Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 71165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
“It’s cleaner like that. The less you know, the easier it will be for you to make my character up as you wish. I’m your fantasy man,” Rex said with a charismatic smile, but a wary look had come upon his features.
I wanted to say more, but I knew I had to let it go.
It didn’t matter, I told myself.
No, it did. Who was I lying to?
I wanted to know everything about Rex Hunter. I wanted to know why that wary look had come over him. I wanted to know all his secrets and if he wanted, I would tell him all of mine.
Crazy, but true.
“Okay.” I drained the last of my orange juice, set the empty glass on the table and grinned at Rex. “I feel ready for anything now. Thank you.”
“No problem. I’m always on your side, Willow. What’s your itinerary for the day?” he asked, as he buttered a slice of toast.
“Well, the plan was to meet my friend Emma for a quick coffee before Tiffany’s lunch hen party.”
He bit into his toast. “That’s weird. A hen party held at lunch?”
“Not weird at all, if you knew how my family rolls. Since Tiffany is pregnant, Nicole has decided it must be a non-alcoholic lunch for us all.”
“I see.”
“After the hen party I’ll come back here, and we can go to Blackbeard’s bar, and I can buy you that margarita. Afterwards, we’ll attend the rehearsal and dinner party together.”
“Sounds good.”
“What will you do while I’m gone?” I asked.
“Work, walk around the lake, finish the muffins, work.”
I smiled. “The sun is out today so the lake will be very beautiful.”
“I’m really looking forward to it,” he said, and strangely, I believed him. Even though he seemed to be a sophisticated man of the world, he really was looking forward to a walk around the lake.
The car that Rex asked Solomon to arrange to take me to meet Emma dropped me off outside the Frozen Strawberry. Emma was already seated and waiting for me.
She jumped up and squealed with delight at the sight of me.
“Oh my God! Look at you. Wow! You look amazing. I love your top. It’s so cute. Er… is that… a hickey on your neck?”
I blushed. “You look pretty good yourself.” And she did. She was wearing a red sweater which made her look vibrant and gorgeous.
“Sit down, sit down,” she cried excitedly, “and tell me all about your new man. The whole town is freaking out about him. Chinese whispers and everything, but they are saying he’s not only crazy-handsome, but as rich as Croesus.”
I sat down slowly. Oh dear, I didn’t think this through. This didn’t feel good. I never wanted to lie to Emma and yet I couldn’t tell her the truth.
“Look, Emma. It’s very early days with him and me. Anything could happen. Look how long I was with Steven and how that turned out. So, I’m not counting my chickens until they are well and truly laid this time.”
She deflated slightly at that. “Oh! All right. How is Queen Bitch doing? I bet she must be one of those intolerably awful Godzilla brides.”
“Actually, she’s been pretty good so far, but I’ll tell you more after I attend her non-alcoholic lunch hen party.”
Emma burst out laughing. “What?”
“I know. It was Nicole’s idea. She reckons since Tiffany is pregnant and shouldn’t drink, none of us should either.”
Emma chuckled. “How will you bear it without alcohol?”
“I have no idea.”
“Shall I go get my dad’s whisky flask? You can keep it in your purse.”
I laughed. “Thanks, but Nicole has probably hired a doorman to check everybody’s bags as they go in.”
Louis came to take the orders and we ordered a pot of coffee and a plate of their lovely strawberry shortcakes.
It was nice catching up with Emma. It was a long time since I could just relax with an old friend. The hustle and bustle of New York was exciting, but meeting a friend who knew you inside out… I missed that.
Time flew…
21
REX
I breathed deeply, and let the cold, crisp air fill my lungs. The sun had turned the lake into a glistening mirror. The bare branches were heavy with snow. It felt good to be out here. There were some birds in the sky, other than that I was alone.
I turned around when I heard a sound behind me. To my surprise, Tiffany was coming towards me. I sighed with irritation. She was the last person I wanted to see.
“Yoo Hoo,” she called cheerfully, and waved vigorously.
I didn’t wave back. Eventually, she came to stand next to me. “Hi, fancy running into you here.”
I didn’t believe her. She was just not the walking type. She must have seen me come out here and followed. I turned to look at her. She was wearing a white coat with a fur trimmed hood which suited her. She had the kind of narrow nose only a plastic surgeon would dream up, and her mouth was too swollen, but her eyes were large and could have been pretty if they didn’t have so much cunning in them.