Autographs In The Rain Part 65

Thanks for Christmas in Los Angeles,' he murmured in her ear.

'No,' said Lou. 'Thanks for this; it's much better.'

'Ah,' he muttered. 'This is all sweetness and light now, but wait for a few hours. Last year they had three armed events in Leith alone, in the first twelve hours of the year.'

'G.o.d, you coppers have a cynical view of mankind. How am I going to fit into your life, I wonder?'

'I don't know,' he said seriously. 'How are you?'

'Like a glove. At the very least, I'm taking a long sabbatical from the film business. You've got me for keeps, if you want.' She pressed her hands to his chest. 'Don't worry,' she told him. 'I won't try to supplant Olive in here. I know I can't.'

'No. So just be yourself; you've got your own place in here.' He nodded at the children as they gazed up at the pyrotechnics in the sky. 'And in theirs too. You don't need to be their mother; being you will be enough.'

He grinned, big and infectious. 'Hey, remember what you said a few weeks back about me walking over your grave? Premonitions don't have to be ominous, you know. Maybe what I was really doing was kick-starting your future.'

She leaned against him. 'In that case ...

'Neil, I'm only forty-two, and these days, lots of women my age . ..

'How would you feel about that?'

He looked down at her, smiling, and drew her to him. 'We can but try,'

he answered in her ear, as the rockets soared and the crowds roared. 'My love, we can but try ...'

Also by this author .

Skinner's Rules

Skinner's Festival

Skinner's Trail

Skinner's Round

Skinner's Ordeal

Skinner's Mission

Skinner's Ghosts

Murmuring the Judges

Gallery Whispers

Thursday Legends

Blackstone's Pursuits

A Coffin for Two

Wearing Purple

Screen Savers

Quintin Jardine