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He was beginning to recognise her little signatures: the overly bright smile, the wide-eyed stare, the happy to help tone in her voice Those little idiosyncrasies could pull a man under if he wasn’t careful

‘I’ ork out for you, Ruby,’ he said ‘Even if it’s not perfors you can do with the co you want to stay with them? Education or I don’t know, maybe you want to see a bit more of the world? Aren’t there jobs in other companies?’

‘Of course there are, but I’ yet It all depends on what my consultant says next month’

‘And if you get the all-clear would youyou here?’

‘I don’t have anyone special in my life if that’s what you mean?’

‘That’s exactly what I mean’

She screwed up her face ‘My track record withsuit I’ve never been , and this injury has completely drained me—so, no, there’s no one special in my life’

‘My track record o suit either’

Her lips curled into asmile ‘For completely different reasons’

‘So the press would have you believe,’ he said, grateful for the arrival of the waiters He didn’t particularly want to go into any of his relationship back story with her Nor did he want to know hers Sharing all that stuff gave out the wrong signals—as if he cared, as if there was going to be a future between them

They sat silently at the circular table, watching as napkins were flicked and laid over their laps, as platters of cheese andlasses

All the while her eyes widened, and in the candlelight the hollows of her cheeks seethen as she sat forward to stare at each plate