Annie's Autumn Escape: A laugh-out-loud romantic comedy with a twist! by Debbie Viggiano

Author:Debbie Viggiano [Viggiano, Debbie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Unicorn Publishing Ltd
Published: 2021-09-30T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Forty

‘You missed a treat,’ I said to Bella and Caz.

The three of us were standing outside Bloomingdales.

‘Yes, we saw your roommate about twenty minutes ago,’ said Caz slyly. ‘He and his girlies tripped past us. He waved and said he’d bumped into you at the top of the tower.’

‘I’m not talking about him,’ I retorted. ‘I’m referring to the Burj’s views. They were staggering.’

‘Don’t let Caz wind you up,’ said Bella, patting my hand. ‘Although I must say, your roommate is almost as scrumptious as this store. While you were at the tower, we had a good old nosy around, and now we’re ready for some coffee and cake. What about you, Annie?’

‘Definitely. How amazing to find a Bloomingdales in Dubai. I’d assumed it was exclusive to the States.’

‘Apparently it’s the brand’s first ever location outside the USA,’ said Caz, leading the way. ‘We checked out their Home section earlier, and rather naughtily sent picture texts to Colin and Andrew telling them we were restyling our front rooms. They’re probably having a fit believing we’ve arranged the shipping of new sofas and sideboards.’ She chuckled. ‘I do like teasing my husband. He falls for it so easily.’

‘Here we are,’ said Bella, standing outside Bloomingdale’s Magnolia Bakery. We walked in and immediately exclaimed in delight at shelves laden with cupcakes, cookies, freshly baked desserts and – we gasped aloud – stunning wedding cake samples.

‘Go and find a table,’ said Caz. ‘I’ll get our order.’

‘Keep the receipt,’ I prompted.

‘Thanks for reminding me. Flaming Nora. Since when did three cappuccinos and cupcakes come to forty quid?’ she gasped. ‘You know, I’m almost glad the Blue Jade did mess up otherwise I think I’d already be in my overdraft.’

Once we were settled, I casually mentioned the desert trip that Gerard had talked about.

‘Sounds rather fun, don’t you think?’

‘Driving over endless sand?’ Bella looked unimpressed. ‘What exactly is there to see?’

‘I don’t know. Maybe nothing. I suppose that’s the point. Being a tiny person in a huge expanse of nothingness.’

‘I’m not sure about it.’ Bella looked worried. ‘What if the Land Cruiser ran out of fuel? We could be stuck out in the desert for days with no Wi-Fi signal… the sun beating down on us… nothing to drink… hallucinating… running towards waterfalls which turn out to be mirages… falling to our knees in despair and–’

‘Belles, for goodness’ sake get a grip,’ Caz tutted. ‘Look.’ She thrust her phone screen at Bella. ‘I’ve just tapped desert trip into a search engine. It’s a properly organised tour and might be a good laugh. There’s a desert feast, belly dancing, and you can even ride a camel.’

‘The Dubai equivalent of sitting on a donkey at Broadstairs Beach.’ I gave Bella’s hand a reassuring squeeze. ‘Happier now?’

She nodded. ‘Yes, that sounds more like it. I don’t like stepping out of my comfort zone.’

‘Me neither,’ I assured.

‘It will be fine,’ Caz promised. ‘A bit of gentle entertainment.’

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