ried. “I know you can’t talk about your clients, but just tell me—did you fix it?”
“She fixed it. She called him on his very bad behavior. She kept documentation. There won’t be a problem.”
“Good. Did you say you came here to apologize? I’m guessing you’re not a man who often apologizes.”
“I always apologize when I’m wrong.”
“You didn’t apologize for borrowing Brutus.”
“That wasn’t wrong. If I hadn’t done that I wouldn’t have met you.”
“Bet you’re wishing you hadn’t done it.”
“That’s not what I’m wishing.” He stood up and held out his hand.
She stared at it. “Where are we going?”
“I’m taking you to bed so that I can be sure of you getting there without falling over and banging your head.”
“After everything you’ve just learned about me, you want to go to bed with me?”
“I’m not going with you, but that has nothing to do with what I learned and everything to do with the fact that you’ve had too much to drink. You need to sleep off that champagne or you’ll feel terrible tomorrow.” He took her hand and pulled her to her feet.
“Sadly I’m not so drunk that I’m not going to remember all this. I already know I’ll feel terrible tomorrow, and you don’t need to make excuses. I totally understand why you wouldn’t want to hang around after everything I told you tonight.”
Was that really what she thought? “Molly—”
“It’s fine. Totally fine. No explanations necessary, but just tell me one thing—” She looked up at him anxiously. “Are you going to post my real identity on social media?”
“You really think I’d do that?”
She stared at him for a long moment and then shook her head. “No, I don’t. And I suppose one other person knowing isn’t the end of the world. My secret is still safe.”
It was more than one other person, but since both Max and his sources were bound by confidentiality there was no point in worrying her by telling her that.
“Your secret is safe.”
Sixteen
Molly woke to hammering inside her head, and then Valentine barked and she realized the hammering wasn’t coming from her head, but from the door.
With a groan of denial she slid out of bed, clutched the wall to balance herself and fumbled her way to the door. The whole of the night before came back to her in a flash. The party. Daniel’s anger. Drinking champagne with Mark and then everything that had happened afterward. Spilling her guts to Daniel.
Oh God, had she really done that? Told him everything? Yes, she really had. She’d been like a waterfall in full flood. No wonder he’d left in the early hours.
She gave a moan of regret.
She was never, ever drinking again.
Valentine was barking frantically and she put her hand on his head.
“Please, please don’t bark.” She opened the door and a dog that looked exactly like Brutus barged his way into her apartment. He greeted Valentine like a long-lost brother, proving that he was in fact Brutus. The two dogs growled and rolled on the floor and Molly stared at them, wondering if she was still suffering from the effects of too much champagne.
“Brutus?” She rubbed her eyes but the dog still looked the same. And there, standing in her doorway, was Daniel. She felt a thrill of relief and delight. After what had happened the night before she’d thought he wouldn’t want to come within a million miles of her. “I thought a family had taken him.”
“They didn’t like his temperament.” There was an edge to Daniel’s voice. “Turns out he isn’t easy to rehome so he’s still with Fliss and Harriet.”
“So you’re walking him?”