and said, “Yeah. You know how he gets all mushy when he’s talking to his sister on the phone?”
Chaos looked at me in interest, like he knew – or expected – where this was going. Which actually wouldn’t be all that difficult just by the very nature that half the conversation had happened in the door to his office.
“I do know this.”
“Not unlike you,” Rollie said, pointing at him with a shit-eating grin.
I actually smiled at the idea of my best mate going to mush over my sister. “Proves nothing.”
Chaos leant forward on his desk. “Proves something.”
Rollie nodded. “Well, he was doing the mushy smile and voice on the phone just now, only he tells me it wasn’t his sister.”
Chaos sat back in his chair and crossed his arms with a stupid smirk on his face. “Really?”
“Still proves nothing. I do however need the afternoon off.”
Chaos’ eyebrow rose. “The afternoon off?”
Rollie nudged me and I nudged him right back. “Yeah. If that’s okay?”
I wasn’t really asking permission, none of us did that. It was more a politeness thing. We were all tasked with making sure we got the job done. There were no real hours in which the office stuff needed to be done, though.
“What could you possibly need to do that’s more important than your job?” Chaos coaxed.
I frowned. “Is it okay if I take the afternoon or not?”
Chaos looked at me for a little longer, questions obvious on his face. He didn’t say anything about it out loud though. He only shrugged. “Yeah, sure. I’ll be here.”
I inclined my head. “Sweet. Thanks.”
“I still wanna know who was on the phone!” Rollie protested as I pushed past him and back towards my office.
“I think you might just be shit outta luck on that one,” Chaos answered him.
“You reckon it was the chick from the other night?”
The humour was obvious in Chaos’ voice as he said, “I reckon it’s none of your fucking business, mate.”
“You’re no bloody fun,” Rollie grumbled.
“He’ll tell you when you’re older,” Chaos called and I saw Rollie stomping his way back to his office.
I spared a small smile, then tried to concentrate on some work before I had to leave to meet Leah.
****
It took me all of about two seconds to find her once I’d walked into Bernelli’s. She was sitting in a patch of sun looking like any sane man’s best dream.
“Can I help you?” the maître d’ asked me.
“I’m meeting someone,” I answered, indicating towards where Leah sat.
He smiled and nodded. “Wonderful.”
I wound my way through the tables towards her and she looked up. When she saw me, she smiled and raised her hand in greeting.
“I’d have thought you’d be in school today,” I said as I sat down. The thought had just occurred to me.
“Pupil free day,” she answered. “How are you?”
I nodded. “Good. You?”
Her smile was infectious and I felt like I couldn’t keep mine off my face. “Yeah, good.” She leant forward on the table. “So, you’re that Patrick Grace and you play, what? Bodyguard to Mrs Fortescue?” She was teasing me.
I mirrored her lean. “More like bodyguard for everyone else.”
Leah nodded. “She’s a formidable woman.”
“Bloody scary is the word I used to use to describe her.”
She laughed, easy and open. “I think I’d have to agree. When I was little, she terrified me. All those stern looks, never smiling. And she’d always snap at us to stop running about and ruining our dresses by crawling around on the floor.”
“You, crawling around on the floor?” I gasped sarcastically. “Never.”
Leah nodded. “Oh, yes. Leading my older sister astray and everything. The trouble I used to get her in.”
“But not anymore?”
Leah’s whimsical smile turned cheekier. “Now, we’re just better at not getting caught.”
“My kind of woman.”
We shared a knowing smile and I was a little bit glad that she’d asked to meet me out. I was having some very unsavoury thoughts about her that were completely inappropriate for the public. But I kept a hold on myself and my mouth.
“Shall we order?” she asked as a waiter came over.
We went through the motions of ordering. I was pleasantly surprised when she got a side of chips with her pasta, and felt no shame then in ordering one with my schnitzel. We made small talk until the drinks and meals came. It wasn’t exactly my strong suit, but I didn’t feel awkward during the silences.
After the waiter had gone again, I decided to dive right in. “So, what’s this deal you wanted to talk