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Hard core reality dawned with more impact than she’d expected, even though she was, as he put it, well aware of the score. He never stayed in one place longer than he was needed. He would catch the bad guys here, then take off after the next ones somewhere else. Of course he wouldn’t carry a lot of stuff with him from place to place.
She sat down and rubbed her damp palms on the legs of her jeans as he returned from the kitchen with a bowl in each hand. He handed one over, then sat beside her on the couch. Close enough for his leg to brush hers and keep that awareness at a hyper-sensitive level.
With her first bite of the creamy dessert, vanilla, caramel and fudge melted on her tongue. She closed her eyes to savor the flavor with a low, “Mmm.”
Silence in the room brought her eyes open again. Joel pulled the spoon from his mouth, his heated gaze locked on her lips.
She quickly swept her spoon in an arc to encompass the room, then scooped up another bite. “You don’t have any pictures of your family.”
“My life doesn’t allow for clutter.”
She paused, the ice cream halfway to her mouth. “You consider your family clutter?”
“I didn’t mean it that way. There’s just my dad, and my picture of him is right here.” He tapped his head with his forefinger. “When I said clutter, I meant literally. I don’t have the time to pack and unpack pictures or sentimental objects because I never know if I’ll be someplace a few days, a week, a month. But I guess it would apply figuratively as well.”
Fair warning.
She struggled to keep a frown from her forehead. “Precisely my reason for not dating here. Makes no sense when I don’t plan to stay.”
“I don’t get that.”
“Why? It’s no different than you.”
“I mean, why not stay? I saw how much you love the mountains when we were up at the overnight camp.”
“I do,” she confirmed with a soft sigh. “But it’s more complicated than that.”
“Your father.” He shifted and drew up one leg so that he faced her.
“Yes, my father.” She leaned her shoulder against the back of the couch and mirrored his pose. “He’s been planning on me taking a place at his side since high school.”
“Those high expectations you mentioned. Double major, honors graduate, take over the company someday.”
Her smile bloomed, then faded at his perceptiveness.
“Do you want to work with him?”
“It would be challenging, that’s for sure.” For more reasons than one.
“Doesn’t answer my question.”
“Six weeks ago, I knew exactly what I wanted.”
He set his spoon in the bowl and set the bowl on the coffee table. “What changed?”
Her ice cream was melting. She held onto it though, staring down into the dark swirl of chocolate through the vanilla. “My fiancé cheated on me. My father still promoted him.”
“Sounds like a sonofabitch.”
She laughed at that. “Which one?”
“Both of ’em.” He leaned forward and laid his hand on her knee. “I’m sorry.”
“Thanks. Mark’s wife is on bed rest to avoid a third miscarriage, so that’s the reason I gave my father for my being here. It is the main reason I’m here, to give Mark time off this summer, but I also needed to get away from the whole situation—from him. Daniel’s betrayal hurt less than my father not standing up for me.”
Saying it out loud brought on a sudden sting of tears. She quickly rose to carry her bowl into the kitchen. Joel’s footsteps sounded behind her. He set his dish next to hers before sliding his hand over the counter to grasp hers.
She kept her back to him as the unexpected pain mushroomed. “I’m his daughter,” she choked out. “I’m supposed to matter more than anything else, you know?”
