Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 89183 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89183 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
“I already told Fiona our plan, and we have her blessing, plus a list of things she wants us to look for specifically.”
What he didn’t tell her as they headed out, catching the Tube to make their way from West to East London, was that there were also several antique booksellers in the market. He had a feeling she was going to want every book she saw. Fortunately, it would be simple to ship as many as she wanted to acquire to the cottages.
He forgot that it was Josie’s first time on the Tube until they went into the station.
“Wow, the London Underground,” she marveled. “I’ve always wondered what it would be like to travel on the Tube.”
He was glad that he was there for her first ride. She loved everything about the Richmond Station, and he couldn’t wait to take her to some of the older, more ornate stations. She even seemed to think that being in this crowded carriage with dozens of other people was romantic.
“It’s just as I imagined,” she said in a soft voice. Everyone else was reading or looking at their phones, and she spoke softly enough that it would be difficult to listen in.
Strangely, he found himself enjoying the ride too. “The key is to avoid rush hour,” he said. “It’s not nearly as fun then.” And yet, how much of his life had he spent on Tube trains during rush hour? Barely able to find space to stand, let alone sit and read a paper. Not that he spent much time reading the paper either, even if there had been space, because he’d always been so busy dealing with another call or email or another fire that needed to be put out. He could have afforded a chauffeur-driven Lamborghini, but he preferred to pop out and use the Tube.
He hadn’t stopped thinking about their conversation on the dinghy last night. He’d always thought that he was an adventurer. And because he had spent so much time on planes in exotic locales, he figured that counted.
But did it really? Did it count when all he saw was the inside of a boardroom or another airport? He hadn’t ever been free to explore. No, that wasn’t true either. If he really had wanted to explore, he could have made time. He could have told his assistant to hold his calls, to deal with his email until he could get back to deal with it himself. He could have blocked off time. Delegated more. He’d had choices. But he’d chosen work. Genevieve Duvall was a brilliant woman, ready to take on more responsibility, but he still felt he needed to be involved in every deal.
Being with Josie made him see that maybe he had other choices. She’d grown up with a single mother, and he had a feeling that money had been tight. And yet, it sounded like they had done so much together. They’d made choices to enrich their lives, rather than getting locked into a job that demanded every hour.
“Penny for your thoughts,” she said.
“Just miles away,” he said.
“I can see that,” she said with a smile, then she reached for his hand.
He liked that she wasn’t shy about showing her affection to him in the Tube, because the likelihood of either of them knowing anyone was quite low. And yet, it didn’t feel like enough to him. He still wanted more. He found himself wanting to declare that she was his, and not just to the people on this train, but to everyone. To his family. To hers. And to her as well.
He leaned over and kissed her gently. That was when he heard someone say his name.
“Malcolm.”
Josie drew back, her eyes big.
One of the guys from his firm was just getting on the Tube at St. James’s Park.
Edward Willoughby was on their finance team. Young and entitled, Edward had attended all the right schools, knew important people. His grandfather was a lord. He was perfectly competent at his job, but more than happy to coast on his connections rather than putting in real work wherever possible. He was also addicted to gossip.
“Edward,” Malcolm said, nodding and doing his best to signal to the man to leave them alone.
He turned back to Josie, trying to be as dismissive as he could.
But Edward wasn’t so quick to be dismissed. “Is this the famous Katrina I’ve heard so much about?” he asked in an accent so posh it sounded like he was putting it on. He looked at Josie, clearly confused that she wasn’t six feet tall and whippet-thin.
Before Malcolm could even try to explain, Josie spoke up. “No, I’m Josie. A friend from the States.” She smiled at the man, but it didn’t completely reach her eyes the way her smiles normally did.
Edward offered a hand. “Edward Willoughby. Make sure Malcolm shows you around London properly.” He raised an eyebrow, clearly having caught them kissing and no doubt wondering what Malcolm was playing at taking a date on the Tube instead of in a chauffeured car. “Aren’t you supposed to be on holiday somewhere exotic this week?” he asked Malcolm.