Page 3 of A Deal in Darkness
I nod before I stop myself, quickly bringing my knees up against my chest. My boots are filthy and they’re getting the leather seats dirty, but if Enzo can afford a car like this, then he can afford the cleaning bill that comes with it.
His smirk widens as he turns the heating all the way up and leans back, giving me all the space he can.
“How do you know my mother?”
“We met at a social event. It was dull. We got talking. I own a place a few miles down the road. We occasionally have lunch.”
I nod like this is normal. It isn’t. My mother doesn’t have lunch, not private ones. She’ll go to fancy public events or out with friends if it serves her purpose or keeps her image up, but she doesn’t do intimate lunches. Or dinners. Or anything.
“What kind of job were you looking for?” Enzo asks again.
I shrug. “Why?”
“Perhaps I can help.”
“I read English Lit.” I sigh. “I assumed working in publishing was a sensible career choice. Apparently, it isn’t.”
He nods his head and places his hands in front of one of the heaters. “It’s a tough business. As I understand it, you need to be lucky or know someone to get your foot in the door.”
Some of my classmates certainly had friends and family who were more than willing to help them out. They’d beenmore than happy to rub my nose in it about how they’d got a job simply through their connections, without having to do any work at all. Presumably, they wouldn’t be doing much work after they were hired either.
“It’ll work out,” I mumble.
Enzo nods and presses a few buttons, turning on the heated seats as I take his coat off and hand it back to him. He thanks me and flings it onto the back seats.
“Would you want my help?” he says, turning back to face me with a look that pierces into my soul. His dark brown eyes lock onto mine and his question doesn’t seem as innocent as it appears. It feels loaded. Almost as if there’s a cost to him helping me. One that almost certainly won’t like.
“Can you help?”
He shrugs. “No idea. I haven’t thought about it yet. But there’s no point thinking about it if you don’t want my help.”
I drop my head onto my knees, thinking hard. A job will get me away from my mother, but I want one for so much more than that. I’ve earned it after years of studying until the small hours of the morning and it’s the first step in a career I’ve been desperate to have.
But I don’t want to be indebted.
And I’d much rather work harder and do it on my own than have it given to me.
“I think I’ll be fine,” I say, trying to be polite. “Unless you wanted to help me go over the next round of job applications.”
“Do you need someone to?”
I shake my head. “Not really. Two professors have been helping me out. It’s a bit of a mystery why I can’t even get listedfor an interview. I’ve got a flat share sorted for after graduation and I’ll do a bit of bar work or waiting on tables until I get the job I want.”
Enzo nods and adjusts himself in his seat, clipping his seat belt into place. “Let’s get you home before your mother has another one of her meltdowns.”
I grin and turn the engine on, strapping in and adjusting the seat. The car is a dream to drive, and I almost regret that it takes only a few minutes before we’re pulling up outside my mother’s cottage.
“I’ll keep a lookout for anything that comes up,” Enzo says. “Type your number in my phone.”
He dips his head, and for a moment he looks boyish. Charmingly innocent. It makes me feel like there couldn’t ever be anything wrong with the world, just because he’s in it. He’s devilishly handsome, and the man knows it, oozing confidence as he uses his good looks to get what he wants.
My fingers type my phone number in and I hand him back the phone, practically drooling over the thought of him messaging me. I’ve never had much luck with men, despite my long blond hair and pale blue eyes—and maybe Enzo might be a chance to change all that.
It would at least be fun to find out.
He’s exciting and just mysterious enough to put me on edge, yet he’s nowhere close to being dangerous. He’s a risk, but a small, safe one, and I’d be willing to take the chance.
Definitely willing to take the chance.
