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"Maybe. What've you got in mind?"
"Come with me. We can look at your spreadsheets while we travel."
"That'd be ridiculous. We'll just put the spreadsheets on hold." Truth be told, she was dreading him looking at her figures. Keeping spreadsheets and trying to keep a tab on expenses was her least favorite part of the job. She dreamed about the day when she could afford an accountant to sort it all out for her.
"I made a promise we'd look at your accounts together this week and I intend to keep it."
She tapped him on the chest. "Lucas, you're a born multi-tasker and your aim in life is to juggle all the balls and not let any drop, I can see that, but sometimes you have to prioritize. Your son needs you."
"I can work things around. Besides, I want to travel with you." He smiled, and it melted her. Despite his obvious concern about the situation, there was always that facet of him that addressed the impossible. "We'll be in Switzerland by afternoon."
The idea of it was surreal. "Put me on hold," she insisted.
"No." His eyes flashed.
"You put other people on hold in order to deal with me."
"Exactly. I prioritized you and I'm not about to drop that ball." He lifted his eyebrows, challenging her.
She had the feeling he was digging in his heels. "It's okay, really."
"No, fuck it," he said. "I said I'd be with you until Friday, I said I'd go over your accounts with you. I'm not going to let you down."
Naomi wavered, caught like a reed in the tide under the power of his will. "Your son needs you."
"He does, I know that, but we can make this work. Can you come with me? Will Megan cover? If not I can get a temp in."
A temp? Naomi was amazed how fast his mind removed obstacles in his path. "Megan will cover. But are you sure that's what you want?"
"Yes, I'm sure."
She gave a wry laugh. "You just hate to drop any of the balls you juggle all at the same time."
"Absolutely." He scrolled on his phone, preparing to make a call. He nodded at her. "We'll have about three hours before Frank, my pilot, can be here. Plenty of time to organize cover at your place, pack a bag and get to the airport."
She looked at him with curiosity, but didn't say anything. Less than a week ago she'd met him in London. He'd chased her to Edinburgh, and now he was taking her with him to Switzerland. It was dreamlike. Unreal. Doubt crept in on her, the odd notion that meeting him was a crazy dream that could shatter at any moment. She quashed it down.
"I'll want you to bring your laptop," he added. "We can discuss your accounts during the flight."
"Are you always this way?"
He stroked her upper arm, reassuring her. "If I find something I want to be part of my life, I work hard to make it happen. This was my week with you. Toby's got himself into a fight and I need to know why, but that travel time could also be spent with you, fulfilling the promise we made to each other about looking at your books, and just being together."
Still she resisted. If she let him take charge of her like this she could be totally absorbed into his life. "What if I couldn't go, if Megan couldn't cover?"
"If you couldn't come, I'd be back with you again as soon as I can. But what's stopping us being together while I deal with this?" He put his phone down and looked deep into her eyes. "What's on your mind?"
Fear of losing my self in you? It was crazy because she'd felt more whole – more complete as a woman — since she'd met him, and yet she wasn't on her own rails. She was being diverted onto his. It seemed wrong to bring up her loss of independence at this point while he had concern for his son, so she focused on the more tangible concern. "Well, for a start, I don't want to distract you from your family issue."
"Believe me, when I'm there with him, my son will have my full attention. Having you with me will keep me from getting angry at my ex-wife during the journey." His handsome mouth quirked.
She frowned. "Surely it can't be her fault?"
"He's too young for this trip and it's his first time without parental supervision. I wasn't consulted and I should've been. Now the school is covering itself, asking for parental intervention, which I respect. I don't know the full story yet but I'm figuring he might have been out of his depth and lashed out. He could be acting up. He does sometimes when I take him home to Clara after our weekends together. We'll soon find out." He sighed, but reached out and brushed her cheek with the back of his hand. "Come with me, please."
The look he gave was pure emotional blackmail.
Her heart felt tight in her chest, her breathing strangely restricted. It wasn't entirely sexual this time. The powerful call he had on her was deeply emotional too. It was there in his eyes. He was letting her know he needed her and he wanted her by his side. If she had any remaining doubts about the reasons he'd chased up to Edinburgh after her, they dissolved in that moment.
