Page 119 of The Heart You Kept

“You don’t think they’re too much?”

“Ha,” she huffs. “Darling, you can never be too much.”

Twenty minutes later I am rushing down the street with my shopping bags in tow, and I dial Thomas’s number.

Hello, you’ve reached Thomas Stone. I can’t take your call right now.

Leave a message and I’ll call you back.

Shit.

“Hello, Thomas, this is Alora Sorenson, I spoke to you earlier today. I would just like to thank you so much for offering to come tonight but my situation has changed and I don’t need you anymore. Please send me a bill for your booking fee, I’m happy to still pay. Thanks…and if you could you please text me back when you get this message just so I know that you got it. Goodbye.”

I let out a sigh of relief, okay so that’s done. I need to find a cab and then to get back to the hotel and do my hair. I glance around and notice a hair salon on the corner, they won’t have any appointments but I guess I can try my luck. I push through the front doors. “Hello, I was wondering if you have time for a quick blowout?”

“Now?” the gentleman asks.

“If possible. I’m on a really tight deadline.”

“Yes, I have an opening right away, please come through.”

“Really?” I smile, very pleased with myself as I follow him, this is all happening so easily, dress, shoes and now hair, maybe it’s a good sign. I take a seat in the chair and he comes to stand behind me. “How would you like your hair done today?”

“I have a date tonight and I just want to look…” I shrug, embarrassed, “…better than this.”

He laughs as he fiddles with my hair with his hands. “Better than this coming right up.”

I hold the phone to my ear as I pace back and forth.

Hello, you’ve reached Thomas Stone. I can’t take your call right now.

Leave a message and I’ll call you back.

“Answer the phone, damn it.”

I haven’t heard from the elusive Thomas Stone, which means I have no idea if he got my message, which means he could possibly turn up here any minute.

Beep, sounds the answering machine.

“Hi, Thomas, it’s Alora, and it’s imperative that you call me back urgently please. I have left five messages for you this afternoon and I would just like to reiterate that I don’t need your company tonight and I need to know that you got my message. Call me as soon as you get this message please.” I hang up and throw my phone onto the bed, how hard is it to have common manners these days? All he had to do was send back a one-word text or even a thumbs-up. Anything would do.

Ring, ring, ring, ring…. The hotel phone bellows through the room.

Huh? I haven’t heard one of these things ring in years. “Hello,” I answer with a frown.

“Bonjour, Miss Sorenson. This is Annika from the front reception.”

My eyes widen in horror, oh no. “Hello.”

“We have a Thomas Stone here to see you, can we send him up?”

Fuck, fucking, fuck.

Oh hell, he mustn’t have got the message, I can’t not let him up. I’ll just tell him I don’t need him when he gets up here. Shit, what if he’s angry that I wasted his time?

“Um…sure.”

“Merci.” I hang up and jump up and down on the spot in a silent freakout. Oh my god, you idiot Alora. I’ve had some hare brained ideas in my life, but this has to take the cake. Five of the slowest minutes later, my worst nightmare comes true.