Page 21 of CEO April: Zed Barker
Chapter Eight
I sat at the bar of restaurant I’d booked for my meeting with D Harrington. I’d checked with front of house and it seemed I had arrived first. I was actually quite excited to meet up with Duke. As the months had worn on, I realised he was a character and his constantOld Chapreferences hadn’t bothered me as much. I looked forward to his arrival.
I was taking a sip of my wine and not focussing when I looked into the mirrored bar ahead of me. The reflection was of a woman, and at first, I didn’t recognise her. It was her eyes, the deep blue, which gave her away. I smiled at her reflection before turning on my stool.
“What…?”
I wanted to ask what she was doing there but I didn’t seem to be able to form the words. She had blonde hair that she wore in a messy bun and I wanted to laugh at the pencil she’d used to hold it in place. She wore a blue, fitted, high-waisted skirt with a white shirt and high heels.
“What are you doing here?” I managed to stammer out.
She held out her hand. “Daryl Harrington, I’m here to meet you, Zed Barker.”
I laughed so hard that the people around chuckled. I took her hand as I stood and I pulled her into a hug. She gladly accepted that hug.
“I’ve thought of you often,” I said before releasing her.
When she stepped back, she gave me the same look she had that afternoon on the beach. “And I’ve thought often of you, as well. Shall I confess? I knew who you were. I’d sent my book to you because I knew Rebecca, but I had no idea you’d be at the party.”
“I did wonder. I’ll also confess to something. I thought I was meeting Duke.”
Her eyes grew wide before laughing herself. “Duke?”
“He said he’d written a book, and I knew he lived in Devon. I guess I was just adding two and two and got seven. Please sit,” I said. She took the stool to the side of me. “What can I get you to drink?” I asked.
“Just water, please.”
I couldn’t stop smiling and staring at her. I hoped she was as pleased to meet me as I was her.
“Is Daryl your real name?”
“Yes, Laura is just for the weekends. And this is my real hair,” she said, tugging on it, causing some strands to curl around her face. “I’m sorry I ran off.”
The mood immediately changed. “Why?” I asked.
“You overwhelmed me,” she replied simply.
I scooted closer, placing a hand on her thigh. “Do I now?” I asked, desperate to know the answer.
“No,” she said, covering my hand with hers. “I’ve been excited to meet you again. I had to have the delay to be sure of some things.”
“What things?”
The barman placing her water on the bar interrupted us, and the waiter telling us our table was ready further delayed her answer. I placed my hand on her back and guided her through the tables to ours, thankful it was one in a corner. I rushed to hold out her chair, nearly knocking the waiter over in my haste. When we were settled and alone, I reached out to take her hand.
“I can’t believe you’re here. I’ve wanted to get your details, to get in touch, but I didn’t know if that would invade your privacy,” I said.
“I’m glad I’m here. I doubt Angela would have handed over any details, but she would have told me you were looking for me.”
“I didn’t think that you’d know how to find me. I could kick myself now.”
“You might still do that,” she said cryptically. She picked up the menu and scanned.
“No. Something happened on that beach, Daryl, you felt it too. I knew you for such a short time but…” I laughed. “This is so corny, you captured my heart.”
She slowly lowered the menu and stared at me. “Let’s order, I’m starving. Then perhaps we could take a walk, the evening is so warm still.”
We did just that. We chatted and she told me more about her book but very little about herself. She was evasive but not cleverly enough for me not to pick up on it. However, I was thrilled to be in her company. We skipped dessert and coffee and opted for the walk instead. It was meant to be a business meeting, but I had no doubt we’d meet again. We crossed over to one of the royal parks in London and gently strolled to a lake. We sat on a bench and for a moment, we were silent.
