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Leaning an elbow on the arm of his chair, he rests his lips on his fingers and doesn’t speak again as I compose myself.
When I’m finally back in control, I blow my nose, then have a couple of gulps of coffee. “I’m sorry about that,” I say finally. “Things have been a bit tough lately, and I’ve been so nervous about this meeting. I thought I had to convince you to take Finn.”
“I wouldn’t have put that pressure on a mother,” he replies, frowning. “The interview, such as it is, works both ways. It’s important that you ask all the questions you need to, so we can decide whether you feel Finn is a good fit for the program.”
I nod and blow out a breath, trying to calm myself. “I appreciate that.”
He picks up his coffee cup. Then he says, “I have an idea. Why don’t we go for a walk? It’s a beautiful day, and it’s less formal and maybe less intimidating than sitting here, in the office.”
“Oh, um, okay.” Taken aback, I pick up my coffee cup, shoulder my purse, and follow him over to the sliding doors.
“You’re okay walking in those heels?” he asks.
I look down at my strappy sandals. “Oh, yeah, I wear these all the time. I’m five-seven, but I like the extra few inches.”
As soon as the words leave my mouth, I realize what I’ve said, and half expect him to reply with ‘I bet’ or something similar, but he doesn’t. He doesn’t smile either, but something about his expression—a slight sparkle in his eyes—tells me that my reply amused him.
He steps back to let me precede him through the doors, but he only moves a couple of inches. As I squeeze past him, I breathe in the scent of his cologne, warmed by his skin—a spicy sandalwood, with a touch of vanilla. I look up and catch his eye, and a shiver runs down my back. This guy is an enigma. I can’t read him at all, and I have no idea what he thinks of me.
He closes the door behind me, then leads me down a series of steps on the private terrace to a gate at the bottom. We go through it and find ourselves on the pathway that follows the River Avon, and turn right, heading for Hagley Park.
He’s right—it’s a beautiful day, the breeze too cool for summer, but too warm for winter. Fluffy clouds scud across a bright blue sky, ruffling the feathers of the ducks. We stop and wait for a couple of them to cross the path in front of us with a group of tiny ducklings.
“Aw,” I say. “How gorgeous.”
“She’s a bit of a helicopter parent,” Alex says as the mother fusses around them to make sure none of them gets left behind.
“I think I would be too, if my babies could be snatched by a stoat at any moment.”
“Fair point.”
We watch them descend into the river and swim off, and then we continue along the path.
“Are you sure you’ve got time for this?” I ask him curiously. “You must be a very busy man.”
“Nah. Most of the time I just play solitaire.”
Again, he doesn’t smile, but he told me,I’m very dry, so I know he’s teasing.
“You’re quite unusual,” I tell him.
“I get that a lot.”
“Juliette said you were a mixture of James Bond, Stephen Hawking, and Scrooge.”
“I don’t know whether to be flattered or insulted by that.”
“Well, I understand you’re the brains behind THOR, so I’m guessing the genius bit is right. You’ve got the James Bond look going for you. How do you feel about Christmas?”
“Bah, humbug.”
“Yeah, so I think she was spot on.”
I just get a wry glance, and I look away, flustered. Most people smile a lot in conversation to disarm or reassure you, and men sometimes flirt lightly, even if they’re not single—it’s just a way to connect, to feel comfortable with one another. But Alex doesn’t do that, and I’m not sure how to handle him.
“All right,” he says, “so I’ve read the file Finn’s doctor sent several times. But maybe we should start at the beginning. Why don’t you tell me about yourself and Finn in your own words, and then I’ll go through the program, and you can ask me any questions you like?”
Chapter Two
