“Not at all.” He slides his hands into his pockets. “It was a nice walk from the dorms in Covent Garden.”
“You didn’t take the Tube?” I ask, knowing he’s spent all day taking dance classes and in various rehearsals. If it were me, I’d be exhausted, but I guess he isn’t like us regular humans. He’s a dancer, and that means he’s well-conditioned and in excellent physical shape.
“Nah. I figured it would’ve taken me the same amount of time walking here as it would going through the stations.”
We share another laugh. He’s right. Some Tube stations like the Covent Garden one are deep underground. It might’ve taken ten minutes of walking and riding escalators to reach the train and another ten or fifteen minutes when he arrived in Mayfair.
“Are you in the mood for some drinks?” I ask.
“Sure.” He grins. “Shall we go grab them from the bar?”
“Actually, I’m not allowed to. One of the agents you passed on the way has to do it.” I hold my breath to see how he reacts. From experience, I’ve learned that the reality of who I am doesn’t tend to sink in until there’s something I can’t do that normal people do.
Alfie shrugs. “Would you be okay if I ordered both our drinks, then, and saved them the trouble?”
That’s thoughtful of him. A sharp contrast to Eric. “Only if you’re sure.”
“Sure, I’m sure.” He flashes me a cheeky grin. “What can I get you? I’m probably gonna order a pint of whatever’s on tap.”
“I’ll have a gin and tonic, please.”
“On it. One pint and one G and T, coming right up.”
I tap the pocket of my jeans and retrieve my card holder. “Here. The first round is on me.”
He pushes my hand away. “Nah, Alice, I got it.”
“How about I cover something for us to snack on like an order of chips.”
His gaze travels up to my eyes. “Are you going to continue to insist on paying for something until I agree to it?”
“Yes.” I nod.
“You’re the opposite of my sisters.” He snickers. “They make me pay for everything. But if you insist, you win.” He accepts the fiver.
“How many sisters do you have?”
“Five. All older.”
My eyes widen. “Wow. That must’ve been interesting growing up.”
“Oh, it was. I’ll tell you all about it when I get back.”
He slips out the door, and I sit down as Art pokes his head into the room. “Everything going all right, ma’am?”
“Yeah, so far so good. He just stepped out to grab drinks. Why?”
“I just wanted to make sure the bloke was behaving himself and you didn’t ask him to leave.” The muscles in Art’s neck relax. “If you have, it’ll be my pleasure to refuse him entry when he returns.” He cracks his knuckles.
“Oh, he’s been a gent so far.” I chuckle.
Art, however, frowns. “First impressions can be misleading.”
He’s right. I trusted Eric when I first met him. I liked him right away too. But meeting Alfie this time feels different, especially since he’s Jenna’s friend. I’m more willing to trust Jenna’s judgment than Eddie’s. She knows me in a way only another girl would. “Don’t worry, if there’s any problems, you’ll be the first to know. Does that satisfy you?”
“For now.” He marches back to his post outside the door, mumbling under his breath.
I shake my head. It’s funny how things have changed. A few weeksago, if Bruce had tried to pull a stunt like that, I would’ve been annoyed that he didn’t trust my judgment. With Art, however, it’s another story.
