Page 19 of Prelude To You

“Can’t you go back to the bookshop and ask the people there who he is?”

“I thought about that and decided NO. He doesn’t exist in my world, and I don’t want to think about him anymore. Let’s drop it, please.”

“Geez fine,” Meg said, even though I knew she was far from being done with the whole affair.

When I placed the macarons in a confectionary box, I noticed two were missing. The list of suspects was short. I cast a glance at Meg. She shrugged innocently. “Oh, it wasn’t for us? But see how I only took two.”

The buzzer went off downstairs with two sharp rings. Meg ran to the window and stuck her head out, then yelled back at me. “Holy shit, now that’s what I call a ride!”

I squeezed in beside her and stuck my head out too. The car was a very shiny black Lincoln Navigator, which stood out like a sore thumb in this part of town. A gentleman in uniform stood by the buzzer, wearing a smart cap. He looked up at us. “Miss Isabel Le Roche?”

Meg pointed at me before I could answer. “Hey there! This is our beautiful Miss Isabel Le Roche right here!”

The gentleman smiled. “Good morning. I’m George, I’ll be your driver today.”

“Hi George,” I said. “I’ll be down in a sec.”

I stuffed my big black bag with things, on the off chance I might need any of them. I discovered a bundle of fairy lights inside, totally at a loss as to why they were in my bag. I decided to leave them there, for in case.

Meg continued to ask George the hard questions. I knew it would be futile to try to stop her.

“Will you take care of this one for me, George?” Meg chattered on. “She’s my bestie with a capital B.”

“I will do my level best, ma’am,” George answered.

“Way to make me feel old, my name is Meg. Will you make sure she stays hydrated and nourished throughout the day?” ‘

I could hear the smile in George’s voice. “There are staff members who will take care of that, Meg.”

“Staff? Oh shit, shots fired,” Meg exclaimed, and yelled back at me. “Hey Isabel, there’s staff!”

I twisted my wild hair into a decent enough bun, but it was messy. “Meg, could you please not accost the poor man.”

But Meg’s attention was right back on George. “I’ll leave her in your capable hands then, George,” she continued. “Godspeed.” She turned to me and gave me a critical look-over. “I don’t know about the coat, but maybe they feel sorry for you and give you a raise on your first day.”

I had to laugh. “Okay crazy girl. Bye.”

When I got downstairs, George was standing by the Navigator’s open back door. I’d seen enough movies to know he was waiting for me to get in the back seat.

Who were these people, and did they treat everyone who worked for them like this?

I opened the confectionary box lid and offered George a macaron. But he declined, saying he wasn’t allowed to accept food from anyone while on the job. It was a safety issue.Okay. Like I had the time or inclination to poison people I didn’t know, who were potentially going to pay for the roof over my head.

I slipped into the back seat with my black bag and box of macarons, and sank deep into the plush seat. Never having been in a Navigator before, I sure could see the attraction. Luxurious was one way to describe it. For a second, I considered taking a selfie to send to Meg, but good sense prevailed.

I waited until George was in the driver’s seat. “George, can I ask you a question?”

George glanced at me in the rearview mirror. “Sure, Miss Le Roche, what would you like to know?”

“Why the royal treatment? I mean, not that I mind, but it just seems like taking a bus or Uber would suffice.”

“The nearest bus stop is quite a long walk from the residence,” George said pleasantly. “And who wants to be tired when they start their workday, right?”

George held my gaze in the rearview mirror. “Also, we provide transport for security reasons. Until you’ve signed an NDA, strict conditions will stay in place.”

“NDA?” I asked. One part of me was outraged and another part intrigued. Very intrigued.

“It’s a Non-disclosure Agreement,” George said.

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