Page 200 of Valor

“She is asking what would you want for dinner.”

“I don’t know,” Meghan chuckled. “I’m kind of full to think about that, but if there are some of these sandwiches left, I’m fine with those. Please tell her not to spend her whole day cooking for me. I’m used to cafeteria food, and I’m definitely not too skinny.”

“Okay, I’ll try,” Oliver made a long face. “But no guarantees.”

He spoke to his mom. The woman reached toward Meghan and patted her cheek. “No worry.”

Meghan, unsure how to respond, looked at Oliver.

“We should get going.”

She got up and thanked Mrs. Skala again and then followed him into the hallway.

* * *

She looked a little calmer,but Oliver wasn’t convinced that this was the best time to drive up to the old mill. Meghan did her best to battle the rising anxiety, that much he had noticed, but having lunch with Mom was a far cry from visiting the dark place in the middle of a forest. How would she cope with that?

He opened the door, and she brushed by him. “Should we say goodbye to your mom?”

“She knows we are leaving.”

“I don’t want her to think that I’m rude. How do you say it in Czech?”

“I’ll say it slowly,” he chuckled.

“You are not going to act juvenile and laugh at me, are you?” She frowned.

“Far be it from me,” he put a hand over his heart. “Here we go.Na-schle-da-nou.”

She blew out her cheeks, then whispered the word. “Was that right?” Meghan looked up at him.

“You did fine.”

She took in a deep breath. “Na-skle-da-no.” Meghan called into the hallway and blushed. “I butchered it, didn’t I,” she said sheepishly.

“It was good,” he said and placed his hand on her lower back in an attempt to usher her toward the car. He hoped that his Octavia wouldn’t get stuck on the muddy logging road leading to the mill. If only he could get the bureau’s SUV, but how would he explain that to her?

His phone rang, and Meghan wished she understood the language.

“They found your passport,” he touched her arm. “Yarda is bringing all your stuff over later this afternoon, so you don’t have to go back there.”

“Thank you, but?—”

“Naschledanou!” His mom rushed into the hallway. One glance at his mother’s glowing smile confirmed moving Meghan to her house wasn’t his brightest idea. As soon as the door shut behind them, Mom would get on the phone and call all her friends. He could only imagine what gossip they would cook up in the span of one afternoon. Oliver sighed, unable to decide what would be worse, the rumors or getting raked over the hot coals by his CO for breaking protocol.

How long would it take for Mom to get on his case about thisnice young lady?But when he looked at Meghan, he had to admit that the flush in her cheeks was adorable. He was trained to read people, but her blushing would give her away to a grade-five student.

“Let’s go,” he whispered. “Or Mom will make you eat another plate of desserts.”

Meghan laughed. It warmed his heart. She finally seemed a little bit relaxed. They strode toward his car. Oliver, two steps behind her, pinched the bridge of his nose. Why did he feel like they were heading into a trap? A sense of shame slowly descended on him. He was a complete fraud. How would he ever tell her the truth about what his real job was?

* * *

Buckledinto the passenger seat of Oliver’s car, Meghan scanned her surroundings. No Range Rover in sight, and no man wearing a fedora was lurking in the bushes. Maybe they had lost him after he, or whoever was working with him, found out that Meghan had nothing of value to them.

“Can I ask you something?” Oliver started the car.

“Go ahead.”