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‘Yes, I’ve just eaten. How’s Arielle?’
‘Much better. Some people do suffer from headaches after they’ve had meningitis. It’s a concern, of course, and Arielle naturally gets worried by it, but it’s unusual for meningitis to recur. I called in this morning and she was fine.’
‘That’s good. I was wondering... I’d like to send her something, just to say thank you for coming and that I’m glad she’s feeling better. I did think of flowers, but I guess she and Evie probably have whole roomfuls already...’ Perhaps Leo could suggest something. Alex hoped he could because she had absolutely no idea what would be appropriate.
He chuckled. ‘Yeah, it’s a bit like Kew Gardens in there. I don’t know how Evie stands it; I was sneezing all evening.’ He paused for a moment to think. ‘Do you have any photos from yesterday? I saw Rhona brandishing a camera.’
‘We should have. Hold on, I’ll look and see whether she’s uploaded them onto the server yet.’ Alex opened the images folder and saw a new folder with yesterday’s date on it. ‘Yes, they’re there.’
‘Why don’t you pick out some nice ones and send them with a personal note? That’s something I’m sure they’d both really appreciate.’
‘It’s not very much...’
‘It’ll be perfect.’ Leo’s tone suggested that the matter was dealt with and that he was already moving on. ‘You’ll be there for a while?’
‘I think I’ll pop out now and get a card to send with the photos. And I’ll need a thumb drive too. I’ll be back in half an hour.’
‘In that case, I’ll see you then.’
That question also appeared to be dealt with in Leo’s mind because he didn’t wait for an answer before hanging up. Alex stared at her phone.
‘Yes, half an hour’s convenient for me, Leo.’ She dropped the phone back onto her desk. It really didn’t matter if it wasn’t, because it appeared that Leo would be coming anyway.
* * *
The card for Arielle sat in front of her on the desk and Alex was holding her pen, ready to write something as soon as inspiration struck her, when a quiet knock sounded at the door and it swung open.
She was getting used to the fact that all doors were open to Leo, and didn’t bother to ask how he’d got into the building without pressing the night bell. Probably a couple of the people downstairs, who were busy preparing for a case in court tomorrow.
And who wouldn’t let Leo in anywhere? He always looked as if he belonged, wherever he went. He’d made some concession to this being a Sunday, dark jeans and a charcoal sweater, his blond hair slightly more rumpled than usual. Of course, it was all artifice. Leo was never really off-duty; it just suited him to look as if he was from time to time.
‘I thought you might need something to keep you going. Ready for a Tellurian cocktail?’
So he remembered. She couldn’t attach too much importance to that, because she’d then have to attach an equal importance to the fact that she remembered too. And that particular episode of their lives was over now. They’d kissed it goodbye.
‘I’m not sure I’ll be ready for another one of those for at least another ten years.’ It was tempting, though. Leo was tempting.
‘They’ve improved a great deal.’ He sauntered over to her desk, revealing what he’d been holding behind his back. Two crystal glasses that shone in the feeble afternoon light and a cocktail shaker.
‘I seem to remember that pouring them down the sink was about the only thing that anyone could have done to redeem them.’
‘Harsh, Alex.’ He laughed. ‘Don’t you think that anything can be redeemed with a little work?’
Maybe. But Leo was working on all the wrong things.
‘I’m not sure blue’s my colour...’
‘Blue is everyone’s colour. Particularly yours...’
He opened the cocktail shaker and poured a measure into each glass. Maybe it was her imagination but the blue liquid was slightly less vivid than the original Tellurian cocktails. It actually looked quite intriguing.
Leo put a glass into her hand and sat down in the chair next to her desk. ‘We should make a toast. To all we can achieve.’ He tipped his glass towards hers.
‘Yes. All we can achieve.’ It sounded like a good toast. Alex took an exploratory sip from her glass.
‘Oh! That’s quite nice.’ She took another sip. ‘Actually, it’s very nice.’ Not too much sweetness, but just enough to temper the bite.
He smiled. ‘Want to take a guess?’
