The Meet Cute Method, page 24
‘I miss you too,’ he admits.
‘So, you haven’t just up and moved your entire life to California?’ I check.
‘No,’ he replies. ‘Well, not yet. The offer is there if I want it, and I’m thinking about it, but I was waiting to see who was on my team first.’
I realise he’s talking about me and the look on my face must be a telling one. It’s like Max knows exactly what I’m thinking.
‘The reason we didn’t stand a chance is because we never got to do things normally,’ he says again. ‘I wish we could go back to the beginning, meet again, have a normal first date, and you not have to meet my family until way, way down the line. If we could get a little bit of that normality back, there might be hope for us. Although I do see the irony, that I’m telling you all this, while simultaneously encouraging you to take a job in a city where you only know me, working for my family.’
I laugh. He’s not wrong.
‘Perhaps we could work out a way to make both things work together,’ he suggests. ‘We do make a pretty good team. And did I mention that I miss you too?’
God, he’s cute. That smile, those puppy-dog eyes. I think what I love most of all about Max is his inability to give up hope. No matter what happens, no matter what he goes through, no matter how women treat him or how terribly his relationships turn out, he still puts himself out there, he still wants to find love, and he still takes chances. He’s braver than I am. When faced with similar, all I’ve ever done is hide behind my job.
Seeing that look of hope in his eyes fills me with something similar. He makes me want to take chances too. He makes me feel like I can have love if I want it. Hope isn’t the only thing he makes me feel.
It’s not a very me move, but it’s one that feels right. I lean forward, over my pizza (and you know you’ve found yourself a good man when he comes second to pizza), and I kiss him. In another development that is even more unlike me, I feel tears prickle my eyes as we kiss. It’s not that it’s a bad kiss, it’s an incredible kiss. I really have missed Max more than I can explain. It sounds wild, given the short amount of time we’ve known each other, but when you know, you know, right? I’m overwhelmed to be given a second chance with him but terrified of what’s going to happen.
‘Kissing you is all I’ve been able to think about for weeks,’ he tells me the second I let him go. ‘I realise what a big deal it is, me asking you to move here and start again with me, when we don’t know each other all that well. If you don’t want the job, that’s okay. I’ll be done here in six months to a year. I’ll come back to London, we can see how things go. All we can really offer each other is a chance. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that life isn’t how it looks in the movies. There’s no happy-ever-after unless you work for one, right?’
He’s right again. The one thing I never realised, when I was attempting all my meet cutes, is that these epic movie romances aren’t realistic. Relationships are work – pretty much forever. I want to make it work with Max, but I can’t just move to California to see if it works out, can I? But long-distance relationships are hell, and if we wait another year, then who knows if we’ll even both still be single? I will be, obviously, but surely someone like Max will be snapped up.
I need to think long and hard about what I do next. Do I take the safe option and go back to London, alone, and try to pick up the pieces of my life, or do I shoot my shot, and move to sunny California to give things a go with Max, see if we can make it work this time? Whatever I do, I’m not going to figure it out before I finish my pizza.
‘At least I’ve booked your return flight for a week’s time,’ Max says, reading my mind. ‘So you’ve got plenty of time to figure out what you want to do. You never know, I might just make you fall in love with the place.’
Maybe he will. We’ll have to wait and see.
41
TEN MONTHS LATER
As the snowflakes fall down around me, I twirl around like a little kid. It’s amazing, how perfect it all looks. I’ve never seen anything like it.
I scoop a little up in my hand, keeping quiet, trying not to make a sound. It’s just hard not to get excited. I can’t believe this is my job.
‘Right, yeah, I think we’ve got it,’ the director calls out.
I hurry over to him.
‘So, what do you think?’ I ask him.
‘Okay, tell him he was right, it’s perfect,’ he replies.
‘You can tell him yourself,’ I say. ‘He’s behind you.’
‘Steven, buddy, how are you?’ Max asks him. He shakes his hand before kissing me.
‘I was just telling Frankie, you were right, the camera is perfect,’ Steven tells him. ‘Perfect for catching the multi-angle shots we need.’
‘Well, when you’re a perfectionist, who thinks audiences will be able to see continuity errors in the way the snowflakes fall…’ Max teases.
Steven gives him a light, playful punch in the stomach.
‘Are you guys still on for tomorrow night?’ he asks.
‘We certainly are,’ Max replies. ‘We’ve got to dash but we’ll see you there.’
‘Yes, see you soon, Steven,’ I say as we exchange cheek kisses.
Max places his hand on the small of my back as he escorts me off the set, back out on to the warm streets of Los Angeles.
‘It’s so strange, walking from the snow to the sun,’ I say with a laugh. ‘I’ll never quite get used to it.’
‘You’ll get used to it eventually,’ he tells me, pulling me close for a kiss. ‘Everything here is so fake that it’s normal.’
‘Do you know what I won’t get used to?’ I say. ‘All the bloody lunches and dinners. It’s always a lunch, a dinner, all the time, with everyone. I never thought I’d get sick of lunches and dinners.’
‘Then I shouldn’t remind you that we’ve got a dinner with my family tonight,’ he says, squeezing me.
‘Your dad is getting an award,’ I point out. ‘That’s a bit more than a dinner.’
‘There will be plenty of dinners next week, when we jet off to Maui for the annual Ray family holiday,’ he reminds me.
‘Don’t get me wrong, taking this job, moving here, and finding you waiting with open arms after reading my super-pathetic article and realising I’m just a big dummy is obviously the best decision I’ve ever made,’ I say, taking a much-needed breath before continuing. ‘And I’m so relieved that I was able to smooth things over with your family.’
‘But?’ Max prompts me, sensing the ‘but’ that is on the tip of my tongue.
‘But… I’m worried that going back to Maui is going to drag everything back up, everyone is going to remember what a stink I caused last time, and it’s going to be awkward,’ I say with a sigh. ‘We’re so close to it all being a distant memory. Going back there once a year is going to be like picking at old wounds.’
‘Well, did I tell you Albi won’t be there?’ he starts. ‘He’s decided to take the yacht to the Bahamas for… something. Who knows if that’s true? It’s certainly a lie that he’s sailing it himself. But – with the tiny bit of drama from the party last year – you’ve given my mum an excuse to talk my dad into renewing their vows again. She’s thinking of making it an annual thing.’
I laugh.
‘Everyone loves you,’ he tells me. ‘It was my fault no one got to meet the real you last year. They know you now, you’re part of the family, and the business would be lost without you, so at least you know they’ll always value you that way.’
He may be joking but he isn’t wrong. I’ve made myself invaluable to them. Who knew that tech marketing was my calling?
I climb into Max’s swanky hire car. He’s pretty much the only person in his family who drives himself, which I like. I don’t think he would ever spend a lot of money buying a car, but he does enjoy hiring them for trips. He isn’t quite as ‘money’ as the rest of the Rays.
I pop open the centre console, looking for a tissue, but all that is in there is a ring box.
‘Oh my God, Max, look,’ I tell him, showing him what I’ve found when he eventually joins me. ‘Whoever had the car before you left this in here.’
I can’t resist opening it up to take a peek.
‘Oh, wow,’ I blurt. ‘Look at that. It’s incredible. I bet this cost someone a fortune. The size of the diamond! You should call them, let them know, someone must be sick with worry.’
Is it bad vibes, to try on someone else’s ring? Is there some superstition I’m not aware of, that’s going to curse me single for the rest of my life? I know it’s probably in poor taste, but what harm can it do? This isn’t a romcom movie. It isn’t going to get stuck on my finger or anything like that.
‘Wait, stop,’ Max insists, snatching it from me as I go to try it on.
Wow, perhaps there really is a curse.
‘Fine, fine, you’re right, it’s probably weird,’ I admit. ‘It’s just, well, the nicest ring I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s kind of like you riding around in this car. It’s not yours, you just want to try it, see how it is, then give it back.’
Okay, so it’s not exactly the same, I’m just making excuses. Perhaps it was an out-of-order thing to do.
‘Look, this isn’t how I saw this going in my head, at all,’ Max starts. He puffs air from his cheeks. ‘Frankie, will you marry me?’
Max closes the ring box before opening it up again, proposal style.
‘Oh… my… God…’ I blurt.
For a moment, I just stare at him.
Max looks terrified.
‘It’s customary to say more words than that,’ he encourages me as the panic sets in. ‘Or it seems like a “no”.’
‘No! I mean, yes,’ I blurt. ‘Yes, yes, yes. Sorry, I’m just stunned. Yes!’
Max exhales so forcefully he practically blows the ring back to me.
‘Okay, now you can try it on,’ he says as he hands it back.
It fits me to perfection. Of course, I still have the first ring that Max gave me, on my right hand, but it feels so incredible to finally have a ring on that finger.
‘I love it,’ I tell him. ‘And I love you.’
I grab his face and give him ten excitable tiny kisses before kissing him properly.
‘I had this whole thing planned,’ he tells me when I release him. ‘I booked a restaurant, I had this whole speech written, I was going to have the waiter bring the ring with dessert to surprise you – this big romantic gesture. I can’t believe I just asked you in the car.’
‘That all sounds amazing but all I need is you,’ I reply. ‘It doesn’t matter where you ask me. It was always going to be a yes.’
‘I can’t believe I’m engaged,’ he blurts as his face erupts with a gigantic smile.
‘You can’t believe it?’ I reply. ‘You knew it was coming!’
‘Well, at least on this holiday you will be my actual fiancée,’ he points out.
‘I don’t know if that’s better or worse, for putting last time behind us, but I don’t think I care,’ I reply, looking at my ring again. ‘We’ll never top last time, will we?’
‘What are you thinking, that it’s not Hawaii if we don’t cause trouble?’ he asks with a laugh.
‘Maybe,’ I reply. ‘Perhaps we could see if that offer to get married there is still good from your dad?’
I’m definitely kidding.
‘And miss forcing them to go back to Surrey?’ he says. ‘Are you kidding me? My dad is so reluctant to go back to the UK, I want to make him do it, just to see if they arrest him the second he lands. Something must be up there.’
‘Max, you are wonderful,’ I tell him.
‘Because I want to see my dad arrested?’ he replies with a chuckle.
‘No, because you are kind, loving, sweet, and incredibly handsome,’ I say. ‘And because you gave me this absolutely sick job.’
‘Oh, that wasn’t me,’ he insists. ‘By all accounts, you turned up for the interview basically naked and charmed them all by yourself.’
‘I owe a lot to that dress,’ I say to myself with a smile. ‘I wish I’d brought it with me tonight.’
‘Save it for Maui,’ he says. ‘We can recreate that night. Just remember the part that goes underneath it.’
‘Oh, I have something like that with me tonight,’ I tell him. ‘We’re staying in a hotel, it’s standard procedure, is it not?’
‘And this is just one of the many reasons I’m marrying you,’ he tells me. ‘That and because I didn’t have to learn a new name.’
‘Right, come on, let’s go get a celebratory drink somewhere,’ I insist. ‘Then I need to wash the fake snow from my hair and get ready for the party tonight.’
‘I’m tired just thinking about it,’ Max says, yawning for effect.
I can’t quite believe that this is my life now. This time last year, I had a job I wasn’t happy with, I hated where I lived, I was bored, lonely and kind of bitter. I was trying so, so hard to turn things around, to make life better, and then even when I met Max, I carried on down the route I thought I needed to take. It just goes to show that sometimes, if you try too hard to force something, you just push it further away, and that the missing piece of the puzzle could be right there under your nose (or a few floors below you at work, at least) just waiting for you to find it. Don’t ignore what’s around you because you’re so focused on what you’re trying to move closer to. You never really know if that person you end up stuck in a lift with may just be the love of your life.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
To be writing the acknowledgements for another book is nothing short of amazing. This really is the best job in the world, but I couldn’t do it without the love and support from so many amazing people.
I’m so lucky to have my brilliant editor, Nia, Amanda and the rest of the fantastic team at Boldwood on my side. They really do such a wonderful job with my books – more than I ever thought possible.
A huge thank you to everyone who reads and reviews my books. Without you I definitely wouldn’t be doing this. It means so much to me to have so much support and to receive so many lovely messages. I love hearing from you so please keep them coming.
Extra special thanks go to my family and friends for all their endless love and encouragement. Lynsey, the B to my S, xoxo. Darcy, my right-hand girl. Sammy, quite possibly my new biggest fan. Thanks to the amazing Kim and the wonderful Audrey for always being there for me (and for the best publication-day presents). Thank you to James and Joey for all their help with everything, ever.
And finally, as always, huge thanks go to my husband, Joe. He’s always willing to chat about the people and places that only exist in my head, and he doesn’t mind when I glue myself to a computer for hours at a time. My happy endings got a hell of a lot better the day I met him.
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Chapter One
My Wedding Day
Your wedding day is the start of a life-long journey, and, like any other journey, it requires a lot of planning.
First, and most importantly, you need to know where you’re going and how you’re going to get there. Are you on a one-track path to growing old together or are you planning on making stops at pets, babies or house moves?
On a real trip you’re going to want insurance, but on the life-long journey of marriage, assurance is what you need. Are you doing this with the right person? Will they stand by you for better, for worse? For richer, for poorer? In sickness and in health?
When your plans are all in place and it’s time to set off on this wonderful, wild adventure, the only thing left to do is pack – but pack light.
Unfortunately, on this non-stop flight to a happy ever after, ex-boyfriends will not fit in the overhead storage, no matter how much you dissected the relationship. All baggage must be destroyed before boarding – you absolutely cannot bring your baggage into a marriage.
Before you tie the knot, customs will confiscate any and all contraband still on your person, not limited to, but including flirtatious WhatsApp threads and other miscellaneous weaponry.
I’m travelling light today. All I have with me is my something old (a necklace my grandma left me in her will), my something new (the sapphire studs in my ears), and my something borrowed (a handkerchief from my mum, which I’m going to keep in the pocket of my wedding dress, because you’d better believe I had my wedding dress made with sneaky pockets). My something blue is (apparently) my best friend, Ali, who is currently lying on the chaise longue at the bottom of my bed in my hotel room.
‘Oh, Lila,’ she says dramatically. ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’
I smile at myself in the mirror. Most best friends are supportive, attentive maids of honour. Ali is showing me her love and support by constantly questioning whether or not this is the right thing to do. I wouldn’t have her any other way though.
‘I’m pretty sure,’ I tell her. ‘I made sure I was sure before I spent thousands of pounds on a wedding and a honeymoon.’
‘Well, yeah, I figured,’ she replies. ‘But… I don’t know, I don’t think I thought you’d go through with it.’
