Page 43 of Felix and the Spy
And even if she didn’t like being judged by others, she’d make a good impression for his sake.
A wooden chair crashing against the wall was the signal she’d been waiting for all night. Elated to be freed from this tense poker game, she stood. Shouts followed, and everyone got up, panicked. Within seconds, all hell broke loose. All the poker players ran away, discarding their hands. Amara lay her cards on the table, noticing she’d had the best hand. Well, that was some consolation.
Dodging a bottle flying at her, she ran to the corridor Trangard had disappeared down.
It was time to catch some criminals.
Fifteen
Felix
The next morning, Felix stood outside Amara’s house. After she had left suddenly last night, he had tried talking to Max, but Max had shut himself in his room, saying he needed more time to process what was happening. He felt a small measure of guilt for disappointing his son, but it fled when he saw Amara step out of her house.
“Felix?” Dressed in a pair of loose brown pants and a black shirt, she was surprised to see him. The sight of her took his breath away. Stepping closer, she rubbed her eyes. “I thought you’d be at work.”
It was a Friday afternoon, but Felix had taken the rest of the day off from work. He had received reports of a successful sting operation this morning and dropped by the office before coming to see Amara. Agents had the day off after a night operation, and he hoped she’d gotten enough sleep after last night.
“I wanted to check on you,” he said. Her eyes stared right through him, making him wonder if she was affected by Max’s words last night. He had been thinking of ways to fix it, but Max had been in and out of the house. “Good job on yesterday’s mission.”
Her eyes didn’t sparkle the way they usually did when he praised her. Nor did she groan or make a sexual innuendo. Instead, she turned her face away, as if reluctant to receive his compliment.
“Is everything all right?” He moved closer and enveloped her fist in his palm. “I wanted to apologize about last night.” She eyed him wearily. “Max was surprised, and he said things he didn’t mean. I will speak to him about it.”
“It’s okay.” She shrugged and walked. He could see that she wasn’t entirely herself, but Felix didn’t want to push her. “Have you eaten lunch yet?”
“No. I was going to.” Then, she stopped. “Are you coming with me?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t you have to get back to work?”
“I took the rest of the day off.” He held her hand, not caring who was watching. Her gaze flew to where their palms were connected. “I wanted to spend it with you.”
The look in her eyes wasn’t one of pure lust like he’d expected. Instead, it was conflicted. “I have things to do this evening.”
“Ah, I see. Then we can have lunch together.”
She nodded quietly, walking with him to a place near her house that served food. He passed by bakeries, a cobbler, a flower shop, and a patch of green before arriving at a noisy establishment that served food. Amara walked in, surrounded by the clatter of cutlery. Taking a spot at the back of the lunchroom, they waited for their food to arrive. It was a fixed menu.
Amara’s gaze was firmly fixed on the table, and he sensed she was in a state of conflict. Felix slid his hands over hers, making her look up. “What’s the matter? You’ve been so quiet.”
“N-nothing. I’m tired after last night’s mission.” He felt she was avoiding him, but he didn’t want to push her. Extracting his hand, he allowed the server to place their lunch on the table.
Felix spoke about work, while Amara silently ate.
“I will report to the king tomorrow. I’m sure he’ll be pleased to know we caught—”
“Felix, I think I should come by your house tonight,” Amara cut in.
He blinked. “I thought you had another engagement.”
“Never mind that,” she went on. “I didn’t get time to speak to your son. Maybe if we all sit down and have dinner in a less awkward situation, things will be all right.”
“You don’t have to do this,” he said. “I can speak to Max. If he makes you uncomfortable—”
“No. Last night has been playing in my head all day. I want to apologize and correct Max’s misapprehension. He’s worried about you. I would be worried if my mother started dating someone much younger.”
Felix’s gaze was hesitant. “If that’s what you want. Would seven be all right?”
