Perhaps she didn’t want him to know, Galen considered, and who could blame her?
Maybe she wanted freedom after the hell of her marriage.
‘Charts?’ she said, and he dragged his mind back to their little in-joke.
‘Actually, I was just thinking that you didn’t open all your present.’
‘I did.’
‘There’s a handbag,’ Galen said.
‘Oh, yes?’
‘To go with the luggage.’
‘Thank you,’ Roula said. ‘That’s really thoughtful.’
Perhaps there were flags and bunting in one of the cases, Roula thought, and a goodbye card signed by all the staff.
As Roula lay there she kept wanting to poke him, because she had loathed his quiet anger at her leaving, and yet she was opposed to his nonchalance.
She drifted off—only it wasn’t her usual nightmare that jolted her awake, but the thought of a world without him.
She listened to his soft snores. How could he be asleep when she was leaving?
She waited for dawn before prodding him awake. ‘Galen? I don’t know if I want the job.’
‘Why?’
‘It’s all happened too fast.’
‘Not really.’
‘Too much too soon.’
‘I get that.’ He pulled her in, blinking himself awake. ‘Any other reason?’
‘I love Athens.’ Roula lay back with him. ‘I didn’t expect to fall in love with a city, but I think I have.’
‘I fell in love with it too,’ Galen said. ‘It just blew me away. But you might feel the same in another city.’
‘Yes...’
‘So what else is tearing you up?’
‘Yaya,’ she said. ‘I feel I let you down with her.’
‘No, I told you—you’ve helped.’
Oh, she preferred him cross and sulking, or at least putting up a little resistance to her leaving, but it would seem Galen had made his peace with it.
‘Any other concerns?’ he asked. ‘Because now is the time to air them.’
‘You said that at our first dinner.’
‘Yes,’ he agreed. ‘I remember—and you asked me to kiss you.’
Roula groaned, and wished she had the energy to cover her face with the sheet that was crumpled around them.