Page 70 of No Going Back

She was asleep before she heard his whispered response.

“The perfect end to every day.”

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After a tense start, the evening evolved into a huge success. When Nia arrived, Ros was wound more tightly than ever, but by the end of the evening, she was at least as relaxed as Maddie had ever seen her.

As for their guest… There was something about the petite woman that intrigued Maddie. She intrigued Guy, too. Maddie saw it in how he looked at her and the way he was talking to her. He was still the master of subtle interrogation techniques.

During the evening, Simon played the perfect host. Although there was some shop-talk between him and Nia, it soon became crystal-clear they were no more than to each other than friends and colleagues.

“It’s been a lovely evening, thank you very much for inviting me. It really has been a great pleasure to meet you all—especially you, Ros. Simon’s told me so much about you, I felt as if I already knew you,” Nia said as they made their way to the entrance hall.

“Thank you for coming.” Ros’ reply was warm and genuine. “I hope you’ll join us for dinner again, when Simon and I finally move into a place of our own.”

“I’d love to. I’d also love to invite you all over to dinner, if I ever get to stop living out of boxes. I moved in three months ago, and I still haven’t unpacked everything.”

“Are you sure you won’t stay the night?” Guy offered. “We have plenty of room for overnight guests.”