oath aimed at himself. He hastily stopped the vehicle and began handing her napkins that he pulled from the glove box.
“God. Oh, God. I’m really sorry. I … I was going too fast.”
“Yes,” she said drolly. She pulled down the sun visor and studied herself in the mirror attached to the back of it. She was as speckled as a leopard.
“I am sorry, Holly.”
“We’ve established that.” She swiped at the side of her face, succeeding only in making several small spots into one large smudge.
“Are you going to say anything?” Nate asked.
“I believe I have been speaking.”
“But not talking. To me.” He grabbed a napkin and dabbed at her shirt, stopping just short of her breast. “I’m making it worse.”
“No. I don’t think it can get worse.”
He closed his eyes and sighed before leaning his head back against the rest. “This makes two outfits of yours that I’ve ruined.”
He looked and sounded so miserable that she was left with no choice but to take some pity on him. “What is that saying? You’re on a roll.”
Nate turned his head and opened one eye. “Can you forgive me?”
“They’re just clothes, Nate.” She patted her gritty face. “And I was due for a facial. A mud treatment such as this would set me back quite a bit in Paris.”
He laughed. The sound held more relief than humor. “I was being an idiot.”
“If you’re expecting me to disagree with you …” She let the sentence trail off as a challenge, adding in a pair of arched brows for effect.
“I was mad, okay?”
Holly figured that much out for herself, but over what exactly remained unclear. “Why? Because it was none of my business?”
If he’d said yes, she could have lived with that. In fact, she probably would have apologized, too, because he would have been right.
But what he said instead floored her.
“Nadine and I have gone out on and off for years, even … even during high school.”
As in, not long after Holly was out of thepicture. She pretended to blot at the splotches on the front of her blouse, when in fact she was pressing against that persistent ache in her heart.
“So, you’re high-school sweethearts? That’s the term for it, right?”
“Yes.” He grabbed her hand. “But no. Nadine and I aren’t high-school sweethearts. We’re just … just two lonely people waiting for the right person to come along.” He squeezed Holly’s hand. “I don’t want you to get the wrong impression of me. I’ve broken no promises to Nadine, because I’ve never made her any. And I’ve always made it clear, or at least tried to, that we … we’re not headed anywhere but where we are right now.”
Not my business.
Not my business.
Not my business.
Despite the phrase she chanted over and over again in her head, Holly still heard herself ask Nate, “And where might that be?”
He let go of her hand and scrubbed his face. He took his time answering. When he did, she understood perfectly why he’d hesitated.
“In my case at least, it’s waiting for someone I can never have.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
N ATE knew he’d just dropped one hell of a bomb. Holly’s shell-shocked expression confirmed as much. He hadn’t meant to say it. Part of him wanted to take it back. But it was a fact. One he couldn’t deny while sitting across from the only woman who with whom he’d ever felt like he could conquer the world.
Except that he couldn’t.
Even assuming she felt the same way, they couldn’t have a future together. Morenci’s future queen and an American resort owner? Yeah, right. That would never fly.
He glanced over at Holly, who was staring out the window in silence. He wasn’t sure what he expected her to say. It certainly wasn’t, “I’m seeing someone, too.”
Which is what she told him a moment later.
“Ah. Oh. Right.” He’d read the news stories, of course. He nodded, not sure what else to say. After all, it made sense. She was halfway through her twenties, the heiress to not
“God. Oh, God. I’m really sorry. I … I was going too fast.”
“Yes,” she said drolly. She pulled down the sun visor and studied herself in the mirror attached to the back of it. She was as speckled as a leopard.
“I am sorry, Holly.”
“We’ve established that.” She swiped at the side of her face, succeeding only in making several small spots into one large smudge.
“Are you going to say anything?” Nate asked.
“I believe I have been speaking.”
“But not talking. To me.” He grabbed a napkin and dabbed at her shirt, stopping just short of her breast. “I’m making it worse.”
“No. I don’t think it can get worse.”
He closed his eyes and sighed before leaning his head back against the rest. “This makes two outfits of yours that I’ve ruined.”
He looked and sounded so miserable that she was left with no choice but to take some pity on him. “What is that saying? You’re on a roll.”
Nate turned his head and opened one eye. “Can you forgive me?”
“They’re just clothes, Nate.” She patted her gritty face. “And I was due for a facial. A mud treatment such as this would set me back quite a bit in Paris.”
He laughed. The sound held more relief than humor. “I was being an idiot.”
“If you’re expecting me to disagree with you …” She let the sentence trail off as a challenge, adding in a pair of arched brows for effect.
“I was mad, okay?”
Holly figured that much out for herself, but over what exactly remained unclear. “Why? Because it was none of my business?”
If he’d said yes, she could have lived with that. In fact, she probably would have apologized, too, because he would have been right.
But what he said instead floored her.
“Nadine and I have gone out on and off for years, even … even during high school.”
As in, not long after Holly was out of thepicture. She pretended to blot at the splotches on the front of her blouse, when in fact she was pressing against that persistent ache in her heart.
“So, you’re high-school sweethearts? That’s the term for it, right?”
“Yes.” He grabbed her hand. “But no. Nadine and I aren’t high-school sweethearts. We’re just … just two lonely people waiting for the right person to come along.” He squeezed Holly’s hand. “I don’t want you to get the wrong impression of me. I’ve broken no promises to Nadine, because I’ve never made her any. And I’ve always made it clear, or at least tried to, that we … we’re not headed anywhere but where we are right now.”
Not my business.
Not my business.
Not my business.
Despite the phrase she chanted over and over again in her head, Holly still heard herself ask Nate, “And where might that be?”
He let go of her hand and scrubbed his face. He took his time answering. When he did, she understood perfectly why he’d hesitated.
“In my case at least, it’s waiting for someone I can never have.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
N ATE knew he’d just dropped one hell of a bomb. Holly’s shell-shocked expression confirmed as much. He hadn’t meant to say it. Part of him wanted to take it back. But it was a fact. One he couldn’t deny while sitting across from the only woman who with whom he’d ever felt like he could conquer the world.
Except that he couldn’t.
Even assuming she felt the same way, they couldn’t have a future together. Morenci’s future queen and an American resort owner? Yeah, right. That would never fly.
He glanced over at Holly, who was staring out the window in silence. He wasn’t sure what he expected her to say. It certainly wasn’t, “I’m seeing someone, too.”
Which is what she told him a moment later.
“Ah. Oh. Right.” He’d read the news stories, of course. He nodded, not sure what else to say. After all, it made sense. She was halfway through her twenties, the heiress to not
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