Page 35 of Away With You
He looks to the left. “Yeah, I mean, that should be fine.”
I peer into his lake-blue eyes, searching for the subterfuge, the hidden something he’s not sharing. “I’m not sure, Nathan. It feels like a bad idea.”
Straightening in his chair, he leans over the table into my space. “I get that, and I know I’m asking a lot. You don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with.”
We sink into silence, and I glance around, searching for the right answer. My eyes trip over my small Christmas tree, standing there in the corner, still not bowing under the weight of all the decorations.
“I mean, I kind of owe you, don’t I?”
He follows my gaze and shakes his head. “No way, Kitty Kat. You don’t owe me anything. If you do this, it’s because you want to help me out. Not because you feel obligated.”
Great. Why does he have to say all the right things?
“Can we try it out and see how it goes?”
He nods, eagerly. “Sure. We can do a trial run, and if it makes you uncomfortable or if you’re at all uneasy, we call it off. Go back to being friends. Real friends.”
I know this should make this better, but my thumpity heart doesn’t love the ‘friends’ label.
“In fact, I have something that may sweeten this deal.”
A ripple of unease surfaces in me at the Cheshire cat grin on his face. “What is it?”
“Tonight, I’m having dinner with Nicky and Cherry. The last one before she moves to Monaco. Why don’t you come along?”
My exhale stays trapped in my lungs.Oh, he’s bringing out the big guns.“Dinner with Nicky Dimitrios and Cherry Brenner? Are you for real?”
His eyes twinkle. “What do you say, Kitty Kat? Want to go out with me tonight and meet some of my friends?”
I really,reallydo.
“Yes,” I nod.
“As my fake girlfriend?” he clarifies, his voice smooth as velvet.
I swallow a gulp, feeling the same sensation as when I’m falling.
“Yes, Nathan. I’ll go out with you tonight. As your fake girlfriend.”
He beams a big smile and reaches over to shake my hand. A zap of electricity runs up my arm at the contact, and I stare at where our hands remained joined.
Oh, dear me, what have I gotten myself into?
CHAPTER 10
KATIE
Seven hours later, I’m still asking myself this same question. Doubts and recriminations swirled around me with alarming frequency as I spent the day attempting to finish my grant application and absolutely not think about what I’d just agreed to.
Fake datingtheNathan Jackson?Come on, who do I think I am? Kate Hudson?
I step outside my building and promptly turn back around. Annoyed, I jog up the one flight of stairs and am breathless as I change out of my stylish winter coat and back into my ugly one. It’s too cold and too almost snowy to pick style over comfort.
Warmer now, I dash to the tube station. Nathan had texted me the address of where we’re meeting Nicky and Cherry tonight, and once again, it’s on the Northern train line. It’s like he only knows of places that are convenient for me to get to. Or perhaps it’s also convenient for him.
As I sit on the train heading north, I try to squash my concerns about my chosen outfit. Not wanting to involve Jade in the lunacy of my fake date tonight, I’d picked my clothesand done my own hair. Nathan hadn’t specified how fancy this restaurant was, and a google search hadn’t helped much either, so I was on my own. Deciding it’s better to be overdressed than under, I’d put on my nicest wrap dress in a deep shade of red, black tights and thigh-high boots. Without the help of another set of hands, I’d settled on leaving my hairau naturel, slightly wild and hanging down my back. From what I’ve seen of Cherry on her socials and in magazines, she always looks immaculate, so I’m fighting a sense of inadequacy before the night has even begun.
“Here goes nothing,” I mutter under my breath. I’ve been standing in front of our meeting place, which looks more like a pub than fine dining, willing myself to just go in already. But my feet have remained planted to the ground. It’s not every day you spend an evening with not one, but two Formula 1 World Champion drivers.
