Page 102 of When The Night Falls

Her smile became a grin. ‘Thanks, but you should take a look in the mirror.’

I chuckled. ‘Oh, I do that every morning. Don’t you?’

She laughed. ‘You know what I meant.’

I grinned. ‘I do. Anyway, so you get to travel for work. I’d have loved that, I think.’

She cocked her head from side to side while we headed for the lifts. ‘It gets a bit tiresome. I sleep in hotels more often than I sleep in my own bed.’

‘Really?’

She nodded. ‘Makes it hard to maintain relationships – and friendships,’ she said, and I found myself wondering if she was alluding to some sort of difficulty with establishing a relationship with William.

Once we were in the lift, she did a visual sweep of my body.

‘So how long have you been on the job, Cara?’

‘Two days.’ I turned to smile at her. ‘This is my third.’

‘How do you like it?’

‘I love it. It’s hectic and demanding, but definitely riveting.’

‘I bet. How’s having Will as a boss?’

‘It’s amazing. I’m very lucky to be shadowing him.’

‘I can imagine. He fits the role, doesn’t he?’

I chuckled. ‘He does.’

We continued to chat about William, and it was an odd experience because whenever I tried to change the subject, she kept making him the centre of our conversation. I got the impression she was a bit obsessed with him, but I could hardly blame her; he was certainly a captivating man.

Though, I did wonder if she persisted in talking about him because she felt possessive of him and perceived me as a threat. If she did, I pitied her. I had no plans to pursue him, so it saddened me to think that she might be worried about it. All the same, I thought she was a sweet girl, so I could understand the appeal. We were quite different, however, but maybe that was why William had chosen to stick with her.

‘I suppose you know the way?’ I said as we exited the lift.

She glanced in the direction of William’s office, looking a bit nervous. ‘I do.’

‘Well, then. It was lovely meeting you, Francesca.’ I offered my hand, and when she took it this time, her grip was firmer. ‘I hope you’ll have a wonderful time in Spain and that you won’t melt in the hot weather.’

Her wide smile revealed her bright white teeth. ‘Thanks, Cara. Best of luck to you.’

‘Thanks. I’ll need it.’

When I had found my seat, Ellie said amusedly, ‘She stops by every Wednesday she’s in town. She won’t be leaving for at least half an hour.’

My brows knitted and I faced her. Quietly, I said, ‘You sound like you think they’ll have sex.’

She tittered and looked rather charmed, which bewildered me. ‘Oh, you are so new to this.’

‘New to what?’

‘An actual workplace.’

‘What do you mean?’

Her smile was patient. ‘Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but do you really think people don’t do questionable things while at work? People cheat on their spouses left, right and centre. Not everybody, of course, but definitely some. Sometimes, people have sex here too. I’m not saying it’s acceptable, but it’s absolutely to be expected.’ She shrugged. ‘Humans are stupid.’

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