Page 49 of Near Miss

Stone sat up, his mind churning through this new information. It took him several moments before he realized Matilda was standing in the room, fully dressed, and with her travel case beside her.

“Going home for more clothes?” he asked.

“I’m going to visit my sister.”

“Will you be back in time for dinner? Or...”

“She lives in Los Angeles.”

“So that’s a no, then.”

She expelled a breath, then sat on the bed near him. “Thank you for letting me stay here with you. On the whole, it’s been a wonderful time.”

“I sense abutcoming.”

A weak smile. “But what happened last night seems to have knocked me off-kilter.”

“Explosions have a way of doing that.”

“My sister has been asking me to visit for a while, and now seems as good a time as any. Better, really.”

“How long will you be gone?”

“I don’t know. Are you going to try to talk me into staying?”

Given the turn of events, Stone thought her leaving town was an excellent idea. But there was no need to increase her anxiety. “Would it work if I did?”

“Maybe, I don’t know.” She thought for a moment, then shook her head. “No. I need to clear my mind, and I can’t do that here in the city.”

“I understand.”

“Maybe I’ll do some painting. Who knows?” She leaned over and kissed him tenderly. “I’ll miss you. But something tells me you’ll find new companionship soon enough.” She smirked knowingly, then stood. “Well, I’ll be off.”

“Surely, you can have breakfast first.”

“No time, I’m afraid. I’ve already purchased my ticket and need to get to the airport. All I have to do is call a cab.”

“Nonsense. Fred can take you. Let me get dressed, and we’ll get you sorted.”

Ten minutes later they were in the garage, with Matilda’s bag in the trunk of the Bentley.

“Thank you, again. You saved my life,” she said and gave him a hug.

“We’ll see each other soon.”

“Maybe.”

As she pulled away, the sound of someone entering the garage caused them both to look over.

“Hi,” Carly said. She was dressed for a day at the office. “What’s going on here?”

“Matilda’s off to California to visit her sister,” Stone said.

“Oh. Have a good trip.”

“I plan to,” Matilda said. She started to climb into the Bentley, then stopped and glanced back at Carly. “He’s all yours now.”

Before Stone could react, she entered the car and closed the door behind her.

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