:p
Valentine Redezvous by Wendy Richards
It had been raining for hours now. Lois absently watched big raindrops
forming into long, asymmetrical lines that searched their way on the cool
glass, meeting and crossing other lines, then finally being stopped in
their tracks by the white frame of the huge windows and dropping down on
the window-sill outside. There the rain had already built a little puddle
and it was no wonder, because it had been raining constantly since Lois had
landed in London this morning. She grimaced. The weather here really was
just as bad as its reputation.
She sighed and looked around in her room. Perry had been generous with her
budget this time. The hotel was one of the best she had ever stayed in. She
had a big, well lit room with tasteful furniture and a huge white bathroom
with a whirlpool inside. She sent a longing glance to the kingsized bed in
the middle of her room. The long flight had been tiring and the thought of
taking a nap after soaking in a hot bubble bath was all too tempting. But
she knew from experience that the time difference was much easier to bear
if you tried to accept the other country's hours as soon as possible. The
bed and the whirlpool would just have to wait a little while longer. What
was she going to do instead? Okay, she could take another look at her notes
about Simon, her contact here in London, but to be honest, she didn't
really feel like it right now. She already could recite her notes in her
dreams, so well did she know them after all the preparations she had done
these last weeks.
Suddenly she felt her stomach contract slightly in excitement, as she
thought about the reason why she was here. Nothing could go wrong and Lois
was determined to make this investigation a success. Anyway, she wasn't
going to meet Simon before tomorrow evening and she didn't need to get
nervous in advance. The weather was of course horrible, but suddenly she
felt the urge to go outside. Otherwise she knew she would give into
temptation and go to sleep after all. Maybe there was a nice, warm and dry
place somewhere in the neighborhood, in a cafĂ or in a tearoom, where she
would be able to get something hot to drink and where she could take in the
atmosphere of the city a little bit. Without any more hesitation she took
her purse and slid into her coat.
Jose
