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The reality, she kneould be rather dif ferent Even if Chris had still been going, the four days of the conference would be filled with e skills, both in verbal translations and paperwork, which from previous experience she kneould keep her tied to her hotel bedroo the conference with the company’s small sales team
‘The flight tied,’ Jaot to drive past on my way to the airport, so—’
‘You’ll pickChris’
‘Chris is on honeymoon, as you very well know, and won’t be back for another week,’ Jaly sardonic look as he added unkindly, ‘Surely even you aren’t self-deluding enough to believe that he’d cut short his honeyo to Italy with you? Or was that what you were secretly hoping, Poppy secretly wishing he would do? My God, just when the hell are you going to grow up and realise that—’
‘That what?’ Poppy interrupted hi to control the way her oaded James wildly ‘Go on, then, say it Say e both know you’re just dying to say, James Or shall I say it for you?’
Her chin tilted proudly as she forced herself to look straight into his eyes without flinching ‘When a to realise that Chris doesn’t love me, that he will never love me that he loves Sally?’ she said bravely
She knew that her eyes were over-bright with betraying tears, but she couldn’t help it; her e
‘Of course I know that Chris won’t be going to Italy,’ she told Ja away from him as the box at the heart of her sulfed by flames
The pain inside her heart as she watched it burn was so sharp and driving that she had to force herself not to reach into the fire and retrieve the box, shaking it from the flames Inside it were all her precious, cherishedChris: the present he had given her for that momentous twelfth birthday when she had first fallen in love with hiiven her over the years
Quite ifts of a lover; no doubt in Jauarded so tenderly would only provoke derision and contempt, but to her
Yes, she had known that Chris wouldn’t be going to Italy, but it had never occurred to her that Ja the conference in his place She had assuo instead She frowned suddenly, so her
‘If you’re going to Italy, you won’t need me there,’ she announced as she turned back to look at him ‘You speak Italian fluently’
As well he randmother on his mother’s side was Italian and both he and Chris had frequently spent summer holidays with their Italian relations But whereas Jae, Chris had not absorbed it quite so well
‘Italian, yes,’ Jareed coolly, ‘but this is an international conference, ree of Japanese is required So, if you were entertaining any ideas about spending your ti about Chris, I warn you that we’re going to Italy to work’
‘You don’t have any right to warn erously, inwardly seething with resentment at the fact that he had called her professionalism into question
She ell aware how strenuously he had opposed her appointment to the post of interpreter and translator within the co that it was nepotism and that it would be cheaper to send such work out to tender
She shouldn’t have been listening outside the office door when he and her ued about her appointment, Poppy knew, and she really hadn’t intended to do so but had simply been on her way to see her mother
However, what she had heard him say about her hadhe was and just how valuable she could be to the company, and she had immediately put aside her own initial doubts about the wisdo to work for the family electronics business
When her ested that she did so, Poppy had been reluctant to agree, wanting instead to establish her independence, but the knowledge of how difficult it was proving for her to find a job by herself, coupled with the fact that she’d known she would be working closely with Chris, had overcome her scruples and she now firmly believed that in the short time she had been with the company she had proved her worth
‘I know I’ to Italy to work,’ Poppy added pointedly now ‘After all, I’m not the one who’
She paused, alarone too far
‘Go on,’ he invited silkily, his voice suddenly softly dangerous