Page 15 of The Suitcase Swap

Mike tapped his fingers along the table, that careful gaze fastened on her. ‘It’s okay to do things just for you, you know.’

‘I know,’ she said defensively, suddenly wanting to get the conversation off her, feeling like he was seeing too much. ‘I assume you’ve done the tourist thing?’

Mike smiled, flushing a little – not out of embarrassment, she didn’t think, but something else. ‘Oh, yes. I took Tara to New York with me a few years after we got married. She absolutelyhadto go to the Empire State Building. It was non-negotiable.’ He laughed. ‘She was a movie buff. Loved rom-coms. After she sawSleepless in Seattle, we had to watchAn Affair to Remember. Come to New York and not see that iconic building? Absolutely not.’

His expression turned faraway and hazy, like he was happily drunk on the memory. Sophie tried to picture Andrew thinking of her with that expression on his face and she failed. ‘Did it live up to your expectations?’

Mike straightened, shaking the mood off. ‘It was magical, but then, anywhere with her was. You should go, just for you. Get yourself some of that magic.’

‘If I went, I’d probably get stuck in the lift, or get my shirt caught on something, tear it, and accidentally flash a nun.’

He grinned and she thought how much fun it might be, making this man laugh,reallylaugh, head thrown back with complete abandon. To get him to, if for only a moment, let go. How would it feel to be the person who made that happen?

She decided not to think about it too much, as she was convinced that she would never be the one to know.

He’d stayed firmly on his side of the table the entire meal, showing no indication of wanting to close that gap.

Which she wasfinewith. After Andrew, she hardly wanted to go after anything serious, and she was pretty sure that Mike was a serious kind of guy. So really, it made no sense to want anything between them.

And yet, she felt a pang of disappointment when Mike leaned back in his chair and signalled for the bill.

The restaurant was only a few blocks from Tom and Marisa’s building, but Mike insisted on walking Sophie back. He could say it was because it was dark, she was alone, and he’d promised her son, but if he was honest with himself – which he tried, but often failed, to be – it wasn’t really for any of those reasons. No, his real reasons were both simpler and more concerning. He liked talking to her. He liked looking at her. He liked that he never really knew what was going to come out of her mouth, so every conversation was like an adventure. So while he could say it was for her safety, selfishly he simply wanted a few more stolen moments with Sophie in his life.

The heat of the day had faded only a little as night came along, the air staying muggy and close. They pulled along their matching luggage, the wheels making identical whirring sounds he could barely hear over the bustle of the city around them. New York truly never slept, unlike London, who would ask you to turn the lights out at ten, thank you very much.

While simply being with her was lovely, he was aware of the seconds relentlessly slipping away and he desperately wanted to hear more from her; conversations he could use to brighten up the long, lonely nights. Mike cleared his throat. ‘Why marmosets?’

Sophie grinned at this. ‘I’m surprised you didn’t ask about the cocaine.’

He manoeuvred around a slow walker, coming back to her side. ‘I thought I’d ease into the cocaine.’

‘Just a joke my son made about my luggage,’ Sophie said, flushing in the dim light. ‘I told him I was smuggling them in my bags and he was going to have to spring me from jail if I was caught.’

Mike racked his brain, trying to think of anything interesting to add to keep her talking. What would Sophie find interesting? A detail surfaced and he spat it out before he could second-guess himself. ‘There are monkeys that live in a temple in Bali that have trained themselves to steal from tourists. They’ve learned which items are high reward – phones, glasses, wallets – and will barter them for bigger, more exciting treats.’

Sophie almost stopped in the street but caught herself and kept moving. ‘Is it wrong that I want to go there just to have monkeys steal my phone?’

‘The heart wants what the heart wants,’ Mike said. ‘And what your heart wants is to be burgled by monkeys.’

‘It’s true,’ Sophie said. ‘Sadly, it’s not on the cards. I barely made it onto the plane to get here.’

‘It must have been very important to you,’ he said softly. ‘To manage such a feat.’

Her laughter held a note of bitterness. ‘Hardly a feat. People fly every day.’

He didn’t care for that note. No one should disparage Sophie Swann – even herself. ‘You don’t fly every day,’ he said evenly. ‘There are people who jump out of planes all the time. For fun. Put me up there with a parachute and I’d be clinging to the seats, terrified out of my wits.’

‘I guess you’re right,’ she said, her voice taking on a strange tone he couldn’t identify.

‘So for you, major feat. Most people, they wouldn’t face one of their major fears like that.’

She peered over at him. ‘Even you?’

He nodded. ‘Especially me. I wouldn’t consider myself claustrophobic, but there is nothing that could make me go caving.’

She paused, staring at him, her lips parted.

He wondered, idly, what she might taste like.

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