What the Lightning Sees: Part Two (8 page)

“Sure.” He came toward me and put a hand on the back of my seat. He leaned over me, placing his other hand on my desk. He was just inches from me and I was hyperaware of every last molecule of him. He smelled delicious—a mixture of clean laundry and an unmistakable scent of warmth and passion. I tried to concentrate and brought up the Sandy article for him.

He leaned farther forward and his arm brushed against my shoulder. I froze, desperate to feel more of him, terrified he’d see what I was thinking.
Was he doing this on purpose?
Tiny flickers of energy buzzed in my stomach. I inched away so there was a little more room between us. The man would swallow me whole if I wasn’t careful.

I looked up at him. He was scanning the screen, obviously interested in what he was reading. It reminded me of the way he’d examined the sculptures in the Rodin Museum. My heart ached. Was there any way back for us?

“I like the way you write,” he said. “It’s funny and quirky—irreverent even. It’s the Haven I know. Not the
Rallegra
Haven.”

I closed my eyes. What he said hurt—it showed me again how wrong I’d been to push him away. He saw me. His observation was something Ash had said to me before. I twisted my mouth to hide the smile pushing through my pain. I liked that he saw the difference, that he knew that side of me. I hated that I’d messed things up between us so badly.

“Your photographs are excellent, Jake. Thank you for giving up your time.”

“It was my pleasure,” he said. He stood up, removing his hands and his body from almost touching me. A physical loss gripped me in my stomach. “So, tomorrow is the next date. Do you want me to come over first and do the pre-date photos like last time?”

“Actually, no, I don’t think we need to this time.” I couldn’t live through that again. It was just too difficult to have him in my apartment when we weren’t together. Too intimate. It had me mentally running through what could have been. “I’ll text you to let you know where we’re going to meet.”

“Okay. Well, you know where I am,” he said.

“Thanks,” I said.

Don’t leave me.

Tuesday’s date was with Louis Romano. I had left it to Paula to pick out my dates, but from his application, he didn’t seem anything close to my type. He was older and shorter than what I typically found attractive. But it didn’t matter. This was work. Gerald wasn’t available this Saturday and I was on a deadline, so I was hoping that Louis or my date on Thursday would be bearable enough to have a second date with.

Louis had wanted to pick me up, but I had insisted I meet him at our venue. He had mysteriously said that he would see me at the bottom of the London Eye.

As my cab pulled up at the drop-off point for the huge Ferris wheel at the edge of the Thames, Jake was waiting. He took photographs of me stepping out of the cab.

“Hey, how did you know I’d be here? Or are you meeting your date for the evening?”

“This is the drop-off point, so call me a genius but I guessed this was where you’d be dropped off. You look beautiful as ever,” he said.

I’d let my hair down and decided on a dress that Ash convinced me to buy three months ago. I’d never worn it because it had an abstract print on it that seemed a bit too much, but I’d thought Jake would like the color.

“So, have you arranged for your date to meet you here again?” I asked.

“Nope.” Jake grinned at me as if he had a secret he wasn’t sharing.

What was he thinking? I pulled my eyes from him and headed toward the Eye, a towering white spider’s web that looked as if it had captured the London skyline as its next meal. There was a chill in the spring air as the sun started to go down. I shivered.

As we neared the Eye, I could see Louis. He was even shorter than I’d expected and the photograph I’d seen was clearly taken a few years ago.

“Louis Romano is your date?” Jake asked.

“Yes.” I snapped my head around to look at him. “Why, do you know him?”

“The guy is a gold-plated asshole.” Jake was obviously tense, something I’d never seen before. His jaw was clenched and his eyes narrowed in my date’s direction.

“I’m sure he’s fine,” I said, trying to say something that would calm him.

“Seriously, I don’t think you should do this . . . ”

Before Jake could elaborate, we arrived.

“Haven Daniels, I presume. You look even more beautiful than in your photograph.” Louis grasped my hand and leaned forward to kiss my knuckles as if we had time-warped back a hundred years. It was uncomfortable and I took my hand back as soon as I was able.

“Pleased to meet you, Louis. Let me introduce our photographer, Harry.”

“Ahhh, but we need no introduction. Mr. Harrison and I are old friends.”

“We’re not friends, Romano. I had no idea Haven’s date was with you, or I would never have allowed it.”

“Jake! You don’t get a say. Please don’t be rude or I’ll have to ask you to leave.” This was a Jake that I’d never seen before. Where was it coming from? It wasn’t like him. Even if he were jealous, which seemed highly unlikely, there was no need for his reaction.

“Can I have a word?” Jake asked me.

I looked to Louis, who put his hands up in defeat.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I will just be a second.” I marched away from Louis and heard Jake follow. I stopped and then I turned to him.

“Jake,
you’re
behaving like the gold-plated arsehole at the moment. This is work, as I keep telling you. What is your problem?” I was furious. I couldn’t risk Louis giving up and leaving. I was on a deadline and Paula had confirmed he was available on Saturday if I wanted a follow-up date with him. Was he deliberately trying to hurt me? Trying to pay me back for not forgiving him?

“I know this guy. He’s bad news. He’s mixed up in all sorts of things that I don’t want you to be a part of. I don’t trust him.”

“What sort of things?” I asked. What had Jake so concerned? And how could they affect me?

“I . . . I can’t tell you. I just—” Stuttering replaced Jake’s confidence. It felt so unlike him.

“It’s one evening,” I said.

“But if you knew—”

“Stop. Please don’t bring your personal issues into this. What is your problem? Anyone would think you were jealous or something?” I desperately wanted him to be.

“No, that’s not it. Well, maybe I am, but that’s not the reason I want you away from Romano. I wouldn’t want anyone I cared about going anywhere near this guy. He’s bad news. He’s hurt people close to me.”

I shouldn’t have been concentrating on the bit where he said he cared about me, but those were the words that were chasing each other round my head. How did he care about me? As a friend? As something more? I glanced over at Romano. I didn’t want to upset Jake, but I wasn’t going to walk away from this article.

“I don’t know what to say, Jake.” I had no real reason to believe Jake would overreact unnecessarily, but Romano and I weren’t getting involved, we were just spending an evening together. There was nothing to be upset about. “I can’t just ditch him and this article because you don’t like him.” With that, I turned and walked back to my date.

“I’m sorry about that,” I said to Louis.

“It is no problem, princess. I’m delighted to see Mr. Harrison. It’s a shame he doesn’t feel the same way.”

Jake

I hadn’t seen Romano since I’d punched him for getting Beth pregnant and then throwing five grand at her, and telling her to get an abortion.

I wasn’t sure if I could leave Haven with him, but I couldn’t tell her what he had done to Beth. She’d begged me not to tell a soul and we’d never mentioned it again. I couldn’t betray her secret.

“Jake, can you take a few shots of us meeting. Is that okay, Louis?” Haven asked.

“Whatever you need,” Romano replied grinning at Haven.

He was a slimy prick. And Haven was right, I
was
jealous that he was the one who got to take her out. I couldn’t see a solution short of hoisting Haven over my shoulder¸ and getting us both out of there.

I nodded at Haven, ignored Romano and started to take some shots. I didn’t say a word, just captured whatever was in front of me. Louis took her hand and kissed her knuckles again. Haven didn’t seem to mind—in fact she smiled as though she enjoyed his gesture. Perhaps she was trying to irritate me. It was working.

“Okay, Jake, do you have everything?” Haven asked.

I nodded.

“So the first part of our date this evening is a ride on the Eye. London’s sunset is beautiful from up high. Will you join me, Haven?” Romano held out his elbow and Haven tucked her arm through his.

“I think I should come as well. The views will make a great backdrop for a shot,” I said.

I could see Haven’s brain ticking away, but before she had a chance to say anything Romano said, “I’ve arranged for you to be in the capsule next to ours. That way, I get to have some time alone with this beautiful creature and you get your photograph.”

“Well, that’s settled then,” Haven said as Louis led her to the entrance.

Romano had organized two capsules solely for our use. He and Haven got in first. A champagne bucket and glasses were set out inside the pod. I willed Haven to look at me, to give me some sign that she didn’t want to go with him. I wanted to get her away from the asshole, but I risked her turning on me and telling me to leave if I said anything else.

The doors to their capsule closed and I looked on helplessly. At least there was nothing he could do to her physically. The capsule had a 360-degree view, which provided me with some comfort. I didn’t think he’d hurt her, just successfully create a mask for himself so she couldn’t see what he was really like, which to me, was as dangerous.

I stepped into my capsule and watched him as he poured her champagne. She was smiling, unaware of the poison so close to her.

As the wheel turned slowly, they were out of sight of my pod for over ten minutes. I spent the time pacing from one end of my capsule to the other. Each step brought clarity to my feelings for Haven. I was undeniably jealous and if I thought about it rationally, I knew Haven would eventually see through Romano. He wasn’t the real problem. Any guy she could be serious about was who I was concerned about.

When they came back in to view, Romano stood behind Haven, too close, pointing out the window.

Nausea washed over me and I had to stop myself from banging on the glass.

When I stepped out into the fresh air at the end of the journey, I couldn’t see Haven immediately. I scanned the heads of tourists and finally saw her, her hand in Louis’ as they headed back to where the cab had dropped her off.

I ran toward them. “Hey, wait up,” I shouted.

Haven stopped and turned. “Sorry, we were talking. I didn’t realize we’d walked so far.”

Romano grinned at me. He had been trying to lose me, no doubt. I couldn’t believe he had the nerve to look at me, let alone try to hit on a woman in front of me, when I knew everything about him.

“I have dinner waiting at my hotel. I’m not sure Mr. Harrison needs to join us,” Romano said.

Haven glanced at me and I had to hold myself back. My heart was beating out of my chest and my eyes flicked between Haven and Romano.

“I’d love to capture some photographs in the hotel, if that’s okay with you. Just at the beginning, and then we can let Jake go on and enjoy the rest of the evening,” Haven said, and my chest sank with relief.