“Do you?”
“I haven’t played in a while.”
“Isn’t there a piano in the suite at the hotel?”
“What is this, twenty … questions?” She pauses, clearly trying not to swear.
I’ve touched a raw nerve.
Her eyes narrow. “What about you? What do you do as a hobby?”
“I swim, read crime novels, watch documentaries on the planet.”
“Ah, that could be classed as work,” she says, raising an eyebrow.
“Touché. But learning about whales and their mating habits is not really linked to my job. Only understanding the need to protect them from the human race.”
Her cheeks darken at the word mating, and I bite the inside of my lip to stop myself from smiling. My heart aches that Kat no longer plays piano, that she has shelved her talent.
“Anything else?” she asks.
“I ride, go out with friends, watch the football.”
“I’m surprised you have any time to work.”
“I make time for the things I enjoy. I think it makes me better at my job.”
“Each to their own,” she says, shrugging.
“There was a time when I’d stopped doing anything else,” I admit. “Then someone close to me had a health scare, it was enough to make me stop and take note of what I was doing to myself.”
Her eyes clash with mine. Whatever she sees there, has her sucking in a breath.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”
“Cal’s the only one who does. My old mentor, Dillon, was diagnosed with cancer last year. He was told to reduce his stress levels. His wife, Susie, stepped in and demanded it,” I say, with a smile. “When I went to visit, she told me I needed to enjoy life, stop being a slave to my work. I decided to give it a go.”
“You’re still close to them?”
“You sound surprised,” I say.
“You were engaged to their daughter and broke it off. I just assumed?—”
“Emma and I are still friends. She’s married now with a gaggle of kids. She got her happily-ever-after.”
“How’s Dillon now?”
“He’s in remission, but he said it was the wake-up call he needed.”
“If you’re all about relaxing and less work, why get involved in my project?”
I sit back.
“Because it intrigues me,” I admit. “And I didn’t say I don’t love my job, only I’ve cut back on the day-to-day running. Learned to delegate. It also means I can get involved in projects that really interest me, rather than being locked in mundane tasks.”
She sits back and inclines her head as if processing everything I’ve just said.
“I can see that,” she says, surprising me. “It’s why I’ve fought so hard for this project. It’s something I’m passionate about.”
