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“Yeah. She’s only nineteen.”
“She’s not at college?”
“No. She’s not academic. She wants to be an artist.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. She’s really cool, you know? Everyone thinks so – apart from me, which then makes me sound like a bitch… And…”
“What?”
Astrid gazed at him with her captivating blue eyes. “She’s much prettier than me.”
Jake shook his head. “I very much doubt that.”
She watched him for a moment. He smiled kindly, then focused back on the road. Astrid stared out the windshield briefly, before looking back down at her laptop and continuing with her work for the rest of the journey.
Gotcha, Jake thought…
Chapter Nine
Astrid’s hometown was like a large village. It was set in a valley, and as they approached it from the road above, Jake thought it looked as if it had been dropped into the surrounding woodland and fields from on high. It centered around a grid of no more than fifteen roads, with a stone church in the center – which had a tall spire pointing up to the blue sky. Jake had grown up in a nearby town, but he’d forgot
ten how charming and welcoming such a place could feel. The peace and tranquility hit him like a feather pillow.
Trying not to disturb the peace too much, he drove his noisy Ferrari down a winding hill, which fanned out at the bottom into rows of houses and shops – all made of the same red brick, giving the place a uniform quaintness.
The reds, greens, and golds of fall looked stunning on the surrounding trees, and even Astrid stopped typing to appreciate the scenery.
“So pretty,” he said, gazing at her.
She glared at him. “Yes, it’s a very pretty place. Just drive to the end of this road, and pull up near the church. Then you can go.”
He smirked, and followed her directions. Outside the church a little crowd had gathered for an impromptu meeting. There were about thirty people standing out here in the weak sunshine, shouting at each other, arguing. But as the bright red Ferrari cruised toward them – and parked up – the crowd fell silent and watched with interest.
Jake climbed out and opened the door for Astrid, who was packing away her laptop.
He offered his hand, and was surprised when she actually took it. But the car was low, and she was wearing a tight skirt and heels. She probably wasn’t keen to fall on her ass in front of all her friends and family.
“They’re probably expecting a VIP,” she said, climbing out.
“Then they won’t be disappointed…”
Astrid straightened her smart designer suit, then – ignoring Jake – strode over to the crowd. Jake adjusted his tie, and followed. There was no way he was being snubbed after driving her all this way… and he still needed to make amends for everything he’d done.
He halted next to her as a middle-aged man broke away from the crowd to speak to her. He was dressed in a casual shirt and jeans, and he looked as if he’d worked hard in a physical job all this life. He embraced Astrid, clearly pleased to see her. “Baby, thank you for coming so quickly.”
“That’s okay, daddy. What’s happened? Have they found someone to lynch yet?”
Her father ignored her sarcasm and inspected Jake. He seemed pleased that his daughter had brought this well-dressed Ferrari-driving city boy along. “Who’s this?”
“Hi, I’m Jake.” They shook hands firmly.
“Martin,” he said. “Are you two… you’re not…” He frowned at his daughter.
“No, dad, we’re not. In fact, Jake’s just leaving.”
Jake folded his arms across his chest. “So… what’s going on? You said someone had broken into her old room?”
