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Pondering this incident, he watched as tears suddenly welled in her eyes. One drop went over her lower lid and splashed on her cheek. She didn’t make a sound. Didn’t move to wipe the tear away. She just stared at him.
“No. I’m not okay.” She sniffed, broke their eye contact, and brushed the heels of her hands across her cheeks. Nathan wanted to wrap her up in his arms, carry her away, and keep her safe from the shitty world at large forever. And that sort of sappy, romantic gesture was so far out of his comfort zone, he stiffened in the realization of his honestly sappy romantic feelings for Suzanna.
“What can I do?” he asked. I’ll do anything.
“Nothing.”
“Not anything? Not a single solitary thing? Not even kiss something to make it better?” Good God Almighty, he’d become a raving romantic sap.
She cracked a smile and then laughed a bit. “If only you could kiss this and make it better. Actually, once Dylan deals with ‘Her Royal Highness of Nosy’ I need to gather my things and hit the road.”
Nathan smiled at her assessment of Cindy and almost missed her declaration of leaving.
“What? Hit the road? You’re not leaving us, are you?”
“I am.”
“Why would you do that?” He was truly baffled.
“I never intended to stay here forever.”
“Last night you said you wanted to settle down and stop running. You said you were going to hang around. I know I was sexually spent at the time, but my hearing it still very good.”
“Yesterday doesn’t matter. Today is a brand new day. And just because I want something doesn’t mean I get to have it.” More silent tears welled up and splashed her cheeks. She brushed them away quickly.
“What happened today to make you change your mind?”
She shook her head. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Is what Cindy said the reason—”
Nathan stopped talking when she glared at him, and said, “My car is fixed, and I need to get going. That’s all.”
“No. That’s not all.” She moved to go, but Nathan stopped her. “Don’t go, Suzanna. Don’t leave us. At least wait and say good-bye to Gabriel before you go.”
He glanced out the window at Cindy still arguing in the parking lot with Dylan. Through the glass, Nathan watched as Dylan finally threw his hands up, did an about-face, and walked away from her. She didn’t follow him but looked as mad as a hornet that’d just lost its nest.
“Sorry, but I’ve already stayed here too long. I don’t have time to wait.”
“What does that even mean?” He was sincerely confused. Last night she’d been so…acquiescent. So relaxed. So ready to stay and live with them for a while in secluded sexual decadence. Something had definitely changed. Underlying her sudden need to leave, she seemed a bit frightened.
“Nothing. Listen. I’m sorry, but I need to go. And you need to let me go. Tell Gabriel,” she paused and sniffed once. “Tell him I appreciate what he did for me. What you both did for me.”
“Tell him yourself.”
“No. I’m leaving right now. Good-bye, Nathan. It’s been enlightening. I don’t have any regrets.”
Nathan was about to tell her that she’d left her computer back at their house, but Dylan entered the room and said, “I’m really sorry that she was harassing you.” He crossed to behind the office counter and grabbed a clipboard.
“No problem.”
“Sign here.” Dylan handed her the clipboard. She turned away from Nathan to sign it as if she couldn’t entertain the idea of any further discussion to convince her to stay.
Nathan did not like the feeling of having been dismissed. Not at all.
He wasn’t going to let her leave his life in an instant. Not after falling so completely in love with her. And he’d tell her the three words he’d never said to another woman if only she would agree to stay.
Chapter Eleven
Gabriel drove to a popular café after dropping Suzanna off at Enclave Auto, and also receiving a message from Clay that he had the information requested from the day before. However, he just sat in his car in the café’s parking lot to make the call.
