AllFreeNovel
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“Ah… what year is it?”
“Oh! That’s shocking. All work and no play…”
“Yeah.”
“Evie told me that at Mack’s wedding you fell asleep on the deck and were still there in the morning.”
I laugh and cut into the toast, scooping up a forkful of scrambled egg and bacon with it. “That’s true.”
“You didn’t pull, then?” she teases.
“I didn’t even try. I was knackered. It had been a busy month.”
“The IVF project?”
“Yeah.”
“I suppose it’s made things harder for you, with Elizabeth getting pregnant.”
“Yeah. I wouldn’t say it to her, of course. Acheron will take me, but they really wanted her to come and head the research.”
“So are you thinking of moving here?”
I meet her big blue eyes for a moment. I can’t be sure, but I think there’s a touch of hope in them. I clear my throat and look back at my plate. “No, I’m hoping to persuade them to invest, but that they’ll let us run the project from New Zealand.”
“Ah.”
“I’m sure it would be a great experience, but my company is based there, and all my friends and most of my family are there.”
“Of course.”
“Well, you know what an upheaval it is, moving countries.”
“Sure,” she says, “and I didn’t run a company. I was a free spirit. Still am.” She laughs.
“That must be nice.”
“Aw,” she says, “don’t tell me you regret all your hard work. I can see how much you love what you do.”
“No, I don’t regret it. But I know I’m a workaholic. I find it impossible to switch off, I don’t know why. There’s always something work-related I could or should be doing.”
“Which makes it even more important that you take a few days off.” She leans back and has a sip of her tea. “I have an idea. Cancel your meetings and stay here with me for a few days. I’ll take you on a sightseeing tour around Devon.”
My eyebrows rise. “I couldn’t do that.”
“Why?”
“You must be busy…”
“Not at all,” she says. “I was going to have a few days off myself. Not all those who wander are lost, you know?”
“You’re a Tolkien fan?”
“Big time.”
“Do you have an English degree?”
“No, History, but I’m interested in a lot of things.”
