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She gave him a tense smile. ‘I wasn’t expecting you to meet me.’
Clearly not, Galen was about to say, but thankfully stopped himself, for her attire was completely none of his business. ‘Well, there’s a lot to get through. I thought we could speak in the car and stop by the care home on the way.’
As they made their way towards the waiting vehicle those zig-zags on her skirt were dancing before his eyes like a pre-migraine aura. He was irritated too by those little circles on her top, for the seams did not align. Galen could not abide patterns—even the hint of a check on a suit would have him wanting to strip it off. And of course Leo took care of all that, ensuring all his attire was plain...
‘Kristina will take you to the apartment and brief you a little later.’
‘She must be exhausted,’ Roula said, ‘working so long into her pregnancy. I have never heard of someone taking just six weeks off to have a baby—’
‘Roula,’ he cut in. ‘I don’t think it is appropriate to discuss Kristina’s decision-making regarding her maternal leave.’
Plus, it made him sound like the worst boss in the world.
She felt awkward, seated in the car beside him—so awkward that she did not even take in the view.
For two weeks she had told herself that the little spark that he’d ignited would fade.
It had not.
And then she had hoped it would puff itself out on meeting him again, for surely if he was not dressed in wedding day best...?
Oh, no, it hadn’t.
He wore a dark suit and a white shirt and a gunmetal tie, and his jaw was unshaven. And he was even more beautiful than she had remembered, or dared now acknowledge.
‘How was your trip?’ he enquired politely, in a voice rich and deep with the vibration of a purr.
‘Long.’
‘Long?’ Galen checked. He had thought, given the circumstances, that Costa would have arranged a comfortable passage. ‘Didn’t you take the chopper to Thira?’
‘The helicopter is for guests, Galen.’
‘Of course.’ He took a breath. Now that he thought about it, Costa would not be wanting to raise any flags with the locals. ‘Look, if you want to go to the apartment first, freshen up, have a break...’
Change out of that skirt!
‘No.’ She shook her head. ‘We agreed I’d start at two. I came ready to hit the ground running.’
Or to go hiking! Very deliberately, he did not look at her shoes.
‘How was it?’ Galen asked her. ‘Your leaving?’
‘It was...’ Roula even opened her mouth to tell him about her hellish two weeks, yet quickly pulled back. ‘Fine.’
However, it seemed Galen really wanted to hear how she was. ‘Roula, you’re not working for me yet.’
‘No, and before we commence work I thought I could give you this.’ She pointed to the little cool bag she’d been carrying. ‘It’s just some cheese from home,chlorotiri, and somemelitzanosalatathat I made last night—for your grandmother...’
‘You didn’t have to do that.’
‘I wouldalwaysdo that.’ Roula smiled. ‘You can take the girl out of Anapliró, but you can never...’ Then she felt a little embarrassed by his discomfort over her small gift. ‘If that is overstepping the mark...?’
‘It’s not that. We’re trying to keep her calm...’ Galen explained. ‘Peaceful. Any talk of Anapliró only confuses her.’
‘So you don’t mention it?’
He looked at her then, their first real eye contact since meeting, and she saw there was a warning in his eyes. ‘I do all I can to avoid upsetting her,’ he clipped.
