Page 4 of The Mad Marchams

Slightly flustered, she gestured to the left before rounding the next corner. His shoulder brushed hers as they took the tree-lined sidewalk sandwiched between the light rail and a shopping area.

“How much farther is your place from the hotel?” Colin asked.

“About another minute.”

He plucked at the T-shirt sticking to his enviably flat stomach. “I think I’d fry if I had to live in this heat all the time.”

“You prefer cloudy skies and rain?”

“You’ve been to England, I take it?”

“Only for three days when I was a senior in high school. We did Europe in two weeks.”

He snorted. “You ‘did’ Europe. That’s so American.” He paused. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I mean, wrong with being American. You’re just very efficient.”

She shrugged. “Seen one ruined castle, you’ve seen them all.”

“That’s true. We Brits still tend to think of ourselves as an empire rather than a small island. We’re the ones with the delusions of grandeur.” His steps slowed as they approached the hotel. Turning to face her, he smiled. “Thank you so much for getting me safely to my door. All I have to do now is remember which room I’m in, and I’ll be good for the night.”

“I’m glad I could help.” She looked up at him and then found she couldn’t look away.

He hesitated. “Mabel… Would you consider having a drink with me in the bar? I certainly owe you one. I’ll escort you safely home afterwards.”

She took a slow breath and inhaled the lemony scent of his aftershave. She had no idea what she was doing, but she knew that if she walked away from him right now, she would regret it. “I’d like that very much.”

They went through the lobby into the quieter of the two bars. There was an empty booth in the back, and Mabel slid onto the seat opposite Colin.

They smiled hesitantly at each other across the table.

“It’s very kind of you to put up with me.” Colin said. “Especially when I’m not at my best.”

“I hadn’t noticed.”

“I’ve been working long hours to get this building project together, and I’m absolutely knackered.” He groaned and shoved a hand through his hair. “I don’t think I’ve seen the sun for about a year. I’ve probably got rickets.”

“I know how that goes.” Mabel said. “I feel like I’ve been staring at my computer screen for ten years straight.”

“You don’t look old enough to have been working for ten years.”

She grinned at him. “I was a child prodigy.”

“Obviously.” He looked down at the bar menu. “Are you hungry?”

Mabel was always forgetting to eat, especially when she was involved in a big project, and the Grove assignment had almost consumed her alive. The pressure to succeed on time and on budget had been a nightmare.

They ordered and Mabel set the menus upright between the condiments and the small vase of fake flowers that graced the table.

“So, how do you know Rick?” Mabel asked.

“I was introduced to him by one of my clients,” Colin said. “He was interested in my designs for his friend’s vacation home up at Lake Tahoe, so he asked me to meet him at the bar this evening. Not that I could hear anything he tried to say to me, but at least we connected.”

“How much longer are you here for?” Mabel asked.

“Another three days. I was supposed to meet another potential client, but he bailed on me. Now I can revert to tourist mode.”

Their beers arrived and they clinked them together, toasting each other before ignoring the frosted glasses and drinking straight from the bottle.

Mabel took a deep breath. “I’ve got a couple of weeks off. I could show you around if you like.”