Page 77 of Read Between The Lines

He slid a folded five-pound note across the counter.

‘Keep the change,’ he added, before turning on his heel and marching out of the library so fast, it was as if the fire alarm had sounded.

‘But it’s far too much,’ I tried to call after him, but the heavy double doors had already swung shut behind him.

I opened the till and, as I unfolded the fiver to put it into the drawer, a note of a different kind fell out and onto the floor. I scooped it up and stuffed it into my pocket.

I dealt with the queries from the queue on automatic pilot, my mind on what the note might say. As soon as Moira reappeared, I darted into the depths of the library, taking refuge in the romance section to read Leo’s message in peace, hoping that the love in the books surrounding me would find its way into the real world. However, the note seemed to be focused on the investigation, written in a typical Leo style: short and to the point.

Dear Kat,

Forgive the somewhat old-fashioned method of communication, but I thought SO Ox might have put you off the virtual kind. It certainly has me. Sid’s tipped me off that the police are planning to pick Dom up at the next event– the Date My Mate do at the Botanic Garden tomorrow. How about one final outing together undercover? I’m guessing you’ll say yes, so see you there. Time to end this charade once and for all.

Take care,

Leo xx

It wasn’t quite the Captain Wentworth-style declaration I’d been dreaming about, and the mention of ‘one final outing together’ concerned me. I tried to take some hope from his affectionate sign off but, all in all, the note made me doubtful how Leo would react when I told him how I felt. But there was only one way to find out.

ChapterThirty

Of course, the first person I encountered as I arrived at the Botanic Garden the next day was Blake, who hugged me like we were old friends.

‘Kat, darling, it’s so good to see you. You’re looking gorgeous,’ he said, kissing my cheek for good measure. I laughed at his theatrical greeting.

‘I thought you’d decided you’d had enough of the apps for the time being,’ I said.

He shrugged. ‘I’d already booked this before events overtook us, and what can I say? The ever-optimistic romantic in me hoped that perhaps I might meet someone special here before the app gets shut down for good.’

‘Shh, not so loud,’ I said, squeezing his arm in warning and looking around quickly to see if anyone might have overheard. I leaned in closer and added in a low voice, ‘That might happen sooner than you think.’

‘Kat, Blake, good to see you both,’ said Leo, suddenly appearing from behind an archway where he’d apparently been lurking.

I moved towards him, and experienced a moment of uncertainty when he neatly side-stepped so I couldn’t give him the hug I’d been planning to. I knew he’d said we’d be undercover again, but everyone else around us was being affectionate in their greetings, even though most of them had probably never met before.

‘We need to check in as pairs,’ said Leo. ‘Are you guys…?’ He gestured between me and Blake.

‘Oh no, absolutely not,’ I said firmly.

Blake pouted in mock indignation. ‘I would be insulted by your eagerness to be rid of me, if I didn’t know my place. Besides, I’d hate to get in the way of true love. Don’t worry about me. I’ve managed to rope one of my colleagues from the theatre into joining me. She’s notoriously late, but I’m sure she’ll be along in a minute. Have fun, you two.’

I felt my face grow hot, but thankfully Leo didn’t seem to have picked up on Blake’s mention of ‘true love’. It would be extremely disappointing to have worked myself up to this point only for Blake to steal my thunder.

‘I guess we’d better…’ I said, gesturing at the queue.

‘Sure,’ said Leo. Although he would have looked relaxed to those around us, I could tell that he was on edge from the slight tension in his shoulders and the way he was watching the crowd so intently.

‘Don’t worry, he won’t miss his own event,’ I said quietly, answering his unspoken question about why there was no sign of Dom yet.

‘It would be disappointing if your new friend had tipped him off,’ muttered Leo. ‘The reason the police are having to arrest him here is that none of his registered addresses seem to be current. It wouldn’t take much for him to disappear off the face of the planet, and then we’d be back to square one.’

‘Blake hasn’t said anything, I’m sure of it,’ I said.

Right on cue, Dom himself appeared at the entrance to the garden. He climbed onto a stool and addressed the assembled crowd through a megaphone.

‘Welcome one, welcome all to Date My Mate by SO Ox. Do you have a hot friend who simply can’t find the right girl or guy? Now’s your chance to help them become lucky in love. Once you’ve registered in pairs here at the gate, follow the signs to the Literary Garden, and then get mingling. This is your chance to tell the world why your friend is the most eligible one here. Are you ready to pimp your pal and find them their perfect partner?’

The hubbub grew louder as a few people indignantly realised the nature of the event they’d been dragged along to.

---