Mia watched Lotte disappearing into the crowd. Hal, and the man who’d tried to force himself on Lotte, they’d left such a trail of destruction behind, so much damage, so much pain... She sipped her drink, starting a slow circuit around the great room, forcing herself to think about other things. Interviewing Madelon Mulder really would have been something! In the interviews she’d seen, the actress had always seemed so grounded, so completely genuine. At least Lotte would get pictures—another famous person to add to her growing portfolio.
She looked upward and around, taking in the mottled plaster walls, the sharp shiny angles of the suspended lighting rig. The Machine Room at Westergasfabriek was one of her favourite places—a wonderful venue for events. The light through the tall arched window in the gable was turning to a peachy glow. She stared into it, stepping back slowly, losing herself in its warm haze as she thought about what she was going to write...
The Machine Room at Westergasfabriek was the perfect venue for the recent Saving Grace fundraiser.
Two hundred guests attended: contributors, trustees and sponsors of the women’s refuge charity which, for the past decade, has offered support and, more importantly, places for women and their children to stay while they find their feet again.
The gathering was ‘graced’ with an unexpected visit from...
A sudden, solid presence at her back startled her and she spun round.
‘I’m so sorry. I hope—’ Black denim jacket. Dark V-necked sweater. Smooth, golden skin at the base of his throat. Perfect mouth, straight nose, green eyes. She blinked once, twice, but it wasn’t her imagination. Theo Molenaar was standing right in front of her.
‘Hello, Mia.’
Her heart was galloping and the floor seemed to be moving, throwing her off-balance. She pressed the balls of her feet into her shoes and swallowed hard. ‘Hello, Theo.’
He was looking into her face, a question in his eyes, but there was something else too, a tiny glimmer of hurt, a trace of vulnerability, which made her feel ashamed. She twisted the champagne flute around in her hands, trying to steady her breathing. In a million years she hadn’t expected to bump into him and now she had some explaining to do.
She moistened her lips, shot him a little smile. ‘Of all the gin joints in all the towns... That’s what you’re thinking, right?’
His eyebrows lifted. ‘More or less.’
She drew in a breath. ‘I live here, okay? Well, not here in this exact building, obviously, but in Amsterdam.’ His expression was softening. ‘I grew up in London. I spend a lot of time there, but I moved here a while ago, and I didn’t mention it because...’
The amusement in his eyes was making it impossible not to smile. ‘Because it was such a bizarre situation: coming to your hotel; making you go to Greenwich...’
‘You didn’t make me. You convinced me.’ Eyes locked on hers. ‘There’s a big difference.’
She wished he’d stop looking at her like that but, then again, she liked the happy fluttering of butterflies in her stomach, liked the way he made her senses fizz like sparklers.
‘I wanted to tell you, really I did. At the planetarium, when you said you got your coffee from Koffiemeester’s, it almost broke me because I buy my coffee there too.’
‘You do?’
‘Of course! It’s the best coffee in Amsterdam.’ As his eyes held hers, she felt her smile fading, a little frown taking its place. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, Theo. I’m not one for secrets—quite the opposite—but at the time it just didn’t feel...’
‘Appropriate?’
She nodded.
A smile played on his lips. ‘It was a rather unusual situation.’
She tilted her head. ‘We could start over...’
‘Start over?’
She smiled, held out her hand. ‘Hello. I’m Mia Boelens, resident of Amsterdam.’
Warm fingers closed around hers. ‘Theo Molenaar.’ He held her gaze, smiling softly. ‘It’s really good to see you again, Mia—a nice surprise.’ For a moment the room fell away and then he released her hand, motioning to the throng. ‘So, what brings you to this particular gin joint anyway?’
‘I write blog posts and press releases for the refuge.’ She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, wondering if her cheeks were as pink as they felt. ‘What about you?’
‘I used to be a trustee. Now I support the refuge in other ways...’ He shifted on his feet, lowering his voice. ‘I like to keep my involvement private, Mia.’
There it was again, that wariness. What was he hiding? After Hal, she had no time for secrets, but there was something raw in Theo’s eyes which made her want to put her arms around him. Impossible!
‘Don’t worry. I get it; you were never here!’ She lifted her chin. ‘I can’t pretend I’m not curious, though...’
‘Motives get misconstrued, Mia.’ He shrugged. ‘You buy properties for abused women and children to stay in and you’re accused of pulling a PR stunt, or you’re accused of dodging corporation tax or whatever.’ Weariness in his eyes. ‘It’s easier to be invisible.’
There was something noble about that. He wasn’t completely invisible, though. She’d found one small headshot with a brief profile on the MolTec website, not that she’d spent hours searching or anything.
‘Hey, Mia!’ Lotte was coming towards them. ‘That thing we talked about...’ She lowered her voice. ‘It’s happening!’
‘When?’
‘Soon.’ Lotte’s eyes slid to Theo’s face. She stepped back, looked him up and down then lifted her camera. ‘You’re very handsome! Can I take a picture?’
‘No!’ Mia put her hand on Lotte’s arm. ‘Mr Molenaar hasn’t agreed to pictures.’
Lotte’s eyes narrowed. ‘Okay.’ She lowered her camera and held out her hand. ‘Hello Mr Molenaar. I’m Lotte—Mia’s friend.’
Mia caught the teasing glimmer in his eyes as he shook Lotte’s hand. ‘Theo Molenaar. Mia’s friend also.’
She was trying not to laugh at the pair of them when a sudden flurry of movement at the far end of the room made Lotte turn sharply and rise up onto her toes like a meerkat.
‘She’s here!’
In the next instant her friend was plunging into the crowd,
