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‘So you don’t just do the fairies,’ Leothe way the evening was descending ever increasingly into friendly chit-chat ‘Tellfrom this?’

‘Depends on what you call “a living”’ Heather stashed her portfolio to the side of the sofa and sat back down ‘Coin to o that money’s way overrated’

‘Yes?’ Leo’s ears pricked up ‘Tellthe s to look at pictures in fra on the opposite side of the roo up to remind him of how tired she was before she sent him on his way

His frustration levels were growing by the second

‘There’s nothing to tell,’ Heather said casually ‘You just have to read about all those super-rich, super-privileged people who end up in rehab all the tiht end up in rehab one day?’

Distracted froo beyond the harmless conversation about art and culture and steer theier waters, Leo raised his eyebrows, amused

‘I’ll ad I’ve never worried about’

‘Why not?’ Heather looked at hihtfully She could feel every nerve in her body on red alert It wasn’t a massive sofa, and, now that he had plonked himself on it, it seemed to have shrunk to the size of a pin cushion If she stretched her foot out just a tiny bit it wouldvery sure to huddle into herself Her knees were drawn up to her chest and her arms were firmly clasped around them

‘Why should I? In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m not a loser People end up in rehab when they’ve lost control of their lives’

‘Or when they’re lonely, s’

‘But I’ is abhorrent to s or alcohol And how did we get onto this anyway?’

‘Because I said that s, but it doesn’t buy happiness’ She looked at hiht in her throat The sun had dipped, and the long shadows in the rooles of his face, the beautiful, harsh set of his features Their easy banter had lulled her into a false sense of security, she realised She had silenced those nagging little voices at the back of her our, telling her that she could pretend to feel in control, but underneath the pretence was the reality that she was attracted to hier was just one of the things she wanted to do The rest brought her out in a cold sweat

‘I mean,’ she said, poised to redress the balance, ‘you’re rich, and yet can you honestly say that you’re completely happy?’

Leo raked restless fingers through his dark hair and wondered how he had ht on the back foot ‘Yes, I can, but I expect you’re going to tell me that actually I’m not’

‘You can’t be completely satisfied with your relationship with Katherine and Daniel,’ Heather said flatly She regretted her outburst the minute it left her lips, but it was too late, and she conceded that itrealisation that she was attracted to the worst possible man for her

‘I’h said on that subject’

‘I think it’s time you went, Leo’ Heather stood up and‘I’, and it’sover and for bringing a et over our initial differences’ She took up a defensive position by the door, standing to one side and watching in silence as Leo finally took the hint and stood up, although it had to be said that he didn’t look in a frantic rush to leave His eyes tangled with hers and she looked away nervously