Page 118 of The Side Road
Yawning, she shook her head and drifted back to sleep.
A short time later, when she opened her eyes, a man was standing by the car staring down at her. Familiar-looking, he was well-groomed, probably in his fifties, wearing a long camel-coloured coat made of cashmere.
Mia sat up. She tucked her hair behind her ears. ‘Hello,’ she said. ‘Is this your car?’
‘It is,’ he replied.
‘Oliver won’t be long. He’s writing the invoice.’ Mia got to her feet.
The man smiled. ‘You must be Mia?’
‘Yes, I am. You know Oliver quite well, then?’ She realised why the man looked familiar. He was famous – an actor.
‘I do. If you break his heart, I’ll have you killed.’
‘Too late,’ she said. ‘You’re very direct.’
‘And you’re very lovely.’
The compliment caught in her throat. After a pause, she said, ‘I’m afraid he’s far too young for me.’
The man laughed. ‘You’ll need to come up with a better excuse than that.’
She forced a smile, but her eyes were glassy.
His expression softened. ‘Sorry,’ he said. His voice now gentle.
‘My arm hurts, that’s all. Have you ever broken a bone?’
‘Yes. Once, I fell off a horse. It was on a movie set.’
‘Then you know how much it hurts. The pain is unbearable.’
‘Are you going to marry him?’ He held her gaze.
She hesitated. ‘He hasn’t asked. You might be famous, but that doesn’t mean you can say whatever you like.’
Oliver returned with the invoice. The men shook hands.
‘We’ve introduced ourselves,’ the famous man said. ‘Swapped a few war stories. We’re old friends.’
Mia stepped closer to Oliver. She took hold of his arm. A protective gesture.
He dipped his head toward her. ‘Warm enough?’
She nodded.
Watching their interaction, the famous man said, ‘She tells me you haven’t proposed.’
Oliver laughed. He handed over the invoice. ‘I charge double for wise guys.’
Without looking at the invoice, the famous man folded the page and slipped it into the pocket of his coat. After shaking Oliver’s hand and dipping his head at Mia, he climbed into his Goodwood Green Aston Martin and drove down the driveway.
As the car turned onto the street, Mia turned to Oliver. ‘I have to talk to you.’ An urgent pitch echoed in her voice.
‘About?’
‘Us.’
