unconditionally. He waited, his breath caught in his throat, for her to deny what he’d said.
“You could be right,” she said at last. “There were things about him – well, I blamed them on him being shy. Maybe it was deeper than that.”
He leaned forward, intent on her words. “Things like what?”
“He could never make a decision, for one.” Her voice grew stronger as a twinge of irritation crept in. She crossed her arms over her chest. “When I asked him to help with the wedding arrangements, he’d tell me to do what I wanted. He never had an opinion on the simplest decision like whether to serve chicken or steak. I thought he was just being – nice.” She faltered on the word. “But really, it was everything. I was always the one who decided what we’d eat or which movie we’d go see. It was annoying.”
His lips twitched slightly. Anger was re-surfacing. Strike two for the ex-fiancé. “He needed you to be strong for him?”
“I don’t know if I’d go that far,” she said, her tone considering. “But I can understand why he’d be attracted to someone if they came on hard to him. He’s easy to persuade.” Her voice dropped to a near whisper. “They looked so … passionate together. It would be hard for a man to resist.”
“Trust me. It’s not that difficult to turn down a drunken quickie.” His choice of coarse words was deliberate.
She lifted her face to study him, her gaze considering. “Well, he was never like that with me.”
He was shocked into stillness. Frank must have been out of his mind not to see what he had in his grasp. “Do you think you’re not irresistible? That you can’t inspire passion?”
She drew back slightly. “I’m just your average girl-next-door.”
“You underestimate yourself.” As much as he wanted to pressure her to see things his way, she had to come to her own realizations, at her own pace.
“Now you’re just being kind.” Her voice dropped several degrees, decidedly cooler. “Really, it isn’t necessary. I’m not falling to pieces. I appreciate you trying to help me though this, but I’ll be fine.”
“I’m sure you will.” On her own. She didn’t say the words, but they were implied.
She didn’t need him. The thought brought a frown to his brow. Needy women were clingy, and he detested that. She was obviously trying to handle this herself. So why was he so insistent that she accept his help?
He straightened, giving them space both physically and emotionally. He felt the need to restore the comfortable camaraderie he’d been building all morning. His gaze touched on a young gray tabby who had decided to sniff at the food in a nearby bowl. “So, how about you? A dog or a cat person?”
“Dogs definitely, but I can’t have one in my apartment, so I have a cat named Houdini.” She nodded toward the tabby. “A gray, like him. He belonged to my best friend, but her new husband was allergic to cats, so I agreed to keep him when she moved out of the apartment. He’s all right, but fickle. Some days he likes me, some days he doesn’t.”
“Cats are like women then. Moody.”
She tilted her head to look up at him. “Not all of us are like that.”
“Aren’t you?”
The words hung in the air between them, simple yet with an undercurrent of tension. He wasn’t sure himself if he were referring to the women he’d known in general or to her specifically. He’d certainly seen her pass through some emotional highs and lows in the short hours they’d known each other.
Something resembling a grin twisted her lips as she said, “I might get the tiniest bit moody when I’m hungry.”
He laughed, rewarding her for her concession. Reaching down both hands to grasp hers, he pulled her up from the bench. “There’s nothing worse,” he said, the tone of his voice a bit lower than normal, “than a woman’s who’s hungry. I know just the place to satisfy your cravings.”
The restaurant they stopped at first was
“You could be right,” she said at last. “There were things about him – well, I blamed them on him being shy. Maybe it was deeper than that.”
He leaned forward, intent on her words. “Things like what?”
“He could never make a decision, for one.” Her voice grew stronger as a twinge of irritation crept in. She crossed her arms over her chest. “When I asked him to help with the wedding arrangements, he’d tell me to do what I wanted. He never had an opinion on the simplest decision like whether to serve chicken or steak. I thought he was just being – nice.” She faltered on the word. “But really, it was everything. I was always the one who decided what we’d eat or which movie we’d go see. It was annoying.”
His lips twitched slightly. Anger was re-surfacing. Strike two for the ex-fiancé. “He needed you to be strong for him?”
“I don’t know if I’d go that far,” she said, her tone considering. “But I can understand why he’d be attracted to someone if they came on hard to him. He’s easy to persuade.” Her voice dropped to a near whisper. “They looked so … passionate together. It would be hard for a man to resist.”
“Trust me. It’s not that difficult to turn down a drunken quickie.” His choice of coarse words was deliberate.
She lifted her face to study him, her gaze considering. “Well, he was never like that with me.”
He was shocked into stillness. Frank must have been out of his mind not to see what he had in his grasp. “Do you think you’re not irresistible? That you can’t inspire passion?”
She drew back slightly. “I’m just your average girl-next-door.”
“You underestimate yourself.” As much as he wanted to pressure her to see things his way, she had to come to her own realizations, at her own pace.
“Now you’re just being kind.” Her voice dropped several degrees, decidedly cooler. “Really, it isn’t necessary. I’m not falling to pieces. I appreciate you trying to help me though this, but I’ll be fine.”
“I’m sure you will.” On her own. She didn’t say the words, but they were implied.
She didn’t need him. The thought brought a frown to his brow. Needy women were clingy, and he detested that. She was obviously trying to handle this herself. So why was he so insistent that she accept his help?
He straightened, giving them space both physically and emotionally. He felt the need to restore the comfortable camaraderie he’d been building all morning. His gaze touched on a young gray tabby who had decided to sniff at the food in a nearby bowl. “So, how about you? A dog or a cat person?”
“Dogs definitely, but I can’t have one in my apartment, so I have a cat named Houdini.” She nodded toward the tabby. “A gray, like him. He belonged to my best friend, but her new husband was allergic to cats, so I agreed to keep him when she moved out of the apartment. He’s all right, but fickle. Some days he likes me, some days he doesn’t.”
“Cats are like women then. Moody.”
She tilted her head to look up at him. “Not all of us are like that.”
“Aren’t you?”
The words hung in the air between them, simple yet with an undercurrent of tension. He wasn’t sure himself if he were referring to the women he’d known in general or to her specifically. He’d certainly seen her pass through some emotional highs and lows in the short hours they’d known each other.
Something resembling a grin twisted her lips as she said, “I might get the tiniest bit moody when I’m hungry.”
He laughed, rewarding her for her concession. Reaching down both hands to grasp hers, he pulled her up from the bench. “There’s nothing worse,” he said, the tone of his voice a bit lower than normal, “than a woman’s who’s hungry. I know just the place to satisfy your cravings.”
The restaurant they stopped at first was
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