Page 67 of Hidden Gem
Malcolm cleared his throat theatrically. “These grand romantic gestures are a bit of a two-edged sword. It all depends on the reception, you know. If she’s charmed, then it’s romantic. If she’s not, it’s creepy. On that video, you can’t really see her reaction. It’s not obvious. And it looks like she ran away, and you ran after her?”
“She ran to my place and stayed with me!”
“Aha. See, that’s great. But nobody else knows that. It would really help if you could do at least one public outing with her. Preferably before the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, or at least before this thing hits the news again. Go for a coffee somewhere, make sure people see you.”
Jason looked at the note on his nightstand, his shoulders slumping. “I don’t think that’s possible. She’s gone back to... where she lives.”
He couldn’t trust Malcolm not to feed more to the press; the man was obsessed with PR, always leaking something to someone to ‘keep up the good buzz’. The man had great relationships with reporters, but right now, he needed to back off. Jason couldn’t ask Marnie to go public with their relationship. They’d worked so hard to keep her out of the limelight.
“Fine.” Malcolm paused, probably calculating their next move. “We’ll figure something out. But pack your bags and drag your ass back here. Your team’s busy researching and crunching the numbers but we need you. There’s a bit of panic in the air because of the deadline.”
“I’m on my way.”
Chapter 32
“Choose whatever youwant!” Marnie said, holding up Lilla so she could reach the café cabinet.
Lilla’s huge blue eyes widened in excitement as she leaned on the glass and coughed, her lungs rattling with phlegm. The poor girl was still battling a chest infection. This was her first outing in a week. Marnie nudged her forward in the queue, hoping she’d make up her mind before they got to the cashier.
“I don’t know,” the little girl sighed in desperation. “I want the cookie, but I also want the brownie and whipped cream! And I want that”—she pointed at the pink Louise slice, her eyes widening even more—“Can we take them all?”
Marnie laughed. “No. Let’s just take one.”
“You don’t have enough money?” Lilla cast her a look of earnest concern.
Marnie opened her mouth to argue, but her words died on her tongue. She had enough money for all the slices. It wasn’t the healthiest choice, but for once, she didn’t feel like limiting herself. Oddly, she felt like eating everything in the cabinet. “You’re right. I do have enough money. Let’s take all the slices!”
Ever since returning home, it had been harder and harder to stick to her healthy diet. From the moment she got out of bed, her appetite raged. At this rate, she’d gain back all the pounds she’d lost. Her sweater already felt tight, and the waistband of her tights dug into her stomach. But what difference did it make? She’d grow old all alone. She could be any size she liked. And right now, she wanted to eat cake.
Feeling a little deranged, Marnie approached the checkout, ready to rattle out a list of overpriced baked goods. After Lilla’s three choices, a juice and a fluffy – the cup of foamed milk every cafe sold to its future coffee-drinkers – Marnie added an apple pie, blueberry muffin and a coffee for herself. That oughta do it.
The cashier barely blinked, repeating the order back to her.
“Yes,” Marnie confirmed. “Me and the young miss would like all that, thank you!”
Lilla beamed, her curly head peeking over the edge of the counter. Marnie placed her EFTPOS card on the reader, wondering what had gone into her. This was one of the most overpriced cafes in town. Even her wealthy friend Elsie didn’t spend like this on a whim.
