Chapter 22

Bastian hadn't seemed to notice she'd opened the door. He shuffled some papers on his desk and tucked them away before turning back to a spreadsheet on his computer. She'd taken two steps inside before the tip of her boot caught on something lying near the door and she stumbled.

"Oompf!" Her palms smacked the stone floor as she broke her fall.

"Jane?" He spun on his swivel chair and took stock of her sprawled on the floor. He reached for her, helping her up and brushing her off.

"Sorry, I tripped over" She glanced down at a pair of worn brown wing-tip shoes. They were large, but not quite as big as Bastian's. She scrutinized the shoes carefully, they were unpolished and old-looking.

"Are these yours?" She pointed at the shoes.

Bastian immediately bent and picked them up, his hold protective and impossibly gentle as he set them on his desk.

"They were my father's." He rubbed at a light scratch on the left shoe's toe and then with a sigh he stepped away from them.