Gasping, she cringed. “You don’t think he saw me kissing Jamie on the Jumbotron, do you?”
“You kissed Jamie on the Jumbotron?” Alice whisper-shrieked. “When were you going to tell me that?”
She put her hand to her forehead. “They wouldn’t have given me a promotion because of my love life.”
“Oh my gosh, they want to finance your love affair!” Alice said, hushed. Then she went back to her normal voice. “I’ve seen that movie. It didn’t end well for the heroine.”
Rachel groaned again. “I can’t believe this.”
“Wait. Why would they want to finance your love life? Is Jamie like a prince in disguise or something?”
“Um.” She bit her lip. “He may be a very famous soccer player. But I promised I wouldn’t let the cat out of the bag, so don’t tell anyone.”
“Wow,” was all Alice said. After a long pause, she asked, “So are you taking the promotion in the end?”
Shaking her head, she looked out at the street, at the boundary where Hyde Park began. If she kept the promotion, maybe she’d be able to do something to ensure that the neighborhood wouldn’t be destroyed. “Does it matter why they gave me the promotion if I know I’ll do a good job?”
“I guess that’s for you to decide.”
She frowned. “You don’t sound positive.”
“Well—” There was silence on the other end. “I guess it depends on who you want to be, Rachel.”
“You know who I am,” she replied, frowning.
“Yes, I do. That’s why in the end I’m not worried about you. I just thought you needed to know.” Alice paused. “You do realize that the cat is likely out of the bag, right? If they know about you and Jamie, they probably know who he is.”
Rachel froze. “Oh crap.”
“Exactly,” her friend said sympathetically.
Nineteen
Jamie had his taxi driver take him around the city after he dropped Rachel off at her office. He wanted to see the different areas, to get a sense of what the neighborhoods were like.
To see where he might like to buy a place.
He frowned out of the window. Actions spoke louder than words, and in the night, while he held Rachel as she slept, he realized that he needed to show her that he was serious about being with her. He would have rather had her input on a home, since it was going to be hers too, but he could start the process.
Looking for potential areas gave him an outlet. He was used to running forward. Being at a standstill wasn’t comfortable for him.
Seeing what he needed to see, he asked the driver to take him back to the townhouse.
The taxi turned. For a second Jamie didn’t recognize the street, there were so many cars and vans on it.
Vans?
He frowned. They were news vans—different than in Europe but unmistakable nonetheless with their logos emblazoned on the side. A sinking feeling settled in the pit of his stomach and breathing did nothing to dispel it.
“It looks like a circus here,” the driver said, slowing down. “You still want me to drop you off here?”
“Take me around to the other street.” He thought there might be a back door into the complex. He pulled out his mobile to text Didier. He’d had his ringer off, so he’d hadn’t known anyone had called him, but there were more missed calls and messages than he’d received the first time he’d won the World Cup. Most of them were from Brad and his teammates.
Didier had already texted him too.
Didier Pascal
Il y a du monde dehors. Ils savent.