She searched Ade’s face for signs of recognition or understanding, but Ade was clearly no mind reader. She’d just admitted she could barely read people’s tone and body language, what hope did she have of interpreting what was left so devastatingly unsaid?
Sylvie rubbed her eyes until all the colors of the rainbow collided inside her brain. “I’m sorry. I don’t think I’ve slept all that well, and the words aren’t really coming to me right now.”
“I get it,” Ade said, with a finality that drew their sweet moment of connection to a close.
Sylvie had wasted the opportunity to mirror Ade’s emotions. She’d shut the door on her openness and honesty. Her regret flooded the room, and she stood, her legs twitching with anxiety, wanting to escape more than ever. “Let’s reconvene when we’re both refreshed and back on campus. We can go over the schedules and milestones for the next semester.”
“Absolutely.” Ade nodded, her shoulders dropped as they moved to the door. “Sylvie?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
Guilt crept through Sylvie’s chest. “What for?”
“For staying with me last night. For helping me at the police station.”
“No problem.” Sylvie left and wound her way down to street level. Troubled by the last twenty-four hours, she weaved through the morning rush, sidestepping both the commuters and her feelings about Ade. Why was she so conflicted? Their friendship was barely beyond the workplace, but there was a hint of so much more. Was it a threat? Is that why she’d recoiled when Ade had shown so much of herself. The real question was: what was at risk? Her career or her heart?
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Ade steadied herself,adjusting to the swell of the docked boat beneath her feet. Closing her eyes behind her sunglasses, she lifted her chin toward the brightness of the sky and enjoyed the warmth on her cheeks.
She counted her students on to the boat and awaited further instruction from the skipper that the center had hired for their day trip. Grateful for a moment to herself, her thoughts drifted again to Friday morning and waking up next to Sylvie.
It’d been a dream, laying shoulder to shoulder with the woman she’d developed a growing fascination with over the last six weeks. She’d focused every one of her muscles on making the right movements and acting as naturally as possible, so that Sylvie would stay just a little longer. Their conversation had flowed well into the early hours, and Ade had revealed more of herself than ever before.
The weekend had passed without any further drama, and her uneasiness about being in the apartment alone had faded slightly. Either way, she could hardly beg Sylvie to stay longer. She’d already overstepped some sort of unwritten line between professionalism and friendship.
“When are we expecting your colleague?”
Startled from her daydream, Ade looked blankly into the expectant face of the skipper, George. “My colleague?”
“Yes. You need a ratio of one member of staff to four students,” George said.
Ade ran through the safety documentation she’d meticulously poured over the week before. “But we do have two members ofstaff: you and me.”
George grimaced. “I can’t be counted, I’m afraid.”
Ade’s heart sank. How could she have missed this?
The students giggled at something in the water, obviously excited to be on their first marine trip venturing out on the Mediterranean. She couldn’t bear to let them down now, not with their life vests zipped and smiles on all their faces. She’d never seen them look so happy in each other’s company. She grabbed her cell and fired off a quick message to Sylvie, the only person who could get her out of this.I don’t suppose you want a trip on the ocean?There was a long pause. The three, blinking dots teasing.
Morning. This is a surprise. When are you thinking?
Err… no time like now?
Her phone rang, and Sylvie’s name glared at her from the dark screen like she was already shouting.
“I’m sorry,” Ade said. “I’ve messed up the staff ratio on this sea trip, and I need an extra person.”
Sylvie sighed. “The trip you’ve been planning? Today? What time are you due to leave?”
Ade contemplated which of Sylvie’s questions to answer first. “What?”
“When do you need me?”
Ade cleared her throat. “The skipper is waiting.”
