‘This is where we’re staying?’
Ciara Bree gaped for so long her eyes watered and stung. When they had first talked about a round the world trip, back when they had spent those endless days in their college library at Oxford, she’d never expected this.
Glamping in some fancy static caravan rigged out for the three of them, yes. Maybe even the odd budget hotel or hostel – something that would be affordable with the cash she’d managed to save from her part-time uni job. But this… A mathematics and statistics graduate from Wicklow didn’t have words for this.
Her bestie, Elle Muir, sauntered towards the white mini-mansion, right smack at the bottom of Hollywood Hill. ‘My granddad said we could crash at his houses during our trip, as long as we promise not to break anything. No point wasting precious shopping credit when we can have this for free.’
‘C’mon Ciara!’ Her other best friend, Gem, shoved her shoulder, but she must have still been in shock because her legs refused to budge. They’d never been poor growing up, and her da had always given her everything she wanted – and some things she didn’t, like tuition fees to Oxford. She’d known Gem and Elle came from families so rich the Crown Jewels would be their Mas’ idea of day jewellery, but she’d never met them in the flesh and it was much easier to believe her two best friends liked to exaggerate. After all, like her, they were super smart. Only difference was, when she’d gone to Oxford, she was The Ultimate Geek and they were more Geek Chic.
With a laugh, her friend said, ‘It’s not like we’re staying over there. You can pick your chin off the floor now.’
Following Gem’s outstretched arm, towards a mini-version of the White House, Ciara saw the comparison. They were staying in what looked to be the garage of the super-mansion she had first seen – though this garage still came with a huge drive, palm trees and exotic-looking flowers galore. But… feck. Their temporary home had her flustered, or maybe that was the midday Californian sun made stronger since it reflected off the bright walls.
Ciara just shook her head. ‘I’ll never roll my eyes at you again when you go on and on about this stuff.’
Gem pulled back her bright red hair into a ponytail then swiped a coat of sweat off her forehead. ‘I want to have a dip in the pool to cool off before the jet lag kicks in. You coming?’
Nodding, she followed wordlessly into the house to be shocked anew. If the outside had her chin dropping the inside would have her tongue rolling down to meet it. Chic, shiny floors covered what she assumed was the entrance vestibule, though this was much bigger than her dorm room. Bigger than five, probably. A massive, spiral staircase was situated opposite the door and artwork that looked suspiciously like originals instead of knock offs hung strategically on the walls. Ciara was scared to breathe for fear of steaming up the shiny floor or staining the pristine walls, and feck! She still had her shoes on!
‘Let’s turn this duty free bottle of tequila into something strong and icy before we hit the pool.’ Elle held up the airport bag with a grin.
‘Ooo iced margaritas?’ Gem asked.
At Elle’s nod they rolled their suitcases through the swanky house. Ciara worried that her Tesco special bag was spoiling the look of the whole place just by being there.
The kitchen was bigger than her whole house, complete with shiny chrome accessories, a kitchen bar and small dining table – not to mention the integrated appliances and even crushed ice maker. It did make Elle’s job of filling a massive jug with ice much easier, but everything seemed so foreign, like she was watching an episode of MTV Cribs not getting ready for her first stop on a crazy round the world trip.
‘Should we take our bags up first?’ she asked, having visions of jet lag kicking in when she was poolside and falling into a margarita induced coma.
‘No way. I say we dig around them for a bikini then chill at the pool for a while,’ Elle replied.
Gem agreed, unzipping her bag and picking out one of goodness knew how many two pieces, all still with the tags on. Ciara did the same. After all, she was as unlikely to win a fight with Elle as she was able to pick up a car and swing it over her head.
They took turns in the laundry room getting poolside ready and slapping on the SPF 30, then Elle led them through another hall.
‘Does that belong to one of you?’ She asked, toeing a bag out her way with her flip flop.
The sports bag was so full it almost burst the seams. ‘No,’ Ciara said at the same time Gem did.
‘Hmm,’ Elle scowled at the bag like it was filled with manure, then shrugged. ‘The housekeeper must have left it.’
Ciara slipped her sunglasses on the second they were outside. Elle and Gem insisted panda eyes was never a good look but since the weather back home was overcast eighty percent of the year, bright sunlight generally fried her retinas. And if she wanted to stay awake instead of lying out here all day frazzling, she needed to keep her eyes open.
It wasn’t too hard to manage since she was hit with another dose of the OMGs. The pool area was about the size of a holiday complex, with a stone terrace, terracotta furniture and the comfiest sun loungers she’d ever had the pleasure of lying on.
‘Drink up girls. The Adventures of Muir, Bree and Howard have begun!’ Elle filled up their glasses.
Gem pouted. ‘I still prefer Geeks on Tour.’
‘Nonsense. We’re too chic to be geeks, right Ciara?’ Elle said.
They might be, but all she’d ever been was a geek as far as her schoolmates were concerned. Instead of taking sides, she shrugged and chugged down some of the drink. Her eyes watered and she made a vow to make the next round or that margarita coma might come sooner than she’d feared.
‘It’s really, really, scorching here,’ she said to change the subject. Sticky lotion aside, her whole body was melting.
‘It’s great isn’t it?’ Elle said, chugging down more of her drink.
Against her better judgement, she did the same but the ice didn’t help cool her off. Since they’d left the wonderfully air conditioned house, the lack of a breeze and sun beating down was a little too much for her.
‘Feck it,’ she said, finishing the last of her drink and getting up.
‘Don’t wuss out on us already, Ciara. We’ve got hours and hours of tanning time left,’ Gem said.
‘Then I’m going to have hours and hours of cooling off to do.’ The tequila had already created a tiny, giddy buzz and the thought that she was in California, LA, hell Hollywood, kicked in.
That’s all it took to get over the shock of Elle’s grandfather’s house, the heat, the worry she might pass out on the sun lounger and frazzle – after all crazy girlie holidays were about having fun and not worrying about the little things. So she kicked off her flip flops, removed her sunglasses, took a run for it, and jumped into the pool.
The water was lovely, not cold, more like a warm bath that had been left for a bit to cool down. She swam from one end half way to the other before she broke the surface grinning.
Gem and Elle were already up, giggling at her change of attitude – she had to admit she’d been a bit of a moody cow so far. In her defence, the never ending plane journey