Page 32 of The Marriage Pact
“I’m just in here. I’ll be going soon,” he replied.
It was a minor improvement at least, and, smiling to herself, Kaitlyn went to join him in the living room. There, she found him on his laptop, drinking a smoothie out of a carton. Kaitlyn shuddered. She hated that. There was something so unhygienic about it. No doubt he’d put it straight back in the refrigerator, too.
“Don’t do that,” she said as he took another swig.
“What?” he asked, glancing up from the screen momentarily.
“Drinking out of the carton,” she said.
He looked at her as though she was talking nonsense and returned his attention to the screen. Not wishing to attempt another go at the coffee machine, Kaitlyn fetched herself a glass of water and came to sit next to him.
“We have a reception on Monday night at the Hotel Excelsior. It’s going to be big, lots of investors there. It starts at seven. We’ll need to leave at six to beat the traffic. I like to get to these things a little early so Hilary can brief me. I always forget people’s names,” he said.
“So… you’ll be going with Hilary?” Kaitlyn asked, puzzled by his use of “we.”
He smiled at her and shook his head. “She’ll be there, but I mean you and me.”
Kaitlyn was taken by surprise. She knew nothing about corporate events or receptions. What did he expect her to do? “You want me to come with you to a business event?”
He looked surprised, as though she was saying something odd. “Well… yes. There’ll be lots of events like this for us to go to together. This one’s important, though. It’s to do with the Jamaica deal. I have to get the Mexican investors on our side, otherwise we’re going to lose out on ten, twenty percent, perhaps. It was supposed to be sorted, but it’s all up in the air again. A few bottles of champagne and some caviar are a small price to pay if we get the deal we want. Just follow my lead and you’ll be fine. Why don’t you buy yourself something new to wear? Take the car out? Stephen can take you wherever you want to go. Use the VIP services at the department stores. I have accounts with them all.”
Kaitlyn told him she would. But it was yet another surprise, another unexpected twist in her new life. Kaitlyn knew nothing about networking, and the thought of dressing up to impress a series of Alex’s clients was hardly appealing. She didn’t like the thought of “being on display” in this way.
“What time will I see you later?” she asked as he glugged down the last of the smoothie from the carton before kissing her hurriedly on the cheek.
“I’ll try to be back around… eight, nine. Order something in. Whatever you want. Today’s already manic. I should’ve been at the gym hours ago,” he replied, hurrying toward the elevator. “Don’t forget to choose something to wear for Monday night. Whatever you want. No expense spared.”
The elevator doors glided shut, and Kaitlyn was left alone. She sighed, picking up the empty smoothie carton and tossing it into the trash. She knew he had to work, and to work hard. But it was Saturday. She’d hoped they’d spend the day together. Shopping was all very well, but it would’ve been more fun doing it together. Kaitlyn liked to look nice — who didn’t — but looking nice wasn’t the same as buying expensive clothes. A person could look “nice” with clothes from the thrift store, just as they could look “nice” dripping in designer labels. It was how the clothes were worn that mattered.
But that’s not going to cut it, is it?
Kaitlyn could imagine what would be said if she were to turn up at the reception in something off the rack. Death by fashionista. The day stretched ahead, filled with nothing more exciting than trailing around the stores, looking at expensive clothes. It should’ve been a dream come true, but it was Alex’s company Kaitlyn wanted, not his bank card. She knew he was being kindand that this was his way of showing that kindness. It was sweet, but she wished he’d realize that time was far more precious than money.
It’s like history repeating itself.
Trying to banish those thoughts, Kaitlyn got ready to go out. It still felt awkward not having to do all those little jobs other people did as part of their daily routine: taking the trash out, sorting the laundry, making sure there was milk in the refrigerator. Instead, Kaitlyn used the intercom to call Brett, who called Stephen, and soon the car was waiting for her at the front.
“A tour of the department stores, ma’am?” Stephen asked, glancing in the mirror as Kaitlyn got in.
“Thank you, yes. You can call me Kate. It’s all right,” she said.
The driver smiled and nodded. “How are you finding the Big Apple?” he asked.
Kaitlyn smiled. “Different. That’s for certain,” she replied.
Madison Avenue was their first port of call, and there was no jostling with the crowds or fighting her way through a queue. Instead, Stephen pulled up at the VIP entrance of the first department store, where a uniformed attendant opened the door for her, and Kaitlyn was ushered into a brightly lit lobby, where any number of assistants came hurrying toward her. Champagne was proffered, there was a lounge with a catwalk so Kaitlyn could see the outfits she chose modeled, and a personal assistant noted down her preferences with such intense concentration it made Kaitlyn want to laugh.
“Mauves are very in this season. It’s fall, but it’s not. We’re bringing colors from that cozy season right up to date, with subtler shades for the summer months. I can see that something flowing would work for you. You have the perfect figure for layering. I’m thinking silks. A see-through blouse over a long dress in different shades of fawn,” the assistant, who herself looked like something out of the pages of a fashion magazine, said, after she’d given Kaitlyn the sort of interview she might expect for a stint of service at the UN or the White House.
“Well… whatever you think is best,” Kaitlyn replied, feeling overwhelmed.
“We’ve started a new approach. We call it upbuilding. Shoes first, then the rest follows. Let’s see some pairs,” the assistant said, clicking her fingers, as now half a dozen models appeared on the catwalk, all wearing plain white dresses, but with various different shoes on their feet, some colored, some more neutral, and all with that “mauve” that was apparently so popular.
“I like those,” Kaitlyn said, gesturing toward a pair of low heels in brown leather with a mauve strap.
The assistant nodded.
“We can upbuild from that, certainly,” she said, clicking her fingers again.
