Free The Perfect Husband by Chris Taylor

later, she lowered her head.
    “I thought I’d done a good job with the
makeup.”
    “You did. I’m sure no one else noticed. I
had particular reason to pay attention.”
    She looked up and searched his face—for what
he couldn’t be sure. A tiny frown marred the perfect paleness of
her skin. The silence stretched out and she continued to stare. She
was so close he could count her freckles, even in the dimness of
the car.
    His heart took off at double time. The air
around them was suddenly charged. She reached across the gearshift
and briefly touched his hand. His heart stood still. Her expression
remained serious.
    “Thank you, Mason. For everything.”
    He acknowledged her thanks with a brief nod
and returned his attention to the road. As much as he wanted to
shout it from the tallest city office block, now wasn’t the time to
tell her he was still in love with her and that there was nothing
in the world he wouldn’t do for her. He cleared his throat.
    “What time does Nigel leave for work in the
morning?”
    “He usually leaves around seven-thirty. On a
normal day I give the kids breakfast. Sometimes we go to the park.
I do laundry, clean the house, organize dinner. The usual
stuff.”
    “What time does he come home?”
    “It depends upon emergencies and how his
theater list has gone, but it’s usually around seven in the
evening.”
    Mason nodded. “Good. That gives us just
under twelve hours from the time he leaves until he returns
home.”
    Isobel stared at him, her green eyes wide
and solemn. Once again, fear chased itself across her face, but she
nodded. He couldn’t help but feel a surge of admiration for her
courage.
    Despite the horrors she’d relayed to him and
the police officer, he knew the decision to walk out on her
marriage hadn’t come easily. It pained him to think that even now,
after all she’d been through, she was still second guessing the
choice she’d made. Remembering the errand he’d run earlier that
afternoon, he reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled out a
cell phone. He handed it to her.
    “This is for you. It’s prepaid, so there’s
no account or paper trail for Nigel to follow. Keep yours in case
he calls you.”
    “Oh, he’ll call all right.”
    “Once he knows for sure you’re gone, you
won’t need to answer his calls. You can get rid of your cell and
use this one. I’ll be at work tomorrow. It’s important that I act
as if nothing is out of the ordinary. The fact that he doesn’t know
I’m in Sydney is a good thing, but still I want to be cautious. I
don’t want him to link us in any way. That will only endanger you
and I sure as hell don’t want that. Unfortunately, it means I won’t
get home before seven tomorrow night, so you’ll be on your own
until then.”
    She sat forward in her seat, a look of
concern in her eyes. “But I don’t know where you live or how to get
there.”
    “I’ve programmed directions to my apartment
into the new phone. Just go to Google maps and follow the
prompts.”
    “But, what about your neighbors? Won’t they
wonder about a woman and two children moving into your house?”
    He shook his head. “I haven’t had time to do
more than greet one or two people in the building with little more
than a passing nod. They don’t know anything about me. They won’t
question you.”
    “Is there a key?”
    He reached into his pocket and pulled out
the spare key he’d had cut while he’d been out purchasing the
phone.
    “Here.” He pressed it into her palm and
closed her fingers around it. He tried not to think how soft and
warm her hand felt. She stared at him, her eyes dark with
emotion.
    “Thank you,” she whispered.

CHAPTER
EIGHT
     
    Isobel checked her side mirror and changed
lanes. It was way past late. At eleven, her shift had finally
ended. In a daze, she’d headed for home and in half an hour, she’d
be there. Home. With Nigel. With her kids. Her lips trembled at
what could lie ahead for her, but she