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I grabbed my purse and coat off the table behind the door. He held his arm out for me, but I ignored it and raced down the stairs ahead of him. When I saw the uniformed driver parked next to Taylor’s front lawn, I paused.
“We can walk,” Bernard offered, with a quick nod in the driver’s direction. “Johnathan, why don’t you take a break? I’ll call you when I’m done.”
“Of course, Mr. Shaw.”
In silence, we settled into a slow walk, with the sun beating down on our backs and the smell of freesias lingering in the air. A few blocks away, the houses gave way to a sprawling complex with a mall, an outdoor cinema, and a few cafes with tables set up on the sidewalks. I made a beeline for the empty one in the corner,with Bernard hot on my heels. He pulled out a chair for me and waited till I was seated before taking the chair opposite me.
After we ordered some drinks and appetizers, I sat back and linked my fingers together over the table. “So, what did you want to talk about?”
Bernard folded his arms over his chest and cleared his throat. “Straight to the point, huh? I like that.”
I shrugged, and my eyes didn’t leave his face. “I don’t think we should beat around the bush.”
Bernard raised an eyebrow. “So, you do know who I am.”
A heartbeat later, I unlink my fingers and lean back against the chair. “I do.”
Silence stretched between us.
Bernard unfolded his arms and leaned forward, a furrow appearing between his brows. “Why did you pretend like you didn’t know who I was?”
I swallowed. “Because I thought it would be better if I didn’t. I’m supposed to be working for you, Bernard. I didn’t think you would want me as your housekeeper because of…you know.”
Bernard frowned. “You thought I would rescind the job offer if I knew who you were?”
I nodded. “Yeah, why wouldn’t you?”
It would be a lot less complicated for him to start over from scratch.
And I was the woman he had shared a passionate night with.
I wouldn’t have blamed him if he couldn’t get past that.
“Because I’m not going to hold that over your head,” Bernard replied, shaking his head. “We both wanted that night to happen. I don’t see why you should be the one to pay for it.”
I tilted my head to the side and stared at him. “So, you don’t want to fire me?”
Bernard’s lips lifted into a half smile. “No, I don’t want to fire you, Rachel. I’m actually glad that we’re running into each other again after all these years.”
“You are? Why?”
Bernard fell silent when the waitress materialized and set our drinks and appetizers down before disappearing again. Once she did, he waited until she was out of earshot before leaning over the table and looking directly at me.
Suddenly, I couldn’t remember why I was meant to be staying away from him in the first place. When I stared back at him, I remembered him during our night together. I saw the humor in his eyes when we were at the restaurant, and I felt the warmth as he regarded me while we sat across from each other in the clubhouse. And when I inhaled, I could smell the spicy scent of his cologne.
He still smelled like ginger, cardamom, and nutmeg.
I wanted to lean over the table, pull him to me, and inhale.
Until we were back in that hotel room, tangled up in each other with no sense of the outside world.
Instead, I leaned back in my chair and gave my head a little shake. “You left in the middle of the night, Bernard. You can’t expect me not to wonder about that.”
Bernard reached for his drink and took a few sips. “I knew you would, but I thought I would explain everything to you when you called me.”
“You keep saying that, but I had no way to get in touch with you. You left in the middle of the night, remember?”
“All you had to do was read the note I left on the bedside table.”
