Page 123 of Tuxedos and Tinsel
Their gazes met and they both burst into laughter. He looked even more gorgeous when he laughed, perfect teeth white in his tanned face, and she immediately captured a few more images of him. Who would recognise this good-humoured hunk in jeans and leather jacket as the billionaire Scrooge of legend?
‘What about a selfie of us together?’ she asked. ‘In the interests of authenticity,’ she hastily added.
Bad idea.She stood next to him, aware of every centimetre of body contact, and held her phone out in front of them. She felt more self-conscious than she could ever remember feeling. He pulled her in so their faces were close together. She smiled and clicked, and as she clicked again he kissed her on the cheek.
‘That will be cute,’ she said.
‘Another?’ he asked. This time he kissed her on the mouth.Click. Click. Click.And then she forgot to click.
After he had left, Andie spent more minutes than she should scrolling through the photos on her phone.No onewould know they were faking it.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
DOMINICNOWKNEWmore about diamond engagement rings than even a guy who was genuinely engaged to be married needed to know. He’d thought he could just march into Sydney’s most exclusive jewellery store and hand over an investment-sized price for a big chunk of diamond. Not so.
The sales guy—rather,executive consultant—who had greeted him and ushered him into a private room had taken the purchase very seriously. He’d hit Dominic with a barrage of questions. It was unfortunate that the lady was unable to be there because it was very important the ring would suit her personality. What were the lady’s favourite colours? What style of clothes did she favour? Her colouring?
‘Were you able to answer the questions?’ Andie asked, her lips curving into her delightful smile.
She had just arrived at his house. After she’d taken some measurements in the old ballroom, he had taken her out to sit in the white Hollywood-style chairs by the pool. Again, she looked as if she belonged. She wore a natural-coloured linen dress with her hair piled up and a scarf twisted and tied right from the base of her neck to the top of her head. It could have looked drab and old-fashioned but, on her, with her vintage sunglasses and orange lipstick, it looked just right.
Last time she’d been there he’d been so caught up with her he hadn’t thought to ask her would she like a drink. He didn’t want a live-in housekeeper—he valued his privacy too much—but his daily housekeeper had been this morning and the refrigerator was well stocked. He’d carried a selection of cool drinks out to the poolside table between their two chairs.
‘You’re finding this story amusing, aren’t you?’ he said, picking up his iced tea.
She took off her sunglasses. ‘Absolutely. I had no idea the rigmarole involved in buying an engagement ring.’
‘Me neither. I thought I’d just march in, point out a diamond ring and pay for it.’ This was a first for him.
‘Me too,’ said Andie. ‘I thought that’s what guys did when they bought a ring.’
‘Oh, no. First of all, I’d done completely the wrong thing in not having you with me. He was too discreet to ask where you were, so I didn’t have to come up with a creative story to explain your absence.’
‘One less lie required anyway,’ she said with a twist of her lovely mouth. ‘Go on with the story—I’m fascinated.’
‘Apparently, the done thing is to have a bespoke ring—like the business suits I have made to measure.’
‘A bespoke ring? Who knew?’ she said, her eyes dancing.
‘Instead, I had to choose from their ready-to-wear couture pieces.’
‘I had no idea such a thing existed,’ she said with obvious delight.Her smile. It made him feel what he’d thought he’d never feel again, made him want what he’d thought he’d never want.
‘You should have been there,’ he said. ‘You would have had fun.’ He’d spent the entire time in the jewellery store wishing she’d been by his side. He could imagine her suppressing giggles as the consultant had run through his over-the-top sales pitch.
‘Perhaps,’ she said, but her eyes dimmed. ‘You know my reasons for not wanting to get involved in the purchase. Anyway, what did you tell them about my—’ she made quote marks in the air with her fingers ‘—“personal style”? That must have put you on the spot?’
‘I told the consultant about your misbehaving skirt—only I didn’t call it that, of course. I told him about your shoes that laced up your calves. I told him about your turquoise necklace and your outsized earrings. I told him about your leopard-print shoes and your white trousers.’
Andie’s eyes widened. ‘You remember all that about what I wear?’
‘I did say I was observant,’ he said.
Ask him to remember what Party Planners Numbers One to Three had been wearing for their interviews and he would scarcely recall it. But he remembered every detail about her since that errant breeze at his front door had blown Andie into his life.
At the jewellery store, once he’d relaxed into the conversation with the consultant, Dominic had also told him how Andie was smart and creative and a touch unconventional and had the most beautiful smile and a husky, engaging laugh. ‘This is a lucky lady,’ the guy had said. ‘You must love her very much.’
That had thrown Dominic. ‘Yes,’ he’d muttered.Lovecould not enter into this. He did not want Andie to get hurt. And hurt wasn’t on his personal agenda either. He didn’t think he had it in him to love. To give love you had to be loved—and genuine love was not something that had been part of his life.
