‘Almost miniature,’ he agreed gravely. ‘Uh—the light has changed, Maggie.’
She changed gear and moved forward a little jerkily. ‘I know you’re laughing at me,’ she accused at the same time.
He did laugh outright then. ‘Perhaps you should bear this incident in mind the next time you’re moved to scream, shout and slam things,’ he suggested and sobered suddenly. ‘Because it wouldn’t have been funny to be splashed across some newspaper because of who we are, you are particularly, and because it did look very strange.’
Maggie cruised to a stop at the next set of lights on the overpass. ‘I never get these damn lights,’ she said tautly, then sighed. ‘You’re right. I will.’
‘Good girl. Anyway, I had to tell some more white lies. They think your name is Sophie Smith—’
‘That was inspired,’ she said gratefully and shivered suddenly.
He looked over at her and raised an eyebrow.
‘I just thought of what my father would say if I got splashed across some newspaper in—those circumstances. He’d kill me! No, he wouldn’t,’ she corrected herself immediately, ‘but he’d be furious!’
‘He’d be more liable to want to kill me,’ Jack said prosaically. ‘However, although I suppose there always may be a question mark in their minds, those two have nothing to go on other than your car registration, and I don’t think I gave them time to get it, in the dark.’
‘It’s not registered in my name. It’s the firm’s car,’ she told him.
‘Even better.’
‘But—’ she turned to him ‘—what about you? Do they know who you are?’
‘They know and they’re not likely to forget it.’
Maggie stared at him and shivered again. ‘You can be very scary at times, you know.’
He shrugged. ‘You’ve got a green light again, Maggie.’
She drove off. ‘Not that I’m complaining,’ she added. ‘I’m very grateful to you for handling it all so well. Even my father would be grateful.’
‘I wouldn’t bet your bottom dollar on it.’
She drove in silence across Hope Island for a while, then as she turned into her street she said, ‘What will we do now?’
He stirred. ‘If I were you, Maggie, I’d go away for a while. Just in case they decide to snoop around a bit.’
‘I can’t just go away! I’m a working girl,’ she objected, and pulled into her driveway.
Jack McKinnon looked through the window at her lovely villa and shrugged.
‘Don’t tell me we’re back to all that nonsense!’ she accused. ‘What a spoilt little rich girl I am.’
His lips twisted as he transferred his gaze to her. ‘Not entirely,’ he said. ‘Actually, I think you’re one of a kind, Maggie Trent. On the other hand…’ he paused and searched her eyes ‘… on the other hand you do bear some responsibility to your name and your family so it would be a good idea to take out some—’ he gestured ‘—extra insurance. I’m sure that’s what your father would advise and rightly so.’
He turned to look over the back of his seat as a car pulled up across the driveway. ‘My lift has arrived.’
‘Maisie?’ she said.
‘Not Maisie.’
‘So… so that’s it?’ Her voice was slightly unsteady.
He grinned. ‘A better outcome than it might have been, in more ways than one. You could still be balancing on a splintery beam trying to force open a tin roof.’
‘Will you buy it? That property?’
‘Don’t know. Listen, you take care, Miss Trent.’ He leaned forward and kissed her lightly, then he opened the door and slid out of the car, pulling his bag after him.
Maggie was still sitting exactly as he’d left her, with her fingers on her lips, when the other car drove off, taking Jack McKinnon out of her life.
Later in the day, a huge bouquet of flowers arrived for her with a simple message— ‘All’s well that ends well, Jack.’
In the event, Maggie’s mother was of exactly the same opinion as Jack McKinnon when she heard all about her daughter’s ordeal. Not only did she insist that Maggie should go away for a while, taking a month’s unpaid leave, but she also accompanied her for the first week.