Page 42 of The Chase
Nervously, I stared at Tobias to see if he’d caught it.
The car idled in front of us and the side door flew open, and a young man with spiked short ashen hair climbed out. His face was friendly, his demeanor respectful toward Tobias, and I caught sight of his worn jeans and smart black blazer as he rounded the car and opened the rear door for us.
He handed Tobias a thick woolen scarf and Tobias wrapped it around his neck.
“Can I take my mask off?” I said.
“In the car.”
I hugged myself and sucked up the cold, secretly coveting his scarf.
Tobias’s eyes reflected intrigue. “Sure you’re okay?”
“Oh yes, used to belong to a book club. Every Friday night we’d end the evening in a full-on orgy. Books everywhere. You can’t imagine the horror of a damp paperback.”
He laughed and his eyes lit up with joy.
I let out a wistful sigh. “Just wished we’d had more time to enjoy the art.”
“I know.” Tobias gestured for me to get in. “Cooper will take you home.”
“Where are you going?”
“Another appointment.”
“We’re not riding together?” I cringed at my awkwardness.
“No.” He gave a nod to the driver.
Cooper ran around the front of the Bentley and got back behind the wheel.
“Did I do okay?” I whispered.
Tobias snapped his attention back to me. “You were great.”
Peering over his shoulder, I yearned to return on a day when the activities were more conducive to enjoying its vast collection of art. “We did it.”
“We did.” He peeled out of his jacket and wrapped it around my shoulders.Again.
And I couldn’t help but feel enraptured each time he did that, every show of kindness endeared him to me more, despite what he’d put me through.
I beamed, secretly knowing I’d have an excuse to get his jacket back to him.
“I’ll have it collected,” he said. “Cooper will come get it.”
Disheartened, I broke his stare and peered at the ground. “Thank you for watching over me.”
“Thank you for trusting me.” He gave an assured nod. “I’ll pass on my thanks to Adley, and request an invoice first thing tomorrow.” He glanced at his watch. “This morning, I should say.”
“Sounds great.” Though now I only had a few hours of sleep ahead of me before I’d have to get up for work. “I’ll send Adley your regards.”
“I appreciate that.”
“What about my car?”
“I have the keys,” he said. “We’ll get it back to you tomorrow. You usually take the tube into work, right?”
I gave a nod, wondering how he knew that, and ducked my head low to get in—then thought better of it.
