Off the Record

Free Off the Record by Alison Rose Page B

Book: Off the Record by Alison Rose Read Free Book Online
Authors: Alison Rose
he rasped before taking another.
    ‘Thank you. It was a good kiss too.’
    Johnson choked on the hot liquid, almost dropping his mug. He put it down carefully.
    ‘Are you all right?’
    ‘I can’t believe you said that!’ he said, laughter hovering.
    Alex put a hand to her mouth, feeling the heat rush to her cheeks. ‘I’m sorry. I’m not usually so forward. Goodness, it feels like I’m in a time-warp!’
    He smiled, reaching out and tracing her jawline with his thumb. ‘Yeah, I know how you feel,’ he confirmed. ‘Damn, it’s good to see you. I thought you looked so different when I first saw you outside, but you’re just the same.’
    Alex grimaced. ‘Hardly!’ she denied, her hand creeping up to touch her white hair.
    ‘It suits you. And your eyes are the same, and your smile. And your humour. Hell, it feels weird, sitting here, kissing and talking like we’ve never been apart.’ A shadow crossed his gaze, reminding her of the pain of their parting. ‘Yet it’s well over thirty years. Where the hell has the time gone?’
    Alex shrugged. ‘We’ve both been busy I suppose. You’ve shared your music with the world. We’ve both been married and had children. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I swear time speeds up. It seems like there are never enough hours to do everything you’re supposed to do.’ She glanced at her watch. ‘Speaking of which, I need to be back at the church for a wedding rehearsal soon,’ she sighed regretfully. She usually enjoyed this aspect of her work, but today she wanted to spend some precious time with her unexpected guest.
    ‘A wedding?’ he asked. ‘Yours?’
    ‘Goodness, no! Didn’t Katie tell you what I do? I’ll be officiating tomorrow. I’m the village priest.’ She still found it a surprise sometimes that God had called her to such a responsibility.
    Johnson shook his head. ‘No. She said something about a family business,’
    ‘That’s her little joke, I’m afraid. David was the curate – a priest-in-training – in my grandparents’ church when I met him. After he took on the parish here I began to explore my vocation. In his last years he was priest-in-charge and I was the curate. Now it’s just me.’
    Alex watched the shock wash over him, registering first as a blank look, followed by a slight shake of his head as his mind rejected the idea, then the inevitable withdrawal as reality set in. He sat straighter in his chair, effectively pulling away from her. She was suddenly out of bounds. She had seen it all before. Not in the same context of course. She didn’t make a habit of kissing men. As both a priest and a widow, she had a reputation to maintain. But she knew from experience that a man could be perfectly friendly with her one minute, and then backing off and shutting her behind a fence as soon as they knew her occupation. She assumed that they either thought she would be trying to convert them, or that she shouldn’t be mixing with members of the opposite sex.
    ‘It’s all right,’ she sighed. ‘It’s not catching. You don’t have to worry.’
    ‘About what? I thought you just said you were a priest. Are you sick?’
    She smiled as he leaned forward again unconsciously searching her face for signs of illness.
    ‘Some people think so, but no. I’m perfectly healthy. Just a little tired of getting the same reaction every time I tell someone my job. I’m still a woman, you know.’
    ‘I thought you were supposed to wear some sort of uniform.’
    She reached into her pocket, extracted a thin white plastic strip and inserted it into both ends of her mandarin collar.
    ‘There you go. One authentic dog collar. Do I look the part now?
    ‘I guess. I thought you had to wear black.’
    She looked down at her lemon blouse.
    ‘Not any more. The only colour I can’t wear is purple. That’s reserved for bishops. Oh, and red might upset the Roman Catholics.’
    ‘Don’t priests have to take a vow of chastity?’
    ‘Not in the

Similar Books

The Saint to the Rescue

Leslie Charteris

Stasi Child

David Young

River of Souls

Kate Rhodes

Meaner Things

David Anderson