before smiling at him. ‘Maybe it is time for you to share the workload and forgive yourself a little. After all, you are Chief of Development. You could spend time raising funds and extra sponsorship back home and still …’ Then she stopped and sighed. ‘But you don’t want that. Do you?’
He slowly shook his head from side to side. ‘I am going to be the new king, with all the responsibilities that come with that honour. I can’t leave my people without the support they need.’
‘Then we are stuck, aren’t we?’ she answered, and slowly slid her fingers from his grasp, breaking their connection. ‘Perhaps we ought to get back in time for dinner, Simon?’ Kate said, trying to keep her voice calm and light. ‘Molly will be wondering where we have got to.’
And with that she turned away from Simon to gather up her shoulder bag, and waited for his reply—which never came.
The final touches of sunset were throwing deep shadows along the beach now, the red and scarlet bands adding texture and colour to a sky which seemed to go on for ever across the horizon. But under the trees the light was fading fast. The hotel lights shone ahead as a beacon, and lanterns had been hung in the palm frond pagodas along the edge of the shore, but Kate was struggling to see Simon’s face.
Something had changed in the air between them, as though the light under their easy camaraderie had just been extinguished.
‘Can you find your own way back?’ Simon finally asked, in a low voice full of concern but distant and cold as the night air.
Simon was still sitting with his arms resting on his knees, staring out towards the horizon. She could not see his eyes at all now, but she knew. She had made a mistake. And this one was not going to go away.
Her own way back? No, she did not want to find her own way back.
She wanted to dance along the moonlit shore, with Simon holding her hand like he used to. She wanted to skip in and out of the waves and laugh so hard that her stomach ached.
She wanted him to want to be with her. But that was impossible.
‘Don’t worry about me,’ she replied. ‘I’ve made it on my own this far. I don’t need anyone to show me the way.’
And with that she set off back down the beach alone, grateful for the cover of darkness so that nobody would see her fresh tears.
CHAPTER EIGHT
‘HEY—guess what the airport shuttle just delivered?’
Molly Evans strolled into the sunlit hotel breakfast room, dragging behind her a battered-looking trolley suitcase, that was looking very sorry for itself.
Kate dropped her coffee cup with a clatter and knelt down to fling her arms around the dirty bag. ‘You made it with only hours to spare! Oh, I am so glad to see you, old pal.’
She gave a contented sigh before sliding it closer and grabbing the handle. ‘The bliss of having working clothes for the field trips! I don’t think these girls would last long out there. Do you?’
Molly and Kate both looked down at Kate’s shoes as she sat down and stretched out her legs. Her very high platform court shoes might have come from a famous French show-maker, but they both burst out laughing at the horror of what Kate would probably be wading through during her project trials.
‘Good point,’ Molly replied with a grin. ‘But they certainly
worked their magic. These last few days have been terrific—thanks, Kate.’
And then Molly stepped forward and gave Kate a warm hug. ‘You were fantastic, and I know that Andy will be thrilled at the feedback. I confess Prince Simon did help with the media coverage of the event, but you will be pleased to know that four new corporate sponsors are interested in his pilot study. So, job done.’
‘Thank you, Molly,’ Kate replied, and blew out a sigh of relief. ‘It has certainly been an eventful few days.’
Then Molly looked from side to side, to check that nobody was close enough to hear what they were saying, rubbed her hands together, and sat down opposite Kate at the breakfast table, propping her elbows next to the juice and toast.
‘Now,’ she whispered, and leant across the table, ‘onto far more important things. How are you and Simon getting on?’
Kate opened her mouth, then closed it again. ‘Oh, Simon. He did give an excellent presentation, and the solar energy …’