AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You are. You’ve got a laptop. Why don’t you research off the internet?”
“It’s not the same as being there.”
He snorted. “That’s codswallop! You’re procrastinating.”
“I am not.” Her voice raised an octave. How dare he say such a thing?
“You are,” he said, mimicking her tone. “Do you want to become a published author or not?”
He was beginning to annoy her. He had no idea how hard she tried to work on her story every day, but life kept getting in the way. “What are you, my mother?”
He clicked his tongue. “No, I’m trying to be your friend and don’t want to watch you squander your talent.”
“What if I do? It’s not like it matters”
“Of course it matters,” Reece snapped as he slowed the car and pulled to the side of the road, his flashers blinking.
“What are you doing?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder, fearing they were being followed.
He didn’t look at her. “I’m turning around and going back to London.”
“Why? I thought you were taking me away for the weekend.”
He cut his eyes to her for a second and then rolle
d them away. “I’m not going to waste my time trying to help you, if you’re not willing to help yourself. I’ve got other things I could be doing with my time.”
Her jaw dropped. “So why aren’t you then? I didn’t ask you to invade my life and whisk me away to only God knows where.” Wait a minute. Was she really arguing with Reece Collins?
He sat in the driver’s seat, staring out the windshield with his jaw clenched. “Is that how you really feel?”
Nicole looked away, unwanted tears building in her eyes. She bit her lip to keep them from falling. “I don’t know how I feel,” she mumbled.
They were treading into deep water now, and they both knew it. Whatever was building between them was either going to blow full steam ahead or crash and burn; it all depended on the direction he steered the car.
Reece watched her reflection in the glass and the abject misery in her eyes. He had wanted to nudge her in the right direction, not shove her off the damn cliff. He pulled back on the road, still traveling away from London.
Nicole released the breath she’d been holding, leaning her head against the headrest and closing her eyes. Her brain hurt from all the ups and downs today.
“Are you hungry?” he asked quietly, not wishing to startle her. She shook her head but didn’t answer.
He let her be, driving down the winding road. His thoughts were deep and troubled, the music on the radio blending into the background. He thought he caught the sound of an occasional sniffle, but he didn’t want to disturb her if he was wrong.
He hadn’t meant to get so angry. There was no justification for it. One moment they were getting along, laughing and joking, and the next, they were at each other’s throats. What happened to cause the argument?
He thought back on the conversation at least twice but couldn’t pin down the exact element which started the downward spiral. Was it when he accused her of making excuses? Or when he told her that procrastination would be her downfall? Was that what made her so angry?
He was only trying to help her, but what if she didn’t want his help?
“Nicole?”
“Hmmm,” she mumbled, sounding sleepy.
He decided to drop the subject for now. “Never mind.”
“Kay.”
He smiled, driving on through the night.
