37
‘Do you have to go?’ Klaus murmured as he lay watching Nancy get dressed in the dim light from his hotel room’s bedside lamp.
‘Olivia and I are flying home in a few hours.’
‘This isn’t goodbye, is it? Please say it’s not.’
Nancy hesitated. It should be. She’d wanted to solve the mystery of what had happened to Hans, and she’d done that today. Rekindling their old relationship would bring up even more painful memories. But it would be stupid to throw away what they’d clearly still got. She’d felt alive this evening in every way. There were parts of her that wanted her to stay.
And we know which parts those are, Nancy! You said when Xander died, you would finish your days in Dashford doing all the things you loved without a man holding you back.
This was so difficult. ‘I don’t think you could cope with me,’ she said.
‘Try me,’ he smiled. ‘Your son’s nagging you to go home because of this virus. My daughter is doing the same to me. Why don’t we keep them happy but carry on talking on the phone and then see where it goes? I have so much more to tell you. I’m guessing you haven’t told me everything yet either.’
‘Dirty stop out,’ Olivia said as Nancy crept quietly into their room. ‘What time do you call this?’
‘I thought you’d be fast asleep.’ Nancy was disappointed that Olivia was wide awake. She was hoping for some peace and quiet to think through what had happened tonight.
‘Unfortunately for you, I’m often awake in the middle of the night. So what have you and Klaus been up to that kept you out till 3 am?’
‘We had a lot of catching up to do.’
Olivia raised an eyebrow. ‘I bet you did. And where did you do that?’
‘Mostly in his hotel room,’ Nancy smiled to herself.
Olivia became serious. ‘Did you tell him everything that happened after he disappeared?’
‘Not quite.’
‘But surely you going to?’
‘I haven’t decided yet.’
‘If you and he are going to have a serious relationship again, you will have to be totally honest with him.’
‘Yes, I know. That’s what scares me.’