Timekeeper (Timekeeper #1)(25)

There were several things Danny had never expected to happen to him in the course of his life. Become the King of England, for instance, or have his name written in a history book. The list ranged from the implausible to the idiotic: become a baker, fight in a war, swim in the Thames.

In that entire list, he had never expected to include be kissed by a clock spirit.

Danny bit the inside of his cheek as Cassie disappeared under his auto. It was currently propped on a metal bed, its parts exposed like intestines. It had finally broken down on him, and he’d needed it towed to the warehouse where Cassie worked. He didn’t trust anyone else to take a look.

He ran a finger over his lips again, as if amazed to find them on his face. He recalled the moment perfectly, even the eyelashes on Colton’s face, a dusky blond at the tips that darkened to black at their roots.

It was a thing so strange, so bizarre, so exceptional, that Danny felt he ought to tell someone. But he knew all too well why he couldn’t. There would be an investigation, they would find out about Colton, and the kiss, and oh God—he would be exiled from Enfield quicker than a door could be slammed in a salesman’s face.

“Oh, s’not good at all,” Cassie said from under the car, her voice muffled. All Danny could see of her were dark coveralls, which were baggy on her sturdy body.

“Should I hand over my entire life savings, then?”

“Don’t be dramatic, Dan.”

He kicked the sole of her boot. “Then don’t say dramatic things. Tell me what needs fixing.”

“Everything.”

Danny pinched the bridge of his nose and counted to five. When he looked up, Cassie was sitting with her back against the auto, her auburn hair streaked with oil.

“I just need it to run for jobs,” he said.

“Then you may need a new boiler. Dan, I’m telling you, they’re making newer models that run like a song. Why don’t you try one of those out when you’ve the money? Loads easier than these clunky things.”

“How much for the new boiler?”

“Twenty quid.”

He groaned. Due to his leave of absence, his pockets were not exactly bursting with riches.

“Either that or pay for another tow,” Cassie said bluntly.

Danny sighed and pulled out his wallet, hoping he had enough. Cassie examined the auto behind her. Danny knew that look. As he expected, she began to disappear back under the framework.

“I think I forgot to check—”

Danny grabbed her ankles and pulled her back out. She glared at him from the floor.

“You’ve done all you can for now,” he said. “Leave it alone.”

She huffed a breath that stirred the loose hairs on her forehead, but her expression was strained.

Danny remembered her face on the day her older brother’s auto flipped and crashed, killing him instantly. Her skin had been bone white, her eyes hollow and dark like a flame blown out from a lantern. He’d felt the tremor between her body and his as he held her, as she wept and said that it was her fault. That William was dead because of her.

Of course that wasn’t true. She couldn’t have known it would happen, hadn’t thought to check her brother’s auto that day. It had been having problems, she said. She should have done more. Her sisters and remaining brother would blame her.

It had been ten months, and Danny still saw remnants of Cassie’s terror each time he took off in his auto. He wanted to tell her he knew the taste of guilt, but the bitter burn on his tongue prevented him from saying anything. He knew it wouldn’t give her any comfort. Her loss was finite, irreversible. His loss was caught in suspension.

“It’ll be all right, Cass,” he said gently. “I know you’ll do a good job.”

Her mouth quivered before she pressed it into a firm line. Nodding, Cassie stood and redid her braid, resettling her mood just as she resettled the strands of hair.

“There’s something else, isn’t there?” she asked. “You’ve that look.”

“It’s nothing.” But he considered it again, the thought standing with its toes curled over the very forefront of his mind, waiting to swan dive into the open.

The color of amber. The sweet smell of mechanical oil. Colton’s lips.

“Danny Hart, your face is red!” She tried to pinch his cheeks, but shrieked when Danny picked her up.

“I’ll find the nearest body of water and toss you in it,” he warned her.

“All right, all right!” He put her down. “You’re a touchy bloke, you know that?”

Would it really be so bad if Cassie knew? He could still see a fragment of fear caught in her eyes. He could provide her with a distraction at the least.

Ducking his head, Danny mumbled, “A boy kissed me.”

Cassie drew in a breath to shout her glee, but Danny slapped a hand over her mouth just in time. She swatted him away to reveal a Cheshire Cat grin.

“Who was it? Where? Do I know him? How old is he? Is he good-looking?”

Danny wished he had a shield against the onslaught of questions. He picked one at random. “It was in Enfield, on assignment.”

“Did it just happen?”

He nodded.

“Oh, that’s marvelous! Who was it?”

He shrugged and looked at his feet. “Just some bloke.”