Chapter Thirteen
Its dark out by the time I return to my new home, and as I reach the elevator, Matt appears from the basement stairwell, coming up from the car-park.
‘Hey, Kate!’
I press the hold button, smothering my smile as his expression morphs from pleasure to contrite. Dressed in grey pants and a white shirt, he has a leather messenger bag slung over one shoulder. Tucked under his arms are several of those cylindrical things that I imagine hold building plans, but really, what do I know? It could hold his sandwiches.
‘A working weekend?’
He slides a hand through his messy blond hair then shakes his head. ‘I left some things in the office and just called in to pick ‘em up.’
‘Cool.’ I stand back for him to enter first, seeing as he’s weighed down with stuff.
‘Listen, Kate.’ Shifting from one foot to the other, he pauses at the open door. ‘I’m sorry about... last night. I had way too much to drink and my mind’s kinda hazy about what I might have said. Or done.’
‘You don’t remember?’ Selective amnesia, more like.
‘A little. I—I think I might have tried to kiss you. I feel pretty bad.’
‘That makes me feel special,’ I retort with a laugh.
‘No!No.That’s not, I just—’
‘No worries, we’re all good.’ Blame an earlier endorphin release for my magnanimous notions? Matt’s sloppy overtures seem like an age ago.
His shoulders relax as he expels a breath of air. ‘Thanks. I’m glad I didn’t upset you.’
‘It’s not my shoes you vommed on.’ Okay, that wasn’t very generous but I couldn’t resist.
His gaze falls, his complexion takings on a sudden red hue. And nowIfeel bad.
‘Sorry,’ I answer sheepishly.
With an apologetic smile, he steps into the elevator and the doors close behind.
‘So, Niamh. She’s got to be annoyed, huh?’
‘She’ll be fine. Her bark’s worse than her bite, and between you and me, she’s been in that state once or twice. Not that you heard that from me.’
‘Sure.’ He nods. ‘My lips are sealed. I figured I’d get her some flowers or something, throw myself at her feet.’
‘Check which shoes she’s wearing first.’ Colour rises in his cheeks once more and I find myself apologizing again as we reach our floor. ‘I’m teasing, don’t worry. I’m sure she’ll be cool.’ In a year or two.
Matt nods, distracted, as we reach my door, pausing along with me as I rifle through my bag in search of keys.
‘I don’t remember you being in the car.’
‘What?’ Cue a comic double-take, purse hanging limp in my hand.
‘Did you leave early?’ His expression clouds as he attempts recollection. ‘Were you ill, like at brunch?’
‘Oh, that was nothing. No, I’m fine.’ Yikes, for a minute I thought I must’ve been walking funny or something.Like a cowboy too long on his horse.I could definitely blame any mobility limits on some twelve-hour thing, only more the kind that leaves you with a sore hoo-haw, rather than the sniffles and a sore throat. Hang on, my throatisa little sore, but that’s from. ..yeah. I’ll stop there.
‘Great. So, do you wanna grab a coffee? There’s aCoffee Beanaround the corner.’
He looks so adorably contrite with those huge, pleading eyes. Like some kind of large puppy.One that’d happily hump my leg, if the other night is anything to go by. And that I can’t help but be reminded of a Labrador doesn’t mean I think he’s a dog. Far from it. Maybe I’d appreciate his charms more if it weren’t for Kai.
‘Call it an I’m-sorry-I-can’t-hold-my-liquor kinda thing. My treat. They do great carrot cake,’ he almost sings.
