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I chuckled and swiped his chest with my free hand, nearly taking us both down in the snow when I slipped.
“Ah see, that was karma,” he teased, pulling me into his side with one hand and stopping outside an intimate café that looked empty.
“This place looks perfect for lunch. What do you think?” I nodded, and he led me inside.
After a tasty meal of French farmhouse cuisine; beef bourguignon, sautéed potatoes, green beans and crusty baguette, we felt stuffed. We’d had a bottle of Chateau Papè Clèment and I felt tipsy again by the time we left. Jamie nodded toward the door, and when I turned, I noticed Felix leaving the restaurant. His presence stunned me because I hadn’t known until then he’d been following us.
The ride back to the hotel took less than ten minutes and I figured we could have walked, but I had felt glad to thaw out in the warmth of the town car Felix had efficiently arranged.
“I guess we’d better get packing.” Jamie’s tone was flat, his mood less upbeat since we entered the suite.
“Yeah, it won’t take long, but I should check around to make sure I don’t forget something.”
We packed in silence; him discarding hangers; me folding my clothes into my suitcase and when I finished, Jamie closed the two sides together and zipped them up. Placing it onto its wheels on the floor, he edged past it and circled my waist with his arms.
“Listen, I’m sending someone to watch over you at the pub,” he informed me, rubbing the back of his neck.
My heart raced because his disclosure made me uncomfortable. “But…”
“Please, don’t argue. It’s just until this shit with the press dies down. We’ve been very lucky here this past few days. It may not be so simple when you arrive back in Dublin since they know who you are now. You won’t have Felix watching your back like I have.”
“Do you really think this is necessary?”
“Did you ever expect to find Lottie lying in our bed?” he asked and ran his hand nervously through his hair.
I shook my head, wondering how my simple life became so complicated since I’d fallen in love with him
“How long?” I asked, wondering when my life was likely to get back to normal.
“If I knew the answer to that, I’d tell you. I promise you’ll barely know he’s there.”
“Is he moving in with me?”
“For a week or two, yes. Don’t worry, Ivan will come prepared, you don’t have to do anything.”
He took out a small box and handed it to me. “This is a smart watch with a tracker. This isn’t for me, it’s just so he knows where you are.”
I opened the box thinking, James Bond; me being kidnapped with some huge contraption being welded to my wrist. However, I was surprised when I opened the box and revealed a wristwatch in a famous fashion brand, instead of some futuristic piece of plastic that had to be worn like a prisoner’s tracking tag.
“Please wear it, Daisy. If not for your peace of mind, for mine.”
After a short period of protest, I agreed, and he told me there would be an email with all the details of my ‘protector’ waiting for me to open by the time I arrived back in Dublin.
My cell buzzed, and I rummaged in my bag. Taking it out, I saw it was my sister.
“Belle,” I said, holding it up for a second before answering it.
“Yeah, we’re just on our way,” I told her, noting the sadness in my tone. The roses on the table caught my eye, and I plucked one from it and took it with me.
“The car’s waiting downstairs.” I shrugged, determined not to cry. Jamie must have tapped into my feelings because he smiled and suddenly became animated.
“Wait, I need to grab something.” He darted back into the bedroom and came out with a small package. You can open this in the car on the way to the airport,” he said, waving it at shoulder height.
I must have looked puzzled. “It’s Valentine’s Day,” he reminded me.
“Oh,” I said, fishing his card and some silver shamrock cufflinks out of my bag. I had gift wrapped them before I’d left home and I’d forgotten all about them.
We swapped gifts, and he placed his in his pocket, opened the card and stood quietly as he read it.
