Away From the Spotlight

by Tamara Carlisle

  “You think we can multitask and plan a few things?”

  “Yes, but not right this second, okay?”

  He kissed me. I could tell that it would be a while before we would be in a position to multitask.

  It was a quiet time for Will on the career front as nothing much happened in his industry from mid-December until after the New Year. He wasn’t scheduled to start The Ludlow Conspiracy until mid-January. Consequently, Will had time on his hands while I was at work.

  On Tuesday morning, Will asked me if I had thought about replacing my car. I said that I had meant to do so, but had been too busy with work. He then asked me what I wanted if I could have anything and, that night, I found a black Lexus SUV hybrid, with all the bells and whistles I wouldn’t have purchased for myself, sitting in the driveway.

  My reaction was one of shock though I should have known better, considering Will.

  “You know you don’t have to bribe me? I already married you.”

  “It’s not a bribe. It’s just concern for your safety. Your car is a little on the old side. I don’t want you breaking down in traffic.”

  “It’s a good thing you didn’t insult my car before we were married or you might be standing here by yourself.”

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to slag off your car. It was a very hot car – back when you were in high school.” He winked and smiled, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Hmm. So do I get to take a test drive in our new car?”

  On Wednesday night, Will was waiting for me with information on houses for me to consider. Based upon what I had seen and how happy we were in the Palisades, I told him that I would like to stay in the general area if at all possible. He seconded that decision and made arrangements for us to go looking at specific houses over the weekend.

  On Thursday night, I found that Will already had plane tickets for us to spend the week between Christmas and New Year’s in London, leaving the next Wednesday night. Our reception was to be held on the Sunday between Christmas and New Year’s. He had also arranged travel for my family and for our roommates. He told me that he also arranged for Pam to go as well because Niall wanted to see her again. It sounded like a conversation with Pam was in order about that one. When I asked about the details of the reception, Will asked if I minded being surprised.

  “Does my mother know the details?”

  “Yes.”

  “Don’t count on my being surprised for long. We call my mother ‘the Town Crier’ for a reason.” I laughed.

  “She promised my mum so I hope she keeps her promise.”

  “We’ll see. Is there anything I need to do to get ready like, maybe, get a dress or something?”

  “No. Emma’s got it sorted.”

  “Oh, yes. I forgot. She’s now my personal wardrobe consultant.” I didn’t mean to sound sarcastic, but I probably did.

  “Let her have her fun unless you mind.”

  “I don’t. She has better taste than I do.”

  “It’s settled then.”

  My bachelorette party took place on Friday night. A limousine came to pick me up when I returned home from work at around seven. I changed quickly into my usual black and headed out with about a dozen of my school friends, Kelly, Kate and Gemma. We drove around town drinking in the limo and doing a little bar hopping in Santa Monica before ending up at the Royalist, where the private room in which Will and I had our first date had been reserved for us. I thought for a moment about how surreal it was that here I was married only nine months later.

  We were served a sorely needed late dinner after all the alcohol we’d imbibed thus far and then we proceeded to consume quite a bit more before the embarrassing part of the evening started. I texted Will as I waited for my “surprise guest.”

  “Hope ur having fun. Miss u. ILY.”

  The response came back quickly. “Just drinking w/mates. 2 much tho. If I’m drunk l8r, I’m sorry. Hope ur having fun. B good. ILY2.”

  My tall, blond, and well-built stripper arrived dressed as a policeman and stripped down quickly leaving almost nothing to the imagination and, as he played around with what little he had covering him, it left nothing to the imagination. Although he was very careful not to touch me in a certain way and vice versa, I was certain that the pictures my friends were taking would not make that clear.

  I had to remind Kate and Gemma, “Remember, ‘what happens in Vegas . . .’”

  Kate finished my sentence, “‘. . . stays in Vegas.’ Yes, we know. Despite how much fun this is, I don’t think the boys would appreciate it.”

  Gemma nodded guiltily.

  After the stripper finished his performance and the embarrassing “games,” some of which involved whipped cream, the embarrassment continued. Rachael had delegated to Annie the task of buying the cake. What I wouldn’t have given to have seen that transaction taking place because the cake was obscene. I really hoped that Will would never see any of the pictures.

  After that, it was time for the embarrassing lingerie. I was expecting it to be bad and I wasn’t disappointed. Although I managed to receive a few pretty silk things, almost everything else was somewhat vulgar. I received handcuffs and other sex toys, edible massage oils, obscenely-shaped pasta, and lots of interesting lingerie, including a sexy maid’s uniform and completely see-through negligées. I knew with certainty that Will was going to make me model them and I blushed just thinking about it. Maybe I would be lucky and they wouldn’t fit.

  When we were finished, we returned to the limo for more bar-hopping around Santa Monica. Some of my friends got pretty hammered. I was glad that none of them would be behind the wheel tonight. The limousine driver was taking everyone home and Kelly to a friend’s apartment.

  Kate, Gemma and I finally got home around three in the morning to find that Will, Stephen and Colin had returned before us. They were all still awake and waiting for us in the family room. It was quite clear that Will had been drinking heavily as he had mentioned in his text. He looked like he was ready to pass out. Stephen and Colin appeared in better shape.

  “Well? How’d it go?” I looked over at Stephen and Colin.

  “Lots of drinking,” Colin replied, clearly not wanting to elaborate. “How about you girls?”

  “Lots of nice gifts,” I replied, not wanting to elaborate either. Kate and Gemma didn’t help my case when they giggled. “You all had water and aspirin, I hope?”

  “Done,” Stephen replied. “Where’d you girls go?”

  “Royalist,” I replied. It sounded tamer than it actually was. “You?”

  “Uh, to a place in West L.A.” Colin replied sheepishly.

  I knew exactly where they had been. Colin looked guilty.

  “Seen it from the outside. I figured as much. How was he?” I nodded at Will, who looked barely conscious.

  “We promise he was good. Just pissed, that’s all, and that was our fault,” Stephen said.

  I had to remember for a second that “pissed” in British English meant “drunk” rather than “angry.”

  “Well, let me get him to bed.” I grabbed Will’s hand and led him down the hall to the bedroom. He was in pretty bad shape. I could hear Kate and Gemma asking Stephen and Colin if they had been good too as I entered our bedroom. I closed the door before I could hear the responses.

  I tried to get Will to drink a little more water before he passed out. I got him undressed and into bed as well. He was not going to feel good tomorrow at all. He passed out almost as he hit the pillow. I then got myself ready for bed. My new lingerie would have to wait for another night, which didn’t bother me one little bit. As I crawled into bed, I spooned into him.

  I woke up when I heard Will moving around in the morning. Considering how bad off he had been, I expected him to be out cold most of the day, but it was only mid-morning. After running the water, brushing his teeth and some general banging around in the bathroom, he rejoined me in bed.

  “How do you feel?” I asked tentatively, not wantin
g to speak too loudly.

  “Like I’ve been hit by a lorry.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh although his pain wasn’t funny. “How much did you drink?”

  “A bit, but I don’t think it was the quantity that killed me. They were making me drink all kinds of things. I think it was the mixing.”

  “Were you sick?”

  “Before you came home last night, yes.”

  “Well, at least you got some of it out of your system.”

  “Did you drink more water and take more aspirin this morning?”

  “Yes.

  I was curious and couldn’t help but ask, “So how was your evening?”

  “It was good to see my mates.”

  “That’s not what I meant.”

  “I know. It could have been worse. In England, they probably would have put me in a dress and makeup. At least I was spared that.”

  “Lap dances?”

  “They tried. I wasn’t interested.”

  “Hmmm.”

  “You don’t sound like you believe me.”

  “No, I do.”

  He tried to change the subject. “How was your evening?”

  “Embarrassing. May you never see the pictures.”

  “Did you receive any interesting presents?”

  “Yes. I’m glad you’re not feeling well enough for me to model any of them. There were some interesting toys as well.”

  “Such as?”

  “How do you feel about handcuffs?”

  He laughed and I could tell that it hurt.

  “Why don’t we talk about this later when you’re feeling better?” I suggested.

  “I’m sorry. I think I’m probably down for the count today. Do you mind looking at houses today alone? I can go see the ones you liked on Monday when I’m in a little better shape.”

  “Are we in that much of a hurry?”

  “I just want to get the process going. I want to be behind gates before word gets out that we’re married.”

  “What? You think they’ll have me on baby bump watch or something?” I really had read too much of that tabloid garbage.

  “Probably.”

  I met with the realtor as scheduled, but alone, in light of the fact that Will was not up to it. The realtor was in her late 30’s, blond, and looked like she had some work done on herself to preserve a perfect appearance. She was dressed to the nines, in keeping with the high-end clientele with whom she dealt. She drove me around to the various homes in a high-end silver Mercedes. I half expected her to look at me strangely, wondering how someone like me, and at my age, would be looking at homes of the caliber she had lined up for me to see. She didn’t. There must be a little acting ability required in her profession too.

  She had been briefed by Will that our first priority was privacy and a view of the ocean was second. Every property she showed me was enormous, as she probably thought that it would have been what someone of Will's celebrity would expect. Of course, the extravagance embarrassed me. I really had no interest in a house the size of a small hotel.

  There was one house that appealed to me though. It was too large for my sensibilities, but the view and the backyard that overlooked it were spectacular. It was a newer home at the end of a gated winding private lane that wasn’t visible from the street and the gate was barely visible from the road. It would be difficult to find even if you were trying hard.

  The two-story exterior had more of an East Coast Hamptons kind of feel, which I liked, and a lot of windows, making the place light and airy inside. It had five bedrooms in the main part of the house, and in-law quarters that were attached to the main part of the house with a separate entrance. It was an awful lot of house for two people, but it seemed the most suitable in that it met our objectives of location, privacy, and view. Thankfully, the realtor didn’t mention the price tag. I’m sure I would’ve had a heart attack. Will had already discussed financial matters with the realtor so I was certain that it was within our range, whatever that was.

  I was happy that I had found the right house. At the same time, I felt guilty, wondering how I could possibly deserve something like that, particularly when my income, though very good for someone my age, would be a drop in the bucket, if that, in terms of paying for it. I could hear Will arguing with me in my head that we had no choice, and that something a little more downscale wouldn’t be private enough. Although I recognized the logic in that argument, I still felt uncomfortable.

  When I returned home later in the day, I found Will still in bed. He must have been asleep as I appeared to wake him when I entered the room.

  “How’s the patient?” I asked when I noticed that he was awake.

  “Better. How’d it go? Did you see something you like?”

  “I did. It’s a little big, but then all of them were. Other than that, it seemed perfect.” I described it to him and he seemed pleased. “Do you want me to let you sleep some more?”

  “No, I want you to join me. Just give me a minute and I’ll be right back.”

  While I put on one of the normal nightgowns I had received at last night’s party, I heard Will jump in the shower quickly and then brush his teeth.

  When Will finally returned, he lifted up and felt the fabric of my cream silk nightgown and said, “Nice. This is from last night?”

  I nodded. “I did get one or two normal things among the gifts.”

  “You’ll have to show me the rest later.” He lifted my new nightgown over my head and held me close. “Now you wanted to try having a serious conversation when we were alone together. What do you want to talk about?”

  “Is this just because you’re too hung over to do anything?”

  “I’m not. You’ll notice in a minute.”

  “Now you’re putting me on the spot. I don’t know. How about we talk about how we are going to manage things when you’re off working?”

  “I think we’ll have to deal with that on a case-by-case basis when the time comes. We’ll work it out somehow. I promise.”

  “The time is coming in a few weeks.”

  “Yes, but I’ll be local for more than half the shoot, either in the studio or on location here.”

  “But after that?”

  “I’ve been gone before and we’ve managed. You’ve been gone before and we’ve managed. I will move heaven and earth to get to you, I promise. I don’t want to be apart for weeks on end either.”

  “I’m going to hold you to that, you know.”

  “I know. I love you. Don’t worry.” He kissed me, which started us on a path that ended our conversation - so much for our attempt at multitasking.

  That Monday, while I was at work, Will went to see the house. I got a call mid-afternoon from Will. He sounded excited.

  “You were right. The house is perfect. It’s ours.”

  “Really?” I know I shouldn’t have been surprised that it happened that fast.

  “Well, there are some formalities first such as the inspection, but we ought to be able to close fairly quickly. The owners haven’t lived there in a while and we don’t have to worry about a loan. It’s just that the holidays will slow things down a little. I imagine we can move in sometime in early-to-mid January.”

  It looked like we were settled then. Will and I had only been back together a little over a week. We had been married only slightly less than that time. It was a little overwhelming.

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Will and I left for England two days later, arriving on Christmas Eve. A car picked us up at Heathrow and delivered us to Will’s house where we found Will’s parents, my parents, Kelly, Matt, Olivia and her family, and Emma and her boyfriend waiting for us. Margaret had insisted that they, apart from Emma, who was local, stay with them that night. Will and I intended to stay in Hampstead.

  None of them had seen us since we were married so there were a lot of hugs and congratulations.

  We all had an early dinner together, and Will and I left soon afterward since those of us
coming from the US were tired from our respective journeys.

  There were no paparazzi outside Will’s flat in Hampstead and we breathed a sigh of relief. Will carried me over the threshold yet again. As I looked around, the memories from the summer washed over me. I noticed the Bavarian beer stein and the Viking Ship from Oslo on the bookshelves and smiled.

  Will, who had gone to the bedroom to deposit our luggage, rejoined me in the living room. We stretched out on the sofa together.

  “It’s nice to be back here with you,” I said as I stared into Will’s bottomless green eyes.

  “I don’t think I could have come back to this place without you.” There was a glimmer of sadness before Will smiled.

  “It’s a good thing you didn’t have to then.” I smiled in response.

  “You didn’t bring any of your presents from your hen party with you by any chance?” Will raised his eyebrows.

  “A few, mostly the nicer ones.”

  “How about we try one of the not so nice ones?”

  “If you insist.” I playfully grimaced.

  “I do.” Will leered at me.

  The next day, Will and I spent the morning together before we had to leave for Will’s parents’ house to spend the remainder of Christmas Day with our families.

  We exchanged Christmas gifts. Will handed me a velvet box that looked like it contained jewelry. Inside was the art deco bracelet that had been the “something borrowed” for our wedding ceremony. I stared at it for a moment in disbelief and then had Will help me place it on my right wrist.

  “I can’t believe you did this,” I said although I probably should not have been surprised.

  “After you wore it during our ceremony and I saw how much you liked it, I wanted you to have it. I’m glad you didn’t notice the Wedding Planner give it back to me while we were wrapping things up after the ceremony.”

  “Then it wasn’t something borrowed, was it?”

  “It was until the ceremony was over.”

  “It’s beautiful. It will always remind me of that day. I love it. I love you.” I kissed him. “Now it’s my turn.”

  I actually spent a lot of money, all things considered. It was my money I spent so it was a good thing my money wouldn’t be needed to pay our expenses. I handed Will a little blue box from Tiffany’s.