Clara Meets The Parents (Clara Andrews #2) (10 page)

BOOK: Clara Meets The Parents (Clara Andrews #2)
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Chapter 27

 

Twirling around in the dressing room mirror, I try to ignore the impatient squeals of Erica coming from the other side of the velvet curtain. I can’t quite believe this is me. After our costly shopping spree in the first shop, I thought we were more than done. However, four hours, three margaritas, two pedicures and a makeover later, we are still flashing the plastic. The tired, frizzy haired girl who left the hotel room this morning is definitely not the preened and polished woman staring back at me in the dressing room mirror.

‘OK, I’m gonna count to three and then I’m coming in there. Pants or no pants.’

Smoothing out the skirt on the incredible, lace cocktail dress, I rip back the curtain and flounce out. Erica is sprawled out in a throne like chair, nodding approvingly.

‘Definitely!’ Throwing back her fizz, she slams the glass down. ‘We’ll take it!’

‘Really? Are you sure?’ I have gotten quite used to hearing that today, but this is a particularly expensive dress. Trying and failing to convert the price to sterling, I know it is at least three months wages.

‘For the love of God, Clara! We’re getting the damn dress.’

Letting out an ecstatic shriek, I dive back into the room and tug off the beautiful gown, before begrudgingly slipping back into my boring, old jersey dress. I don’t know whether it is the vast amount of alcohol swishing around inside me or the rush of adrenaline I get each time Erica swipes that magical black card, but I have never felt more alive.

Diving out onto the shop floor, I clutch the dress tightly as I rush over to the till where Erica is waiting rather impatiently.

‘Erica, you are really amazing! Thank you so much!’ Kissing her cheek, I clap my hands together happily.

The cashier scans in the pile of clothes and folds them carefully, wrapping each one in delicate, rose tinted tissue paper. This is not like shopping at the GAP. I watch the numbers racking up on the tiny screen and feel a frisson of excitement as Erica slides the plastic across the desk. I need one of those cards in my life. I have to have one.

‘Erica Washington? The cashier’s over inflated lips stretch into a Diaz worthy smile.

‘Yeah.’ Erica replies, not bothering to look up.

‘Lordy hallelujah! I knew it was you! Do you not remember me? It’s me, Eva!’

Eva looks eagerly at Erica, but she just blinks back blankly.

‘I used to work in the Dallas branch? Come on! You were on our posters for months!’

A dawning realisation creeps onto Erica’s face. ‘Of course! Eva! Hi! How are you?’

‘I’m good! Carlos and I have been down here five years or so now.’ She hands the card machine to Erica who pumps in her pin without even glancing at the amount. ‘We have a beautiful little girl, her name’s Leticia...’

‘That’s incredible! Good for you guys! Well, we gotta run.’ Whipping the card out of her hand along with the lengthy receipt, Erica shoves me towards the door. ‘Give my love to Lettuce.’

‘It’s actually Leticia...’ Eva shouts, as the door slams shut behind us.

‘How random that you would bump into someone like that here! How do you know her?’ Digging my sunglasses from the depths of my handbag, I struggle not to drop the mountain of shopping bags that we have accrued throughout the day

‘Oh, I used to model their swimwear from time to time.’ Erica raises her arm to flag down a taxi.

‘Whose swimwear?’ I stare at her, totally confused.

‘Dior.’ She takes a step back as a silver car pulls up, narrowly missing our freshly painted toes.

‘Dior. You used to model Dior’s swimwear?’ I don’t believe this! Well actually I do believe it. I mean look at her. Handing our masses of bags over to the driver, I dive onto the back seat. ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’

‘There isn’t really anything to tell, it was a long time ago.’ She hops in next to me and gives the driver directions back to the hotel. ‘We would do promotions from the Dallas branch to showcase the new lines.’

‘So, were you like a celebrity or something?’ This is really exciting! I knew there was something special about her. Prestige and glamour just ooze from her every pore. It makes perfect sense.

‘For the modelling? No. For being LP’s wife? Yes.’ Fiddling with her huge engagement ring, she applies another slick of lipstick to her already pink lips. ‘For a while it was everywhere we went. The grocery store, the gym, the beach house. The press were everywhere, wanting to know everything.’

‘Everything about what?’

‘Around five years ago, LP had an affair with a well known client of his.’ Erica screws her hands into tight fists and looks out of the window. ‘Because of the court case I can’t name names, but it was kinda high profile. I had to get away for a while, went down to Dallas and got signed up to a modelling agency. I’m sure it was more because of who I was rather than what I looked liked, but it took my mind off things for the few months it took for him to come running back.’ A single tear races down her cheek which she immediately wipes away.

Not knowing what to say, I decide not to say anything. Instead, I reach across the sticky, leather seats and give her hand a little squeeze.

‘Anyway, that’s enough of all that crap. Driver, pull over. I need a drink.’ And just like that, Erica was back.

Chapter 28

 

Bursting through the hotel room door, I am still on a post shopping high and perhaps a little more intoxicated than I was an hour ago. That last glass of fabulous fizz is now bubbling around my very full bladder and I really need to pee. Dropping the many bags down at the edge of the plush bed, I make a dash for the toilet.

After flushing and wiping, I skip back into the bedroom to find a puzzled looking Oliver standing over the mountain of bags.

‘Well someone had a productive day.’ Scooping me up into a huge bear hug, he nuzzles his warm face into my neck and I breathe in the lovely sun lotion scent.

‘I did! Very productive! What did you guys get up to?’ I tuck my hair behind my ears and sprawl out on the bed, glad to be finally off my feet.

‘We had a not so productive pool day, but we did manage to book dinner reservations and top up our tans before my parents abandoned me for the bright lights of Cancun. You haven’t already eaten, have you?’

‘I actually haven’t.’ I reply, choosing to ignore the Cancun comment. ‘We did drink a lot of drinks and buy a lot of stuff though. Wanna see?’ Reaching down to the floor, I grab the bags and tip them upside down onto the bed. The lavish fabrics spill out onto the duvet in a beautiful display of vogue.

‘Wow! You really abused that plastic! Does it still work?’ Laughing, he picks up the amazing Dior dress and raises his eyebrows at the hefty price tag.

‘Not my plastic, Erica’s plastic.’ Grabbing the dress from him, I jump up and run over to the floor length mirror.

‘Wait a minute. Erica bought you all this stuff?’

‘Yes! Obviously I refused at first, but she was really persistent! We had our nails done, cocktails, everything! She’s incredible! I have never met someone so generous!’ I gush.

‘You hardly know the woman, why would she spend all this money on you?’ Crossing his legs, he begins putting the clothes back into the bags.

‘To be honest, I don’t really know. She did tell me that LP had an extra marital affair though. I think she is still a little sore about it. I get the feeling that she spends his cash as a way of balancing out the score in a weird sort of way.’

‘Affair?’ Oliver’s brow furrows as he cracks his knuckles.

‘Yes, can you believe it? Around five years ago, LP had an affair with some celebrity woman and it was widely covered by the press. Erica was distraught and went down to Dallas for a few months to escape the chaos. Apparently it didn’t take LP long to realise the error of his ways and he flew down there to beg for forgiveness. It seems they lead a pretty crazy life.’

‘So, did she tell you any more about the time she spent in Dallas?’ Oliver asks.

‘Not really, just that she did some modelling to make ends meet. Why?’ I grab a couple of bottles of water from the fridge and toss one to him.

‘No reason. Do you not think it’s in bad taste to help a woman spend her husband’s cash in some kind of tacky revenge plan?’ His voice is low and he looks a little annoyed.

‘Listen, if someone wants to buy me a Dior dress, I’m not going to complain too hard. Now, what time are we going for dinner, I need feeding.’

Shaking his head, he reaches for his phone before heading out to the balcony. ‘I’ll check with my parents, Dad made the reservation.’

As he wanders outside, I slip the beautiful new garments onto hangers and pop them in the wardrobe. Maybe it was in bad taste to let her buy these for me, but if that’s how she wants to spend her money, who am I to stand in the way? Confident in my decision to accept the expensive gifts, I flop back down on the bed.

After all the excitement of today, I could really do with a night in front of the television with the entire room service menu to feast on. The idea of getting showered and restaurant ready is a little too much to take right now. My eyes are starting to become heavy and before I know what is happening, my arms reach down and pull the sheets up to my tired shoulders. This feels like heaven right now. I don’t even think I would move if Ryan Gosling asked.

‘Clara? Clara, are you awake?’ Oliver’s voice stops me from slipping into a sleepy oblivion.

‘No.’ I reply, not moving a muscle.

‘Unfortunately, my parents have missed the bus back from Cancun. They won’t be back in time for dinner.’

‘Oh, no. What a shame.’ Secretly relieved, I lift my head off the pillow and peel open one eye. ‘What do you want to do then?’

‘To be completely honest, I’d rather fire up that jacuzzi and order room service. I’m beat.’ Crawling under the covers, he snuggles into the pillow. ‘Would that be all right?’

‘That would be perfect. Just make sure to order the brownies, lots and lots of brownies.’

 

 

 

 

 

9.12pm

To: [email protected]

 

From: [email protected]

 

Subject: Membership Renewal

 

Hi,

 

I would like to renew my gym membership with immediate effect.

 

Thank you in advance,

 

Clara Andrews

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 29

 

‘Another brownie?’ Oliver holds out the near empty plate and I push it away sharply.

‘I’m seriously finding it hard to breathe right now. I have eaten way too much.’ Hiccuping, I push myself up onto my elbows and reach for the wine. Tonight has been just lovely.

After a delicious, two hour long nap, we took great pleasure in ordering a truck load of food from the room service menu and even greater pleasure in devouring every last bit. I must have consumed a week’s worth of calories in one greedy sitting and as a result I am suitably stuffed.

Putting down my now empty glass, I wander outside to the balcony and breathe in the warm air. It may be almost midnight, but the bar below is still in full swing. I watch a group of happy holiday makers laughing and clinking glasses, as the water splashes happily on the sand behind them. The lovely chirping of crickets provides a beautiful white noise to the picture perfect scene. Happy, holiday bliss.

If Mexico looked pretty in the daytime, the dark of night really brings out something special. The normally turquoise waters are now a shimmering sheet of black under the moonlight and the roaring waves have resorted to a gentle sigh, making the whole beach feel a million times smaller than it was just a few hours earlier. You almost feel cocooned by the darkness, safe in it’s warm shadows.

‘Are you sure you don’t want this last brownie? I’m not gonna ask again?’ Oliver stumbles out on the balcony and wafts the gooey treat under my nose.

‘Definitely sure. You knock yourself out.’ Slipping my arms around his neck, I watch him demolish the cake in one huge bite. ‘I wouldn’t mind a refill though? Is there any more wine?’

Shaking his head, he leans against balcony wall. ‘I think we’re all out. I’ll go down to the bar and grab another bottle.’

‘You don’t need to do that, just phone down for one.’

‘I honestly don’t mind. Besides, I could do with stretching my legs a little.’ Planting a chocolaty smacker on my lips, he disappears back into the room.

Hearing the hotel room door clunk shut, I take a final breath of sea air before tip toeing into the bathroom and filling the bath with bubbles. As the hot water splashes into the tub, I search the many cabinets for complimentary toiletries. It doesn’t take me long to find a whole drawer of them. Lotions, potions, even a tiny basket of beautiful, red rose petals. Suddenly feeling rather romantic, I grab the basket and run over to the bed.

Making a pretty trail of petals from the bed to the bathroom door, I dim the lights and dig out my phone for some music. Scrolling through the music folder, I settle on Adele and hit play. Looking around at my handy work, I feel quite pleased with the result. What a difference a handful of petals can make! Realising that he should be back at any moment, I whip off my PJ’s and crawl into the giant tub. Who says romance is dead?

 

Looking down at my now wrinkled fingers, I shake my head in annoyance. This water is freezing! Where the hell is he? It must have been at least an hour since he left, it can’t take that long to fetch a bottle of bloody wine. We are right above the bar for God’s sake!

Frustrated, I grab a fluffy towel from the hand rail and stomp out of the bathroom, leaving a path of damp footprints in my wake. So much for the romantic bubble bath. He should have known that I would be planning a spur of the moment surprise. Aren’t men supposed to be mind readers?

After tugging on a fresh pair of pyjamas, I take my phone and crawl under the bed sheets. Calling Oliver’s number, I wait for the foreign dial tone, only to discover his mobile phone vibrating loudly on the dressing table, along with the room key. Great, not only has he decided to ditch me, he has ditched me without his key. Throwing back the covers, I swap my comfortable PJ’s for a jersey dress and stuff the room key into my pocket, along with his mobile phone. He might have found something more entertaining in the bar, but no one wakes me up and gets away with it.

Striding down the marble lobby, I follow the sound of soft music down the spiral staircase until I find myself in the bar. Considering it is way after midnight, there isn’t a spare seat in the room. I weave between the bar stools and glass tables in search of Oliver. Banging my knee on an almost invisible chair, I bite my lip to stop myself from crying out in pain. Why does it have to be so bloody dark in here? Who made the rule that humans can’t dance with the lights on? I take a couple of steps towards the dance floor and bat away an overly excited, rather drunk Russian man. He definitely isn’t here.

A little puzzled, I make my way back out of the bar before having one last check over my shoulder. Suddenly a little worried, I take a seat near the lifts and fiddle anxiously with a coaster. I hope everything’s OK. I mean, you hear about things like this all the time, don’t you? Man goes to get wine, man doesn’t come back, man ends up chopped into little pieces and being served in the local kebab shop. Oh, God! I’m going to end up on the news!

Taking a few deep breaths, I chastise myself for always jumping to the worst case scenario. Let’s think rationally about this. Chances are, he came down to the bar, bumped into his parents and perhaps went back to their room for a drink or whatever. Yes, that is most likely what has happened.

Sliding out of my seat, I am about to head for the stairs when I spot Erica snuggled into a plush booth towards the back of the room.  Not being able to resist saying hi, I make my way over. Secluded by the darkness, it is difficult to see who she is chatting with, but the closer I get I can clearly see that it is not LP.

As I approach the booth, I hear Erica purring with laughter and my lips automatically stretch into a smile. The music steps up a notch as bright strobe lights flash around the room, providing me with a moment’s insight into the mystery guest.

Is that? No! It can’t be! It is!

It’s Oliver.

 

BOOK: Clara Meets The Parents (Clara Andrews #2)
11.01Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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