Page 83 of Verses Of Us

“Nearby.”

“How nearby?”

“Close enough.”

Something told her to cross to the window by the elevator. Down eight floors below, she spotted a man standing on the sidewalk, leaning against a silver sports car with a phone pressed to his ear. The shrill sound of a police siren echoed in her ear at the same time as she watched the patrol car drive by.

“Oh, my God. Are you outside the hotel?”

“What? No.” The man shook his head.

“Ciarán, I can see you.”

Laughing, he tilted his head back and waved up at her. Her cheeks were sore from how hard she was smiling. “Caught me.”

“What, were you going to wait for me until I left?”

“Yep. I was going to take you with me.”

“Kidnapping, eh?” She knew he was kidding, but the idea of Ciarán being forceful did something funny to her nerve endings.

“A man’s got to do what a man’s got to do,” he laughed. “So, you coming down or what?”

The sidewalks were busy with pedestrians, all out on a pleasant, sunny Sunday morning. They headed west out of the city centre, through single lane roads and narrow alleys, and Alexis worried the side mirrors of Ciarán’s vintage Jaguar would get torn off.

She rubbed her hands over her thighs, staring out the passenger window. Her excitement coursed through her body. But soon, she second-guessed the hastiness of her choice.

She reached for her cell and cancelled her flight, then sent a quick email to Julie, explaining what was happening. She knew Julie wouldn’t check her emails for a few hours, so she figured it would be better than a text that she’d reply to immediately.

With things settled, she put the phone away, acutely aware she no longer had anything to keep her frazzled mind and shaky hands busy.

“Tell me something,” Ciarán began. “Why did you change your mind? You seemed pretty steadfast about going home.”

She shrugged. It was inexplicable. She still wasn’t sure what made her call him. All she knew was she would have regretted it if she hadn’t.

“Maybe I have daddy issues?” she joked.

“Daddy issues?”

She scrunched her face up. “You know? I have a fear of abandonment because my dad left when I was in my formative years and that’s affected my relationships with men…”

Her frenetic laugh broke when she met his confused expression and watched his face pale. Her joke had missed the mark entirely. She touched his arm and felt him tense. “Oh my God, Ciarán, I’m kidding.”

They pulled up to a red light, and he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “Lex, I hope this isn’t some passive way to deal with your…” He cringed. “Daddy issues.”

She fought the laugh climbing her throat, but it was hopeless. “Don’t worry. I was totally kidding. I don’t have… I don’t.” She covered her mouth with her hands and giggled. Her lack of sleep had without doubt affected her mood. “Can we please drop this?”

He nodded, his eyes returning to the road, but he still showed a hint of a frown. “I mean… if you want to call me Daddy, I might be alright with it.” His mouth quirked, and she smacked his arm in response.

“Oh, wow, we can totally stop this now.” She tucked her hands under her legs and squinted out the window, but deep down, she was having the best time.

After a few quiet minutes, she said, “I guess I like a challenge and you have always been the biggest one for me.”

“I have?”

He smiled, and she continued. “I’m intrigued. I figure life can wait. Finding out where you spend your downtime can’t.”

“Ah, I see. This isn’t about spending time with me, but checking out real estate.”

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