for style and handsome men.
She slipped the lover’s eye necklace on over her head and put her feet into her shoes. Opening the door, she found Willow waiting impatiently in the hall. ‘Let me look,’ she said, and she turned Kitty around.
‘Excellent. Now to gild the lily.’ She pushed Kitty into the bathroom and flipped down the lid of the toilet.
‘Sit,’ she commanded, and Kitty did as she was told.
Kitty threw the hand towel over the front of Kitty’s clothes and started to apply foundation and eye makeup. Skilfully she used the brushes and powders and then finally brushed on a slick of lipstick and gloss that she mixed together on the back of her hand. She stood back and looked at Kitty. ‘Perfect,’ she said.
Kitty looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes seemed wider and deeper set. Her skin was flawless and her lips were slicked in a red lipstick that seemed to work wonderfully with the striped top.
‘It’s a bluey-red,’ said Willow as she saw Kitty’s eyes darting from her mouth to her top. ‘It has navy in it, so it works well with blues,’ said Willow importantly.
Merritt’s voice came up the stairs. ‘Kitty? Ivo’s here.’ Kitty starting panicking but Willow stopped her.
‘Bag, keys, phone, lipstick, condoms,’ she said.
‘Oh my god. No way,’ said Kitty as she rushed to her bedroom.
‘What, no phone? No keys? No lipstick?’ teased Willow.
‘No condoms,’ said Kitty primly.
‘Well, you know best,’ said Willow, pursing her mouth.
Kitty ran down the stairs leaving Willow in the bathroom and saw Ivo in the foyer, with his back towards her. He turned and raised his face up to hers and smiled, his dark hair flopping over one eye. The way he looked at her and took in her whole appearance, and the way she knew he approved, made her turn on the stairs and rush back to the bathroom.
Willow was leaning against the bathroom door holding out a strip of condoms in her hand. Kitty snatched it from her and tucked it into her bag.
‘Not a word,’ hissed Kitty.
‘Never,’ whispered Willow, and Kitty stopped at the top of the stairs.
‘Thanks,’ she said, and Willow met her eyes.
‘My pleasure,’ said Willow. And for a moment, she felt like a real older sister.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Ivo leaned over Kitty in the car and pulled open the glove box.
‘You can be navigator,’ he said, and threw a map onto her lap.
‘I don’t do maps,’ said Kitty. ‘Absolutely hopeless,’ she said apologetically.
Ivo pulled over. ‘Really?’
‘No idea, I’m sorry,’ she said, and she smiled at him so sweetly that Ivo thought for a moment he could forgive her anything.
‘OK, give it here,’ he said, and he traced a line over the map. Kitty shuddered slightly imagining that finger running over her body.
‘You cold?’ he asked.
‘No, I’m fine,’ she said, embarrassed. ‘Where’re we going?’ she asked quickly to change the subject.
‘A surprise,’ said Ivo and he started up the engine.
‘Alright. Off we go,’ he said and he drove the little hire car fast through the country lanes until they were on the motorway.
‘Are we going to London?’ asked Kitty, looking at the motorway that she and Willow had travelled on weeks before.
‘Yes. Now stop prying – I want to know all about you,’ said Ivo.
‘There’s nothing to know,’ she said, but with Ivo’s clever questioning and his continual interest in her answers Kitty found herself sounding quite fascinating, as she aired her opinions on education and child raising and celebrity and the perfect bacon sandwich.
In turn Ivo found himself telling her about his schooling, his lack of direction and falling into the film by mistake. His father’s disapproval of his choices and his discouragement of acting when in fact he himself had acted as a younger man.
‘At least he gives a shit,’ said Kitty moodily as they sat in London traffic.
‘True,’ said Ivo, remembering her mentioning her father’s lack of interest in her.
Ivo pulled into a car park and put a disabled sticker on the windscreen. ‘Where did you get that?’ she asked, shocked.
‘It’s a friend of mine’s mother’s. She doesn’t need it – hasn’t driven for years – so I bought it off him for emergencies,’ said Ivo, and he took Kitty’s arm in his and walked them down the street. Kitty saw a few heads turn as they sauntered down the street chatting.
‘Do you get used to it?’ she asked as they walked.
‘To what?’ he asked.
‘To people looking at you because you are so handsome,’ she said, without a trace of flirtation.
Ivo