toward him.
“Oh…I don’t…” His cheeks puffed in and out before he relented and dug in his pocket for his wallet. “Okay, here you go.”
She took his credit card and sauntered to the counter to process the sale.
Seth shuffled up behind her. “I guess I can afford it,” he muttered.
Her spine stiffened but she remained silent. She punched the keys of the cash register, glad to charge several hundred dollars to Seth’s account. Not that he would care much. That jacket of his alone must have cost him thousands. He had the same expensive tastes as Nate, yet he wasn’t half as attractive. Money had made Seth sleek and self-satisfied, but Nate wasn’t altered by his wealth. After all, he was willing to swap his city penthouse for his brother’s modest house. But why was she comparing Seth to Nate, anyway? Why was she even thinking about Nate?
She completed the sale, folded the two sweaters into a bag, and handed it to Seth with a bland smile as if he were just another of her customers. “Enjoy. So glad you could pop by.”
“Can we talk?”
She sighed, suddenly weary. It was heartening to realize Seth did nothing for her pulse rate anymore, but that didn’t mean she wanted to spend more time with him. He was a part of her past, a past from which she wanted to move on.
“Seth.” Spreading her hands on the counter, she kept her voice low and firm as she said, “What’s done is done. I don’t want to rehash the past. I don’t have any opinion about you marrying Paige. It’s your life, and you can do what you want.”
He exhaled a long breath, his shoulders relaxing. “Oh, you don’t know how glad I am to hear you say that. I’ve been a bit worried, you know. I thought you might be kind of weird about the whole thing.”
“Weird?” She frowned. “What do you mean, weird?”
He shrugged, his usual uncommunicative self. “Oh, y’know, I thought you might still have it in for me. A woman scorned, and all that kind of thing.”
A tiny hammer thudded against the insides of her temples. “And just what exactly did you think I’d do in revenge? Boil your pet bunny?”
He gave an uneasy laugh. “I really don’t know.”
“No, you don’t, do you? You don’t have a clue.” Her fingers curled into the flesh of her palm. “You know what? I am so relieved we didn’t get married. Because it’s obvious you don’t know me at all, and when I look at you now with your fancy clothes”—she waved at him—“I realize I don’t know you, either. Isn’t that strange? After everything we’ve been through, you’re like a stranger to me now.”
Seth opened and shut his mouth a couple of times. “So…we’re good, then?”
She widened her eyes, wondering if he was being deliberately obtuse. “Sure, Seth. We’re all right.” Despite herself, she couldn’t help adding, “Does Paige know you’re here?”
His gaze slid away from her. “Well, that’s the thing…”
She shook her head in disbelief. “You haven’t told her, have you? About being engaged to me and jilting me on our wedding day.”
“Not exactly.”
She rolled her eyes. “Why haven’t you told her?”
“I don’t know.” He scratched behind his ear. “It never came up. I don’t talk much about Burronga. When I left for Sydney, I wanted a clean break.”
From her. Despite everything, a tiny tentacle of pain brushed against her. “That’s a shoddy excuse, Seth. You should have told her about me, especially when you decided to get married, and even more so when she wanted to have the wedding here. What’s going to happen when she finds out about it from someone else? I don’t think she’ll be very happy, do you?”
He licked his lips, the furtive expression sliding back onto his face. “That’s, uh, why I’m here.”
Her mouth fell open. “You think I might blab to her? Is that it? I don’t know what to be offended at the most. That you would keep me a secret, or that you think I would try to screw up
“Oh…I don’t…” His cheeks puffed in and out before he relented and dug in his pocket for his wallet. “Okay, here you go.”
She took his credit card and sauntered to the counter to process the sale.
Seth shuffled up behind her. “I guess I can afford it,” he muttered.
Her spine stiffened but she remained silent. She punched the keys of the cash register, glad to charge several hundred dollars to Seth’s account. Not that he would care much. That jacket of his alone must have cost him thousands. He had the same expensive tastes as Nate, yet he wasn’t half as attractive. Money had made Seth sleek and self-satisfied, but Nate wasn’t altered by his wealth. After all, he was willing to swap his city penthouse for his brother’s modest house. But why was she comparing Seth to Nate, anyway? Why was she even thinking about Nate?
She completed the sale, folded the two sweaters into a bag, and handed it to Seth with a bland smile as if he were just another of her customers. “Enjoy. So glad you could pop by.”
“Can we talk?”
She sighed, suddenly weary. It was heartening to realize Seth did nothing for her pulse rate anymore, but that didn’t mean she wanted to spend more time with him. He was a part of her past, a past from which she wanted to move on.
“Seth.” Spreading her hands on the counter, she kept her voice low and firm as she said, “What’s done is done. I don’t want to rehash the past. I don’t have any opinion about you marrying Paige. It’s your life, and you can do what you want.”
He exhaled a long breath, his shoulders relaxing. “Oh, you don’t know how glad I am to hear you say that. I’ve been a bit worried, you know. I thought you might be kind of weird about the whole thing.”
“Weird?” She frowned. “What do you mean, weird?”
He shrugged, his usual uncommunicative self. “Oh, y’know, I thought you might still have it in for me. A woman scorned, and all that kind of thing.”
A tiny hammer thudded against the insides of her temples. “And just what exactly did you think I’d do in revenge? Boil your pet bunny?”
He gave an uneasy laugh. “I really don’t know.”
“No, you don’t, do you? You don’t have a clue.” Her fingers curled into the flesh of her palm. “You know what? I am so relieved we didn’t get married. Because it’s obvious you don’t know me at all, and when I look at you now with your fancy clothes”—she waved at him—“I realize I don’t know you, either. Isn’t that strange? After everything we’ve been through, you’re like a stranger to me now.”
Seth opened and shut his mouth a couple of times. “So…we’re good, then?”
She widened her eyes, wondering if he was being deliberately obtuse. “Sure, Seth. We’re all right.” Despite herself, she couldn’t help adding, “Does Paige know you’re here?”
His gaze slid away from her. “Well, that’s the thing…”
She shook her head in disbelief. “You haven’t told her, have you? About being engaged to me and jilting me on our wedding day.”
“Not exactly.”
She rolled her eyes. “Why haven’t you told her?”
“I don’t know.” He scratched behind his ear. “It never came up. I don’t talk much about Burronga. When I left for Sydney, I wanted a clean break.”
From her. Despite everything, a tiny tentacle of pain brushed against her. “That’s a shoddy excuse, Seth. You should have told her about me, especially when you decided to get married, and even more so when she wanted to have the wedding here. What’s going to happen when she finds out about it from someone else? I don’t think she’ll be very happy, do you?”
He licked his lips, the furtive expression sliding back onto his face. “That’s, uh, why I’m here.”
Her mouth fell open. “You think I might blab to her? Is that it? I don’t know what to be offended at the most. That you would keep me a secret, or that you think I would try to screw up
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