A Cosmic Kind of Love(31)

Fuck.

A little dumbfounded, I couldn’t find any words to say aloud and Hallie spoke before I could.

“I know who you are.” She wrung her hands in front of her body, eyebrows drawn together in anxiety. “I’m Hallie Goodman. I’m Darcy and Matthias’s event planner, and Darcy sent me files I asked for but accidentally included video letters you sent her home from the International Space Station, and I’m sorry, but I watched them. All of them. And it was so wrong of me, I can’t even . . . There are not enough apologies in the world for invading your privacy like that. I’m so, so sorry.”

Her eyes were wide with genuine remorse, and I wondered how I could have been so pissed at her just a few weeks ago. Now I knew, from watching her own videos, that Hallie was one of the good ones. It said a lot about her character that she would approach me, a guy she thought a stranger, and just blurt out the truth. That pureness of heart moved me. Wanting to alleviate her guilt, I opened my mouth to tell her I, too, had watched her videos, but she started talking rapidly again.

“If someone did that to me, a stranger watched my private video letters without my knowledge, I’d be so beyond mad, and I don’t know if I could forgive them, so I understand if you can’t forgive me. Or if you have to tell Darcy.” Her expression blanched at the thought.

Fuck.

In that split second, I made a calculated decision. Disaster risk management. If I told her the truth now, when we hadn’t had a chance to even move past initial introductions, then I was risking any chance of getting to know her in person.

I’d lose Hallie before I even had time to really know her.

The thought made me feel off-kilter.

So . . . it left me with only one choice. I’d tell her later. Once she knew me. Once she realized my intentions were well meaning.

Swallowing my guilt, I held her worried gaze and replied, “Honesty is a virtue I just happen to admire, so let’s try this again.” I held out a hand to her. “I’m Christopher Ortiz, friend of the bride.”





THIRTEEN





Hallie


He wasn’t angry?

In fact, his expression almost looked as if I intrigued him.

Me?

Christopher cleared his throat, and I realized I was just staring, stupefied at his outstretched hand.

Oh my God!

Like a reflex, I slipped my hand into his without thinking of the consequences, and as soon as his strong fingers curled around mine, I felt his touch everywhere. My whole body tensed with awareness, and a rush of heat filled my cheeks. Hopefully not visibly. Gaping into his handsome face, those shining dark eyes, I found my voice and the wherewithal to shake his hand in return. “Hallie Goodman. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

A smile pushed up the corners of his spectacular mouth, and I felt the loss as he released me. When I’d spotted him across the room, it was like the entire party faded out.

There he was.

And shock of all shocks, he was looking at me.

When he crossed the room to meet me, my first thought was that he knew what I’d done—I was busted.

But nope.

Did that mean he was drawn to me before he even knew who I was?

The thought thrilled me.

“You’ve done an amazing job planning Darcy’s engagement party. It looks great.” He gestured with a beer bottle.

I frowned at it. Where did he get that? “Uh, yeah, thank you.”

“I wanted to talk with you about working on a retirement party with me.”

What? Party? Retirement?

Oh.

He approached me about work. Not because he was drawn to me. I deflated with the disappointed. “I’m sorry, for whose retirement?”

“Mine. From the air force.” He smiled self-deprecatingly. “I’m not usually the social-butterfly type, but my aunt suggested it might be a nice sense of closure to invite some old comrades, friends, to a small party to celebrate the end of that chapter.”

Christopher was retiring from the air force? “Oh. Well, sure, I mean—” Wait, didn’t I just tell this guy I’d breached his privacy and trust? “I’m sorry, I’m confused. You heard me earlier, right?” I gestured behind me, indicating the past few minutes. “The part where I told you I watched your video letters to Darcy?”

His lips twitched, those dark eyes glittering in the fading light. I’d never seen eyes so dark yet so full of warmth. “I heard you, and I’m processing. But what I’m mostly processing is that you didn’t need to tell me. In fact, for the sake of your job”—he gestured to the party—“you shouldn’t have told me. Now unless you’ve shown those videos to other people or told all your friends about it, I think we can put it behind us and start over.”

Oh my God, was he perfect? Please don’t be perfect. The intensity of my crush on him already couldn’t handle it.

“I haven’t told a soul,” I promised truthfully.

Christopher studied my face for a second. “I believe you.”

“Just like that?”

He grinned, and it made me feel like butter on hot toast, my knees trembling as if they were ready to give out. This was ridiculous!

“Should I not believe you?”

“What? Of course you should.”