And that woman wore it better than anyone I’d ever met. It was only then that I realized I hadn’t gotten her name, not even a false one.
I left money on the table and walked out into the afternoon sun. Thomas was waiting in the car, his expression somewhere between curious and amused.
“Well?” he asked as I slid into the passenger seat. He sniffed and wrinkled his nose. “Why do you smell like flowers?”
“Later,” I groaned and shook my head. “They’re in for the general’s meeting.”
“What did you tell her?”
“Only what she needed to know. A high-value asset will be meeting with a Swiss general, unknown threat level.” I shrugged. “Compartmentalization.”
“Good.” Thomas nodded approvingly. Then his eyes narrowed. “Why are your ears red?”
I felt my face warm. “She kissed me.”
Thomas stared at me. “She what?”
“Kissed me. A few times, actually. In between ear nibbles and grabbing my crotch.” I could feel mycheeks warming again. “It was all very . . . unexpected.”
A slow grin spread across Thomas’s face. “William Shaw, are you blushing?”
“No.”
“You are. You’re absolutely blushing.” He laughed, the first real one I’d heard from him in days. “Oh, this is wonderful. Wait until I tell the Baroness.”
“You will do no such thing.”
“Oh, I absolutely am!” He started the car, still grinning. “So, let me get this straight. A pretty girl kisses you, and you forget how to function. It’s good to know the great William Shaw has a weakness after all.”
“I didn’t forget how to function. I was just . . . surprised.”
“Uh-huh.” Thomas pulled out of the lot, his eyes on the road but his smile fixed in place. “Did she at least give you her name, maybe a phone number? Did you get a second date? Or were you too busy being surprised?”
“Oh, piss off.”
“Was she really that pretty?”
“I was flustered, not blind.” I nodded. “She’s a pinup, seriously.”
“You’re so easily flustered. It’s kinda cute.”
“I am not easily flustered.”
“Will, your ears are still red.”
I didn’t have a response to that, so I sat in silence while Thomas drove us back toward the farmhouse, his chuckles filling the car like music. It was good to hear him laugh, even if it was at my expense.
We had four days until the 14th. Five until February 15th.
The final week was moving fast.
But for one brief moment, in a car driving through the Swiss countryside, things almost felt normal.
Almost.
26
Thomas
