“Oh shit,” Truitt said. He followed his wife and then turned back, grabbed two trays of food, and yelled, “It’s okay! I bought a back-up in case I dropped that one!”
I couldn’t help but laugh as I watched them dash away. I turned back and looked at Nolan who was smiling and looking at their retreating bodies as well.
It gave me a moment to really take him in without those intense blue eyes on me. I groaned internally when I realized my mystery man had blue eyes too. Had I seen his eyes that day in Paris? No, impossible. I had remembered them. Oh Lord … I had remembered him without even realizing it.
Those eyes. Lord above, those eyes. They were so blue they reminded me of the Mediterranean Sea. He turned back to me, and I fully took in his face. He had the slightest bit of facial hair coming in and my mind instantly wondered what it would feel like on my skin…and I swear I felt like I already knew the answer to that question in the dark recesses of my closed-off mind.
I looked away before my thoughts went anywhere else. What in the world was wrong with me? I knew we weren’t strangers, if I were to go by my dreams. Yet, I still didn’t know Nolan. At least, I didn’t remember knowing him.
“That boy’s a chip off the old block,” Nolan said.
“I’ll have to take your word for it. I don’t really remember Truitt at all.”
That caused him to look surprised. “Really?”
I shook my head. “High school, college, right up until the accident, I don’t have many memories.”
“You remember Saryn?” he asked, with almost a bit of hurt in his eyes.
“Yes, but still, only bits and pieces. Mostly of us at the riding stables. When she reached out to me a few years ago while I was living in Paris, I admit I had to think long and hard about who she was.”
He nodded.
I had to fight to keep from reaching out and touching his cheek. “I didn’t remember you at all when I saw you in Paris, but I knew in my very soul that we had a connection. When did we meet?”
Nolan looked down and frowned. It was like he was trying to decide if he should tell me or not. The internal war he fought was clearly evident on his face. Then he met my gaze. “We met in high school.”
My chin lifted and I said, “Ahh, I moved here my freshman year.”
“Yes.”
“You and Truitt grew up together?” I asked.
“Yes, and Saryn. Her brother Ryan is one of my best friends too.”
I chewed nervously on my lip. I really hoped Saryn kept that memory I shared with her yesterday to herself. I didn’t think it was the right time to admit to anyone my suspicions about my relationship with Nolan. There was a reason everyone kept it from me. Instead of being angry, I was now more curious than anything.
Suspicions? That made me laugh on the inside. Clearly this man and I had shared a past. I could practically feel the sparks between us. Why else had I been drawn to him in Paris? Hell, why had he even come to Paris in the first place? That was the biggest question of all.
“Are you okay, Linz?”
My eyes darted back to him. I needed to find out the answer to that and other questions swirling around in my head. And I had to hear him say it. “Were we close, Nolan?”NolanIT FELT LIKE someone had jammed cotton down my throat when Linnzi asked if we had been close. I needed another minute to settle myself, so I asked, “Pardon?”
“You called me Linz. So far, you’re the only person who has called me that. In at least eight years, no one has ever called me that.”
“Um, we were, ah. I mean to say, that we were…well…um…”
She smiled a cute little smile as she tilted her head and watched me for a moment. “I mean, obviously we must have been friends if you called me Linz.”
I felt the tension lift from my shoulders. “Yes, we were friends. Like I said, we knew each other. We all hung around together a lot. Me, you, Truitt, and Ryan. And a few more people. We all hung out together.”
Linnzi slowly nodded. “I see. That makes sense. What doesn’t make sense to me, though, is why you traveled across the Atlantic Ocean, crossing thousands of miles from wherever you were to see me. And then you didn’t actually say anything, Nolan.”
Aw hell. Think, Nolan. Think. Fast.
I opened my mouth to speak and then shut it again. I cleared my throat. “Your parents were worried about you. I travel a lot for my job, and whenever I was in Paris, I promised them I’d check up on you.”