Page 71 (1/1)

And bury e is with her’ I head for the sink and plunge ht, but she needs to stay in bed for a week or so’ I wash and place the few dirty s on the drainer and then swirlelse to wash ‘She’s going to be hard work’

‘Olivia?’ Miller’s footsteps approach behindin the water for nothing ‘I think you’re done’ He takes my hands from the sink and starts to dry therab a dishcloth

‘I should wipe the table down’ I slap the sopping ory shift back I don’t miss the cautious look he tosses over my shoulder in Miller’s direction ‘I need to keep the house spic-and-span’ My hand works furiously across the pristine wood, wiping up a mess that isn’t even there ‘She’ll onlyhands wrap around h’

My eyes climb his bespoke suit, up his neck, and onto his shadowed jaw Blue eyes are sinking into me Sympathetic eyes I don’t need sys

‘I’ inhim to let me be

‘And I don’t want to expose you toit neatly, while I silently thank hiht, so I’ll need to pop hodown the front of ory pipes up, standing and putting his hand out to Miller, who accepts ie – soe at any other tih Now it’s like they’ve teaile waif I can’t help the wave of resent courteous because they know it’s what I would really love, for them both to be friendly and actually like each other They’re acting like this for fear of tippingthat I struggle to return I suddenly really do feel fragile ‘I’ll call you toirl’

I nod and break out of his hold ‘I’ll see you out’

‘OK’ His reply is drawn out, and he oodbye

I don’t see Miller’s response, or whether any es are passed because I’hs, and I look up to see hi down the stairs ‘But exhausted I’ve left her to have a kip’

‘Are you going, George?’

‘Yes, but I’ll be back tomorrow at noon sharp I have my orders’ He reaches the botto fro e’ Gregory appears, waving his keys ‘As long as you don’ta seat with a few tools’

‘Ha! I shared space with far less desirable things during the war, lad’

Gregory passes e ‘You can tell me all about it on the way home’

‘It’ll arden path, George rabbiting about his war days, Gregory laughing tightly every now and then in response I close the door, shut the world outside, but soon realise that I can’t shutour house, knowing Nan is safe upstairs and Miller is floating around in all of his perfection, isn’t working as I’d hoped Nan’s shockingly accurate conclusion has only added to it

The distant ring of o in search of it Anyone who I would like to talk to is either here or just thisno Miller Locating h it until I find the source of the persistent sound I hit Reject and notice six missed calls, all fro at it

Then I go in search of Miller I find hie of the couch He has a book in his hands A black book And he’s engrossed in the pages

‘Miller!’

He visibly jumps and the book snaps shut as I hurry over and swipe it fro it behinditashamed of it

‘It was tucked down the side of the couch’ He points to the edge, provoking ait on the sofa when I last tortured e How could I be so careless?

‘You shouldn’t have read it,’ I spit, feeling the horrid thing burningback to life I shake that ard train of thought away before it takes too much more of , were you?’ I ask ‘Reret my vicious attack before Miller’s face twists with hurt, even er That was unnecessary and spiteful I didn’tunreasonable and cruel to the wrong person