Page 7 of Unforeseen Mate

“Thank you, Dr. Kent. I would like to talk to you in general terms about the project. Time is of the essence.”

“That’s hard to believe when dealing with my specialty, and you have yet to pay for my time. It will take me an hour or two to figure out my fee and bill you.”

“I would appreciate as rapid a call back as possible.”

“Certainly. Thank you, Mr. Squire. You’ll hear from me in due time.”

Fallon ended the call. There was something not quite right about this whole thing. Nothing she could really pin down, but Squire made her think of someone doing something shady and believing she was too dumb or too naive to figure it out. She might be the youngest expert in her field, but she was regarded as one of the best for a good reason—she was.

Three hours later—she kept Squire waiting on purpose—she sent him an invoice for an outrageous amount. If it all proved to be on the up and up, she would apply whatever monies had been paid to the real bill. If not, perhaps Squire and his employer would think twice about trying to hoodwink someone else in the future.

In the interim, she sent the concierge’s desk a list of things that she could use and put the clothes she needed cleaned in the laundry bag provided in the room. She’d barely had time to have another cup of coffee after sending the invoice when her phone alerted her to a text. Looking at the message, she saw it was from her bank indicating the invoice had been paid.

Damn—she couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or not. Remembering the Ace of Pentacles from her reading, she decided to call Squire.

“Dr. Kent?”

“Mr. Squire. The funds have been received and verified. When and where would you like to meet?”

“Would it be possible to meet for dinner this evening in Devon?”

“Devon is about four hours away, isn’t it?”

“My employer would be more than happy to send his private helicopter or car for you.”

“I never meet with strangers without my own transportation. If I leave now, I can meet you somewhere public say at seven?”

“I can assure you, my employer…”

“I suppose I should have made it clear that the ‘my way or the highway’ protocol was still in place.”

“Fine,” Squire said in a voice that said it was anything but. “We can meet at the St. George on High Street in Beer.”

Fallon laughed. “Beer?”

“Yes. I can assure you it has nothing to do with the alcoholic drink.”

Squire was not happy with her. Too bad; she wasn’t all that thrilled with him. “Seven at the St. George in Beer. I’ll see you then. I’ll be wearing…”

“I assure you, Dr. Kent, I will recognize you.”

Before she could ask how she would recognize him, he’d rung off. Rude, but then she hadn’t been the most polite and charming person herself. Now to figure out how to get there. A personal helicopter might have been nice, but there was no way she was getting into a chopper with someone she knew nothing about.

She called down to the concierge desk and Spenser answered. There were times Fallon wondered if the man ever slept, or even left the hotel.

“I need to arrange transportation to Beer—please tell me there is actually a village with that name.”

Spenser chuckled. “I assure you there is. It’s in a lovely part of Devon over on the western coast. I think the best way would be to take the train from London to Wychall Orchard and from there either a bus or hired car, with or without a driver, to Beer. If you like I can take care of everything for you. Will you be gone long?”

“I’m meeting someone for a business dinner. Depending on the lateness of the hour I may or may not return tonight.”

“I would think it best to stay the night. I can set that up for you, as well.”

“Thank you, Spenser, I would really appreciate that.”

“I’m glad we can be of service. I think you’d have the most flexibility with a car and driver, but it would be more expensive.”

“Given the potential client is paying, I think I’ll opt for flexible.”

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