Greer’s neck stiffened as her blurring gaze caught on a flat, crimson velvet box on a shelf beside the pale dress. A familiar box. Instead of reaching for it, her hands locked in a trembling knot before her and her heart dived.
She shook all over as she remembered opening that box and seeing a necklace made of four strings of pearls. Not plain white but every imaginable colour. Champagne, oyster grey, ivory, lichen green, dark green, silver grey and rich purple. Incredibly beautiful. Stunningly expensive. A statement piece.
She’d lifted her head to look at Conall. His smile was real, but there was something in his expression she hadn’t been able to read. Something that looked more like pragmatism than pleasure.
The image disintegrated as understanding trickled in. Whatspecial daythat dress and gift represented. Why Conall had felt it necessary and why she’d agreed.
And why none of that mattered anymore.
Greer’s vision darkened at the edges and she braced her feet wider against sudden dizziness, pain exploding in her head and stomach.
Be careful what you wish for.
Now she knew how true that was. If only she’d known how lucky she’d been, forgetting everything.
She staggered into the bedroom then down the stairs, clinging to the balustrade, unsure of each step but needing to escape the room with the beautiful ivory dress and the terrible truth it had reawakened.
Finally she found a door into the garden and pushed it open.
Summer sunshine enveloped Greer yet she was chilled to the marrow. Straight ahead light glinted like mercury on the water. Eyes fixed on that, she stumbled forward, inhaling the scents of salt water and growing things. Vaguely she was aware of seagulls screaming, of large trees and banks of colour around her.
But with each step her senses dulled. By the time she reached the end of the private jetty everything was grey. All the colour had disappeared.
Chapter Nine
‘THERE YOU ARE.’
The smile in Conall’s voice hid his relief. The conference call had only lasted forty minutes yet he’d missed her the whole time. When he hadn’t found her in the bedroom or any of the downstairs spaces he’d felt a horrible churning in his belly. As if he’d lost her all over again.
He lengthened his stride down the private jetty.
After everything that had happened he’d felt an almost superstitious fear of letting her out of his sight.
‘Greer?’
She must have earbuds in. She didn’t hear him approach.
She sat with her back to him, legs over the end of the pier, hair a gleaming dark swathe down her back. Even from behind she was beautiful. And she wore that red dress. He remembered the first night she’d worn it, when they’d laughed together at that little restaurant behind the quay. She’d positively glowed with happiness.
His heart lifted at the memory.
She’d be happy again, he promised himself. He’d make sure of it.
He stopped beside her yet she didn’t look up.
He stilled, a prickle of warning tightening the space between his shoulder blades. He reached out a hand to touch her, then paused.
Greer’s stillness was unnatural. He wasn’t a man prone to flights of imagination but he’d swear there was a force field around her, an invisible barrier holding the world at bay.
He hunkered down beside her but her head was tilted forward, her hair curtaining her face. Quickly he sat down beside her, all the while a bad feeling brewing in his gut.
‘Greer.’
This time she heard him. He saw her minute flinch. Instantly his heart tripped and began to race. This wasn’t good. What had happened? It couldn’t be…
She turned her head and fear consumed him. Brutal fear and sorrow for the pain he saw. Her face was red and blotchy as if she’d been crying forever. Her eyes were glassy and twin streams of tears cascaded down her cheeks to drip off her chin, darkening her dress.
Conall felt his chest cave in, cracking under the weight of her distress. He wanted to gather her in and take some of her pain. Lessen her trauma. Heneededto hold her. But when he leaned closer she flinched.
