“Cramped. Not something I’m thinking we could test out. Certainly not with those legs of yours.”
A wide grin breaks out on his face, and I can’t help but get swept up in it for a few seconds. It’s devilish and yet filled with a sense of realism other men don’t seem to carry. Maybe that’s the whole saviour thing again, or not. I don’t know, but before I start the ridiculous notion of dreaming again, I pull out of his hold and head for the door.
Chapter Eleven
BLAKE
The pub’s reasonably full as we enter, and Ivy steers us towards a small nook over in the back of the place. A waitress comes over after a few minutes of us chatting, and we both order drinks and food. Ivy mentioned roast beef and Yorkshire puddings, something I’ve not had in years, so I take her recommendation, and she orders a chicken salad.
The initial small talk runs dry, so I tell her about an email I received earlier about a job in Norway.
“Are you going to take it?” she asks as our food arrives at the table. She looks at me as her plate of colourful salad is placed down next to my full-works roast dinner. “Surely you know how good you are, Blake? My brother would kill for someone like you on the books.”
I smile at her liking my work. She only saw the pieces I'd taken in Afghanistan, not the rest of the shots I'd like her to see, but I guess war zones and conflict is what I’m known for, and as a freelancer now, I can’t be too picky. “Broderick Media would certainly open doors.”
“It would. But back to Norway. It’s nice. I went a few years ago to cover the youth riots.”
“Riots? I’m not covering riots.” Although that would be closer to my liking. “It’s six weeks looking at the glaciers and rock formations. Not really in my wheelhouse.” And frankly, I can’t think of anything more boring.
She shrugs and sips her gin and tonic. “I try not to think about things like that when I’m looking into features. Just because they’re not generally my thing, it doesn’t mean I can’t cover them well.” She spears a baby tomato and pushes some of her salad around her plate, more focused on what we’re talking about. “Take this thing I’m looking into at the moment, historical data and death. Now the death, yes, totally my thing. It’s in the here and now, you know? But digging through historical details to find evidence of potential secrets is the time-consuming stuff I wish I could bypass, but that’s usually where the story unfolds.” I carry on listening as she explains what she’s involved with. Honestly, I could listen to her crazy mind talking all night. “Although, given that it’s been sent in the post to me by the very person who’s dead, I'm certainly intrigued.” I pause, running that last line over in my mind.
“Someone who’s dead sent you something?”
“Yes. About my family. Lots of documents and notes. I’ve not been through them all in detail yet.”
I finish my dinner, satisfied with a proper home-cooked meal for once, and wash it down with the beer. “You’re investigating your own family?”
“In a roundabout way. Father’s hiding something, and big brother’s finally conceded to pay me to look into it. He seems to be preoccupied at the moment, and I probably would have done it anyway because the whole situation’s pissed me off, but now I’m being paid. Bonus.”
I smile at her audacity, but then, this is Ivy Broderick.
“I mean, why has she sent me anything in the first place? And, it does look like a load of her research. Wouldn’t she keep that to herself? She’s interviewed us all, well, I say all, but I couldn’t see anything on Neve. But that’s not surprising.”
“How many siblings do you have again?” The brother I got, but I can’t remember what she said before.
“Three. Landon. Lawyer turned CEO. Seffi. Ballet Dancer. And Neve. Not sure what she does. Something to do with computers.” She finishes her gin and tonic, but I look at her plate, hardly touched.
“Why haven’t you eaten anything?”
“Ahh. Sorry, already stuffed. I’ve just had lunch with my mother and father.”
“Why didn’t you say something?”
“I was happy to go with the flow. Dinner sounded nice.” She gives me a quirky smile. “Actually, if I'm honest, being with you sounded nice.”
“Nice, huh?” I tilt my head and give her a grin.
“Yes.”
“And now what?” This is probably the longest we’ve spent together before having sex. Although, that’s not the sole objective of this meeting.
“I don’t mind. I don’t have anything pressing, so we can sit here longer if you don’t have anything on.”
“Sounds good. I’ve got nothing on.”
I stand and turn for the bar.
“I think you’ll find you have far too much on for my liking.” She’s incorrigible, but I’ve not smiled this much in years. She makes me feel lighter, somehow. Like the burdens I feel are less when I’m around her.
