Page 42 of Read Between The Lines

‘I guess we’re going to have to up the ante,’ I said, as we crossed Magdalen Bridge.

‘I’m not sure I like the sound of that.’ Leo cleared his throat. ‘Look, please don’t take this the wrong way, but given what happened tonight, I’d feel a lot better about this whole thing if you let me teach you some self-defence moves.’

I snorted, then quickly tried to disguise it as a cough when I realised he wasn’t joking.

‘Self-defence? Really? You actually think I’m going to need that if we go to another SO Ox event?’

‘I think it’s better to be safe than sorry,’ he said.

I reached out and lightly touched his forearm. ‘You’re being very big-brotherly and over-protective. It’s really not necessary, Leo. As I’ve told you many times, I can look after myself.’

For a second, I imagined him responding with a Mr Knightley-worthy, ‘Brother and sister! No indeed’, but he just shrugged.

‘I know that a core of steel lurks behind the kind librarian exterior, but it would put my mind at ease. Humour me.’

I pulled a face at him, unwilling to show I was strangely flattered by his description of me.

As we approached my front door, I said, ‘I’ve got skills already, you know. And I’ve always got a book on me. I reckon I could inflict some damage with a hardback.’

‘Knowing you, you’d prioritise saving the hardback over yourself.’

He had a point there.

I watched him lock my bike up while I considered his suggestion. He hadn’t gone as far as saying he’d back out of the investigation if I didn’t do the self-defence lesson, but I could tell he was genuinely concerned for my safety. If agreeing meant he’d spend less time worrying about me and more time concentrating on tracking down our target, then that was a price I was happy to pay.

‘Fine, you can teach me some moves. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.’

He waited for me to unlock my front door and switch on the light inside.

‘Great stuff. I’ll meet you at my gym on Saturday. I’ll text you the address.’

‘See you on Saturday. Thanks for walking me home.’

I leaned forward and brushed my cheek against his, an ordinary kiss of farewell. Only nothing felt ordinary about being so close to him. I took a deep breath to steady myself, but the heady combination of his subtle aftershave and the warmth of his stubbly face made me feel even more off kilter. For one mad moment, I thought about turning my head and moving my lips into contact with his. What would it feel like to press still closer to him, and allow myself to let go? I lingered for a moment longer than was strictly necessary.

‘Goodnight, Kat,’ Leo said softly, his breath tickling my ear, before he stepped back. ‘Sleep well.’

Judging by the confused way I was feeling right now, that seemed highly unlikely.

ChapterSixteen

Ispent most of Friday writing texts to Leo and deleting them before I did anything so foolish as to actually send them. My one saving grace was that at least it was my day off, so I didn’t have to go into the library and face him. The more I thought about last night, the more confused I became. I tried to tell myself I’d imagined it, but it did feel like we’d nearly had A Moment. But A Moment was the very last thing I wanted, and besides, I was pretty sure it hadn’t been mutual. It had merely been another classic case of Kat getting carried away again. Hadn’t I learned anything from my experience with Scammer Brian? The reality was that I’d been so susceptible to him because I was in love with the idea of being in love. Brian had been charming and effusive in all his communications with me. It hadn’t taken much for me to fall for him, as I built him up in my imagination, nurtured by the constant loving messages he sent.

Leo, meanwhile, had been at times rude, overbearing and bossy, but underlying it all, I knew there was kindness there, and he seemed genuine and honest in his dealings with me. Was that all it took for my ever-hopeful heart to transfer its affections? I needed to get a grip and be sensible. The capacity for getting hurt in this instance was even higher, because I’d actually met the man and got to know him for real. Got to know him on one level, I reminded myself. There could be a whole lot more going on with Leo that I had no idea about. After all, as a former policeman, he’d undoubtedly be highly skilled at putting on a persona to suit his surroundings and mask his real thoughts. And he’d never actually told me why he’d left a profession which he claimed to have felt so strongly about.

No, I needed to protect myself. Now was not the time to get distracted by nebulous feelings which couldn’t be trusted. I needed to concentrate on my goal of bringing down a dangerous romance fraudster. Then I could return to the sanctuary of my books, immerse myself in the safe, fictional versions of romance, and enjoy a peaceful existence in real life without the complications brought about by unpredictable men. And having made that promise to myself, I went for a walk around Christ Church Meadow, deliberately leaving my phone at home. It was better to be safe than sorry, after all.

The park was peaceful, a few joggers making easy work of the winding paths, while the occasional curious duck waddled past me as I lingered by the riverbank, relishing the quiet. This place had always been one of my favourite parts of the city, an oasis of calm away from the bustling streets where it was all too easy sometimes to feel like I was caught in a bubble, one which distorted my perspective on the rest of the world. It was good to stand apart from the intensity of the investigation and other life stresses for a few moments and just enjoy being surrounded by nature. But, for once, even here I found I couldn’t settle completely. The sounds of the bells chiming from college clock towers every quarter of an hour were a constant reminder that time was passing, and with it, the likelihood of us tracking down Scammer Brian was surely diminishing, however optimistic I tried to remain about my mission.

I wandered on and found myself a bench overlooking the boat houses. Although most of them were shut up as the students were still on their Easter holidays, there was one door open from which emerged a team carrying a rowing eight. While they set about putting it in the water and rigging their blades, a couple of coaches launched the safety boat, laughing together as they watched the crew take their time getting ready.

‘Come on guys, we haven’t got all day, you know,’ shouted the female coach.

‘We need to make the most of this good weather before the wind gets up later,’ called another voice which I instantly recognised. Leo. How many times had I come here to watch the rowers and never encountered him? And now, when I was trying to get a bit of distance to help bring myself back under control, here he was. Just my luck.

I nearly got up and started walking away, but realised that the movement might attract his attention, so I hunched on the bench and tried to summon a shield of invisibility.

The safety boat puttered alongside the eight, Leo giving bits of helpful advice while the rowers settled themselves into their seats. Once they’d finally pushed off, Leo and his colleague followed along at a steady pace. The team looked like novices judging by the frequent splashes and direction changes of the boat. A couple of the rowers were obviously finding it stressful, voices raised as they clutched onto their oars, yelling at their teammates to go more steadily and balance the boat up. But as they made their way down the river, they slowly started finding their rhythm, working together, not against each other, as they pulled the blades through the water and followed the guidance and encouragement from Leo and his colleague.

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