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She pulled the plate towards her and picked up a fork. ‘If you keep feeding me like this I won’t be able to fit into my bikinis and summer dresses.’
Something flickered across his face. She’d no idea what. He looked as if he’d just swallowed something unpleasant but he recovered quickly.
She wasn’t entirely sure what she thought of Reuben Tyler, but it might be fun finding out.
* * *
His insides coiled up. He was going to have to tell her soon. Lara wasn’t a designer shopper, but any woman’s high street summer wardrobe would still cost a lot to replace. He got the distinct impression that while she managed, Lara wasn’t exactly flush with money and given that she’d now have to scrape together the deposit to rent a new flat, the last thing he wanted to do was let her know she needed to buy a whole new summer wardrobe.
‘I’ve been thinking about the cruise,’ she said, gazing across the café. ‘I think I’ll need to get a few more things. A new pair of sandals and maybe another skirt. But I won’t know for sure until I can go through the rest of my summer clothes.’
Reuben shifted uncomfortably in his chair. It was now or never. He really needed to be honest with her. He licked his dry lips. ‘About your summer clothes...’ he started.
‘What?’ All of a sudden her voice and eyes were razor sharp. He could almost feel her gaze penetrate his skin. What was it with women and their senses? They could practically smell when something was wrong.
For the first time in his life words stuck in his throat. What was wrong with him? He’d never been a stranger to the truth—in fact, he’d often been criticised for his direct approach.
‘Maybe you should get some new things,’ he said slowly, trying to pick his words carefully. ‘Cruises are quite glamorous, aren’t they?’
‘You don’t think I’m glamorous enough?’ The words shot out and he cringed.
‘No. No, that’s not what I meant at all.’
‘Then what did you mean?’ Women didn’t usually make him squirm. This was a first for Reuben Tyler.
Her gaze was fixed on him. Like some kind of female superhero with laser vision. Who could have guessed the girl that had been the giant pink teddy bear could do a complete turnaround?
She was doing her best to appear direct. To have a little edge. Trouble was, he already knew her a little better than that. He’d seen the vulnerability in her eyes. He’d seen the hurt. And he didn’t want to be the person responsible for that.
He leaned his elbow on the table and rested his head on his hand. ‘There might have been a bit of an issue with Josh.’
Her eyes narrowed. ‘What kind of issue?’
‘He might have disposed of the rest of your clothes.’
‘He what?’
Heads all over shot round. A few of the counter staff stood up on their toes, trying to see who’d yelled, but since Lara was on her feet it was pretty obvious.
Reuben could feel all the gazes turn to him. Yeah, right. This was all his fault.
He gave the slightest shrug. ‘Sorry. The guy’s obviously an idiot. He said he’d dumped all your stuff when I asked.’
She leaned across the table towards him. ‘And you knew this? You knew this a few hours ago and you didn’t tell me?’
There was a loud tut behind them. Reuben shook his head and turned, giving a smile to the elderly woman behind him who was looking at him as if he’d just run over her cat.
He lifted his hand towards Lara. ‘I thought you might be upset.’
The colour in her cheeks was building. If he’d thought her eyes had been lasers before, now they were definitely shooting sparks.
He was surprised by how cute she was when she was angry.
‘I guess I was right,’ he said, as he picked up his coffee and drained his cup.
Lara’s fists were clenched on the tabletop. It took a few seconds for the blanched knuckles to be gently released and Lara sagged down into her chair.
‘All my things...gone?’ she asked.
He nodded his head. This was what he’d wanted to avoid. Her shoulders slumped and the high colour in her cheeks started to disperse, replaced with a white pallor.
She blinked. Oh, no. Her eyes were getting that sheeny way—the way they did before a woman burst into tears.
She started murmuring. ‘But what am I going to do? That was my entire summer wardrobe.’ She shook her head. ‘I have nothing—not a single thing to take with me on the cruise.’ One fat, hot tear spilled down her cheek. ‘And I certainly didn’t budget for this.’
She took a deep, ragged kind of breath. She was twisting a napkin between her fingers. ‘It’s not just the clothes. I had other things in that case. Things that meant a lot to me. Things I can’t replace.’ Her voice was getting shakier as she spoke.
