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After dialling three wrong mobile numbers, I conceded and called the house phone that I’d frequently condemned as being a waste of time and space that only deserved to be in a museum. Right now I was so glad my mum still insisted on having one.
‘Mum, Mum, quick, emergency,’ I said, speaking at a million miles an hour.
‘What’s the matter, darling?’ she said, sounding worried. ‘Are you okay?’
‘I’ve had an accident, and I’ve—’
‘An accident!’ she interjected. ‘Oh my goodness! Are you okay? Where are you, what—’
I jumped in quickly to avoid her panicking unnecessarily. ‘It’s okay, Mum. I’m fine, but I left my phone on charge at home by mistake, which is why I’m calling from someone else’s. I’ve got an important appointment in less than thirty minutes, and I’m going to be late if I don’t speak to Harrison and get him to access my emails, so he can give me the full address,’ I said in a panic.
‘Oh, thank goodness you’re okay. Why don’t you just Google it or ask someone on the street for directions, though, darling? Won’t that be easier?’
‘No, Mum,’ I said. ‘It’s not like going to your local Toni & Guy. It’s a private clinic, so the address isn’t on the website. It’s like a secret location because she has celebrities that go there and…anyway,’ I said, fretting about losing time. ‘Please, can you just keep me on hold, get your mobile, call Harrison and ask him to get the address for Anoushka from my emails, please. Sorry about this, Charlie,’ I said, suddenly realising that it might take a few minutes and I’d be holding him up. ‘I won’t be long.’
‘No problem, that’s fine,’ he said in his plummy accent.
‘Oooh, he sounds nice?’ said my mother, perking up. ‘Who is Charlie, Sophia?’
‘Mum!’Honestly. Now isn’t the time.‘Please, can you get Harrison on the phone? Better still, can you just give me his mobile number andI’llcall him? It’ll be easier…’
I grabbed my notepad and pen from my bag and scribbled down the number. I then typed it into Charlie’s phone. Luckily, Harrison answered straight away. It wasSumnerPlace, not Jubilee Place like I’d thought. He’d done a quick check on Google Maps, and it was a completely different side of the Kings Road. And I was going in the wrong direction. I ended the call and walked over to Charlie’s Range Rover, where he was now sitting in the driver’s seat, whilst trying to avoid the cars that were angrily having to manoeuvre around us.
I might not know a lot about cars, but I knew from the look of this one that this guy had to be loaded, as I remembered Rich looking at this model before and deciding against it as it was too pricey even for him. This was at least a hundred grand. Dark cherry with ivory leather seats (the rear ones were clearly reclining too), TVs on the back of the front seats like you get on an airplane with some remote control sort of panel by the armrests, a mini table…this had been customised to the nines.
‘So,’ he said, smiling. ‘Panic over? Did you get the address?’
‘Yes,’ I said, relieved.
‘That’s good. So forgive me for asking, but are you late for some sort of life-saving operation?’ At first I couldn’t tell if he was being serious, but he started smiling again.
Then I remembered. I was currently wearing no make-up, and I meanzero. No tinted moisturiser, no mascara, no lipgloss. Nada. My naked face was being exposed to a complete stranger who, on closer inspection, despite not being my type at all, was quite cute. I started to feel a little self-conscious.
‘Um, no, not quite. I’m seeing someone important—a client—and it won’t be professional if I’m late.’
‘I see,’ he said as if satisfied with my answer. ‘Sorry. You didn’t tell me your name.’
Never understood why us Brits say sorry even when we’ve done nothing wrong, which he hadn’t. I wasthe one who should be apologising.
‘Sorry, Charlie,’ I said. ‘How rude of me. It’s Sophia.’
‘What a delightful name!’ he said, running his hands through his ridiculously shiny, floppy hair once again. Clearly a man who used good quality professional haircare products. ‘So, Sophia. Are you certain you know where you’re going now?’
Grrr! Now he’s talking to me like a pathetic, clueless woman driver. Sadly, on this occasion I had done nothing to prove otherwise.
‘Yes, I need to get to Sumner Place, which I believe is back there,’ I said, pointing in the opposite direction to the way our cars were currently facing.
‘Oh, I know it well,’ said Charlie. ‘Listen, jump in your car, follow me and I’ll take you. That way we can get you there on time without you having to call your VIP client. Then, as far as she’ll be concerned, you’ll have turned up as planned, thereby keeping your reputation and professionalism firmly intact.’
Now it was my turn to smile. Wow. What a nice guy.
‘Thank you, Charlie,’ I said, blushing. ‘That would be amazing. Why are you being so nice to me? Especially considering I’m a crazy woman driver that’s about to make you claim on your insurance and lose your no claims bonus?’ I asked.
‘Ah, well, it’s no big deal,’ he said, shrugging his broad shoulders. ‘My Sunday was shaping up to be pretty boring, so if I can help a damsel in distress, albeit distress that was caused by her own fair hand, then I’m happy to help. All good karma too, so it’s not entirely selfless,’ he chuckled.
‘Well, thank you,’ I said, ignoring the ‘damsel in distress’ reference. Despite the fact that my actions had suggested I was guilty as charged, I didn’t want him thinking I was some weak woman. At the same time, though, I was grateful for his help. ‘That’s really kind of you—I appreciate it.’
My car was still drivable, and when I re-examined it, the damage didn’t look too bad. With the big grille protecting the front of his Range Rover, Charlie’s car was almost unscathed.
