“Yes, I’d like that, too,” he said.
I cleared my throat. “I remember when you first arrived, you said you’d tried to stay away, so I’ll understand if you do this time.”
“You’ll understand if I do.”
I knew my smile was wobbly but I forced myself to continue. “Stay away, I mean. It’s hard to stay in touch when there’s such a distance separating us, but if you do happen to come through town sometime, it would be lovely to see you again.”
Could I have sounded more lame? Tears were blurring my eyes but I blamed it on the cold air.
“Would it?”
“Yes, it would.” I turned away to dab my eyes.
He took my chin in his hand to steer me back to look at him. “Are you all right?”
I sniffled, then shook away this maudlin nonsense and smiled tightly. “The cold is making my eyes water. No big deal. So, it’s your last evening in town. Anything special you’d like to do?”
“A few things,” he admitted, still watching me. “But, Brooklyn, I’m not pleased by the way you brushed off my suggestion that we keep in touch. You didn’t even look at my new business card, and I’ll have you know I paid a pretty penny for them.”
Disappointed, I glared at him. “You’re annoyed with me because I didn’t look at your business card?”
“Well, yes. You shoved it in your pocket without giving it a proper glance. I’m quite put out.”
I stopped in my tracks. Was he trying to pick a fight with me? “You’re kidding, right?”
“Read the damn card, Brooklyn.”
“For God’s sake.” Frustrated, I brushed away angry tears. My heart was breaking and he wanted me to read his stupid business card? Selfish man! I pulled the card out and forced myself to study it. My eyes widened and I read it again. “Is this . . . are you . . . is this some kind of cruel joke?”
“Hell, no, it’s not a joke.” He yanked open the Bentley’s passenger door, then blocked my way into the car. “Why would I joke about this? Those cards are damned expensive. Top-quality stock, engraved by the Queen’s own royal stationers. Cost me an arm and a leg, but it was worth it, I think. And you ask if it’s a joke? It most certainly is not a—”
“Shut up,” I whispered, and planted my lips on his.
“Rude wench,” he muttered against my mouth.
I laughed. I must’ve dropped his extremely expensive hand-engraved card as I wrapped my arms around his neck, but that was okay. I’d already memorized the Nob Hill address that would serve as the new San Francisco headquarters for Stone Security.
“You asked if there was something special I’d like to do tonight,” he said. “There is.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“You,” he murmured.
Delighted, I smiled up at him. “Then let’s go home.”
Brooklyn’s Glossary
PARTS OF THE BOOK
Boards—Usually made of stiff cardboard (or, occasionally, wood) and covered in fabric (cloth, paper, leather).
Covering—Cloth, paper, or leather fabric used to cover the boards.
Endband—Small ornamental band of cloth glued at the top and bottom of the inside of the spine, used to give a polished finish to the book (also called a headband or tailband).
Endsheets—The first and last sheets of the textblock that are pasted to the inside of the cover board; the pastedown.
Flyleaf—First one or two blank pages of a book, not pasted to the inside of the cover board. These pages protect the inner pages of the textblock.
Foredge—The front edge of the textblock opposite the spine edge. The edge is usually smooth but may, on occasion, be rough, or deckled. The edge may be gilded or, in rare instances, painted. Fore-edge painting gained popularity in the seventeenth century when religious or pastoral scenes were painted onto the foredge to embellish the book’s content. The painting was invisible until the pages were fanned in a certain direction.
Grain—The direction in which the fibers are aligned in the paper. When grain direction runs parallel to the spine, the paper folds will be straighter and stronger and the pages will lie flat.
Head—The top of the book.
Hinge—Inside the book cover, this is the thin, flexible line where the pastedown and flyleaf meet and is the most easily damaged part of the book.
Joint—Outside the book at the point between the edge of the spine and the hard cover that corresponds with the inside hinge. Its flexibility allows the book to open and close.
Linen tapes—Strips of linen sewn onto the signatures and used to hold the signatures together. The tapes run perpendicular across the spine edge and are pasted down between the cover boards and the endsheets.
Pastedown—See Endsheets.
Signature—A gathering of papers that are folded and sewn to make up the textblock or the pages of a book.