Page 103 of Away With You
“Finally.” Jade squeezes my hand, the pressure pulling me out of my manic ramblings. “This is what I’ve been trying to tell you.”
“I need to see him!”
“Yes!”
“No, now. I need to see himnow. I have to tell him that I love him.”
“Sure.” Jade’s tone shifts, like she may be dealing with a crazy person. “I get that. But he’s not actually here. That’s a TV screen. Nathan is in Aus-tral-ia.”
I push past her to grab my phone. “Now’s not the time for sarcasm. I need to book a flight to Melbourne. I have to see him as soon as possible. This can’t wait.”
She takes my phone out of my trembling hands. “Take a breath. Take a minute. Why don’t you call him instead? I’m sure he’d like to hear from you.”
“No.” I shake my head. “It needs to be in person. I have to look him in the eyes and tell him I love him. That all my doubts we can deal with together, if he’ll just give me a chance.”
“Honey, that man is still wearing your hair ties on his wrist like he’s wearing a leash. I think he’ll give you more than a chance.”
Warmth fills my belly at her words, and I cling to them, desperate to believe I haven’t completely blown it. I mean, the hair ties and the snow globes are a good sign, but I can’t be sure. I hurt him pretty badly. It may be hard to come back from that.
“Right, a flight to Melbourne right now is three thousand quid,” Jade announces as her fingers scroll over the screen of my phone. “And wow, they’re pretty booked out. It’s like all of London wants to get to Melbourne right now.”
Her words burst my hope-filled bubble.Three thousand pounds? Even if I can find an available flight, I can’t afford that.
“I can lend you some of the money,” she offers, correctly reading the money anxiety on my face.
I pull her in for a hug, affection for my friend burning a hole in my chest. “Thank you for the offer, but I can’t accept that. It’d take me forever to pay you back, and we both know you’re not rolling in cash.”
She nods. Her bank account is only a smidge healthier than mine. “Right then, so we wait for him to get back. In what? A few weeks?”
“I’m pretty sure he’s not back until mid-April. They’ve got races in Australia, China and Japan to start the season. The teams stay on that side of the world to help with jet lag.”
“Mid-April? Yikes.”
I nibble on my lips as I mull over my options. Waiting until mid-April won’t work.Perhaps I can get a new credit card? The bank is always offering me one.
“Hey, Katie?” I glance up. Jade is staring at my phone, a smile creeping onto her lips. “I think we may have an answer to your problem.”
She hands over the phone, and I look to see what’s making her smile like that. It’s a string of text messages from Rosie.
ROSIE
Katie, you know I love you no matter what.
Even though I broke her brother’s heart (her words, not mine), Rosie has stayed in touch since that terrible day in St. Lucia. Proving herself to be a loyal friend.
ROSIE
But I’m done letting you ruin your life.
And Nathan’s.
So, I’m letting you know I’m planning on playing matchmaker.
Unbeknownst to Nathan, I’m flying to Melbourne to surprise him and cheer him up.
(because he’s been so miserable lately… hint, hint).
I’ve convinced grumpy Theo to let me join the team on their private jet.
