Page 9 of On Circus Lane

“Hey,” he says.

“Hey,” Ted calls back, offering him a rather flirtatious wave.

Tom’s gorgeous face sends a surge of nasty memories through my still-not-awake brain. That dismissive look he’d given me. And the arrogant way he’d spoken.

Without thinking, I drop my suitcase and grab Ted’s face. His eyes widen as I pull him down and kiss him hard, adding a little tongue for good measure. “Bye, lover,” I say as I pull away. “Be seeing you soon, Ted.”

He blinks when I step back. “Erm, yeah,” he says rather hesitantly. “My name’s not Ted, though,” he adds cheerfully.

“Jared?”

He shakes his head.

“Alfred?”

“Nope. It’s Oliver.” He waves and walks past the car towards the road.

Ivy sounds like she’s stifling a giggle, and Tom is observing me, his lovely mouth twitching as though suppressing a grin. I glare at him as I grab my case and pull it over to the car.

“Oh, is Ted Jared Alfred not coming with us?” Tom asks.

Ivy laughs as she comes around the car to help me shove my case in the boot. Next to the expensive pieces of luggage there, it looks a little scruffy and battered, which is rather indicative of my entire appearance.

“I wish I was sitting in the front seat,” Ivy whispers. “Tom’s got lovely thighs.”

“Ivy, you could sit on him and do a tap dance, and I wouldn’t care. If this car was a stretch limo, there would still not be enough room between him, his ego, and me.”

She nudges me. “All the more for me, then. Sal says he’s bi.”

“Have at it. I don’t intend to spend any time with him on holiday. You owe mesomuch for this.”

“Put it on the slate. Maybe it will balance out your department’s Halloween party.”

“It’s not my fault that Harold thought you were the entertainment.”

“He regretted it when he heard my singing voice.”

“Not as much as me.”

Matter resolved, we grin at each other. “Let’s get this done,” I say grimly.

“I think there were more enthusiastic rallying calls at the Battle of Trafalgar.”

TOM

It’s quiet in the car apart from the radio playing Chris Rea’s “Driving Home for Christmas.” Our companions vanished a while ago. Ivy went to get her friend, Bee, and Steven immediately headed to the chemist over the road.

I tap on the steering wheel in time to the song and glance at Jack. “How long do you think Steven is going to be?”

He looks up from his phone. “He only went to get some paracetamol.”

“How many minutes have to pass before it wouldn’t be rude to leave him behind?”

He snorts. “Shut up.”

“No, really. I’m asking for a friend. Is two minutes too long?” I sigh. “At the rate we’re going, the others will have been in Edinburgh for three days before we arrive.” He ignores me and smiles down at his phone. “Who are you texting anyway?”

“Arlo.”

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