do well to remember that.
* * *
This was going to be harder than he’d imagined. Sandro took the case from Charlie, taking in her change of clothes. Heels, tight jeans of soft beige with a white blouse and dark brown jacket. Chic. Elegant. Not at all like the dishevelled gardener he’d met on arrival. She was now very much the woman he’d seen on television promoting Seb’s team. The woman he’d admired more and more as Seb had enthused about her.
Don’t go there. He pushed thoughts of her to the back of his mind, focusing instead on maintaining a businesslike manner. One that would keep her where she needed to be in his mind.
He watched as she opened a drawer and pulled out her passport.
‘I should really let my neighbour know I’m going away.’
He frowned, unsure where that comment was going. ‘Why is this?’
‘She’ll keep an eye on the place, water the garden.’ Absently she picked up her phone and began tapping quickly onto the screen. ‘At least for a few days.’
Garden, he pondered. That didn’t fit with the glamorous image she’d built up as she’d promoted the team. Had this cottage, this garden been her escape from the media frenzy that had followed? He knew well about the need to escape. It had been something he’d had to do twice in his life now.
‘You gave up your career to become a gardener?’
She turned to face him, putting her phone in her handbag at the same time. ‘Why is that so shocking?’
‘Seb never mentioned you were a gardener.’
‘It is something I’ve always enjoyed, but I didn’t feel the need to change my life before Seb’s accident.’ She looked up at him, her expression serious and focused. ‘Seb’s death changed all that. That’s why I want to know all he did that day. I have to understand why it happened.’
Each word echoed with her accusation, leaving him in no doubt she blamed him. The only other person who knew the truth was her father—and he’d insisted that she must never know all the details of Seb’s accident.
Thoughts of Seb grounded him and the urge to tell her everything, just to clear his name of blame in her eyes, was overwhelming. But he wasn’t doing this for himself; he was doing it for Seb. He would do well to remember that when he next thought of succumbing to the temptation of Charlie. She was out of his reach. Put there by his sense of honour and his promise to Seb and subsequently her father. Out of his reach was where she had to stay.
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.
