Without giving her any details or reasoning, I explained that I’d be stopping in London on a layover during my travels. She got all excited and said she’d try to make it out for a quick visit if she was done working by then.
When I arrived in London, Marna met me at a coffee shop just inside the airport. It was nearly midnight, but plenty of people were still around. We sat at a tall table on high stools with our creamy cappuccinos.
“Ginger’s not coming?” I asked.
She gave me a tight smile and took a sip. “She’s still working. She can kill me later.”
We both sipped our hot drinks and she eyed me.
“No offense, luv, but you look cream crackered.”
“Huh?”
She giggled. “Knackered.”
Oh, yeah, “tired.” I’d tried to learn some of that Brit slang online, but it was all confusing to me.
“I’m so out of it.” I lay my head down and she laughed.
“Tell me what’s been up since I last saw you. Any new friends?”
I knew she meant allies, and I smiled as I sat back up. “Yep. Just one, but he’s a good one.”
“Fab.” She grinned. “And how is our lad Kope?”
I swallowed. “He’s fine. I haven’t talked to him since I saw him at Christmas.”
“Hm.” She watched me carefully and her probing eyes threw me off-kilter. My mouth went dry.
He couldn’t have told her. There’s no way.
“What?” I asked. It came out all nervous and guilty sounding. Great.
“Nothing.” She propped her elbows on the little round table. “It’s just that you can talk to me if you’d like.”
She seriously must have had some kind of radar for gossip. I had zero intention of telling any living soul about the kiss or Kope’s secret. No way was I spilling those beans.
“He’s great to work with,” I told her. “It’s been nice getting to know him.”
Her eyebrows went up. “Something’s happened,” she stated with gleeful assuredness.
Gah! Dry mouth. I grabbed my mug and sipped, trying to make a face at Marna like she was crazy, but I couldn’t manage to get my eyebrows together in a convincing-enough furrow. She gasped and let her palms fall smack against the table, gaping at me.
“Get out!” she said. “He snogged your face off, din’ he?”
I coughed. “Really? This is Kope we’re talking about, Marna.”
“He totally did! Your acting is horrendous, Anna.”
This could not be happening.
I dug the heels of my palms into my eyes. “You have to promise you won’t tell a soul. Especially not Ginger.” I sat up and looked at her ogling face. “I’m serious, Marna, because what happened was a total fluke. We’d just been scared to death, and we were still caught up in the emotions from that. He would die if he knew I told you. It was just one kiss.” One really steamy kiss.
“I promise not to tell.” I could see in her eyes and the firm set of her mouth that she meant it. “But a kiss is never just a kiss, Anna, especially from the likes of him. Kope would scoop you right up, if you’d let him.”
I sloshed the cooling coffee around the cup. “I know, Marna, but I can’t. He’s awesome, he really is, but I just . . . can’t.”
She nodded, as if she understood the myriad jumble of reasons why I couldn’t. There was no judgment on her face, and for that I was grateful.
“Tell me,” she said, leaning forward, “because I’m simply expiring of curiosity over here.” Oh no. “Was it brilliant? Was he reserved and gentle, or did he unleash his inner beast?”
I buried my face in my hands as the heat rose upward. Marna clapped her hands and tapped her feet on the rail, laughing lightly. “I knew it! It was good and beastly! I’d always wondered, although I don’t fancy him in that way. Just imagine all that pent-up testosterone—”
“Agh, enough!” I cut her off, and she threw back her head in amusement. Even I had to laugh now. When our bout of giggling ended we watched each other, just two girls in a cozy coffee shop.
“Kai came to see me on Valentine’s Day,” I said.
Her large gray eyes twinkled. “I know.”
“He told you?”
She nodded and set down her cup, crossing her legs and placing her hands in her lap. I waited because it looked like she was trying to figure out what to say.
“Remember what we told you last time you were here?”
“About him not . . .” I mouthed the word working and she nodded.
“Well,” she continued. “It’s for certain. He told me himself. He’ll do a halfhearted job if he’s called to his father, but otherwise, nothing.”
Oh, my gosh. I was beyond scared for him. I felt nauseous.
“Why did he stop?” I whispered.
She licked her lips and sighed.
“Please tell me,” I begged.
Her eyes drifted up to mine. “I don’t want to get your hopes up.”
My hopes immediately went up like a hot air balloon in my chest. “Tell me.”
“Fine.” She leaned forward and so did I. “Lately he’s been asking a lot about you and Kope. He totes believes the two of you are meant to be or something.”