sights.” What ? He focused all his efforts—all his energy—on maintaining his calm façade. Please go , he begged silently. Leave me the fuck alone .
“You get the most amazing view from the Eiffel Tower. Make sure you take a camera.” She bumbled on, every word hammering another nail into his heart. He was surprised it was still beating.
*
“Are you trying to be funny?” The dark-haired woman interrupted Natalie’s awkward speech, her tone icy. “Have you taken lessons in being insulting, or does it come naturally?”
“ Sarah .” Lucas sank his head in his hands and hunched over, as if in pain. “Leave it, sis.”
Natalie stared at them both, bewildered. Tears pricked at her eyes, and she swallowed, trying to control her wayward emotions. She was giving him a way out, so what had she done wrong? The woman stared as though she wanted to kill her where she stood, while Lucas wouldn’t meet her eyes.
“I don’t understand.” Natalie’s voice cracked. “What do you mean?”
“Just go, Natalie.” Lucas sounded exhausted. “Yeah, I should have told you, and I’m sorry. Okay? And forget the French lessons, eh? I think I’ve had enough now.” He lifted his head slightly. “Will you grab Moll for me, Sarah? I’m going home.”
Natalie had been dismissed. She stood there, ignored by the pair of them, and twisted her sweating hands together, unable to believe what had just happened. Her stomach churned so violently she thought she’d be sick. She swayed and reached out a hand to grab the bench. Lucas’s words replayed in her head. He should have told her what ?
Sarah fussed over the dog, fitting a complicated looking harness on her, while Lucas stood, stretched, and rolled his shoulders in turn. She sucked in a shallow breath and tried again. “I promise I’ll go, and you won’t hear from me again, but please tell me what—” The words died in her throat. Molly now wore a Seeing-Eye harness, and Lucas had his hand closed around the grip. “You’re blind ?” she breathed.
He froze at her words. “You finished now?” A muscle ticked in his cheek, and Natalie watched his free hand curl into a fist. Dear God, she’d hurt him, and that was the last thing she wanted to do. All the phone calls and e-mails they’d shared, and he’d never even hinted. Like I never told him about my scars. She had to fix this, and quickly.
Sarah picked up a handbag, shot another killer glare at Natalie, and then turned to Lucas. “Let’s go get that drink.”
It was now or never. Natalie took a deep breath, scrubbed her damp eyes, and stepped forward. She closed her hand around Lucas’s arm. He flinched, as though she’d hit him. “I need to apologize to you. I made assumptions, and they were wrong. I’m sorry, Lucas.”
He flexed his fingers and lifted his chin. Proud. “I don’t need your pity, Natalie. Save it for someone else.” When she didn’t move, he said, “Take your hand off me, please.”
She could hear the strain in his voice, and like a light bulb switching on in her head, she knew what she had to do.
*
She held onto him. Lucas tamped down on his fury and snarled again. “Let go of me.”
“One minute, please .” She sounded stressed.
He wanted to laugh at the idiocy of the situation. She was going to think up some half-assed excuse…
“I had no idea. None at all. It was only when I saw you take hold of the harness.”
Huh ?
“I was backing out, because I didn’t think you could possibly be interested in meeting me. I got cold feet.” Her fingers loosened their death-grip to rest slack across his arm. “I wanted to have coffee with you, and if you can forgive me for my stupidity, I would still very much like to do that.”
It already felt as though his guts were spilling out across the pavement. Did he really want to sign up for another round of ritual self-humiliation? Nu huh.
“Lucas, please give me another chance. There are things I’ve been
“You get the most amazing view from the Eiffel Tower. Make sure you take a camera.” She bumbled on, every word hammering another nail into his heart. He was surprised it was still beating.
*
“Are you trying to be funny?” The dark-haired woman interrupted Natalie’s awkward speech, her tone icy. “Have you taken lessons in being insulting, or does it come naturally?”
“ Sarah .” Lucas sank his head in his hands and hunched over, as if in pain. “Leave it, sis.”
Natalie stared at them both, bewildered. Tears pricked at her eyes, and she swallowed, trying to control her wayward emotions. She was giving him a way out, so what had she done wrong? The woman stared as though she wanted to kill her where she stood, while Lucas wouldn’t meet her eyes.
“I don’t understand.” Natalie’s voice cracked. “What do you mean?”
“Just go, Natalie.” Lucas sounded exhausted. “Yeah, I should have told you, and I’m sorry. Okay? And forget the French lessons, eh? I think I’ve had enough now.” He lifted his head slightly. “Will you grab Moll for me, Sarah? I’m going home.”
Natalie had been dismissed. She stood there, ignored by the pair of them, and twisted her sweating hands together, unable to believe what had just happened. Her stomach churned so violently she thought she’d be sick. She swayed and reached out a hand to grab the bench. Lucas’s words replayed in her head. He should have told her what ?
Sarah fussed over the dog, fitting a complicated looking harness on her, while Lucas stood, stretched, and rolled his shoulders in turn. She sucked in a shallow breath and tried again. “I promise I’ll go, and you won’t hear from me again, but please tell me what—” The words died in her throat. Molly now wore a Seeing-Eye harness, and Lucas had his hand closed around the grip. “You’re blind ?” she breathed.
He froze at her words. “You finished now?” A muscle ticked in his cheek, and Natalie watched his free hand curl into a fist. Dear God, she’d hurt him, and that was the last thing she wanted to do. All the phone calls and e-mails they’d shared, and he’d never even hinted. Like I never told him about my scars. She had to fix this, and quickly.
Sarah picked up a handbag, shot another killer glare at Natalie, and then turned to Lucas. “Let’s go get that drink.”
It was now or never. Natalie took a deep breath, scrubbed her damp eyes, and stepped forward. She closed her hand around Lucas’s arm. He flinched, as though she’d hit him. “I need to apologize to you. I made assumptions, and they were wrong. I’m sorry, Lucas.”
He flexed his fingers and lifted his chin. Proud. “I don’t need your pity, Natalie. Save it for someone else.” When she didn’t move, he said, “Take your hand off me, please.”
She could hear the strain in his voice, and like a light bulb switching on in her head, she knew what she had to do.
*
She held onto him. Lucas tamped down on his fury and snarled again. “Let go of me.”
“One minute, please .” She sounded stressed.
He wanted to laugh at the idiocy of the situation. She was going to think up some half-assed excuse…
“I had no idea. None at all. It was only when I saw you take hold of the harness.”
Huh ?
“I was backing out, because I didn’t think you could possibly be interested in meeting me. I got cold feet.” Her fingers loosened their death-grip to rest slack across his arm. “I wanted to have coffee with you, and if you can forgive me for my stupidity, I would still very much like to do that.”
It already felt as though his guts were spilling out across the pavement. Did he really want to sign up for another round of ritual self-humiliation? Nu huh.
“Lucas, please give me another chance. There are things I’ve been
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