Page 222 of The Professor's Wife

It frightened me.

Nothing good could come from these two men noticing each other.

I quickly said, “Let’s go home, Oliver. You’re tired.”

“I’m not tired,” he argued. “I’m feeling really good, Daisy. The best in a long time, actually.”

I smiled. “That’s good.”

He took my hand, and we began to turn. I felt my body relax, the tight knot in my stomach loosening—

“You dropped some cash.”

Oliver stopped and turned around, staring directly at Tristan. “What’s that?”

“Money fell out of your pocket,” Tristan returned.

When I turned around, I didn’t look down at the sidewalk. I stared right at him. His eyes were on me for a few moments before they swung over to Oliver, who was looking down at his feet.

Oliver let out a soft chuckle and bent down to scoop up the money. I didn’t know how much had fallen. I didn’t care.

I needed us to leave.

Nothing good would come from Tristan intersecting with this monster.

Don’t let them speak.

“Thank you,” Oliver said, smiling at him.

And that should have been that, like most interactions.

But Oliver didn’t leave.

Instead, he said, “You could have waited for me to leave and had a cool hundred to yourself.”

Tristan’s lips didn’t flinch at the humor. “I’m not a thief.”

Oliver nodded and, letting go of my hand, counted the money and then moved toward the singer.

“Just a Good Samaritan. They’re not easy to come by ever since the island got flooded with derelicts. Here, take half as a thank-you from me.”

He extended his hand, the cash hanging from the tips of his fingers. Tristan didn’t make a move to take it. He didn’t even look at it.

“I don’t need it.”

Oliver lowered his hand. By his side, I watched him slowly take Tristan in from his head to his shoes. Then he pointed at the guitar.

“You play that well?”

“I’m all right,” he replied.

“Honest and humble. I’ll have to ask another source.” Oliver turned his attention to me, and I tensed. “Did he play well, Daisy?”

I hid my shock, though my stomach bottomed out that this bastard had kept track of me all along. I smiled easily.

“I wasn’t out there long, but from what I heard, he did.”

“It’s a good place to busk,” Oliver said, looking back at Tristan. He sounded cheerful and friendly, but that was just a mask. I couldn’t read his true emotion.