didn’t dare admit that after a month spent shopping, lunching, walking, and museum-going, she was...well, she
was
a tiny bit bored.
It wasn’t much fun to do things –
anything
– on your own. And Rhys worked such long hours each day, by the time he got home he was tired, so they hadn’t gone to see so much as a film together, much less a Broadway show, and their meals thus far had consisted of takeout sushi and pizza.
“They’re not here,” he called out irritably from the bedroom.
“That’s odd. The movers assured me they unpacked your suits and things and put them all away on Saturday.”
“Someone put them away, all right – in their pocket. These’ll have to do,” he said, and he put on the onyx cufflinks she’d bought him for his birthday.
“Darling,” Natalie added tentatively as she followed him down the hallway, “Why don’t I work at D & J for a couple of days a week, just for a bit? I could fetch your lunch, come up with a few marketing ideas. What do you think?”
“It’s not necessary. I told you, there’s an entire team in place and everything’s well in hand. And I have Chaz to fetch my lunch and keep track of my diary. He’s amazing – don’t know what I’d do without him.”
“Don’t forget,
I
was the one who planned the relaunch for the London store. It’s how we met, after all.”
“Yes, and you nearly bollocksed it up when you forgot to ask Poppy to model in the catwalk show until the last minute.”
“How was I to know she’d be in Sri Lanka on a photo shoot?” she retorted.
“Natalie, her time is scheduled weeks, months in advance. You knew that, yet you left it too late.”
“Oh, do be quiet,” she said crossly. “It was a tiny mistake that anyone could’ve made.”
“A tiny mistake that nearly ruined the entire relaunch.”
“You’d best go,” Natalie retorted, “or you’ll be late for your meeting.”
He leaned forward and kissed her. “Don’t sulk, darling, it doesn’t suit you.”
“I’m not sulking.”
“Why don’t you two have breakfast‒” he reached down and patted her just-starting-to-show belly “‒and then do a bit of shopping? Buy some more baby things. Or start doing up the guest bedroom as that nursery you’re always on about.”
Although Natalie wasn’t due until mid-September, they’d decided to turn one of the guest bedrooms into a nursery, even though she planned to have the baby in London. But, as she pointed out, they’d need a place for the baby to stay the next time they came to New York to visit, wouldn’t they?
Rhys had agreed. The only things in there at the moment were a pram, boxes of nappies and baby clothes, and a pile of the most
darling
stuffed animals that somehow kept growing taller by the day.
“I can’t,” she said. “I wouldn’t know where to start.”
“Then hire someone to come in and decorate,” Rhys said. “Now – I’ve really got to run. I’ll see you tonight.”
“Bye,” Nat said, her expression forlorn as Rhys grabbed his briefcase, kissed her cheek, and slammed out of the apartment like a well-dressed whirlwind. “I love you.”
But he didn’t answer. He was already gone.
She made her way down the hall to the kitchen and brewed a cup of decaf, carefully avoiding the intimidating espresso machine that resided beside the coffee maker. With its dials and levers and steam arm, the machine terrified her.
Well, what to do today
? she wondered as she sat down at the kitchen table, coffee cup in hand. She could sort through the new baby clothes...but she’d already sorted through them twice. She could clean the apartment – but it was spotless, thanks to the maid who came in twice a week to scrub and polish and tidy things up. Her gaze settled on the New York
Daily News
Rhys had left abandoned on the table.
She took a sip of her decaf and pulled the newspaper towards her.
CAT BURGLAR STRIKES AGAIN! The front-page headline screamed.
Curious, she began to read the
was
a tiny bit bored.
It wasn’t much fun to do things –
anything
– on your own. And Rhys worked such long hours each day, by the time he got home he was tired, so they hadn’t gone to see so much as a film together, much less a Broadway show, and their meals thus far had consisted of takeout sushi and pizza.
“They’re not here,” he called out irritably from the bedroom.
“That’s odd. The movers assured me they unpacked your suits and things and put them all away on Saturday.”
“Someone put them away, all right – in their pocket. These’ll have to do,” he said, and he put on the onyx cufflinks she’d bought him for his birthday.
“Darling,” Natalie added tentatively as she followed him down the hallway, “Why don’t I work at D & J for a couple of days a week, just for a bit? I could fetch your lunch, come up with a few marketing ideas. What do you think?”
“It’s not necessary. I told you, there’s an entire team in place and everything’s well in hand. And I have Chaz to fetch my lunch and keep track of my diary. He’s amazing – don’t know what I’d do without him.”
“Don’t forget,
I
was the one who planned the relaunch for the London store. It’s how we met, after all.”
“Yes, and you nearly bollocksed it up when you forgot to ask Poppy to model in the catwalk show until the last minute.”
“How was I to know she’d be in Sri Lanka on a photo shoot?” she retorted.
“Natalie, her time is scheduled weeks, months in advance. You knew that, yet you left it too late.”
“Oh, do be quiet,” she said crossly. “It was a tiny mistake that anyone could’ve made.”
“A tiny mistake that nearly ruined the entire relaunch.”
“You’d best go,” Natalie retorted, “or you’ll be late for your meeting.”
He leaned forward and kissed her. “Don’t sulk, darling, it doesn’t suit you.”
“I’m not sulking.”
“Why don’t you two have breakfast‒” he reached down and patted her just-starting-to-show belly “‒and then do a bit of shopping? Buy some more baby things. Or start doing up the guest bedroom as that nursery you’re always on about.”
Although Natalie wasn’t due until mid-September, they’d decided to turn one of the guest bedrooms into a nursery, even though she planned to have the baby in London. But, as she pointed out, they’d need a place for the baby to stay the next time they came to New York to visit, wouldn’t they?
Rhys had agreed. The only things in there at the moment were a pram, boxes of nappies and baby clothes, and a pile of the most
darling
stuffed animals that somehow kept growing taller by the day.
“I can’t,” she said. “I wouldn’t know where to start.”
“Then hire someone to come in and decorate,” Rhys said. “Now – I’ve really got to run. I’ll see you tonight.”
“Bye,” Nat said, her expression forlorn as Rhys grabbed his briefcase, kissed her cheek, and slammed out of the apartment like a well-dressed whirlwind. “I love you.”
But he didn’t answer. He was already gone.
She made her way down the hall to the kitchen and brewed a cup of decaf, carefully avoiding the intimidating espresso machine that resided beside the coffee maker. With its dials and levers and steam arm, the machine terrified her.
Well, what to do today
? she wondered as she sat down at the kitchen table, coffee cup in hand. She could sort through the new baby clothes...but she’d already sorted through them twice. She could clean the apartment – but it was spotless, thanks to the maid who came in twice a week to scrub and polish and tidy things up. Her gaze settled on the New York
Daily News
Rhys had left abandoned on the table.
She took a sip of her decaf and pulled the newspaper towards her.
CAT BURGLAR STRIKES AGAIN! The front-page headline screamed.
Curious, she began to read the
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