sniffed once then nodded. ‘Okay, you’re on. Throw in a tablecloth and cutlery and you have a dinner date. Not a fling, of course. Oh, no.’ Then she opened up her smartphone. ‘Do you want me to book somewhere?’
Scott covered her hand with his long clever fingers.
‘Leave this to me. My treat. Let’s make it a night to remember.’
Then he flashed her a cheeky wink and strode back to his office, his taut bottom teasing her with every step.
No messy complications and not a fling. Toni groaned to herself. Right.
Scott stood with his legs braced in front of the stone balustrade and looked out across the Thames to the south bank of the river. The early evening traffic was still fierce behind his back but he blocked it out and focused on the lights twinkling in the old stone buildings to the east that he knew led away towards the financial district and St Paul’s Cathedral.
He was so engrossed at working through his mental map of the city he knew so well that it took a full second before he recognized the female voice behind him.
‘Hello, handsome. I’m conducting a survey on people’s favourite London walks and I’m keen to know what yours is. Do tell.’
Scott turned around just as Toni stepped forward. His reward for hanging around close to the busy road for the last ten minutes was the touch of her tantalising cold lips on his cheek. So, before she had a chance to move away, he grabbed her and kissed her on the side of the mouth. But pretended that he had been aiming for her cheek.
The kiss only lasted a second but he instantly felt the heat of her smile on his face.
‘Cheeky,’ she scolded, but then her eyes softened and that smile made him feel that it would have been worth running here through the snow.
He would love to touch her again and hold her in his arms. Instead, he held out his hand towards her and gave a low whistle.
‘Hey, look at you, birthday girl! That colour is amazing!’
Toni held out the skirt of her long tailored Russian-style coat which was in a shade of bright cherry-red which he usually associated with Christmas decorations. And yet, with the black lace-up boots and black knitted hat pulled down over her ears, she somehow managed to look elegant and chic instead of too bright.
‘You like? These boots are ancient but they’re so warm and comfy I couldn’t resist.’
‘I like. Cute hat too.’
‘Amy made it for me! We Baldonis are so talented.’
‘It’s a miracle that you stay so grounded and modest.’ Scott laughed and when her gloved hand reached out for his, it seemed perfectly natural for him to mesh his fingers with hers. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d held hands with a woman in the street. Alexa used to hate public displays of affection of any type. Maybe he should have taken a hint from that?
Either way, he liked this just fine. For the next few hours he was going to put aside the problems back in the business and do his best to enjoy himself.
‘Now, about that walk,’ he said in a casual tone. ‘I have so many favourites it’s hard to choose.’
‘Um...I agree. I’ve lived in this city all my life and I still find parts which are completely new to me! It’s astonishing.’
‘Then here’s a suggestion. Let’s see where our feet take us. No particular direction or destination. Just free to go where we want. Then back to my very favourite place for dinner. And yes, hot food is on the menu.’
Toni gave his hand a squeeze. ‘Somehow I suspect a map will be involved but that’s okay. Lead the way, oh, great explorer.’
* * *
If someone had asked Toni to describe where they had walked and how long it had taken and what they had seen, she would not have been able to. Westminster Abbey was involved at one point and possibly Trafalgar Square because she did recall roaring with laughter about feeding bananas to the lions in London Zoo.
What mattered were the shared experiences of growing up in the same city. Their parents and their lives were so very different and yet the more they talked movies and music and the fun things they enjoyed the more connected she felt.
It was hard hearing Scott talk about his parents’ divorce and how he and Freya had to struggle to keep in contact with their father when he’d remarried so quickly to a woman with a grown-up son.
With each step she felt that he was opening up to her, sharing his life and his love of the natural world. And all the time his hand kept a tight hold on her, taking her with him on the journey.
Scott was talking about his team of sled dogs and how he loved to watch them tug at the traces and take off on the trail across frozen forests and lakes. She looked up into his face and it was so alive and intense she could feel the heat and the passion for what he did burning in every word.
Maybe that was when a vague sense of unease started to creep into her thoughts.
What was she doing here? Sled dogs? Frozen lakes?
She didn’t know whether to feel privileged that he felt able to talk to her about the precious things that mattered to him or overwhelmed by how quickly her fun birthday dinner stroll had turned into something much deeper.
He wanted her to know about his life, which was wonderful. But, if anything, it only made her feel inadequate and ill prepared for the new world she was facing in the coming months. She had never travelled or done any of these exciting things. The biggest challenge she faced every week was dragging Amy out of bed and now even that was gone. Lifting a camera might exercise a few arm muscles but that was it.
Their lives were so very different it wasn’t funny. He had been to university and studied with the best in his field and she had barely survived college. She’d had Amy to take care of. But it didn’t make it any easier.
It was foolish to compare her life with Scott’s. They were such different people.
Problem was—she liked him more than was healthy.
A sudden flash of light snapped Toni out of her dream and she smiled at Scott as they strolled up to a road crossing. Suddenly a group of tourists ran across towards them and as she stepped left, Scott moved right and her gloved fingers slid from his. And she immediately missed that simple connection with the man.
Inhaling sharply and cursing her ridiculous crush, Toni quickly plunged her hand into her coat pocket so that Scott would not reclaim it, casually glancing from side to side.
Big mistake. Because in one step he had closed the gap between them and pressed his hand into the small of her back and then around her waist, holding her to him as they crossed the busy London road, which was a whirl of traffic and cyclists who apparently took red lights to mean go faster.
Her foolish heart relished that contact with the muscular body that was so close to the surface of his relatively thin all-weather short jacket and how his hand
