LITMIR.BIZ

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down there and get clean and dry before you head out.”

      Tessa was sure she’d just died and gone to heaven—her skin was clammy, and her hair was dripping down her back. She felt like a drowned rat and was, selfishly, kind of glad that Jonas couldn’t see her.

      She knew she looked like hell. Surgical scrubs weren’t exactly fashionable, but they were soft, clean and dry, and she took Jonas’s hand and headed for the room.

      “This is awesome,” she said, giddy with relief as she walked in and shut the door.

      “I have to admit, it would be great to get out of these soggy jeans, and to wash the horse smell off,” he admitted, stripping off his jacket.

      The shower in the bath was only big enough for a single person, so much to Tessa’s disappointment, they cleaned up quickly using what shampoo and soap were available. They weren’t as nice as the things at her shop, but she felt a million times better when she emerged. The scrubs fit just right, and were so comfortable. She sat back on the bed and waited for Jonas as he did the same.

      Was this the end of their evening, or just the beginning? Had he changed his mind about wanting to be with her? A few minutes later, he emerged, dressed and smelling completely horse free. She had to admit, it was an improvement.

      “You look like McDreamy,” she said with a grin, and wondered if they dared commandeer the room any longer to make use of the bed.

      Jonas smiled, but didn’t go to her. Had he changed his mind?

      “We’d better be on our way,” he suggested, and she agreed, trying to hide her disappointment as they made their way to the main entrance.

      Awkward tension settled between them as they stood beneath the fluorescent hospital lights.

      “Crazy night,” she said, hating small talk, but unsure what else to say.

      “Trains, taxis, horses and ambulances,” he agreed with a short chuckle. “What next?”

      Their answer came as they stepped out to the main entrance, and looked for their cab.

      “Not here yet,” Tessa said, feeling increasingly tense. “Things are so overwhelming tonight for everyone.”

      “It might take some time.”

      Were they still talking about the storm? she wondered.

      He seemed preoccupied and distant, and she wasn’t sure what to do.

      A stretch limo pulled up and parked in front of them. Tessa watched the driver get out, an older man clad in a long raincoat and hat, who held two huge umbrellas as he made his way to the main entrance.

      Looking at her and then Jonas, he approached them with a smile. Tessa figured he was seeking shelter himself or thought they were his clients.

      No such luck.

      “Tessa Rose?”

      She paused in surprise. “Yes, that’s me.”

      “I’m your driver, Collins. This way, please,” the driver said, and held the two umbrellas out to them.

      “Wait, there’s some mistake,” she sputtered, and then halted. “Did Senator Rose send you?” she asked cautiously.

      The driver seemed surprised. “No. I received a call from Ms. Masters to come pick you up here. At your service, miss,” the driver said again, guiding a shocked Tessa to the passenger door, and then helping to guide Jonas to the other side.

      Kate sent them a limo?

      Only then did she note the name of the transport company embossed on the inside of the rich leather door.

      Masters’s Luxury Transport.

      “Kate owns the limo service?” Tessa said in shock, catching Collins’s smile in the rearview mirror.

      “Yes, ma’am. It’s a small company with only five vehicles, but we do a steady business. Her husband started it many years ago, and left the majority of it to her when he died, with a small share going to me, as well, for my retirement, but I enjoy the work. Hank Masters hired me twenty-five years ago. He was a good man.”

      Tessa sat back in the luxurious seat, shocked. She never would have guessed. Kate lived so conservatively, and even took the bus and train to get around town, at least as far as Tessa knew.

      Collins leaned in, his arm on the door. “Kate told me what you did for her tonight. She tried to contact me earlier in the evening, to pick up her medicine for her, but I was in Baltimore dropping off a couple to their wedding and couldn’t get back in time. Thank you, ma’am and sir,” Collins said expressively, obviously very fond of his employer.

      “I would do anything for Kate,” Tessa said truthfully, taking Jonas’s hand. “And thank goodness Jonas could get that door open,” she said. “I could never have done it by myself.”

      “You let me know if you need anything,” Collins said. “I am at your disposal for as long as you need me.”

      Kate was obviously trying to help her and Jonas along a little, Tessa guessed. A compartment opened on the other side, sliding out to reveal a champagne bar, strawberries and pretty, foil-wrapped chocolates.

      “Some privacy, perhaps?” Collins asked with a twinkle in his eye.

      Tessa, still stunned, nodded.

      “Enjoy,” was all Collins said as he closed the door and slid into the driver’s seat, which seemed yards away from where they sat. A solid, and probably soundproof, barrier rose between them. A minute later, the car pulled smoothly away from the hospital.

      The vehicle seemed to cut through the wind and rain like butter, the dark windows lit only now and then by a flash of lightning.

      “I can’t get over this,” she said. “In all the time I’ve known Kate, she never said a word about owning a business.”

      “It sounds like it was her husband’s venture, and maybe Collins runs it now,” Jonas agreed.

      “I’m so relieved. I always worry about her being comfortable, or paying her bills.”

      “People of their generation don’t make an issue out of wealth like some do,” Jonas said. “It’s good to have friends who care about you. Kate obviously values that,” he said.

      “I do, too,” Tessa responded, hoping he knew how much she meant it.

      A buzzer sounded. Tessa pressed the button that lit up on the console.

      “Yes?”

      “I have your addresses, ma’am, but Ms. Masters wondered if you would like a late meal, since you may have missed dinner while getting to her apartment. There’s no hurry.”

      “Now that you mention it, I am hungry,” Tessa said. “And please call me Tessa. But we’re not really dressed for dinner,” she said. They looked like a couple of surgeons coming home from work.

      The idea triggered a fun idea for role play—she would love to play doctor with Jonas, she thought mischievously, but then returned her attention to Collins.

      “If you have any preference, let me know. I’m sure your attire won’t be an issue.”

      An idea sparked immediately, and Tessa put down the divider, climbing forward to whisper something in Collins’s ear. She knew the perfect place.

      Putting the divider back, she eyed the champagne. “Okay then. I guess we’re riding in style,” she said to Jonas as she poured two glasses of champagne and went back to sit by his side, handing him one.

      “I’m so glad it wasn’t my dad who sent this car,” she said honestly.

      “Why?” Jonas asked, and she wasn’t sure if she detected a note of suspicion in his tone.

      “I don’t like owing him anything, or having

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