by Laura Burton
“You need to sit down and tell us what happened,” Thatcher said. Holly sighed. She begrudgingly recounted the whole date to her friends.
With every detail of her account, Josie and Thatcher reacted appropriately.
They gasped. They rolled their eyes. They laughed. Then when Holly finished, they looked at each other for a long time. As if they had developed the art of telepathy.
“It’s amazing you didn’t get hypothermia,” Josie said in a breathy voice.
“He’s not going to pick me, is he?” Holly said glumly.
Thatcher nodded along.
“Honestly. If I was William? I would run for the hills and never look back,” he said frankly. Josie nudged him in the ribs.
“Not true. It’s… cute. You were being fun and impulsive,” she said. But something about the tone of her voice didn’t convince Holly.
“I asked him if he’d still kiss me If I puked,” Holly wailed, throwing her face into her hands.
“Some guys like that,” Josie said.
“Who? Who likes that?” Thatcher asked. Holly kept her face in her hands but judging by the grunt, she guessed Josie had nudged him again.
The doorbell rang and Holly looked up so fast her neck cracked. Josie jumped up and ran over to the intercom.
“Who is it?”
“It’s William Harrington, I’m here to see Holly Barratt,” a deep voice crackled out of the speaker. Josie glanced back at Holly with an open mouth. Then she spun back to the intercom. “She’ll be right down.”
Holly’s heart jolted. She was still wearing her onesie.
“What are you waiting for? Go!” Thatcher urged. Holly looked at her two friends with disbelief.
“I can’t go like this!” she demanded, gesturing to herself.
“You look adorable, just go. He’s waiting.” Josie tugged on Holly’s hands and pushed her out the door.
Holly descended the steps rubbing last night’s mascara from under her eyes and smoothing out her bed hair.
I have terrible friends. The worst.
She mumbled to herself as she reached the bottom floor but put on a smile as she rounded the corner. The silhouette of a man was standing outside the door.
“Hey there, stranger,” she said brightly as she thrust the door open. Thankfully William jumped back just in time or the door would have hit him in the face.
“Hey back at you,” he said with a grin. He brandished a bunch of red roses and gave them to her. “I wanted to check that you were feeling okay.”
His eyes scanned her onesie, causing both of his dimples to show.
“You like monkeys, huh?” he said, cocking a brow.
Holly was too busy smelling the roses to pick up on his question.
“What?” she said, looking up at him again. Then she remembered she was standing in broad daylight wearing a monkey and banana print onesie. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she resisted the urge to screech and run away.
Bad friends. Very, very bad friends.
“Are you hungry? You can join us for breakfast,” she offered. William’s eyes shifted left and his smile changed. Holly leaned forward to see what he was looking at and inside she died a thousand deaths.
A camera crew stood to the side and had been recording the entire exchange.
“Nope! You do NOT have my permission to record this,” Holly shouted at them. She waved the roses above her head and shooed them away. William held his hand over his face, shoulders shaking.
“A heads up would have been nice!” she hissed at him. “I mean look at me! I’m a monkey for crying out loud!” She imitated the animal with an angry face, then––catching William’s reaction––doubled up with laughter.
“I’m sorry about that,” he said finally, his face flushed with color. “And I can’t join you for breakfast––as much as I’d love to,” William hesitated. “I’ve got a––”
“Don’t tell me. A date?” Holly interjected. William cast his eyes down with a nod.
“I’m glad you’re feeling okay. Last night, I was pretty worried.” His eyes lifted to meet hers.
“Well. As you can see, I’m fit as a fiddle. Nothing wrong here,” she spread her arms jovially and William shook his head with a chuckle.
“You know, I don’t think I’ve met anyone who makes me laugh this much.” He beamed at her.
“There you go. Pick me to be your girlfriend and I’ll be your full-time stand-up comedian!” Holly blurted. Then her blood turned cold and she wished hard that she could rewind the scene and say something cooler. Actually, now Holly thought about it, she wished she could rewind an hour and make herself look presentable. Preferably with something figure hugging.
William took Holly’s hand and leaned in to peck her on the cheek. Feeling his warmth against her skin gave her tingles. The thought of throwing the flowers in the air and pulling him into the apartment building was tempting.
Holly surprised herself at her restraint as she resisted.
“Well, enjoy your date,” she called after him as William started to walk backwards down the path. He waved at her with a crooked smile. “But not too much! Don’t forget about me now.”
Stop talking Holly. Stop it.
She watched him, roses in her arms, as he turned and climbed into a car. Then her heart squeezed as she watched the car join the steady flow of traffic.
“I’ve decided to forgive you both,” Holly announced as she banged the door open and re-entered the apartment. Josie and Thatcher were seated on the couch, holding hands. They looked up at her with identical looks of surprise.
“What for?” Thatcher asked slowly. Holly crossed her arms.
“For creeping around behind my back. You should have just come out and told me.”
Josie cocked her head to the side but didn’t argue. Satisfied, Holly cleared her throat, ready to face the awkwardness head on.
“So, you two are a couple now? Are you moving to Paris with Thatcher?” Holly asked Josie, who averted her eyes.
“I haven’t decided yet,” she said in a small voice.
That means yes.
Holly whistled. It was a blow. First, she was losing Thatcher and now her roommate was moving away as well. She’d already been publicly humiliated on camera, what else could go wrong?
She kicked the door closed and tossed the flowers in the sink. Thatcher jumped to his feet.
“What’s up with you?” he asked. Josie joined him.
“We can’t help but notice you’ve been acting… odd.”
Holly’s eyes smarted as she bit her lip.
“Look, I get it. Everything isn’t about me. And I’m happy that you two have found… whatever it is you’ve found.” Holly’s stomach churned as she chewed her lip. “But William is going on a date with that perfect woman today and I want to punch something. So, can we please just pretend everything is normal and hang out?”
Josie and Thatcher became two nodding dogs as they made noises of agreement.
“What do you want to do? We could go for a run?” Josie offered. Thatcher shot her a look.
“Go for a run?” he repeated, his face twisted. Josie crossed her arms and frowned at him. Holly’s spirits lifted as she listened to the two of them argue about what to do for the day.
“How about we order food in and have a movie marathon?” she suggested. Thatcher pointed at her and clicked his tongue.
“Now that sounds like a plan.”
Josie and Thatcher had just descended into a full-blown argument over which movie to start with first when Holly’s phone rang from her bedroom. She dashed to it and answered the call.
“Hello? Am I speaking with Holly Barratt?”
Holly gulped at the woman’s voice, recognizing it immediately.
“Yes,” she said, in a high-pitched tone.
“It’s Emily Stewart. From Find My Companion. Are you available to come to my office today? We need to talk.”
Holly did not like the sound of that.
&nb
sp; Chapter 11
Emily Stewart sat behind a large white desk, poised and perfectly still as Holly entered the office. Behind Emily was a wall of windows overlooking the city. She looked powerful. Confident. And her eyes were laser-focused on Holly.
“Thank you for coming in,” she said, like a head teacher addressing a badly-behaved student.
“Thanks for inviting me,” Holly replied, taking a seat.
There was a heavy silence and Holly fiddled with the stitching on her purse as she rolled her ankles and waited. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Emily spoke.
“Well?”
Holly fidgeted in her seat.
“Sorry? I don’t know what––”
“How did your date with William Harrington go?” Emily threw her hands in the air and rolled her eyes. Holly gave a nervous laugh and played with her hair.
Oh. I’m not in trouble.
“He’s wonderful. I think we get on really well and I’d love to get to know him more. That’s for sure.”
Emily nodded along and hummed. Then she scribbled on her notepad and set her pen down with a thump.
“Well, in that case. You’ll be happy to know William only had positive things to say about you.”
Holly could not hide the joy welling in her chest, it burst out in the form of a giant grin taking over her whole face. Emily’s eyes sparkled as she studied Holly.
“Now, don’t get your hopes up too much. This is an unusual case,” she continued, turning serious again. “Firstly, you’re all wrong from William. I never let two people meet if they score below sixty-five percent. And you’re now part of the reality show Billionaire Bachelors.”
“I’m so sorry about that. I really had no idea––” Holly began, but Emily waved a hand and tutted.
“I know, I know. It is what it is,” she said, shaking her head. “But the producers want this process streamlined. For the show, you see. If I was in charge, I would recommend several more dates before William had to make a choice.” Emily sighed and rolled her eyes. “But they want this tied up tonight. So, we’re having a party downstairs. Come in your very best gown and bring your A-game. Because William is choosing his girlfriend… tonight.”
Holly gasped. So soon? They had barely had any time together.
“For what it’s worth, Estelle is going to be there. And I’m sure you’ve heard of her,” Emily said, her eyes glinting. She interlocked her fingers and rested her chin on her hands. Holly couldn’t breathe for excitement. Maybe she’d finally meet Estelle. As a model, and not a server this time.
“Why is Estelle coming to the party?” Holly asked. Emily looked at her incredulously before she threw her head back and laughed.
“You’re not serious?” she said between breaths. “Where there are cameras, you’ll find Estelle. And besides… she wants to make sure her son chooses the right woman, obviously.”
Holly pressed her lips together and stared at Emily, stunned.
“Son?”
Emily stopped laughing.
“Good grief. Didn’t you know? Estelle Harrington… is William’s mother.”
Holly blinked several times, her head spinning and stars flying across her mind’s eye. She had no idea Estelle’s second name was Harrington.
“Oh, right,” she said faintly. Emily laughed again, snapping Holly out of her daze.
“You really didn’t know? Wow. And here I was thinking you were playing him to get close to Estelle.” Emily clapped. “So, you really do like this guy. Just for being him? How interesting.”
Holly frowned, offended that Emily had made the assumption that she was playing a game to get up the career ladder.
“Do you know what? I’m going to help you. My best friend is a seamstress. She designs the most exquisite dresses.” Emily picked up her phone and eyed Holly with a slow nod. “When I’m done with you, Estelle will be asking me to introduce you to her.”
Chapter 12
Holly couldn’t breathe. This time it was because Emily had her wearing a dress with a built-in corset. The navy-blue organza twisted around Holly’s curves in a way that cascaded down her body like a waterfall. Embroidered lace draped over her shoulders and hundreds of diamantes lined the hem.
The production team had their stylists work on Holly’s hair and make-up. They pinned her long blonde hair into a loose knot on the back of her head, and sculpted her face with makeup that was surprisingly natural-looking.
It had been a long day, and Holly did not have a moment to look at her phone, let alone talk to Thatcher about the party. Physically, she was more than ready to make her grand appearance. But mentally, she was underprepared.
Without a pep talk from her best friends, she didn’t know what to do.
“Good luck tonight. You look breath-taking,” Emily said, beaming with pride as she surveyed her. Holly gave her a weak smile in return.
“Thank you for this. You’re like my fairy godmother,” she said with a giggle. Emily looked at her with horror.
“Let’s say sister. I’m not old enough to be your godmother,” she corrected, prompting Holly to chuckle again. She had not expected Emily to take her words so literally.
“Now, you go out there, and you show the world what you’re made of!”
Holly walked into an empty reception area and looked back at Emily who followed.
“Oh yeah. The party started twenty minutes ago,” she said with a cheeky grin. Holly gawped at her, but Emily stared back affronted.
“What? You’ve never heard of being fashionably late?”
She smoothed out her black dress and sighed.
“Right. I’m going in. Count to one hundred and come in after me.”
Holly watched Emily strut to the double doors and disappear behind them. The upbeat music faded as the doors swung shut and Holly’s heart thumped against her ribcage.
“Act cool. This is it. William is going to see you and he’s going to fold to his knees,” Holly whispered to herself. Her palms were sweaty, and she could already feel her face growing clammy.
William’s mother was Estelle. The fact sent her mind in a spin. Now that she knew, she didn’t know how to act. An ugly thought sat in the pit of her stomach: what if the producers want to stir up a scandal? Was she being set up to look like the career-driven model using William to get to mommy?
“Hey––wow! You look incredible.”
Holly jumped and realized she had been standing still lost in her own head. William stood next to her in a dark suit with his hair gelled to the side. The plume of his sandalwood cologne was intoxicating.
“I didn’t think you were going to come,” he continued, dipping his head and looking at her through his lashes.
“Well, I’m here,” Holly said, spreading her arms. William’s smile broadened.
“Yes, you are.”
Holly blinked at him in thought. Should she tell him she knew about his mom? Or would that open up more questions?
“Well, we better go in separately. Don’t want to look too biased.” William walked to the double doors but paused as he grabbed a handle.
“You take my breath away, you know that?” he said, turning back to her.
Holly’s spirits lifted even more.
“So does this corset,” she blurted. Then she laughed softly at the puzzled look on William’s face. “That came out wrong. It takes my breath away.”
William gave her an amused look before opening the door and disappearing inside.
Holly tried to take a deep breath, but the dress was too constricted. Instead she pursed her lips and exhaled slowly. Then, she picked up her skirt and walked to the doors.
It’s show time.
“And here comes Holly Barratt, who has finally decided to make an appearance,” a man stood with a headset beside the doors and gestured for the camera crew to come over.
“How are you feeling, Holly? Tonight’s the big night. How confident are you that William will choose you?”
Holly b
linked into the bright lights and tried to act professional. The room was full of people and a sea of faces had turned in her direction.
“Uh-sure. I’m excited, I guess,” she said, blinded by light.
Someone moved the spotlight away and Holly allowed her eyes to adjust. She scanned the room, looking for Thatcher. She found him in the far corner, taking shots of the other billionaire bachelors. But William was nowhere to be seen.
“Oh snap. This is a twist, that’s for sure,” said one of the camera crew. A wave of exclamations washed over the room and Holly looked around to find out what was causing all the commotion.
“Well it looks like one of our billionaires has made his choice,” another cameraman said.
“Quick. Focus on Holly so we get a reaction shot.”
Bewildered and overwhelmed with the crowd of people and cameramen, Holly made a beeline for Thatcher. She had only made it halfway across the room when the crowd parted and she caught sight of William locked in a passionate embrace with ninety-four percent woman. They were kissing with so much passion it made Holly nauseous.
She looked away and took in the amused faces of the people around her. The cameramen were grinning like Cheshire Cats, and just like that, Holly was transported back to prom night.
Holly kept her head held high and made for the door without so much as a sniff. For the first time in her life, she glided across the room without tripping up and was able to keep her dignity intact as she fled the party.
She held it together during the taxi ride, and even as she scaled the stairs to her apartment. Only when Josie’s worried face appeared behind the front door did the emotions come flooding out. She threw her arms around her roommate and sobbed into her shoulder.
“It was a nightmare Josie. It was prom night all over again.”
Chapter 13
“Holly, it’s Thatcher. Let me in.”
It was the next morning, and after crying too much and consuming copious amounts of ice-cream, Holly had collapsed into her bed with a sugar coma. She moaned into her pillows against the ache in her head, then dragged herself out of her nest. Once she unlocked the door, she trudged back to bed.
