He was obviously taken aback, and no doubt confused too, by this out-of-the-blue emotional outpouring when one of the things he used to say he loved about her was how she always kept her cool. Until that one time, of course. And while it was difficult – impossible almost – even then Hannah had done her utmost to save face, she’d had little choice but to automatically switch into damage control mode. Like she always did when things went awry.

So what now? How could she rescue this, or more to the point, should she even try? Ultimately there was really nothing she could do, was there? Rob knew exactly how she felt now, and thus would surely have no choice but to recognize and appreciate her reasons for leaving.

The question was, what would he do about it?

He was coming to the city for the tournament soon, so time would tell. And if he wanted to meet up, they could discuss it all then. Until that point, Hannah guessed she had no choice but to leave the ball in his court. But how oh how had she lobbed that deeply embarrassing volley? It was mystifying.

Swallowing hard as she tried not to reread every mortifying word, Hannah swiped right of the message to ascertain the sending time. Yes, it was indeed last night, not long after she’d finished writing it. So she must have inadvertently hit the enter button on her laptop somehow, which had let the cat out of the bag, because however advanced technology was, it didn’t spontaneously press buttons of its own accord …

Then, recalling her train of thought, plus the last time she’d thought tech had a mind of its own in the form of Courtney’s media system, the realization hit.

Cat out of the bag …

Or more pertinently, the very animal that had idly wandered across her laptop last night while she went to refill her glass.

Chapter 36

P-2,

Thanks for your note. I’m actually proud to think I helped with your work issue. It’s good to feel like I have something to offer these days.

I’m sure, by this point, you think I’m simply a pain in the ass. Hell, you might even be regretting moving in next to a guy like me but take heart in the idea that I won’t live forever.

I’ve been doing a lot of self-reflection lately – and I appreciate that you have been so courteous to keep me alerted of your plans. I don’t know if I would have done the same if I were in your shoes. I’m sure that says something about my character as well as yours.