Chapter 237

• ZOE showered and dressed quickly, choosing a demure pink tee shirt and khaki shorts, her hair swept up in a ponytail. It was armour, of a kind—a way to keep Leandro at a distance. She wasn’t sure who needed the protection, him or herself. She refused to consider the issue too closely.
• Leandro was waiting by the front door as she came down the stairs. He smiled briefly when he saw her, the cool smile of a friendly employer, nothing more, and Zoe knew they’d both put the boundaries in place, both donned the armour of an impersonal employer-employee relationship.
• It was better this way, she told herself. Safer. So there was absolutely no reason to feel disappointed.