“Do you think I might also like some interviewer digging around in my personal life for a couple of hours?”
“That,” he returned, following her into the kitchen with his plate, “is where my press office comes in. I can prep you.” Decision made, Cal rinsed his plate.
Needing movement, Ava wiped the sparkling benches while he stacked the dishwasher. But when everything had been cleared, tidied and returned to its drawer or shelf, there was nothing left to occupy her hands.
“Go sit outside,” Cal said as he reached for the cupboard. “I’ll bring you some tea.”
Once alone on the balcony, the rigid composure she’d been battling drained. The warmth of the patio heater brushed her skin, a delicious contrast to the sharp bite of cold wind. She grabbed up the throw rug and wrapped it around her shoulders, tucking her feet beneath her bottom as she sat.
Like Alice down the rabbit hole, everything had changed. Gone was peace and quiet, replaced by the shiny boldness of newly acquired fame and fortune. Over lunch at a North Shore café, Isabelle had bluntly described what to expect leading up to the wedding.
“You’ll be on everyone’s invitation list,” the older woman said in between bites of her smoked salmon sandwich. “Parties, social appearances. Requests for fashion shoots and interviews. That’s the upside. The downside is less delightful but just as important.”
“Rumor and innuendo?”
At Isabelle’s serious nod, Ava’s smile had dropped. “Yes. Imagine your worst doubts, your deepest fears plastered on the front page of every newspaper in the country. If there’s anything you’ve ever done but don’t want the press to know, they’ll find it.” She leaned back, fixing Ava with a steady look. “It’s how you handle it that matters.”
Ava shuddered. It was one thing to think the worst of herself, to harbor that black cloud of failure, but to have her insecurities publicly aired for everyone to see?
That was not going to happen.
The moment was broken by the door swooshing open. Cal stepped outside with two steaming cups and a sheaf of papers.
The contract.
He placed it and a pen in front of her, then the cup. With outward calm, she picked up the papers and flicked through them. He’d efficiently tagged the places for her signature but instead of blindly signing, she tucked them beside her on the couch. “I’ll have to read this over.”
He nodded, settling in the one-seater across from her, a casual version of the previous night. “Of course.”
Ava snagged her cup and for a few minutes they remained silent. She’d never felt the need to fill a lull with inane chat, but Cal’s presence made her acutely aware of her own, the way she looked, dressed, acted. He made her as nervous as a teenager on her first date.
“Your mother loves to shop,” Ava ventured lamely.
“My mother believes shopping is a great icebreaker.” He smiled, shifting his large bulk more comfortably in the seat. “It’s her great people leveler.”
“We did talk a lot.”
“About?”
“Mostly me. The wedding.” She deliberately omitted the topic of Cal’s childhood, unwilling to betray Isa-belle’s generous openness. “I had no idea there were so many bridal magazines on the market.”
He couldn’t hide a wry grin. “I always suspected Mum was a closet wedding freak. Sorry.”
“I don’t mind,” Ava said truthfully. The woman’s enthusiasm had been appealing when she’d gifted her with a bunch of current bridal magazines in the car. Cosmopolitan Bride, Vogue Bride, Australian Bridal Directory, The Bride’s Diary…the sheer volume of what Ava had assumed was a narrow topic made her head spin. At first it had taken all her acting skills, pitiful as they were, to smile and thank her for the gift. But Isabelle had sensed her less than enthusiastic response and had clamped a lid on her excitement, instead changing the topic to their day ahead.
And as the day passed, Ava had managed to banish the heavy reality that had settled like cement in her chest and instead found herself enjoying the outing. The subversive shine of the city had already begun to leach in, the bustle and movement exciting her in a way she’d not felt in ages.
“We have two formal functions Thursday and Friday night,” Cal said, bringing her back to the present. “I assume those dresses you bought are appropriate?”
She took exception at his tone. “Cal, I’m not completely clueless. I do know how to dress.”
“Yes.” His eyes ran over her, warming her more thoroughly than the tea ever could. “I believe you do.” Then he glanced away. “It’ll be your first public appearance as my fiancée, so be prepared. There’ll be cameras, as well as questions.”
“What kind of questions?”
“Ones you’ll be expected to know as my fiancée.”
“Like what?”
“Well, what would you want to know?”
That threw her for a second and she scrambled. “Umm…why don’t you have a computer at home?”
He shook his head. “Don’t need one when I have this.” He pulled the phone from his pocket and handed it to her. “The new V-Fone. It’s a computer, scheduler, GPS and phone in one, all operating with One-Click software. It integrates with my work computer so I’m always contactable. We’ve had a one-hundred-percent customer satisfaction rating since its launch three months ago.”
She ran her hand over the smooth, cold surface, marvelling at the power in such a tiny device, before handing it back. “What are your working hours like?”
He made an offhand gesture. “Long and filled with meetings, budget reports, investment strategies.”
“Do you like what you do?”
“I get to travel the world and make million-dollar decisions.”
“But do you like it?” She probed. “I’m assuming one day you’ll be doing Victor’s job. That’s pretty different than developing software.”
His smile was brief and humourless. “I’ve worked damn hard to earn the right. VP Tech has been my goal since I was seventeen.”
“I see.” He still hadn’t answered her. And was it her imagination or did she sense hesitation in that smooth reply?
“I work twelve- to fourteen-hour days, Monday to Saturday,” he added, almost as if trying to justify his non-answer.
“Not Sunday?”
“Sundays are for…relaxing.”
She flushed at the deep timbre of his voice. “What’s your favourite meal?”
“Lamb roast.” The muscles in his face relaxed. “My turn.” He paused, assessing her, and for a moment Ava’s insides twisted at his complete and utter focus.
“What is…” he paused, “your favourite childhood movie?”
Her mouth tilted. “The Sound of Music. Yours?”
“The Great Escape. What did you want to be when you grew up?”
“A ballerina—but I wasn’t skinny enough.”
His eyes grazed her and even beneath the throw rug, she felt her body leap in response. “You look perfectly fine to me.”
He was flirting with her. But why? He’d made it perfectly clear she wasn’t to be trusted, yet here he was, handing out little snippets of his inner self like party favours. It wasn’t in her to question why the sudden good fortune. She just went