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'Yes,' she mumbled. 'It's Zach.'
Nicky groaned. 'Oh, Keely, I warned you.'
'I know that,' Keely said, bravely dredging up a smile. 'I should have listened harder.'
'I'll kill Zach,' Nicky muttered, and Keely shook her head and ran a hand through her hair.
'It isn't his fault, Nicky,' she said wearily. 'It's my fault. All my fault. He warned me that he'd never get involved with another woman and I wouldn't listen. I was so crazy about him I just wanted to help him. I thought I could do that without getting hurt myself. But then he—we—' She broke off and Nicky gave a groan.
'You don't have to tell me. I can guess.' There was a slight pause while Nicky digested what she'd just heard. 'And is it over? Are you sure?'
'Yes.' Keely nodded and managed a wan smile. 'You were right. He just won't ever get involved with another woman after his wife.'
Nicky frowned. 'Has he told you he's not interested?'
'Yes.' Keely paused. 'Well, not lately, I suppose. But after we actually... To be honest, he didn't say anything at all, but it didn't take a genius to work out that he wasn't interested.'
'Why? What did he do?'
Keely frowned and shook her head, still puzzled by it herself. 'He was so cold and distant. I couldn't believe it. We'd been so close, Nicky...' Her eyes filled and she cleared her throat. 'Damn. Sorry. When I woke up he was already downstairs and he was like a different person.'
'Right.' Nicky was looking at her thoughtfully. 'So something happened between him leaving your bed and you coming down for breakfast.'
'Nothing happened.' Keely gave a shrug. 'What could have happened? He got Phoebe up, gave her breakfast and took a phone call from my father. Nothing earth-shattering, I can assure you.'
'A phone call from your father?'
'Yes.' Keely rubbed her aching temples with her fingers. 'He rang to tell me I've got an interview in London in a few weeks.'
'And what did Zach say about that?'
Keely gave a humourless laugh, unable to hide the hurt. 'He said congratulations and reminded me to ask Sean for the time off.'
Nicky stared at her. 'That was it?'
'Yes,' Keely mumbled with a watery smile. 'He wasn't bothered, Nicky. In fact, he's probably pleased. It gets him out of having to tell me he'll never love me as much as his wife.'
'You don't know that.'
'Yes, I do.' Keely's voice was flat. 'Zach isn't interested in making a commitment to another woman. You know that as well as I do.'
Nicky let out a long breath. 'So what happens now?'
'I'm going to have to move out.' Keely made the decision on the spot. 'I can't carry on living there. Not now. It would be too difficult. I'm sure that Barbara will help with Phoebe until he can find someone else.'
Just thinking of little Phoebe made her heart twist. She'd got so used to the wonderful evening routine of bathing the little girl and giving her cuddles while she read a story. Giving that up would be almost as bad as giving up Zach.
Nicky gave her a quick hug. 'If it's any consolation, he's let you closer to Phoebe—and to him—than any other woman.'
'Well, it doesn't feel like a consolation at the moment,' Keely muttered, swallowing down an enormous lump in her throat.
Oh, for goodness' sake!
She was being totally pathetic. He'd been totally straight with her right from the beginning. She had no right to drip around, feeling sorry for herself.
Nicky shrugged helplessly, her expression sympathetic. 'Keely, I don't know what to say...'
'There's nothing you can say,' Keely said stoutly, glancing at her watch and deciding that the sooner she buried herself in work the better. 'Just hope I find somewhere to live fast. Before I make a fool of myself in front of him.'
