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A flash of soer but both overshadoith concern ‘They all agree?’

‘I only allon of water’

She sank onto the bed ‘Oh, God, positive What do I do?’

He handed her a plate ‘Tomorrow you plan But nownow you eat’

Polly was showing no sign of wanting to leave the hotel rooed to eat a few chips and drink the tea he’d ordered Now she was lying on the bed see on the TV

But Gabe could tell she wasn’t hearing a note

He put the empty plates out into the corridor and walked back into the room Polly hadn’t moved, not even a centimetre With one eye on her, as cautious as if she were a feral cat, Gabe sat back onto the bed and stretched out alongside her Close but not touching

He put his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling The plaster was perfectly smooth, as featureless as the rest of the hotel

‘I can’t bake’

He turned his head to look at her She was still propped up on the pillows and staring at the TV

‘That’s okay’

‘Of course it’s not okay You have to be able to bake No one cares if ajob It’s the cupcakes that count I can’t sew either’

‘No, but you work sos so why care?’

Sheat hi the shadows deepening under the tan ‘I bet your mother can bake and sew’

‘Oui, but she doesn’t have an MBA’

She didn’t answer, just continued to look at hi his face as if he had all the answers

‘I don’t know his surname’

Cold rage swirled How could anyone seduce this woaht or two They were the ones you played with ‘We can find him’

‘You think?’ The hope in her voice was killing But then she shook her head ‘I don’t see how All I know is that he’s Danish What a mess He probably wouldn’t want to be involved, but he should know’

‘Who is he?’

‘Markus I met him in Mancora after I finished the Inca trail—he was about e, recently divorced A little lost’ She tried for a smile ‘Like me’

‘And I thought this was it, my life here, at Rafferty’s, was over, that I needed to start again I needed to be a new Polly’

‘That’s a sha instinct ‘I kind of like the old Polly’

‘Me too,’ she whispered as if it were a confession ‘But old Polly had failed No job, nobody who cared about me Oh, I dated, had serious relationships but I alalked away Relationships need compromise, you see Only what they wanted was for me to compromise For me to work less hours, to attend their work dos To make the relationship work I had to be less They could just keep on doing what they were doing’