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She brushed past him, surveyed the rows of bottles carefully. The touch of her bare arm against the back of his hand and the trace of her scent was enough to send all his senses into overdrive. Less was very definitely more.
‘I think...something smooth, but with a touch of bite. Stirred, not shaken?’
‘Sounds good.’ Forget shaken. He was definitely stirred.
She reached for bottles of rye whiskey and vermouth and Gabriel smiled. Clara was going to make a dry Manhattan, the way he liked it.
‘Shall we go and sit down?’ She nodded and he picked up the drinks, walking past the sitting room and leading her up the stairs.
He flipped the light on in his study, kicking the door closed before he set the drinks down. Clara sat in an armchair, slipping off her shoes and then reaching for her glass.
This was nice. And knowing that there were no cameras lent an intimacy to it all. ‘So where did you learn to mix a cocktail? Is it a required skill for security work?’
‘No. When I left the army I filled in working at a cocktail bar for six weeks. Then I got this job.’
‘You never thought about going back to being a paramedic?’
‘Briefly. But I wanted a change. And I found that I was good at this.’
‘It must get pretty boring sometimes, following people around.’
‘You think that you’re boring?’ She took a sip of her drink, quiet mischief dancing in her eyes.
‘I didn’t mean me. Following other people around.’
‘Ah. Well, yes, other people can be boring at times. But we have such a wide range of clients. Families with children. People who are being stalked or threatened. My job isn’t just about helping them to be safe, it’s helping them to feel safe as well. We all need a sense of security.’
‘I can identify with that. Although if a random stranger wants to put a dry Manhattan like this one into my hand, I might just take the risk and drink it.’
‘Don’t. I can always make you another. I stick to my recipes.’ The warmth in her face and that light in her eyes calmed him. Gabriel felt more relaxed than he had in days.
‘So you don’t miss medicine?’ The question had been bugging him since he’d seen her interest in Kaia’s work. It must have taken a heavy blow to deflect someone with Clara’s determination from her chosen career.
‘I miss it. A lot sometimes...’ She ran her finger around the rim of her glass, obviously wondering whether she should elaborate.
The party was over, and they were alone. Drinking cocktails. If this wasn’t the time for talking then he didn’t know what was.
‘It’s midnight. And you’re off the clock.’ Gabriel took his dinner jacket off and loosened his tie, to emphasise the point.
The way she looked him up and down made the tips of his fingers tingle. ‘I suppose so.’
‘So what made you change direction so suddenly?’
‘Because... I’d lost my way. I couldn’t go back and the only way was through. Medicine was my first love, but this is a very good second best.’
Her sudden honesty made Gabriel’s stomach lurch. It felt as if they were on the edge of a precipice. A step back would be easy to take and a step forward would plunge them into the sweet unknown, where two people, talking after a party, might come to understand each other.
‘So how does a woman like you get to lose her way?’
* * *
Clara had walked straight into this. Willingly. In truth, she’d practically galloped into it. Making cocktails together, following him upstairs so they could sit somewhere out of a camera’s field of vision.
‘It’s a long story...’
‘I’ve got all night.’
Clara swallowed hard. She was absolutely sure that Gabriel could think of many things that would take all night. But talking couldn’t hurt.
