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I took a step closer to her. “Are you all right?”

“Yes,” she said with a forced smile, her words shaky. “Really should’ve taken the stairs though.”

I chuckled softly. “That’s you and me both.” I paused to study her. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

She bobbed her head, but she looked edgy, like if we weren’t confined right now, she’d flee. “Small spaces can be slightly stressful for me, but I’ll be fine. You don’t need to worry.”

“Is it claustrophobia?”

“Sort of. I don’t all-out panic in tight spaces, but I do find them mildly suffocating.”

I wondered at that. Had something happened to her, or was it a natural fear? When we were little, my sister Nuala had had a fear of heights, but it wasn’t because of some traumatic event; it was just something she had. I always remembered her freaking out whenever she’d had to go up a really high escalator or stand near the edge of anything even remotely elevated. She’d since gotten over the fear, but it had been a serious struggle at the time.

A bead of sweat had collected on Rinnie’s forehead, and I could tell her pulse had quickened by the rise and fall of her chest. Acting instinctively, I took off my suit jacket and spread it out on the floor.

“Sit down. You might feel a little better.”

Rinnie glanced at my jacket. “Are you sure? That’s a really nice suit, and I’d hate to ruin it.”

“You won’t, and even if you do, I can have it laundered downstairs.”

“Okay, if you’re sure,” she said, swallowing nervously before lowering to sit. I sat down, too, taking the spot on the other side of the lift.

“This shouldn’t take too long,” I said again to reassure her. “Damien will be here soon, and he should be able to get us moving.”

She gave a shaky laugh. “That’s what they said to me last time, but it ended up taking hours.”

“I promise you, Rinnie, if I have to climb out of his thing and carry you on my shoulders up to the nearest floor, I will. We won’t be here for hours.”

She blinked, taken aback by my fervour. To be honest, I’d surprised myself with it too, but there was just something about her distress that made me want to erase it.

“Do you have experience climbing while carrying fully grown women?” she asked, seeming to find the image vaguely amusing, and I was glad I’d managed to distract her from her panic.

“No, but I can lift around 150 kilos at the gym, and I use to be pretty good at the climbing wall at school.”

Her eyes widened. “150? Seriously?”

I smirked. “Are you impressed?”

“Yes. Technically, you could lift two of me, with a little extra left over.” She fell quiet, then winced. “And now I basically just told you how much I weigh. That’s embarrassing.”

“What’s to be embarrassed about? From what I can see, you’re pretty much …” I caught myself before finishing with the word, “perfect” and instead said, “a normal healthy size.”

A faint tinge of red stained her cheeks. “Thanks.”

“But I’m guessing a school climbing wall isn’t exactly the same as an elevator shaft,” I admitted.

She laughed quietly. “It’s barely been five minutes. Let’s wait and see what Damien has to say before you go all Bruce Willis on me.”

“You’re right. Guess I’ll just take any opportunity to show off.”

“You’re an extrovert then?”

“I think I’ve just always had a lot of energy, and it comes across as extroversion sometimes. I like being social, but I also like my down time.”

“I’m the same. Going out makes you appreciate staying in, and staying in shows you how fun it is to go out.”

“Exactly. Life is all about contrasts.” I held her gaze for a prolonged moment before she looked away, brushing at some lint on her skirt.