Chapter 74

“Are you… do you

regret last night?”

“God, no!” Patrick

let the words burst out without thinking first, but Lee looked pleased.

“Well then. We

can work everything else out.” Lee sounded very confident. Patrick wondered

when they’d swapped roles? But before he could let that worry him as well, Lee

put his arms around him, and lifted his face as if for a kiss.

A loud knock at

the door interrupted them.

Patrick pulled

away so sharply that Lee blinked in surprise. “It could be a customer,” Patrick

said, but the excuse sounded weak. Why had he leaped back like that?

“Obviously one

who can’t read the Closed sign.” Lee stepped backwards, away from Patrick’s

arms. “You open up. I’ll draw the blinds.”

A tall,

broad-shouldered man was at the door. Patrick scrabbled through his memory

until he brought the visitor’s name back to mind. Karel

“Good morning,”

Karel said with a wide smile. “Am I too early? You said to drop round today.”