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He paused ‘You need to grow up, Megan’

That one statement, delivered with a coldness she had never heard before, was shocking Yes, they were total opposites They had laughed about that ahim away from his books with hoe rolls and packets of biscuits and cheap wine She wouldkaraoke, and he would shake his head in good-natured wonder and tell her never to consider a career in singing He had never told her to grow up—and certainly never in that tone of voice

‘It was just meant to be a bit of fun, Alessandro Hoas I to know that the instruments of your plan would be here? And why do you have a plan, anyway? Really? Life’s not a chessboard, you know’

‘That’s exactly what it is, Megan A chessboard The life we end up getting depends entirely on the moves we make’

‘I know you want to do stuff with your life, Alessandro, but…’ Megan shot him a look of bemusement This wasn’t quite the sort of talk she had been expecting, but it was certainly revealing ‘You can’t plan everything I ood teacher…’

‘In a small country school somewhere…’

‘What’s wrong with that?’

‘There’s nothing wrong with it,’ Alessandro told her patiently

He looked at her expressive, open face and felt like a monster, but this was a conversation that had to be undertaken His future had unexpectedly co him no choice

‘Did you ever think about qualifying and going to teach somewhere else?’

‘Somewhere else? Why should I? You know that St Nicks have offered me a post for after I qualify’