He couldn’t process what she was saying. “When are they getting here?”
“They arrived this morning. I sent the jet for an overnight flight. Your friend Ashley loved it so much that she called her husband just now to tell him.”
“Oh, that’s nice,” Craig replied. He was only half there. He felt like his thoughts were running off without him.
“We’ll see you down for lunch, then?”
“Yes, of course. I’ll be right down.”
His mother left and he went to look at himself in the mirror. He rubbed his forehead. He didn’t want to look like a rich jerk in front of Kali – even if that’s what he was. Everything he’d learned about himself to this point only made him feel embarrassed. It was enough to have to bare it in his own mind, let alone in front of humble, kind Kali.
She didn’t need to know, for example, that his tuxedo for the wedding cost almost fifteen thousand pounds. Or that they were inviting 500 people. Or that Bunny arranged for the guests to receive gold trinkets as wedding favors. What else would Kali learn about his grossly lavish life? It was better when she was in Wisconsin, and the only Craig she knew was Craig Daniels, the hospital escapee. The real Craig – whoever he was – didn’t seem like someone that Kali would like at all.
He stared at his reflection in the mirror and wiped away the drop of sweat that formed on his forehead. The last time he looked at himself like this – really looked – was when he first got to Kali’s place. He remembered feeling strange that he didn’t recognize himself. It was now replaced with a much worse feeling – a sort of panic in recognizing what a fraud he was.
After a few minutes, he gathered his thoughts and decided that he’d go downstairs, have lunch, say hello, and then go back to his flat in London. It would be nice to see Kali, of course, but he’d make some excuse as to why he couldn’t stay long. It’d be better this way.
The plan held out for a full minute – the time that it took him to get downstairs. Then he saw Kali. She was huddled in the kitchen, holding the hand of Mary, one of the house cooks. Her dark hair was off to the side in a loose braid. There was a flower tucked behind her ear, and her blouse had some sort of a sparkle, or perhaps the light from the window was hitting it just so. A little puff of air filled his chest.
“Just one second more, I can wrap it so that you don’t have to worry about it getting wet.” She turned around and saw him staring. “Oh Craig! Hi!”
“I didn’t know you had a license to practice nursing here,” he said, a smile breaking across his face.
She narrowed her eyes “No one has to know.”
He approached her and she seemed to extend her arms to hug him. He leaned in and accepted the hug – her hair smelled delicately of lavender.
“Thanks for coming, Kali,” he said. “My mother’s been dying to meet you.”
She turned back to Mary and continued her work. “It was very nice of her to – ”
“Craig!” Ashley yelled, throwing her arms around his neck. “You’re alive!”
“Hey Ashley, it’s good to see you again. Thanks for flying out.”
“No problem, that plane of yours is amazing! I slept like a baby.”
“Glad to hear it.”
Craig’s mother stepped into the room. “All fixed up, Mary?”
“Yes ma’am!” she replied cheerfully. “We should keep this nurse on staff!”
“She might be available,” Ashley interjected.
Craig turned to Kali, the question dancing in his eyes.
Kali shook her head. “It’s nothing.”
“Thank you, Kali, for your help,” Craig’s mother said with a warm smile. “Are we all ready for some lunch then? Phillip will join us later for dinner.”
“Well I’m starving,” Ashley said.
Kali tried to shoot Ashley a look, but she was already headed towards the dining room.
Craig was in a daze. Somehow it felt like it’d been years since he last saw Kali, but at the same time, it was as though he never left her in the first place. It made no sense. To add to his confusion, she smelled distractingly nice, and he wasn’t used to seeing her wearing such pretty clothing. She was a beautiful woman no matter what she wore, of course, but he was used to seeing her bundled up in sweaters or in her nursing scrubs. Even though everyone complained about the weather in London being wet and dreary, it was nothing compared to Madison at this time of year. To them, it probably felt positively balmy.
As they sat down at the table, Ashley began what seemed like an exhaustive interrogation. She asked Craig’s mother about where her family was from in Madison, their house’s history, and the Watson family-owned lands. Craig spoke up now and again to address some of the questions, which allowed him to steal glances at Kali. He noticed that Ashley hadn’t eaten much of her food.
“We’re not known for our cuisine,” he said, dropping his voice, “but you don’t have to make it so obvious to Mary.”
Ashley laughed. “I’ve just been talking too much to eat. This is delicious.” She quickly tried to shove a large bite of curry into her mouth. It gave Craig a chance to change the course of the conversation.
“So mother, what sort of activities were you planning for our friends today?”
She shrugged, carefully taking a sip of water. “I wasn’t sure. I’m happy to show them around town, but I thought it might be better if a younger person did it. I’m sure they don’t want to be dragged through museums all day.”
“Oh, I love museums,” Kali said.
“Well that’s too bad,” Craig replied, “because I wanted to give you a proper tour of Soho and save you from dying of boredom.”
Ashley nodded. “Yes, let’s do that.”
“But there’s so much history – ” Kali protested.
“Listen, I’ll point at a few old buildings and make up some stories, and really what is the difference?”
They all laughed. Craig kept his eyes on Kali. He suspected that she may not be so easy to convince.
She sighed. “Alright, I guess it’s your turn to show off your city. If you can remember anything about it.”
He clapped his hands together. “Perfect. Of course I can. Berlin, right? Let’s get started?”
Chapter 19
“Yes, let’s!” Ashley replied, standing up from her seat at the table. “Mrs. Watson, this was a lovely lunch. Thank you again!”
“Yes, thank you so much Mrs. Watson,” Kali added. Though she was still mad at Ashley for making her go to London, Kali was grateful that Ashley at least smoothed over any awkwardness with her enthusiasm
and habit of talking endlessly about anything.
“Please,” she waved a hand, “call me Maggie. And it was my pleasure. I’ll see you three later for dinner then?”
“Yes yes, mum, we can torture them tonight with a plate of bubble and squeak.”
Ashley instantly made a face.
“It could never be as good as the oatmeal you were inspired to make me after going to McDonald’s,” Kali said.
Maggie turned to him. “You started cooking in Madison?”
Craig laughed. “Hardly. I managed to make oatmeal and a few sandwiches. Never got the hang of boiling eggs, though, and now I’m out of practice.”
“I’m sure Mary could whip you back into shape!” Kali said.
His cheeks seemed to flush a little – odd, Kali didn’t think what she said was that offensive.
“I’m sure she could,” he replied.
He led them to the garage and told the driver, who apparently just stood around the garage all day, that he’d be driving himself.
“Very good, sir. Allow me to fetch the keys.”
Ashley gasped. “Is that a Bentley Mulsanne?”
“It is. You have an eye for cars, Ashley?”
“Well – yeah! My dad’s a mechanic. So I’m pretty much an expert, do you want me to change the oil for you? I’ll need you to ship it to Wisconsin, of course.”
Craig let out a laugh. “Gregory, can we please have the keys for the Mulsanne?”
“Right away, sir.”
“Shotgun!” Ashley yelled, running to the car and touching the door handle.
Kali bit her lip not to laugh. She’d always admired that about Ashley – she behaved the same way in front of her best friend as she would in front of the Queen of England. Her patients adored her for it, too.
Kali never felt that free – she thought she had to hold back some part of herself, unless she was with people who knew her very well. In her mind, if she slipped up or did something embarrassing, only her closest friends could forgive her. And only then could she forgive herself.
Craig accepted the keys and unlocked the car. He opened the passenger door for Ashley. “Madame?”
“Wait, isn’t this the driver’s – ” She looked at the car for a moment and burst out laughing. “Oh yeah, you guys drive on the other side of the car for some reason. Well, this is super weird.”
“You called shotgun, Ash,” Kali said. “So you’re going to have to deal with it.”
She sighed heavily. “You’re right. Somehow I’ll have to manage.” She slipped into the leather seat with a broad smile.
He softly closed the door before opening the back door for Kali. “I hope the back will be comfortable enough for you.”
Kali peered inside. “Not as comfortable as my Civic, but it’ll do.”
He laughed, gently taking her hand to help her in. It felt like a current ran through her body, warming her. She let go of his hand and straightened her jacket.
Craig pointed at a panel of buttons. “Feel free to make full use of the recliner.”
Kali looked around, a bit startled. “Are you serious?”
He winked and walked around to the driver’s seat.
The car came to life with a purr and Craig smoothly pulled onto the road. Kali felt like she was back on that luxurious jet.
“Tell me ladies, would you prefer a driving tour or a walking tour?”
“Walking,” Kali said at the same time that Ashley said, “Driving.”
He laughed. “How about this, we’ll drive around a bit and then I’ll leave the car for the second half of the tour.”
Ashley crossed her arms. “Fine. But if the car gets stolen when we leave it unattended to walk around, that’s on you.”
Suddenly, Kali heard a noise behind her. She turned around to see the back window disappear.
“Uh – what just happened?”
“Sorry!” Ashley said. “I think I pressed a button I shouldn’t have.”
Craig laughed. “No, that was me. I didn’t want Kali getting too hot back there – since she’s fully adapted to a much cooler climate.”
“I didn’t know back windows could do that,” she said, eyeing it suspiciously. The window quickly reappeared.
“I think we should get the touristy things out of the way via car – Big Ben, Buckingham Palace…”
Kali knew she was outnumbered, but she needed to try to plead her case. “Oh, but wouldn’t it be fun to sign up for a tour to get the expertise of a guide?”
Craig and Ashley simultaneously replied. “Nah.”
Kali rolled her eyes. She was stuck with them for sight seeing. It was a bit of a dreary day, but who cared when there was so much to see?
“Trust me,” Craig said, “you’ll see a lot more this way. This is your personal bus tour. With your own personal Brit.”
“Can I see the Churchill War Rooms from the car?” Kali asked.
“Sure,” Ashley replied, “just look at the ground and they’re under there somewhere, right?”
Kali shook her head. She wouldn’t get anywhere with these two. She decided to sit back and enjoy the sites. The city was truly breathtaking.
Craig skillfully drove them around and to his credit, he pointed out a number of landmarks. It started raining heavily not long after they started out, and Kali admitted that she was glad that she was in the car.
After about two hours of driving, the rain seemed to be slowing down and they decided to drop the car off at Craig’s flat. He pulled into an underground garage filled with other fancy looking cars.
“Tell me these aren’t all yours,” Ashley said with a groan as she opened the door.
Craig scratched the back of his head and squinted at her. “These aren’t all mine?”
“You’re kidding me!” She threw her hands up. “That wasn’t convincing at all.”
“If it makes you feel any better,” he said, leaning against the Bentley, “I don’t remember where the keys are, so I can’t drive any of them.”
Ashley crossed her arms. “That does make me feel better.”
“We can exit right over here…”
Kali knew nothing about cars. As far as she knew, these were no different than what she saw covered in slush in Madison. She eyed the elevator. “Does that go right up to your apartment?”
“Er – yes, it does.”
She tried to suppress a smile. “I think I need to take a look. I brought some fleas, actually, and I’d like to return them to you.”
He rubbed his hands together. “Did you tell customs that you’d brought live animals over?”
“Yes, they took the bed bugs from me, unfortunately,” Kali said, striding towards the elevator. “But I still have some of Chip’s little friends.” This was one attraction she couldn’t miss – the apartment of mysterious Craig Watson, bad boy billionaire.
“We’d best not keep them waiting, then,” he said, calling the elevator.
They stepped inside and quietly went up a few levels. The doors opened to reveal a breathtaking view of the city with floor to ceiling windows. The hardwood was a rich chocolate color which contrasted stunningly with the crisp white walls.
Kali took a step inside. She wanted to crack a joke but couldn’t think of anything to say. The apartment was immaculate. All of the details, everything from the exposed brick in the kitchen to the shining gray stone counter tops, made it look more like a movie set than an actual apartment.
She turned around. Craig looked so perfect here. This was where he belonged – in this elegant world. Not in her basement. Not touching her hand ever so gently to help her in and out of cars. She tried to push the thought out of her mind.
“Let’s make a deal, Craig,” Ashley said, hands on her hips. “If I find the car keys, I get to keep one of the cars.”
He laughed. “Deal.”
She squealed with delight and rushed off to pull open doors and drawers.
“She’s never going to find them,” he muttered. “I’d be gla
d if she did, though.”
“This is really pretty,” Kali said, looking out of the window.
“Would you like to see the balcony?” he asked. “It’s right over here.”
She looked around. “Sure.”
He pulled open the door and she stepped outside. The rain stopped and they had a wonderful view of all the excitement and activity below.
She took a deep breath. “This is incredible. Definitely better than the view from my basement.”
He shrugged. “I liked your basement. Quite a lot, actually.”
“Sure.” She cleared her throat. “Is Bunny going to move in here after the wedding?”
He crossed his arms and looked off at a building in the distance. “I don’t suppose so. I heard her say that I agreed to sell this to get something – what did she call it? More feminine, I think it was.”
Kali laughed. “Is she not a fan of the six car garage you have down there?”
“I’m afraid not. Trouble is, I rather like this place.”
“Then keep it,” Kali replied. “You can afford this and a more ‘feminine’ place, right?”
He flinched. “Yeah, I suppose. I don’t know, really. I think this wedding may bankrupt us all.”
She laughed a little too hard. Way to make it weird. “That’s how all weddings are these days,” she said hurriedly. “At least that’s what I hear.”
“What kind of wedding were you and Luke planning?”
“Oh,” she said softly, “I don’t know.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to – ”
“No, it’s okay. It’s not – it’s just that he was sick, so we never really had a chance to plan anything.”
“Oh, of course.”
She leaned against the railing. “I think we would’ve kept it small. A few people at the church, just our families and a few friends. It wouldn’t have been big – Luke was an only child. And then – well, I always dreamed we could all take a trip somewhere. All of us, families too. We never went on vacation when I was a kid. It wouldn’t have to be anything fancy – I’d like to stay in a big house together with everyone. We could stay up at night by the fireplace and tell stories, drink hot cocoa.” Kali felt herself getting carried away by the power of her own nostalgia. It wasn’t even real, but it made her heart feel full.
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