CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Paige wanted to see London but Nate’s idea of important landmarks was interesting. She’d made a list that she thought was normal for a first time tourist. Buckingham Palace. London Tower. The Eye. The London Dungeons. St. Paul’s Cathedral. The Tower Bridge. Big Ben. Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum. His list was slightly different.
Funky bookshops off the beaten path that she’d never be able to find again on her own. Lively pubs. The Globe Theatre. Plays at the West End. A visit to Shakespeare’s tree on Primrose Hill. Out of the way cafes on narrow, winding streets. This was Nate Mason’s London and she couldn’t wait for him to share it with her. She felt privileged that he was showing her his favorite places, and she had a strong feeling that he didn’t do this often, if ever. It was like getting a glimpse into his soul.
Today they’d visited his favorite bookstore in Hampstead and now she was laden down with books, her arms aching. Nate had offered to help her carry them but his own hands were overflowing, so she’d thanked him graciously but refused. His lips had tightened slightly but he’d simply nodded in return. She was beginning to get the idea that he liked to help. In the last three days she’d lost count of the cups of tea he’d made for her. She wasn’t a huge fan of hot tea but she didn’t want to hurt his feelings. He was sweet to do it and she’d drink every damn cup even if it killed her.
“It’s just up the street here,” Nate said. “Best fish and chips in the area. I hope you’re hungry.” She gave him a look and an eye roll that had him laughing. “What am I saying? Of course you’re hungry, and tired too, I would expect.”
The time zone had hit her hard in the last few days, her sleep cycles completely topsy-turvy with the five hour time difference. Her nap on the flight here hadn’t helped but the sedative always made her tired. Nate had subtly suggested taking another one to help her sleep but she was adamant that she’d get on London time naturally. Unfortunately, that was taking longer than she’d expected. Yawning was becoming her most frequent mode of communication.
“My arms hurt. My feet hurt. And my stomach is empty,” Paige declared with a grin. “I want food and then I want to curl up in a chair with all my lovely new books.”
He opened the pub door for her and found them a booth near the back. “Then you’re not upset that we spent the afternoon in a bookstore instead of seeing Big Ben or the Tower Bridge? I promise we’ll go to those soon.”
She slid into the booth and gratefully dropped her books onto the seat next to her. “Are you kidding? I could spend many hours in a bookstore and never get bored. Besides, we did the Tower of London this morning and that was cool. I think this was a good plan. My list in the morning and your list in the afternoon. I really liked that cafe you took me to yesterday and I’m excited about the play we’re going to see tomorrow night.”
“Don’t forget Shakespeare’s tree tomorrow. If the weather is nice maybe we can have a picnic in the park.”
The waitress came and took their order. Fish and chips, of course. When it came to her drink, Nate urged Paige to try the cider while he had a pint. She wasn’t a big beer drinker, especially the dark ones that he favored but a refreshing cider sounded perfect. The waitress hurried away, leaving them alone.
“So have you thought of an answer for the question yet?” she asked, shrugging off her jacket that was still damp from the light rain they’d walked in earlier. She’d quickly learned that it rained in London. A lot.
His brows pinched together. “I don’t know what you mean. What question?”
“Absolute happiest memory? You said you needed to think about it. It’s been three days.”
“I’m still thinking.”
He was obfuscating and delaying and just generally being a shit. “Just how many memories are on the list, handsome? Is it two, ten, a million?”
That grin she was becoming so fond of spread across his face. Not quite like his character Kai, definitely less evil but certainly as mischievous. “I’d say it’s a few less than a million. This might take quite some time. Are you in a hurry?”
“I answered, I just think you should too. You can always change your mind later. I’m not planning on chiseling it in a stone tablet.”
His expression turned to mock horror. “You’re not? How disappointing. I was so looking forward to having my thoughts immortalized for all mankind for generations to come.”
The waitress brought their drinks and Paige sipped the cider, the flavor exploding on her tongue. This would do quite nicely. Yes, indeed.
“You’ve got a healthy ego, I’ll give you that,” she taunted. “I, personally, would never assume that the future would be interested in the least in my thoughts.”
Those blue eyes twinkled in challenge. “And yet you’ve written many books that you’ve had the audacity to publish. Are you sure you don’t think that, darling?”
Okay, she’d give him this one.
“Touché, Mr. British Smart Ass. Now are you going to answer or not?”
“Not,” he replied cheekily, his tongue peeking out of the corner of his mouth. “But I will when I decide. Now how do you like the cider? Did I guess right?”
She’d managed to drink down about a third of the large glass. “It’s excellent. Great choice. I could drink this all evening.”
“Steady on. That has alcohol in it, love.”
A pleasantly warm feeling had invaded her bones. “I damn sure hope so. That rain made me cold. Now talk to me about Flynn.”
His face lit up at the mention of her favorite character. “Have you written the script yet?”
“I have a rough draft but I thought you might want to read it and let me know if you had any ideas of your own.”
His mouth fell open in shock. “You’d be open to that?”
“Sure, you’re going to play him and direct the film. Sometimes it’s good to get other people’s ideas about my characters. They see things that I can’t because I’m too close.”
He straightened and took a drink of his beer. “Well then, I think that Flynn needs to be heroic but I also think we need to show his flaws to the audience. I don’t want Sara to fall for him in spite of his flaws, I want her to want him because of them.”
Paige nodded, already on the same wavelength. “Because she wouldn’t want a perfect man. That would be boring as all hell. She’d want someone to fit her like a puzzle piece. Where she’s deficient, he fills the void and vice versa.”
Nate’s face was red with excitement. Or alcohol. She wasn’t sure and it didn’t matter anyway. He slapped the table and practically bounced up and down in his seat. “Exactly. If she’s high-strung, he’s more laidback. If he’s disorganized, she helps keep him on time.”
“If he has trouble loving himself, she teaches him how easy it is to do by openly showing her love for him in as many ways as possible.”
That statement seemed to throw him. The smile was gone and his brow was furrowed in thought. “How would she do something like that?”
Shrugging, Paige’s brain whirled with the possibilities. “There are lots of ways. Big gestures like romantic dinners and surprise weekend getaways. Little everyday things to show someone you care like giving them a foot rub. Or even something as stupid as watching a movie that you don’t want to see but they do, so you do it anyway without a fuss. What have women done for you to show how much they love you?”
He didn’t get a chance to answer. Their meals were placed in front of them and she embarrassed him by asking for ketchup for the fries, knowing full well they called them chips over here. He’d shuddered and hidden his face when she’d made the request so she’d lightly kicked him under the table letting him know she didn’t appreciate the dramatics. She was American, dammit. The look on the waitress’ face was enough, thank you very much. The woman had practically turned up her nose at the very thought but had dutifully brought the offending condiment.
It was just ketchup, not a nuclear warhead. Paige ordered a second cider at the same time.
They both dug into their meal with gusto, the food disappearing at a rapid rate along with her second cider, which had absolutely warmed her up from the inside. She was in a terrific mood, laughing and joking with Nate who was being silly and doing impressions of famous people. He was amazing with the different accents and expressions. He had so much more talent than just some guy who played a villain and rode a motorcycle.
Popping the last of her fries into her mouth, Paige reached across the table to pilfer one of Nate’s but he caught her in the act and she got a playful slap on the knuckles for her effort.
“Keep your hands on your side of the table,” he said with mock seriousness. “Eat your own food.”
She stuck out her lower lip in a pout. “I can’t believe you won’t share your fries with me. I’m starving here.”
“You might have had more chance if you’d called them chips.”
Paige blew him a raspberry. “Boo on you. I’m an American and that means fries. They’re damn good ones though. I’ll just order more if you won’t share.”
“There’s a bakery a few blocks down. I’ll buy you a cupcake instead. Chocolate. Fudge. How does that sound? In fact, I’ll buy you as many as you want.”
Chocolate was one of Paige’s major food groups.
“Deal, handsome. I’m holding you to it. As much chocolate as I want.”
He looked worried. “I just want to make sure you don’t overdo it and end up sick to your stomach. Then you’ll blame me and London and want to go back home to Florida.”
She waved away his concerns. “I never overdo anything. I’m a boring single mother that used to drive in carpools and volunteered for the PTA. The most exciting thing I’ve done in the last several years is…”
“What?” he prompted when she didn’t finish her sentence.
Pathetic and sad. That’s what she was. “I can’t think of anything exciting that I’ve done.”
“You must have done something.”
Rubbing her chin, she had to think hard before it came to her. She must be tired because her brain was all fuzzy and muddled. “I know. Meeting you and being in this fake relationship. That’s the most exciting thing that’s happened to me by far.”
It was the truth.
“Things are going to get much more exciting when we start to go to parties and premieres together. I think you’ll enjoy it.”
A shuffle of feet and some girlish giggles drew their attention. Four young women, maybe in their early twenties—Paige was terrible at guessing ages—stood by their table with starry eyes and hopeful smiles.
The tall and pretty blonde standing in the front of the group appeared to be in charge.
“Hi…um…I’m Crystal, and these are my friends Dahlia, Fiona, and Gwen. You’re Nate Mason, aren’t you?”
Paige had vague memories of being that young but it had been a long time ago and another world away. By the time she was twenty-two she’d been a wife and a mother. She hadn’t had a cell phone with a camera either and apparently these ladies wanted selfies with Nate.
“I’d be happy to.” Nate grinned and stood, his arms outstretched. “Who’s first?”
Crystal was first, her arms going around Nate’s waist and her cheek pressed to his. Just when the photo was taken and he was pulling away, she quickly turned her head to give him a kiss on the cheek. Good for her. Paige never would have had the courage, although poor Crystal was beet red after her brazen action. Each girl took her turn, gushing about his character Kai. Then the questions began flowing. When was the next movie out? How many more times would he play Kai? Did he get to keep the black leather costume? Did he do his own stunts?
That last one had Paige stifling her laughter behind her hand. Nate had preened as he’d replied proudly that he did almost all his own stunts on the motorcycle and off. Almost all being the important words there. Then he told a story about laying the bike down during a scene and ending up at the emergency room getting a few stitches in his leg, even name dropping other stars while he spoke. The girls listened in rapt attention, their mouths open in awe at his bravery.
What in the ever loving hell was he doing?
Now that the young women had their photos, hugs, stories from the set, and even kisses on the cheek, Paige assumed they’d leave. No such luck. Somehow they’d crowded the booth so that she was pressed against the wall and they were front and center with Nate, who by the way hadn’t even glanced in her direction for a good twenty minutes.
He liked his adoration.
Signaling the waitress again, she ordered another cider and settled in for the long haul while texting Carrie back in Florida. Even hero worship had to get old after awhile. She’d still be here when he was done.