A Winter Wedding(29)

“What’d you say?” she murmured, still half-asleep.

“I said we’d better get into our beds.”

She lifted her head to look at the TV, which was playing an infomercial on some diet drug. “Did Derrick call?”

“I don’t know,” Kyle replied. “I don’t think you’ve checked your phone.”

“Well, that’s saying something,” she said. “I can probably make it through the next few months—when our breakup hits the tabloids and pictures of him and Crystal begin to show up—if I continue to soak my brain in alcohol.”

He assumed she was joking. “I doubt that’s the direction you want to go.”

“What are the drawbacks again?”

Now he knew she was joking, but he answered as though she’d asked a serious question. “You’re planning to write an album. Being drunk would interfere with that. Besides, there’d be no sweeter revenge than reclaiming your success—without him.”

This elicited a thoughtful expression. “True. I’d love nothing more. But losing him will make my comeback that much harder. I’ll have to find a new manager, and it’s easier to find a new manager when you’re on the rise. No one who’s any good will be excited about taking me on at this point.”

“Never assume rejection. Anyway, it’s the weekend. Use the next two days to get back on your feet, then make some calls on Monday.”

She pulled her phone from her pocket and squinted at it. “He hasn’t tried to contact me. I can’t believe it.”

Kyle couldn’t believe she hadn’t moved out of reach. They were cuddled up as if...as if they knew each other a lot better than they did. “Maybe he’s taking some time to make a decision.”

“If he has to think that hard about whether or not he wants me, I don’t want him.”

He smoothed her hair off her face. “You don’t need him.”

She didn’t respond. He almost said they should turn in for the night, but he’d made that suggestion once, and she hadn’t acted on it. He got the feeling she needed to be held.

“Why couldn’t I have fallen for a nice guy like you?” she asked.

He felt his groin tighten. The way she was staring at him, it was almost as though she was asking him to kiss her. But he had to be wrong about that. Even if he was right, he knew it would make their situation awkward tomorrow. “Because you’d never be happy in a small town like this,” he replied. “You’re meant for bigger things.”

“The next year will be lonely...”

Was she hoping he could change that? He could feel the sudden tension between them, knew what it meant. And the skin on her neck tempted him. “But your heart will heal eventually,” he said. “And you’ll meet someone else.”

“You mean I’ll get over him like you’ve gotten over Olivia?”

She had him there.

“Are you even dating?” she asked.

“I go out every now and then.”

“You can’t be dating often if you haven’t slept with anyone in three years.”

“I haven’t met the right woman.”

“Maybe you need to look for her.” She grinned. “Have you ever thought of that?”

At the moment he couldn’t think of anything except the attraction he felt to her. “I’ve been busy.”

“That’s an excuse. Not a reason.”

He couldn’t fault her logic. So he said nothing, and they continued to stare at each other, almost as if they were held in suspended animation.

“Never mind,” she said at length, turning away. “I don’t want to give you a hard time. It’s wonderful to have found a friend here. I thought I wanted to be alone to work, but now I realize just how terrible being alone would be at this stage of my life. So thank you.”

A friend here... Was she trying to tell him something? That what her body wanted and what her head wanted were two different things? He didn’t plan to take advantage of the conflict, would hate to make her situation any worse. “It’s not as if you’re hard to put up with.”

She pulled far enough away to lean on one elbow. “I’m going to do you a favor,” she announced.

His hands now free, he covered a yawn. “What’s that?”

“Before I leave, I’m going to find you the perfect woman. I’ll make sure you forget about Olivia.”

Since nothing he’d tried had worked, he wasn’t convinced it was possible. “Knock yourself out,” he said. But he had no idea where that simple exchange would lead—until the following morning.





8

“Can I get a good picture of you?”

Kyle was surprised to find Lourdes already up and in the kitchen. They hadn’t gotten much sleep, and it was barely ten. He could’ve understood why she might not have been able to sleep if she’d been crying again. But he saw no evidence of that. She looked...better. She’d even showered and was wearing a pale blue sweat suit that fit far more snugly than the less-appealing sweats of before.

“Why do you need a picture of me?” He opened his empty refrigerator and gazed in. He was hoping that, somehow, miraculously, a jug of orange juice had appeared—maybe when Noelle had come over to drop off dinner. Orange juice was a favorite of his, too, wasn’t it?