lowering his voice in confession. ‘Between you and me … I have been known to wax it.’
She broke into a smile. ‘That’s very diligent of you.’
‘Well, you know. It’s the only one I’ve got.’
Their eyes met with a mutual memory. She wanted to lean in and hug him again but resisted as a fleeting image of Natalie crossed her conscience.
‘So … does Natalie know you’re here?’
He nodded. ‘Actually, she asked me to come.’
Jess felt her heart sink a little.
‘She thought I should probably check you weren’t briefingyour legal team or something. And,’ he added, shifting slightly and digging into the pocket of his jeans, ‘she wanted me to give you this.’ He extracted his wallet and, from it, a wad of notes that he passed to her. Jess swallowed as their fingers brushed. ‘Just … think of it as compensation,’ he said, though she knew he could sense her doubt. ‘For you missing your slot yesterday, and everything.’
‘How did you know I had a slot?’
‘I picked up a flyer in the deli on Friday. And I just thought … maybe it would be a good chance to speak to you. With the aid of some crowd cover, obviously, in case it went horribly wrong.’
She watched him for a moment while she took this all in. ‘Honestly, you don’t need to do that,’ she said eventually, holding out the money.
‘Please keep it,’ he said with a shake of the head. ‘I’ll only have to launder it if you don’t.’
She relented with a smile; but as she set the notes aside, a thought occurred to her. ‘You’re not being charged with anything, are you?’ she asked him, suddenly fearful. ‘I told them it was my fault.’
‘I know. I called in at the police station yesterday. And no – they’re not charging me. Thanks mainly to you, obviously, for so evidently having never read the Highway Code.’ He released a breath. ‘Ah. It’s been an interesting twenty-four hours.’
By his side, Jess experienced her own small hiatus of quiet relief.
‘But look, never mind me.’ He turned to her. ‘What about you – are you okay? What happened at the hospital?’
Involuntarily, she shifted, her thigh muscle twinging painfully in protest. ‘I’m fine,’ she reassured him. ‘Soft tissue bruising and swelling. No lasting damage.’
Visibly relaxing, he nodded slowly. ‘Thank fuck for that.’
‘It wasn’t your fault.’
His expression became thoughtful. ‘No, I mean, listen – at the end of the day, I think we should all just be grateful that you never decided to become a lollipop lady.’ He shot her a smile and ran a hand over his jaw. ‘Imagine the carnage.’
Jess covered her mouth with renewed mortification. ‘I’m so sorry. You must think I’m insane.’
He shrugged lightly, but his eyes were twinkling. ‘Just assumed you were bored, or something.’
She attempted to explain. ‘I’d been seeing you everywhere. Or I thought I had. In the end I managed to convince myself that I was imagining you. Until yesterday, obviously, and then …’
He laughed. ‘Oh, you definitely get points for the most creative way to ID someone.’
She laughed back. ‘Thanks. I think.’ A pause. ‘So I was right? It has been you these last few weeks? I wasn’t imagining it?’
He hesitated, meeting her eye with a smile. ‘You might have to bear with me on this. It involves an amount of stalking I’m not quite comfortable with.’
She smiled back, pretending to mull it over. ‘I’ll try.’
‘Okay, well …’ He rubbed his chin. ‘We got here a few weeks ago, and I’d been sort of working up the nerve to contact you. I wanted to say sorry, for everything that happened between us, but the moment never quite seemed right. Either I was with Natalie or you were with … someone else or you were out when I knocked. I thought about putting a note through your door, but I didn’t know your situation. And I really wanted to see you face-to-face, anyway.’
Her mind was racing, attempting to
She broke into a smile. ‘That’s very diligent of you.’
‘Well, you know. It’s the only one I’ve got.’
Their eyes met with a mutual memory. She wanted to lean in and hug him again but resisted as a fleeting image of Natalie crossed her conscience.
‘So … does Natalie know you’re here?’
He nodded. ‘Actually, she asked me to come.’
Jess felt her heart sink a little.
‘She thought I should probably check you weren’t briefingyour legal team or something. And,’ he added, shifting slightly and digging into the pocket of his jeans, ‘she wanted me to give you this.’ He extracted his wallet and, from it, a wad of notes that he passed to her. Jess swallowed as their fingers brushed. ‘Just … think of it as compensation,’ he said, though she knew he could sense her doubt. ‘For you missing your slot yesterday, and everything.’
‘How did you know I had a slot?’
‘I picked up a flyer in the deli on Friday. And I just thought … maybe it would be a good chance to speak to you. With the aid of some crowd cover, obviously, in case it went horribly wrong.’
She watched him for a moment while she took this all in. ‘Honestly, you don’t need to do that,’ she said eventually, holding out the money.
‘Please keep it,’ he said with a shake of the head. ‘I’ll only have to launder it if you don’t.’
She relented with a smile; but as she set the notes aside, a thought occurred to her. ‘You’re not being charged with anything, are you?’ she asked him, suddenly fearful. ‘I told them it was my fault.’
‘I know. I called in at the police station yesterday. And no – they’re not charging me. Thanks mainly to you, obviously, for so evidently having never read the Highway Code.’ He released a breath. ‘Ah. It’s been an interesting twenty-four hours.’
By his side, Jess experienced her own small hiatus of quiet relief.
‘But look, never mind me.’ He turned to her. ‘What about you – are you okay? What happened at the hospital?’
Involuntarily, she shifted, her thigh muscle twinging painfully in protest. ‘I’m fine,’ she reassured him. ‘Soft tissue bruising and swelling. No lasting damage.’
Visibly relaxing, he nodded slowly. ‘Thank fuck for that.’
‘It wasn’t your fault.’
His expression became thoughtful. ‘No, I mean, listen – at the end of the day, I think we should all just be grateful that you never decided to become a lollipop lady.’ He shot her a smile and ran a hand over his jaw. ‘Imagine the carnage.’
Jess covered her mouth with renewed mortification. ‘I’m so sorry. You must think I’m insane.’
He shrugged lightly, but his eyes were twinkling. ‘Just assumed you were bored, or something.’
She attempted to explain. ‘I’d been seeing you everywhere. Or I thought I had. In the end I managed to convince myself that I was imagining you. Until yesterday, obviously, and then …’
He laughed. ‘Oh, you definitely get points for the most creative way to ID someone.’
She laughed back. ‘Thanks. I think.’ A pause. ‘So I was right? It has been you these last few weeks? I wasn’t imagining it?’
He hesitated, meeting her eye with a smile. ‘You might have to bear with me on this. It involves an amount of stalking I’m not quite comfortable with.’
She smiled back, pretending to mull it over. ‘I’ll try.’
‘Okay, well …’ He rubbed his chin. ‘We got here a few weeks ago, and I’d been sort of working up the nerve to contact you. I wanted to say sorry, for everything that happened between us, but the moment never quite seemed right. Either I was with Natalie or you were with … someone else or you were out when I knocked. I thought about putting a note through your door, but I didn’t know your situation. And I really wanted to see you face-to-face, anyway.’
Her mind was racing, attempting to
Similar Books
