by Lacey London
‘Are you offering to babysit so I can whisk her away?’ Marc puts his hand on Gina’s knee fondly. ‘We could do with a holiday.’
‘Erm, I guess I could give it a go. What do you say, Madison?’ Seemingly unimpressed, she lets out an almighty scream. ‘Maybe not.’ Handing over the bawling baby, I reach down for my mug of coffee.
‘What about his parents? How did that go?’ Marc cradles Madison, who immediately shuts up at the sound of his voice, a real daddy’s girl in the making.
‘It actually went really well. We did have a projectile vomiting incident, but we soon got over it. They’re very cool parents.’ I smile fondly at the recollection.
‘As cool as us?’ Gina pipes in from the kitchen.
‘Almost! You would love Janie.’ I shout back. ‘How was Oliver today? Jet lagged?’
‘Oliver?’ Marc looks puzzled as he juggles Madison’s bottle and the television remote.
‘Yes, at work. He left before the sun had come up. I’m surprised he could even get out of bed to be honest. You didn’t see him?’ Putting down my cup, I dig out my phone to see if he has called. Nothing. I wonder if he is at home yet.
‘Erm, I was in and out of the office all day. Didn’t even stop for lunch.’ He fights Madison for her dummy and replaces it with a bottle before she can scream.
‘Busy day then?’ I ask, tossing my phone back into my handbag.
‘Mayhem. Looking forward to coming back tomorrow? It has been crazy without you guys.’
‘Not even a little bit.’ Letting out a little sigh, I pull my bag up onto my shoulder. ‘Speaking of work, I should get back. I’m absolutely exhausted.’
‘No worries. We should probably put this one down for the night anyway.’ He lifts Madison up for a goodbye kiss. Clearly not happy at being disturbed, she scrunches up her tiny face angrily.
Bending down for a quick peck on the cheek, I give Marc a hug before heading for the door.
‘Nice to see you Gina.’ I put my head into the kitchen and give her a wave.
Letting myself out, I beep open the car and jump into the driver’s seat. Turning up the heating, I make a mental note to dig out my beanie hat and Dr. Martens. Where did summer go? Pulling out into the road, I can’t stop thinking about Gina and her pink engagement ring. I don’t think I have ever seen a pink, heart shaped engagement ring before. Then again, I didn’t think I would ever meet anyone else like Gina until I met Janie. The more I come to think of it, Gina really is a Janie in the making. Two Janies, imagine the chaos.
Chapter 42
Pouring myself a very large glass of Rioja, I slip my cold feet into a pair of fluffy slippers and wander over to the window. I pull my dressing gown tightly around me, before wiping the condensation from the glass. Where the hell is Oliver? I’m starting to get a little worried now. It’s almost nine and there’s still no word from him. I haven’t actually spoken to him since we went to bed last night. He knows how much I panic about him when he is late. Would a quick text to let me know that he is alive be too much to ask? Just as I am about to call him one last time, I am blinded by ridiculously bright headlights as his Audi pulls onto the driveway. Breathing a sigh of relief, I shuffle back into the kitchen and grab another glass.
‘Clara?’ Oliver’s tired voice travels along the lobby, along with the distinct smell of Chinese food. Hmm. Chinese food.
After filling the glass with wine, I scurry into the lounge. ‘Hi!’ I plant a kiss on his very cold nose as he enters the room. ‘You’re freezing! Where have you been?’ Taking the box of food, I hand him the wine and grab some plates.
‘I had to stay on late at the office.’ Shrugging off his coat, he takes a seat at the dining table. ‘I’m sorry, I should have called, but my battery died. ‘I didn’t know if you would be hungry, so I got enough for two just in case.’
‘Good thinking. I always have room for Chinese food.’ Diving into the greasy noodles, I try my hardest not to spill black bean sauce down my chin.
‘So, how was lunch with Lianna?’ He asks, dunking a chip into the curry sauce.
‘How did you know I was meeting Li?’ I pause, fork to mouth.
‘Erm, you told me.’ Oliver shrugs his shoulders nonchalant.
‘When?’ Totally confused, I bite my lip. I don’t remember that.
‘Last night.’
‘Oh.’ I’m sure I have early onset memory loss. ‘Anyway, it was great. Her ring is to die for and she looked so happy. I swear she was practically glowing.’ I take a deep slug of wine before reaching for the fried rice. ‘I also went to see Marc. Madison has grown so much. She is seriously the cutest thing you have ever seen. We will have to go together at the weekend.’
Oliver smiles and says nothing as he tucks into his meal. Bless him. He looks like absolutely shattered. The first day of being back in the grey English weather and his sparkle is already dulling. I wonder if he will let me give him a coat of St. Tropez? Debating whether or not I could get away with mixing some into his shower gel, I refill our glasses.
‘Was it busy at work?’ Reaching over, I put the rest of the noodles onto his plate already full plate.
‘Not really.’ He replies, with a quick shrug of his shoulders.
‘Really? Marc said it was mayhem.’
‘He did? Well, maybe it was up on sixth. Down in the studio, not so much.’
‘If it wasn’t busy then why did you stay so late?’ I don’t intend this to sound like an accusation, but I have a feeling it has come out that way.
‘I just had some loose ends to tie up. Can we leave it please?’ Putting down his cutlery, Oliver runs his hands through his hair and lets out a big sigh.
Loose ends? What is he talking about? Putting it down to exhaustion, I decide not to cause an argument. ‘You look so tired. Why don’t we finish this and then I’ll run you a bath? How does that sound?’
‘That sounds great. Unlike someone I know, I was up at the crack of dawn this morning. He flashes me a wink as he goes back to his food.
For a few minutes, we eat in silence, a comfortable yet very tired silence. Devouring my chow mein, I glance up to see Oliver staring at me, with a half smile playing at the corner of his mouth.
‘What is it? Have I got it on my chin again?’ I am about to reach for a napkin when he takes my hand in his.
‘Yes, you have. Clara Andrews, I love you.’ He lets out a laugh and plants a kiss on my fingers.
‘Because I have chow mein on my face?’
‘That’s exactly why.’ Stroking my fingers, he shakes his head and shoots me that Hollywood smile that I have grown so accustomed to.
Fiddling with my bra strap, I watch him munch away at the mountain of food on his plate, stopping only for the occasional sip of wine. Wiping his mouth carefully, he places his knife and fork neatly at the side of his plate.
‘And that, Oliver Morgan, is why I love you.’
‘Because I like Chinese food?’
‘That’s exactly why.’
Chapter 43
After my third attempt at trying to reverse park into the world’s smallest parking space, I give up and dump my car at the side of road. Telling myself that I will run down and move it later, I grab my handbag and run towards the revolving doors. For the second time this week, Oliver has left for work before I had even stirred and considering that for the past year we have travelled into work together, this bothers me a little.
A quick glance at the ridiculously long queue for the lift encourages me to make the healthy decision to take the stairs, a decision that I massively regret when I get to the second floor. With a lot of huffing and puffing, I just about make it to the studio alive. Tugging on the handle, I am annoyed to discover that it is still locked. Oliver left hours ago! Why is the studio locked up? Peering through the frosted glass, I can see that the entire room is in complete darkness. If he isn’t here then where is he? We have just come back from holiday and have a mountain of work to catch up on! He knows the rules. Work hard
to play hard.
Digging my phone out of the depths of my handbag, I speed dial Lianna. It rings for a moment before clicking over to her familiar voice mail. Jabbing at the off button, I toss the handset back into my bag. What the hell is going on? Feeling around in my pocket, I realise that in my post Mexico daze, I have left my office keys at home. Heaving my handbag onto my shoulder, I stride down to the lift. My breathing has only just returned to normal, there is no way I am tackling the stairs again.
Riding down to Reception, I tap my fingers on the rail impatiently. The building is weirdly quiet for this time in the morning. Normally you can’t even get into the lift without being squashed like a sardine, today is like a ghost town. As the doors ping open, I walk straight past Lianna’s empty desk and knock on Marc’s door.
‘Marc?’ Letting myself in, I shoot him a quizzical look as he slams down the phone at the sound of my voice.
‘Clara! Hi! Erm, how are you?’ He wipes a bead of sweat from his brow and smiles worriedly.
‘What’s going on?’ I ask.
‘Nothing! Why?’ Looking totally panicked, he fiddles with his watch strap anxiously.
‘Marc! You’re making me nervous! Where is everyone?’
‘Erm, why aren’t you at the studio?’
‘Because it was locked up. Why are you being so weird?’
Luckily for Marc, he is saved by the bell as my phone bleeps from inside my bag.
Need you in the studio. Come ASAP.
The studio? I have just been to the bloody studio and it is locked up.
‘Never mind. Oliver has just text, he’s in the studio. God knows where he has been until now.’ Annoyed, I push the door open. ‘If you hear from Li, get her to call me!’
Jumping into the lift for the second time, I try not to swear as I get a static shock from the door. This is not what I need before I have had my morning caffeine hit. I am usually on my second espresso by now replying to my many emails.
Striding along the lobby, my stomach grumbles loudly reminding me that I haven’t eaten a thing since last night. I hope Oliver has brought bagels with him. A cream cheese bagel would go down a treat right now. Well the light is on this time so that’s a start. Reaching for the door handle, the delicious smell of hot bread and garlic hit me straight in the face. Garlic for breakfast? I don’t think I will ever get used to these American customs.
Stepping into the studio, my jaw drops as I look around the room. Every surface is covered with pizza boxes, hundreds of pizza boxes. Small ones, large ones, square ones and rounds ones. What is going on? The windows are steamed up with condensation and it takes me a moment to notice Oliver standing by the work bench.
‘I hope you’re hungry.’ Taking a few steps forward, he takes my hands and leads me across the room.
I open my mouth to speak but no words come out, thankfully Oliver does the talking. Holding out a tiny pizza box, he takes a deep breath.
‘Clara, from the moment I met you, I knew that you were special. But it was one afternoon, right here in the studio that I realised just how special. I stole your pepperoni pizza and you stole my heart.’
My heart pounds so hard that I think it is actually going burst. Either that or stop beating altogether. Is he going to?
Opening the lid, he reveals a navy, velvet jewellery box. Holding onto the desktop, I actually feel light headed as he gets down onto one knee.
‘Clara Andrews...’ My breathing stops completely, my eyes as wide as saucers. ’...will you marry me?’
Tears spill down my cheeks as he opens the lid, revealing an enormous diamond ring. This cannot be happening.
‘Is that a yes?’ He asks, his voice light but serious.
Remembering how to use my tongue, I shout out what I have been screaming in my head. ‘Yes!’ Throwing my arms around his neck, I let out a happy sob. I can’t believe it! He really does love me!
He takes my hand and slips the shiny band onto my finger. I don’t think I have ever been so happy. ‘I love you so much!’ Not even looking at the ring, I wipe emotional tears from my eyes. ‘Can I ask you a question?’
‘Yes.’
‘Why all the pizza?’
‘Oh, that! Guys, you can come out now!’
Looking around the room, I nearly pass out as Lianna pops up from behind the work bench, and then Marc steps out of the supply cupboard. One by one, people crawl out of the shadows, until the whole room is filled with my colleagues. Applause fills the room as I take in all the smiling faces.
‘Clara!’ Lianna appears in front of me and grabs my hand excitedly. ‘Congratulations! We are going to be bride buddies! I’m so happy for you! Let me see the ring!’
Holding out my hand, I realise that in all the commotion I hadn’t even looked properly at the ring. The diamond is huge and secured with sparkly shoulder diamonds along the band. It really is stunning. In some ways, it almost looks antique. If it wasn’t for the high shine of the platinum, I would think it was. As if reading my mind, Lianna lets out a shriek.
‘Wow! It looks antique!’
‘It is.’ Oliver wraps his arms around my waist. ‘It belonged to my late grandmother.’
‘Really?’ It suddenly becomes a lot more beautiful.
‘My mom gave it to me in Mexico. I told her I was going to propose and she wanted it you to have it.’
For the second time today, tears fall down my cheeks, big, emotional, happy tears. I can’t ever remember being this happy. This is where I belong. This is where my future is. Snuggling into Oliver’s chest, I look around the room and feel a huge swell of pride. Marc is devouring a giant sized slice of pizza whilst video calling Gina. Lianna is hysterically spouting wedding venues down my ear and Oliver, well Oliver isn’t doing anything at all, just smiling down at me. And in that moment, as we look into each other’s eyes, we both know it, we both feel it and yet we don’t need to say anything at all.
11.13am
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: Order number - 3456289
Invoice Summary
Item 2451
Rose Heart Shape Platinum Engagement Ring : Qty - 1
Balance Settled In Full - Visa Debit
Estimated Delivery Date - 21st December 2015
THE END
HAVE YOU READ THE FIRST IN THE CLARA ANDREWS SERIES?
Meet Clara Andrews is available to download from Amazon.
With a love of designer brands, a fantastic job at Suave, the latest big name to rock the shoe industry and the world’s greatest best friend, she thought she had it all.
That is until a chance meeting introduces her to Oliver, a devastatingly handsome, American designer. Trying to keep the focus on her work, Clara finds her heart stolen by Michelin starred restaurants and luxury hotels.
Clara reminds herself that inter-office relationships are against the rules, so when a sudden recollection of a work’s night out leads her to a cheeky, charming and downright gorgeous barman, she decides to see where it goes.
Will she be able to stumble her way through the dangers of dating two men?
Join Clara, as she finds herself landing in and out of trouble, re-affirming friendships, discovering truths and uncovering secrets.
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