Page 44 of Liberating Mia
“Thank you, Ms. O’Connor …”
“Oh, nonsense. Call me Tahlia.”
“Thank you, Tahlia. But if it’s all the same to you, a shopping spree might be just the thing to make me feel better after.”
“Ah honey, if that’s the case, shopping we’ll go. You just give me a call as soon as you’re feeling up to it.”
Tahlia hugged her. “I’d wish you luck, but I know you’re in good hands.” She stepped back. “I’ll see you later.”
With a smile and a wave, she went over to where Larry and Finn stood talking a little distance away. Finn made his way back to her, and with a smile for her, Larry took Tahlia’s hand as they walked away.
“You ready?”
“No. Let’s do it anyway.”
“That’s my girl.”
Taking her hand, much as Larry had done to Tahlia, he escorted her to the briefing room. Desai was already there waiting for them. A couple of other team members were there too. They all came over to greet Finn when they spotted them enter the room. While he exchanged banter with his teammates, Desai took Mia aside.
“I’ve organized for a small conference room so we’ll have some privacy.”
“Thank you, I appreciate it.”
“You ready?”
Mia laughed; she couldn’t help it. Nervous energy bubbled through her. “Finn said those exact words not even five minutes ago. And I’ll tell you the same thing I told him. No. Let’s do it anyway.”
Desai laughed with her. “That’s the spirit. Hey Finn, we’re ready. You coming?”
He looped over to where they were standing, near the door. “Yep, let’s get this shit show on the road, bud. Our girl’s got a shopping date to get to.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The conference room was only a few doors down from the briefing room, and Desai had already set up for their session. He took a seat opposite where he indicated for Mia to be seated. Finn squeezed her shoulder as he went to take a seat at the back of the room, in her line of sight. He winked at her when he spotted her looking his way.
“Alright then. We’ll be recording the session, so you tell me when you’re ready and we’ll get started.”
“If you’re going to wait for me to be ready for this, you’ll be waiting for an eternity. Just start the recording.”
He nodded, starting the recording. He placed all the relevant details on record, then turned to her.
“Ms. Shore, do know one Dylan Hunt?”
“Yes.”
“How do you know him?”
“Dylan was my fiancé.”
Mia felt sick saying the words. Desai’s raised eyebrows didn’t make her feel any better. Yeah, she’d blindsided him with that one.
“I see. How did you two meet?”
“Dylan and I met when I did work for him on his holiday house three years ago. When the job was done, he invited me out. I was flattered and accepted. We dated for about six months before he proposed to me.”
“How well did you know Mr. Hunt when you agreed to marry him?”
“To be honest, looking back now, I didn’t know Dylan at all. He wasn’t the man I thought he was at all.”
