Page 86 of The Best Thing He Never Wanted

He took her completely by surprise when he stopped walking, slipped his other arm around her, and lifted her off her feet. He did it so fast that her legs swung out over the water, and she clung to him.

“Blane! Don’t you dare!”

He laughed as he set her back down on the sand. “Don’t worry. I wouldn’t. But you know, my driving’s not that bad.”

“I didn’t say it was bad. I simply implied that you go a little fast.”

He chuckled. “It only seems fast to you because you’re too busy worrying that you’re on the other side of the road and don’t have a steering wheel in front of you.”

“It’s true,” she agreed as they started walking again and his arm came back around her shoulders. “It’s very disorienting sitting where the driver should be, only to discover that you’re now the passenger and there’s no way to drive even if you wanted to.”

“You should practice, you know.”

He stopped short, and she knew exactly what he wasn’t saying. She should practice while he was here to keep her company. Before too long, he wouldn’t be. And that should be fine. It had always been the plan. She’d expected to get used to the roads after she arrived, and of course she’d expected to be alone. She stole a glance at him. His features had settled into a scowl, his gaze fixed somewhere out on the horizon as they walked.

“I will,” she told him. “But look, we’re almost at the restaurants now, and I’m going to let you choose. They have the menus on picture boards outside, so it’ll be completely up to you. After the fish-and-chip fiasco, I’m not prepared to risk making any recommendations.”

As it turned out, he chose her favorite of the three restaurants on the waterfront without her saying a word. He ordered moussaka, since he’d taken a liking to it when they had takeout from the taverna in the village, while Bea ordered grilled sea bream with lemon potatoes.

Their server brought them a bottle of sparkling water, and Blane poured them each a glass before leaning back in his chair. He stared out at the sea for a few moments, then turned to her with a smile.

“I can see why you like this place. Have to say, I like it myself.”

“I’m glad. It’s the kind of place you can come to relax, and…” She let the words trail off.

She’d been about to tell him that anytime he needed a relaxing break, he should come back and see her. But they still had a couple of weeks before he had to leave, and she didn’t want to bring up the ending before they had to.

Blane pressed his lips together and gave a slight nod, almost as though he’d understood what she hadn’t said.

“How was work this morning?” he asked after a moment.

“It was fine. Things are mostly quiet at the moment.”

His brows drew together. “Is it seasonal work?”

She gave him a puzzled look.

“I just wondered if there’s a reason it’s quiet now, or…” He shrugged. “Sorry. I don’t know what Simon did for a living, so I can’t make any guesses.”

“Oh.” She leaned back as the waiter arrived with their food. After he’d gone, she picked up her fork. “He was in private equity.”

Blane looked at her and waited. When she didn’t elaborate, he frowned. “That supposed to mean something to me?”

She found herself hesitating. It was a strange feeling, but somewhere along the way her loyalties had shifted. Not in any way that made sense. Simon had been her husband for most of her adult life, while she’d known Blane for a matter of days, and yet she suddenly found herself caring more about what Blane might think of Simon than about protecting Simon from Blane’s judgment.

She wasn’t going to examine that too closely either.

“It means something rather unflattering to most people, actually. In America, you’d have called him a corporate raider.”

Blane had just picked up his fork, but he set it down again and met her gaze. For a moment, she wondered if he would judge her for having been married to a man like that.

When he eventually spoke, his words couldn’t have surprised her more. “You mean like Richard Gere in Pretty Woman?”

For a few moments, all she could do was stare at him. Then she laughed.

“What?”

“I’m sorry. I simply wasn’t expecting Pretty Woman from you.”