The Invisible Man by P. F. Ford

Author:P. F. Ford [Ford, P. F.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-03-05T22:00:00+00:00

21

'I haven't always lived with my parents, you know,' said Stella.

Slater was surprised by this sudden change in the conversation, but he did his best not to show it.

'I kinda guessed that,' he said.

She gave him an enquiring look.

'You did tell me you once had a husband who was an arse, remember?' he said, defensively.

'You're right, I did,' she recalled, 'and yet you've never asked me about him.'

He shrugged. 'It's really none of my business, is it? Besides, I figure you'll tell me about him if you want me to know.'

'The thing is, I divorced him a couple of years before the attack.'

'Right,' he said. For moment Slater couldn't see where this was going, but only for a moment.

'Jesus. You don't mean he was the one who—'

'What, attacked me? Good God, no. What I meant was—'

'—after your divorce, you had a place of your own, but after the attack, you didn't want to be there on your own,' finished Slater.

She nodded, her eyes downcast.

'That's about the size of it,' she said, sadly. Then much brighter, 'You should be a detective with your deductive powers.'

He smiled. 'Yeah, so I've been told. I've heard there's not much money in it though.'

They had a quiet chuckle at his joke, then he spoke again. 'So, what did you do with this place, sell it?'

'Oh, no. My dad wouldn't let me. He said selling it would be like admitting defeat.'

'And was he right?'

She smiled, fondly.

'I didn't think he was at the time, but my dad is one of those annoying people who usually turn out to be right about everything.'

'So he was right.'

'He says wisdom comes with age.'

'The more I hear about your dad, the more I like him,' said Slater.

'He likes you,' she said.

'Ah, yes,' he said, 'but he hardly knows me, does he?'

'He thinks you're very patient.'

'Well, there you go, that proves my point. People who have known me for a while wouldn't agree.'

'Well I agree with him,' she said. 'I think you've been incredibly patient. It can't be easy trying to date someone who needs to keep you at arm's length.'

'It's not that bad,' he said. 'Besides you're much more confident with me than you were in the beginning.'

'A lot of men wouldn't—'

'And that's their loss, isn't it?' He winked at her. 'Anyway, maybe I think it'll be worth the wait.'

His face had turned scarlet, and he winced inside as soon as the words left his mouth. How crass was that? What on earth was he thinking? He was almost too embarrassed to look at her, but to his great surprise, she was laughing.

'It's all right,' she giggled. 'You don't have to look so horrified.'

'I'm sorry,' he said. 'I didn't mean—'

'Now listen,' she said, sternly. 'I'm never going to move on if you're going to treat me like I'm made of glass.'

'Yes, but—'

She raised a hand to silence him.

'Stop speaking, and listen to me,' she said. 'I feel I've spent the last couple of years living behind a wall, protected at home by my dad, protected at work by being stuck behind a desk, and now being protected by you.

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