Page 7 of Royal Surrogate 1
It’s Donald. Again.
I shove my phone back in my bag. “I really need to go. My boss is going to kill me.” And as the words leave my lips, I look up just in time to see my bus pulling away from its stop across the street. Cursing louder, I chase after it, but I don’t even make it half a block before I know it’s a lost cause.
“Fuck this day,” I mutter. The next bus won’t be here for another twenty minutes, which means I’ll be even later than Donald already thinks I am.
“My offer still stands,” comes that Montovian-accented voice from behind me.
“Look, sir,” I say, turning to face him with a resigned sigh. “Your offer is very generous, but you’re asking a lot of me. This isn’t just a decision I can make on the spot.”
“I was talking about my offer to drive you to your place of work.”
“Oh.” Warning bells about accepting a ride from an insane stranger go off in my head, but honestly, I’m desperate. And if he were a murderer, I’m sure he’d have a better bait story than “I want to pay you to be my surrogate.”
“Okay,” I say. “A ride would be nice.”
Surprise flickers across his face, replaced quickly by pleasure. “Right this way, my lady. Your carriage awaits.”
I snort. “I’m not a lady, trust me.”
“Of course not,” he says cheerfully. “You’ve already told me you’re a librarian. Though I must say, you look nothing like the movies have led me to believe librarians should look.”
I frown. “What does that mean?”
“Oh, you know.” He gives a casual flick of his wrist. “Old. Hunched over. With a tight bun and those big round glasses that make one look like an owl.” He cocks his head to the right, studying me for a long moment. “Though I suppose the glasses aren’t necessary. I must say, your big eyes and round face are reminiscent of an owl in their own right.”
“Uh…thanks?” I’m not sure whether to be insulted or not.
He notices my indecision. “Owls are beautiful, noble creatures. Trust me, my little owl, I find you perfectly lovely.”
Okay, this is starting to get weird again, so I quickly change the subject. “I really need to be getting to work.”
“Of course.”
He leads me around the corner, stopping in front of a fancy black Mercedes.
I guess this is another sign that he might actually have money, I think, letting him take my bag and put it in the backseat. I slide into the front passenger seat. Maybe I should be more careful, but there’s a part of me that keeps whispering to keep an open mind, just in case. If he’s telling the truth, I can’t afford to walk away from one point two million. Even if he’s kind of a weirdo. Who thinks I look like an owl.
“Where to?” he asks, sliding into the driver’s seat.
“The main library at Lake Washington U,” I tell him.
For the first several minutes, we ride together in silence. Honestly, the quiet is almost more disconcerting than the crazy things that come out of his mouth when he speaks.
Finally, I can’t take it anymore.
“I’m going to need some time,” I blurt. “To consider.”
His gaze flicks my way. “So you are considering it?”
“I…I don’t know,” I admit. “This is a lot to take in. I need some time. And more information.” And perhaps a good knock to the head.
“That’s perfectly understandable,” he says with a nod. “What time do you get off work?”
I’m not sure what that has to do with anything, but I answer automatically. “Not until nine.”
“Perhaps I can take you to dinner then,” he says. “And we can discuss this further. That gives you all day to come up with your questions and concerns. I’d be happy to address them all.”
I still can’t believe I’m considering going along with this. But we’re pulling up to the library now, which means I need to make up my mind fast.