During the drive back to Stephanie’s house Tom was quiet and thoughtful. He had no doubt that Samantha would give them the information they needed, perhaps it just was a difficult time for her to answer the phone when they had rung. So they would get the information, Carlton would be arrested and Stephanie would write the story. Great, all was going to work out well…or was it? What would happen to them after they had finished working on the story? Would they work together again on other projects? He hoped so. But then again that wasn’t a certainty. He had to get Stephanie to go on this date with him before they finished the story because if she didn’t, he’d move back to his desk and they’d be back to polite hellos and brief encounters again. He’d had a taster of that a few days ago and he didn’t like it at all. He’d missed her terribly. Stephanie was also quiet during the drive. What was wrong with her? Was it the argument with her father that was bothering her, or the fact that they couldn’t contact Samantha, or was it that she was still annoyed with him? Should he risk asking her on a date again? He feared that she would say no and he was beginning to look desperate. He’d have to think this thing through.
When he pulled up outside Stephanie’s house she turned quickly to speak to him before they got out of the car.
“Tom, thanks for your help today but I’ve been thinking, it’s best that you return to your apartment. I’ve been fine so far so there is no reason to believe that I’m going to be kidnapped in the middle of the night or anything dramatic like that,” she said, trivialising the situation.
Tom thought about what she had said. Funnily enough it actually fitted into his plan nicely. He had been busy wondering how he was going to excuse himself that evening in order to leave for a while and now she had given him the perfect excuse.
“No problem,” he smiled. “but if you are worried about anything at all you ring me on my mobile phone, okay?”
Stephanie had to admit that she was surprised by his response and irrationally, she found herself annoyed with him again.
“All right, but I won’t need you, I’ll be just fine,” she replied, saying goodbye and getting out of the car.
As soon as she entered her house Stephanie put some easy listening music on the stereo and poured herself a glass of wine. She planned to finish the wine and then get that early night she had talked of. After finishing the glass of wine however she looked at her watch and saw that it was still early. She wasn’t at all sleepy so she went into the kitchen to cook herself something to eat. When she looked in the fridge though she saw nothing that tempted her to cook so she closed the door with a sigh and stood in the middle of the room, wondering what to do next. She felt slightly ridiculous and tried to think what she used to do in the evenings before Tom had barged his way into her life! Feeling more and more angry with herself, she stormed back into the lounge and picked up the telephone, punching in Pippa’s telephone number in the hope that they would be able to go out somewhere so that she could well and truly forget Tom, for one evening at least. The phone rang out however and the evening that she had planned didn’t seem likely to happen. Damn!
She replaced the receiver and stomped upstairs with another glass of wine, pulling on her pyjamas and getting into bed with a book that she had been meaning to read for months. She had only read through the first few pages though when she lowered the book as she thought she’d heard a sound outside her bedroom window. She listened for a while but heard nothing so she returned her attention to the book again. Minutes later however the sound was heard again, only this time it was louder, and she identified it as being some sort of object hitting the pane of glass. Throwing the bedclothes back, she got out of bed, opened the curtains and glanced out of the window to see Tom staring up at her.
“What are you doing?” she asked, opening the window to speak to him.
“Hi Stephie,” he grinned. “I have to tell you, you’re my favourite movie star and… well I know that you’re loved by millions and all but it’s your number one fan here. I was wondering if I could get an autograph.”
“Tom, do you know what time it is?” she came back without thinking.
He looked at his watch with a frown. “Yeah, it’s eight thirty. What you doing in bed so early Stephie?”
She hesitated. “Well…I was tired. Anyway, I told you I was having an early night.”
“There’s early nights and there’s early nights but eight thirty? Don’t you know there’s a whole world of entertainment out here waiting for you?” he hinted.
“Well it can wait as much as it likes, I’m going back to bed,” she replied, moving to close the window.
“Stephie, wait!” Tom shouted, prompting Stephanie to open the window again. “I came here for a reason, I managed to get in touch with Samantha. Let me in will you? We’ve got to talk,” he said, moving up the front steps towards her door.
She sighed, closed the window and stomped back down the stairs to open the door for him. Okay, she was pleased that he had contacted Samantha but quite frustrated that she hadn’t managed a whole evening without his company after all.
When he caught sight of her in her pyjamas he grinned. “Very cosy but I prefer the silky nightdress. I guess you only put that on for…” he stopped when he saw the look on her face.
“Are you going to tell me what Samantha said or not?” she snapped.
“She wants us to meet her back at the country club tonight,” he informed her.
“Tonight! But, but…” she stuttered.
Tom put an arm around her shoulder and moved them both inside the house, shutting the door behind him. “Listen, you get together a couple of white mice, a pumpkin and a lizard and I promise to get you home before midnight Stephie. Now I can’t say fairer than that, can I?”
“You’re full of yourself tonight aren’t you?” she said, moving away from his arm and heading up the stairs to change. she couldn't help but think that he'd somehow planned on getting her out tonight all along. “And by the way, it wasn’t a lizard, it was a rat,” she added over her shoulder, giving him a purposeful glare.
"Awch," he cringed.
She let out a small laugh in spite of herself and shook her head as she ascended the stairs, both with exasperation at him, and herself for letting him charm her into something yet again.
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