get some coffee down you. Your choice.’ It was after one in the morning yet he had to shout to be heard over the noise of the people around us. He was so handsome in his shirt and jacket. So clean cut and crisp-looking. I liked him so much. I turned in his arms and blinked at him. It would have been helpful if he’d stopped swaying.
‘That’s very kind of you,’ he said.
‘Did I say all that out loud?’
‘Yup.’
‘Sorry. But you really are. Terrifically handsome. Like American handsome. Like an actual movie star. Josh?’
‘Yeah?’
‘I think I might sit down. My head has gone kind of fuzzy.’ I was halfway to the ground when I felt him sweep me up again.
‘And there we go.’
‘I really want to tell you the thing. But I can’t tell you the thing.’
‘Then don’t tell me the thing.’
‘You’d understand. I know you would. You know … you look so like someone I loved. Really loved. Did you know that? You look just so like him.’
‘That’s … nice to know.’
‘It is nice. He was terrifically handsome. Just like you. Movie-star handsome … Did I say that already? He died. Did I tell you he died?’
‘I’m sorry for your loss. But I think we need to get you out of here.’ He walked me down two blocks, hailed a cab and, with some effort, helped me in. I fought my way upright on the back seat and held onto his sleeve. He was half in, half out of the taxi door.
‘Where to, lady?’ The driver looked behind him.
I looked at Josh. ‘Can you stay with me?’
‘Sure. Where are we going?’
I saw the wary glance of the driver in his rear-view mirror. A television blared from the back of his seat and a television studio audience burst into applause. Outside, everyone started to honk their horns at once. The lights were too bright. New York was suddenly too loud, too everything. ‘I don’t know. Your house,’ I said. ‘I can’t go back. Not yet.’ I looked at him and felt suddenly tearful. ‘Do you know I have two legs in two places?’
He tilted his head towards me. His face was kind. ‘Somehow, Louisa Clark, that doesn’t surprise me.’
I let my head rest on his shoulder and felt his arm slide gently around me.
I woke to the sound of a phone ringing, shrill and insistent. The blessed relief of it stopping, then a man’s voice murmuring. The welcome bitter smell of coffee. I shifted, trying to lift my head from the pillow. The resulting pain through my temples was so intense and unforgiving that I let out a little animal sound, like a dog whose tail had just been trapped in a door. I closed my eyes, took a breath, then opened them again.
This was not my bed.
It was still not my bed when I opened them a third time.
This indisputable fact was enough to prompt me to attempt to lift my head again, this time ignoring the thumping pain long enough to focus. Nope, this was definitely not my bed. This was also not my bedroom. In fact, it was no bedroom I had ever seen before. I took in the clothes – men’s clothes – folded neatly over the back of a chair, the television in the corner, the desk and the wardrobe, and became aware of the voice growing nearer. And then the door opened and Josh walked in, fully suited, holding a mug with one hand, his phone pressed to his ear with the other. He caught my eye, raised an eyebrow, and placed the mug on the bedside table, still talking.
‘Yeah, there’s been a problem with the subway. I’m going to grab a cab and I’ll be there in twenty … Sure. No problem … No, she’s on that already.’
I pushed myself upright, discovering as I did so that I was in a man’s T-shirt. The ramifications of this took a couple of minutes to seep in, and I felt the blush start from somewhere around my chest.
‘No, we already talked about that yesterday. He’s got all the paperwork ready to go.’
He turned away, and I wriggled back down, so that the duvet was around my neck. I was wearing knickers. That was something.
‘Yeah. It’ll be great. Yup – lunch sounds good.’ Josh rang off and shoved his phone into his pocket. ‘Good morning! I was just going to get you a side order of Advil. Want me to find you a couple? I’m afraid