Total pages in book: 15
Estimated words: 13826 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 69(@200wpm)___ 55(@250wpm)___ 46(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 13826 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 69(@200wpm)___ 55(@250wpm)___ 46(@300wpm)
He met her gaze, the swirling dark depths pulling her in, and forced out the words. “I want to stay.” She’d have tonight with him and pull herself together afterwards if things didn’t work out.
She’d made her choice and now looked forward to what came next.
Chapter Five
Nick had pulled out all the stops to convince Kate he meant business. But as they ate in silence, Kate devouring first the Manhattan clam chowder his mom had made for him and then the steaks he’d broiled, he was beginning to doubt his ability to win her over. She was wary and uneasy, two things he didn’t want her to feel around him.
“You asked me about my long-term relationships,” he said into the silence. “Now it’s time to talk about yours. How many have you had?” He threw her question back at her.
Her spoon clattered against the table, and she picked it up again. “Why?”
“Because I want to get to know you.”
“I’m not all that exciting. Especially my dating history.” Her cheeks flushed pink.
“Nuh-uh,” he said, waving his spoon at her. “I didn’t ask about dating. I asked about relationships.”
Her scowl was so fierce that he was surprised she didn’t stick her tongue out at him too. “You know I didn’t go out with anyone in high school.”
And she barely dated here in Serendipity unless there were guys from other towns he didn’t know about. There had to be. He couldn’t see a beautiful woman like Kate going without male company completely and did his best not to frown at the thought.
“That leaves college.” She’d gone to a local university, but he knew the place attracted out-of-staters too. He raised an eyebrow and waited for her to answer.
“I dated a couple of guys in college and met someone I thought was special.” Her eyes glazed at the memory.
Nick’s stomach cramped at the notion of Kate with feelings for someone else, suddenly understanding her reaction to his twisted situation with Faith. He filed that away to deal with later. “What happened?”
“His name was Scott, and he paid attention to me almost from day one. He was persistent. Kind of like you.” She wrinkled her nose at him, and he refrained from leaning across the table and kissing the tiny lines.
“Somehow, I doubt we have anything in common,” he muttered.
“He pursued me pretty relentlessly, also like you. He met me after class, walked me to my car, and took me on dates. He even met my parents.” She wiped her mouth with a napkin, facing him head-on. “You’d figure a guy willing to pick you up at home and meet your folks is a good guy, right?”
“Obviously not.”
She inclined her head. “We went out all senior year. It got pretty serious, at least for me. He was my first,” she admitted softly.
Oh, hell. Faith had been his first, and he knew how long he’d held on to hope when there was none. He reached for Kate’s hand, and she didn’t pull away.
“Where was he from?” Nick asked.
“Massachusetts. He lived on campus. Went home for holidays and stuff. I should’ve realized I wasn’t getting the same things in return. I hadn’t met his folks, and he never invited me to his home, but he always had what sounded like a legitimate reason. I figured I’d meet them at graduation.” She pulled in a deep breath. “Except he broke up with me a couple of days before commencement.”
Nick studied her expressive features. Clearly, that pain hadn’t gone away after all these years, and he doubted it was because she still had feelings for the guy. “Did he say why he ended it?”
Her harsh laughter took him by surprise. “He sure did. He had a girlfriend at home. One he was serious about. I was his hookup on the side, someone who kept his bed warm while he was away at school.”
“That bastard.” Nick’s blood boiled at the story. He had a sister, and he’d kill any guy who used her that way. For Kate to have gone through something like that? He clenched his fists in his lap.
Kate met his gaze. “It was a long time ago,” she said.
“Not so long that it didn’t leave scars,” he reminded her, his gentle tone in stark contrast to the anger pulsing through him on her behalf.
“I don’t know about scars. It made me wiser, though.”
“And way too skeptical.” But at least now he understood what motivated her reluctance to get involved.
“Maybe,” she said, taking him off guard.
“Are you finished?” He gestured to her empty plate, and she nodded.
She started to pick up the place settings to help him clean.
“Leave it. I’ll get it later.”
She must have read the seriousness in his voice because she listened without arguing. He rose from his seat, and she did the same. Without a word, he walked into the living area and picked up his phone he’d left on the table, turning on music.