paper and eating the scrambled eggs she used to make him.
Her chest squeezed with anger. Though she tried masking the shot of pain that streaked through her, Caleb evidently sensed it.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Marley put down her cup. “I’m fine.” Her stomach burned, and she tried to control the volatile reaction thoughts of Patrick evoked inside her. “I was just thinking about something…someone… Don’t worry about it.”
“Anyone important?”
She couldn’t help a harsh laugh. “You could say that.”
A knowing glimmer filled his blue eyes. “An ex?”
She nodded.
“How long ago did you break up?”
He sounded curious, but not pushy, and something about his tone compelled her to answer. “It’s been a few months now.” She sighed. “And let’s just say it didn’t end well.”
“I’m sorry.”
That was it. I’m sorry. Marley suddenly felt like hugging him. Everyone she knew, when they’d heard about Patrick, had grilled her about the breakup. Even her dad, God bless him, wanted to know everything—as if hearing every last detail could somehow help him protect her after the fact. But Caleb didn’t dig, he didn’t pry or demand, and for that reason, she found herself revealing things she would never usually tell a stranger.
“He wasn’t the person I thought he was.” She wrapped her fingers around the cold glass, needing to hold on to something. “He lied to me about everything, starting with who he really was.”
Caleb’s face remained expressionless, but she saw a muscle twitch in his jaw. “He sounds like a pretty awful guy.”
“Big time.” Her hand trembled. “I still want to kick myself for ever falling in love with him.”
To her surprise, the sympathy she expected to see wasn’t there. Instead, he just shrugged and, in a rough voice, said, “You can’t always help who you fall for. Or at least that’s what I’ve heard.”
Marley studied his face. “Heard, not felt, huh?” She took a chance and decided to venture into dangerous territory. “So you’ve never been in love?”
C ALEB WASN’T PREPARED FOR the question, but he knew he’d opened this can of worms by asking her about Grier. And the answers she’d given perplexed him. His gut still told him she wasn’t helping Grier, that she hadn’t known a thing about Grier’s crimes. So why wasn’t she angrier? Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, right?
When she’d spoken of Grier just now, Caleb had only seen pain and bitterness in her eyes. Not the fury he’d be feeling if someone close had deceived him. Marley, though…she simply looked sad.
“Caleb?”
Her melodic voice drew him from his thoughts. He tried to remember what she’d asked him, but the sight of her was far too distracting. Her lips, pink and lush, looked so utterly kissable, and her hair was coming out of its ponytail again, loose blond waves falling forward in the most appealing way.
He curled his hand around his iced-tea glass. He had to quit getting distracted by her curvy body and beautiful face. What had she asked again? Oh, yeah, love…
“No,” he said grudgingly. “I can’t say I’ve ever been in love.”
Curiosity and surprise pooled in her big brown eyes. “How old are you?”
“Thirty-one.”
“And you’ve really never been in love?”
He focused on his drink, raising it to his lips and taking a long sip, delaying his response. Why did she look so bewildered? Lots of people had never been in love, right?
“It just hasn’t happened to me,” he said. “And you know what? Half the time I think that’s a good thing. Seems like love ends in disaster more often than not.”
“It does,” she agreed.
“But you haven’t given up?”
She leaned back in her chair, the action causing her breasts to jut enticingly against the material of her yellow tank top. Caleb forced himself to look only at her face. Anything lower than that was guaranteed to blow his concentration to
Her chest squeezed with anger. Though she tried masking the shot of pain that streaked through her, Caleb evidently sensed it.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Marley put down her cup. “I’m fine.” Her stomach burned, and she tried to control the volatile reaction thoughts of Patrick evoked inside her. “I was just thinking about something…someone… Don’t worry about it.”
“Anyone important?”
She couldn’t help a harsh laugh. “You could say that.”
A knowing glimmer filled his blue eyes. “An ex?”
She nodded.
“How long ago did you break up?”
He sounded curious, but not pushy, and something about his tone compelled her to answer. “It’s been a few months now.” She sighed. “And let’s just say it didn’t end well.”
“I’m sorry.”
That was it. I’m sorry. Marley suddenly felt like hugging him. Everyone she knew, when they’d heard about Patrick, had grilled her about the breakup. Even her dad, God bless him, wanted to know everything—as if hearing every last detail could somehow help him protect her after the fact. But Caleb didn’t dig, he didn’t pry or demand, and for that reason, she found herself revealing things she would never usually tell a stranger.
“He wasn’t the person I thought he was.” She wrapped her fingers around the cold glass, needing to hold on to something. “He lied to me about everything, starting with who he really was.”
Caleb’s face remained expressionless, but she saw a muscle twitch in his jaw. “He sounds like a pretty awful guy.”
“Big time.” Her hand trembled. “I still want to kick myself for ever falling in love with him.”
To her surprise, the sympathy she expected to see wasn’t there. Instead, he just shrugged and, in a rough voice, said, “You can’t always help who you fall for. Or at least that’s what I’ve heard.”
Marley studied his face. “Heard, not felt, huh?” She took a chance and decided to venture into dangerous territory. “So you’ve never been in love?”
C ALEB WASN’T PREPARED FOR the question, but he knew he’d opened this can of worms by asking her about Grier. And the answers she’d given perplexed him. His gut still told him she wasn’t helping Grier, that she hadn’t known a thing about Grier’s crimes. So why wasn’t she angrier? Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, right?
When she’d spoken of Grier just now, Caleb had only seen pain and bitterness in her eyes. Not the fury he’d be feeling if someone close had deceived him. Marley, though…she simply looked sad.
“Caleb?”
Her melodic voice drew him from his thoughts. He tried to remember what she’d asked him, but the sight of her was far too distracting. Her lips, pink and lush, looked so utterly kissable, and her hair was coming out of its ponytail again, loose blond waves falling forward in the most appealing way.
He curled his hand around his iced-tea glass. He had to quit getting distracted by her curvy body and beautiful face. What had she asked again? Oh, yeah, love…
“No,” he said grudgingly. “I can’t say I’ve ever been in love.”
Curiosity and surprise pooled in her big brown eyes. “How old are you?”
“Thirty-one.”
“And you’ve really never been in love?”
He focused on his drink, raising it to his lips and taking a long sip, delaying his response. Why did she look so bewildered? Lots of people had never been in love, right?
“It just hasn’t happened to me,” he said. “And you know what? Half the time I think that’s a good thing. Seems like love ends in disaster more often than not.”
“It does,” she agreed.
“But you haven’t given up?”
She leaned back in her chair, the action causing her breasts to jut enticingly against the material of her yellow tank top. Caleb forced himself to look only at her face. Anything lower than that was guaranteed to blow his concentration to
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