“Can I ask one thing? Maybe this is a question you can actually answer.”
Wade looked up at her. She was standing on the metal stairs and gripping the door handle with white-knuckled intensity. The patio light illuminated the shimmer in her blue eyes as she watched him. Just the slightest thing could send those tears spilling down her cheeks, but she fought to hold on.
“I’ll answer if I can.”
“Was all of this just about the land to you? The dinners, the trip to New York, the chocolate-covered strawberries… I know at first it was a game of wits for both of us, but along the way it changed for me. I’d hoped it changed for you, too. Was it all just an attempt to charm me into giving you what you wanted, or did any of that mean something to you?”
Yes, it meant something. He wanted to yell it. He wanted to scoop her up into his arms and kiss her until she couldn’t be angry with him anymore. But her furrowed brow and glassy eyes made him wonder if the truth would make things better or worse. Would it hurt her more to know that what they had had was special and he’d ruined it? Or to believe that it all had been a game?
“Tori, I—”
“Wait,” she interrupted. “Forget I asked. I think I’d rather not know the truth. Goodbye, Wade.”
Wade saw one of the tears escape down her cheek as she opened the door and disappeared inside.
Ten
“You look like hell.”
Wade looked up from his desk to see Heath standing in the doorway of his office. He had to admit he wasn’t surprised by the impromptu arrival of his youngest brother. He’d been dodging calls, texts and emails from his siblings for over a week. He’d canceled dinner plans at Brody’s place. Before too long, he’d figured, they’d send someone to track him down. Since Heath lived and worked in Manhattan, too, he was the obvious stuckee.
Wade looked down at his watch. “Eight days, thirteen hours and forty-two minutes. That means Linda in accounting wins the office pool.”
“Very funny,” Heath said, coming into the office and shutting the door behind him. “What’s going on with you lately? You’ve been too quiet.”
Wade shrugged. “I’ve been busy. Work always picks up after the holidays, and it takes a while for everyone to get back into the swing of things.”
“Uh-huh.” Heath wandered over to the minibar and pulled out a soda from the stash. “Do the other people you say that to actually believe you?”
With a heavy sigh, Wade sank back into his leather executive chair. “No one else ever bothers to ask how I am, so I haven’t gotten much practice in yet.”
“Tell the truth. How are you?”
“I’m fine.”
Heath sat in one of Wade’s guest chairs and propped his feet up on the edge of the large mahogany desk. He scrutinized Wade with his hazel gaze as he casually sipped his drink. “Brody was right,” he said after a few silent moments.
Wade frowned at his brother. “Brody was right about what? I haven’t even spoken to him since I had to cancel our dinner plans.”
“Doesn’t matter. He was still right. You’re in love.”
The declaration sent Wade bolt upright in his chair. What did Brody know about being in love? The man was a hermit. “That’s ridiculous.”
Heath shook his head. “She loves you, too, you know.”
“Since when did my entire family become psychic?”
“Mama saw her at the grocery store. Said she was an absolute mess. She’s not sure what went on between you two, but she’s very unhappy about it.”
“I don’t date to please Mama. She needs to focus her matchmaking skills on you for a change.”
“She shouldn’t waste her time,” he said with a wide grin. “I’m already married.”
“You’re hilarious. Keep telling that story and she’ll move on to demanding those grandchildren she wants.”
Heath shuddered in his seat and took a large swig of soda to wash away the bitter aftertaste of Wade’s suggestion. “The point is that she’s miserable. You’re miserable.”
“I’m not miserable.”
“You’re not Jolly Old Saint Nick, either. You’ve been avoiding everyone. You’ve got bags under your eyes large enough to store loose change. Your tie doesn’t even match your shirt, man. You’re obviously not sleeping.”