Someone To Run To

4

Alan was glad it was over. Although Maggie did a very good job patching him up, it was a painful experience. The wound on his arm had been deeper and worse than he originally thought, but nothing she couldn't handle. He asked Maggie to keep it to herself. No one needed to know other than the two of them.

He descended the staircase holding his forehead. He was dizzy, probably because, in all the excitement, he still had not eaten anything. A part of him wondered if Gina was hungry. She had not gotten to eat before he whisked her away from the diner. She was probably just as starved as he was. He reached the bottom floor a few seconds later and headed toward the kitchen.

Giles Hart, the in-house chef, was mopping the floor when Alan walked in. The kitchen was his sole responsibility besides a little security detailing once in a while and he loved to cook, so he had no problem with the arrangement. He had just finished cleaning up from breakfast because he was hard at it. He raised, saw Alan standing there, and put the mop aside in the bucket.

"Good morning, Alan," he greeted him. "Well, I guess it's afternoon now. I didn't expect you for lunch. Maggie said you and George were going to the diner today."

"We were," Alan told him. "I mean, we did. There was some trouble and we didn't get the chance to eat. Has George been in here?"

Giles wiped the sweat from his brow. "Yeah, but he just made himself a sandwich. He said he didn't want me to have to go to any trouble."

"Alright. I think I might have a sandwich as well, Giles. I don't want to mess up the kitchen again after you've just cleaned it."

"No, it's your house. I can clean the kitchen again. It's no big deal." He didn't want the man who employed him to think he couldn't eat in his kitchen when he wanted to.

Alan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I don't want to trouble you, Giles, but a quick meal would be appreciated."

"Of course. Anything, in particular, you would like?"

"Something quick. Don't put yourself out too much, okay? Just make sure you make enough for two."

Giles's eyebrow raised suspiciously. "Two? Is one of the other staff members eating with you? I thought all of them had already eaten."

"It's for myself and a young woman I picked up at the diner."

"I know it's none of my business, but is this another troubled young woman or romantic interest?"

Alan smiled. It was a good question and a fair one. The simple truth was he wasn't prepared to answer it. "She is troubled, but as far as a romantic interest, I'm afraid I can't answer. Too early to tell. Besides, she can't be more than thirty years old. She's a little young for me."

Giles grinned. "I'm sure age would not matter if you woo her properly."

"I'm not having this conversation." Alan could feel his face starting to get hot. Why were his cheeks turning so red? He couldn't see them, but he could feel the fire beneath his skin.

"So there's no hope of a Mrs. Collins then?" he teased.

Alan started to admonish him, but he heard someone calling his name. "Ah, saved by Grace. I hear her calling. Please get started on our lunch as soon as possible."

Giles was still grinning. "Yes, sir, Romeo."

Alan shook his head and walked out of the kitchen chuckling to himself. Giles tended to tease him a lot about certain things, and romance and women were at the top of the list.