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For the first few hours of the day she only saw Zach from a distance and then, just when she was beginning to relax, she walked into him in the corridor. Literally.
'Careful.' His strong hands gripped her shoulders and steadied her, and she stepped back as if she'd been burned.
'I'm sorry.' Dear God, she needed to get away from him. Fast.
Without saying anything further, she turned on her heel but he was too quick for her, his long fingers biting into her arm and holding her still.
'Wait a minute.' His voice was quiet and he was frowning slightly. 'Maggie tells me that you moved out last night. I didn't think you'd found anywhere yet. You didn't mention that you were leaving. Where did you go, Keely?'
'It really doesn't matter.' She'd rather keep it to herself for now. 'I'm fine, Zach.'
'Keely...'
He looked tortured and suddenly she realised that it didn't matter how she felt. She just wanted him to be all right. She didn't want to cause him more pain. The man had had enough of that to last him a lifetime. It wasn't his fault that he couldn't love her the way he'd loved his wife.
'Really, truly I'm fine.' On impulse she stood on tiptoe and gave him a kiss on the cheek. 'You take care of yourself and Phoebe. Now, I've got to dash.' She lifted her chin and gave him a bright smile. 'I promised to help Nicky.'
Without waiting for his reply, she turned on her heel, hurrying down the corridor and back into the department before he could stop her.
CHAPTER TEN
Somehow Keely stumbled through the next two weeks, working on autopilot and keeping her emotions firmly in check. By a stroke of luck Sean scheduled her to work nights, so the only contact she had with Zach was the occasional glimpse of his broad shoulders in the distance.
/> And then suddenly she was back on days again and avoiding him became harder.
'Zach was looking for you earlier—did he find you?' Nicky caught Keely in the corridor as she walked towards the common room late one morning.
'No. Thank goodness.' Keely pulled a face. 'I really can't face any more conversations with him at the moment.'
'Well, in that case come up to the canteen with me for something revolting to eat,' Nicky joked, obviously trying to cheer her up. 'It's just about lunchtime and we're not usually this quiet so we should make the most of it while we can.'
Keely pulled a face. The mere thought of food made her stomach churn. She hadn't eaten properly for days and a seed of worry was starting to grow at the back of her mind.
'No, thanks.' She certainly wasn't going to voice her suspicion to Nicky. 'Sean's given me permission to take a long lunch-break and I'm going to Zach's to pick up the things I left in his bathroom. He's working late tonight so I know there's no chance of running into him. I want to get it over with. I need a clear head for my interview so the sooner I'm out of his life the better.'
'OK.' Nicky gave her a worried smile. 'Well, for goodness' sake, be careful on the roads. They're icy.'
Despite the warning, Keely wasn't careful.
She drove too fast, as if her sudden burst of speed might help her outrun her problems.
She was only yards from Zach's house when she saw the smoke.
'Oh, my God, no!'
She slammed on her brakes and left the car at a run, sprinting the last few yards to Zach's house, her problems forgotten.
Zach's house was on fire!
Flames licked out of the upper windows and smoke billowed in huge clouds into the cold blue sky. A crowd of people had gathered at the end of Zach's path and Keely elbowed her way through, her heart lifting with relief when she saw Barbara standing at the end of the garden.
'Barbara—thank goodness you're safe. Were you inside?'
Barbara shook her head, her face pale with shock and anxiety. 'No. The new nanny was in charge.'
The new nanny?
Keely looked round frantically. Where was she?
