“Sort of.”

“I wish you were pranking me right now, but you’re not, are you?”

“No,” Keira said, glumly. “I’m sorry, Heather. My laptop’s gone and all my notes are ruined. I’ve blown it.”

“Well, now you’re just being overdramatic. We can figure this out.”

Keira clutched her phone, her mind thinking of Cristiano. “I don’t think we can,” she said.

Heather paused. “Keira, what are you telling me?”

“That I want to come home,” Keira said, and she suddenly began to sob again.

The other end of the line was silent. If Keira hadn’t already had the most embarrassing experience of her life, this probably would have been a contender. Sadly, she seemed to be collecting terrible events now.

“If I fly you home, you won’t be able to claim it back on expenses,” Heather said. “The company isn’t in a position to waste money like that.”

Keira chewed her lip. That hadn’t occurred to her, and it confused her too to think that Viatorum wouldn’t pay. Were they in financial difficulties?

She put those worries out of her mind. She couldn’t focus on everything at once. The important thing for her to work out right now was whether she could afford to pay for herself to fly home.

Suddenly her $400 sandals seemed liked a terrible waste of money. But, much like her sister’s missing $400 bespoke sandals, it was something she would have to pay for later.

“I understand,” she said, finally. “I’ll foot the bill myself.”

“You also know it would be a violation of your contract,” Heather added. “There’d be no payment for the incomplete work.”

“I get it, I get it,” Keira huffed. It felt like Heather was kicking her while she was already down!

“Fine. Leave it with me. But there won’t be any flights tomorrow. It’s a national holiday in Italy. Everything is booked up.”

Keira felt herself deflating. Of course, All Saints’ Day was tomorrow. Cristiano had told her the holiday used to be more important than Christmas, and in many more rural parts of Italy it still was. How typical that she’d pick the one day that she couldn’t leave to have a breakdown and demand to leave!

“Okay, Heather, let’s leave it for tonight. If I’m stuck here for a day I may as well try and write something, salvage something from this mess.”

“That makes me feel a lot better,” Heather replied. “I’m really not looking forward to relaying this to Elliot.”

“Then don’t!” Keira cried. That was the last thing she needed right now.

“I have to. He’s the boss. Sorry, Keira. I’ll speak to you later.”

The call went dead. Keira chewed her lip, suddenly filled with dread knowing that Heather most certainly would speak to Elliot about what had transpired in their conversation.

It didn’t take long for her cell screen to illuminate and show her Elliot’s name.

Keira found herself trembling as she took the call.

“Keira, I’m not going to talk you into staying,” Elliot began, in his usual abrupt tone. “What I am going to say is that laptops can be replaced but writers can’t. You’re the right person for this job. I don’t know what crisis you’re going through that’s making you want to give up—and I don’t want to—but if it’s anything to do with insecurity then just know that you’re a very talented writer and that’s why we’ve put this kind of faith in you.”