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Relieved, I followed her into the kitchen. Relieved that I didn't have to do anything. Relieved that there was someone who took charge in this situation and told me what was right and what was wrong.
Hayley knew her way around my kitchen almost as well as her own. She opened the cupboard and critically examined the available tea varieties.
"Lavender, there we go," she murmured contentedly and took the package from the cupboard. I dropped onto the corner bench and watched my friend as she filled the kettle and fetched two colorful cups from another cupboard. When the kettle beeped after a few seconds, she poured the bubbling liquid over the tea bags and placed the cups on the table in front of us.
"I'll wait here with you until the police arrive." Hayley looked at me.
Gratefully, I nodded. I wouldn't feel safe again until the police had inspected everything and the door could be closed again. It was good not to be alone now.
"You're a darling." I took a big sip from the cup. The lavender tea was supposed to have a calming effect, but at first, the hot drink was invigorating.
"You need to think about something else," Hayley stated. "How about you tell me about yesterday now? When I asked you about the bachelorette party earlier, down in the elevator, you suddenly started to beam. So it must have been pretty good." She smiled at me encouragingly.
I took another sip of tea.
"Pretty good," I mused. The memory of last night brought a smile to my face. "That's it. And it hits the mark pretty pretty pretty well." My smile widened. Then I told Hayley everything. About the accident. About the attractive Carter, whom I found so hot. About our chance reunion in the hotel bar. About the "punishment" where I had to give him a kiss. About the "engagement". About the hot night that followed.
When I reached this part of the story, I was quite glad that the tea had already reddened my cheeks. This way, Hayley couldn't tell how much the mere memory of the night with Carter aroused me. That should remain my secret.
"That's incredible." Hayley looked at me with wide-open eyes. "Do you think you'll see him again?"
"I've already seen him again." Once more, I took a big sip of tea. I took a deep breath and told Hayley about Carter's offer.
"50,000 for playing his fiancée? That's incredible," Hayley repeated her sentence from earlier. Her eyes were even bigger than before. "What an offer! You accepted, right?"
"Not yet," I admitted.
"Why not?" Hayley now wanted to know and took a big sip of tea herself.
"I don't know. It sounds so... businesslike?" I looked at Hayley questioningly.
"Well, it is a business. Sort of. You're offering your time. And after everything you just told me about this family, it won't be all fun and games. You'll have to earn that money."
I nodded thoughtfully.
"And as for that guy: Come on, Isabella!" Hayley set her cup down on the wooden kitchen table with a loudthunk. "You've been moping around long enough after getting rid of that idiot Owen. He didn't deserve it. He didn't deserve YOU. It's time you had some fun again and distracted yourself."
"Yeah... but this is a business deal, right? That's what you just said."
"Who says you can't have fun at work?" Hayley grinned at me. "You should just be careful not to lose your heart to Carter. He doesn't seem suitable for that. For fun, on the other hand, he does. Plus, you'll be rid of all those money worries you've been carrying around since you kicked Owen out."
I nodded. Hayley was right on all counts.
"Don't fall in love, have fun, and take the money," Hayley summarized her advice.
I straightened my shoulders. "That's what I'll do."
Don't fall in love, Isabella, don't fall in love.
My body began to tingle.
And my heart beat faster.
Chapter 14 ~ Isabella ~
"That'sall,ma'am."Theburly handyman with a strong Eastern European accent poked his head into the kitchen. "The door lock is fixed now. Luckily, it wasn't as complicated as it looked. So we finished half an hour earlier than expected. You'll be happy to know the bill will be a bit lower than anticipated." He grinned at me.
"Thank you, Mr... uh..."