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He stared at her. ‘Why?’
Lara threw up her hands and stared at him in disbelief. ‘Why? Why? Because I hardly know you. Because these clothes are for me, not you. Because I like to walk around in things that I’ve bought with money that I’ve earned. Because it’s important to me to be independent.’
He didn’t get it. Not really. Every other woman he’d ever dealt with loved it when he threw money at them.
He gave a little smile. ‘But you looked beautiful in the clothes. They’d be perfect for the cruise.’
Her shoulders sagged. ‘I know that. But I can’t afford them. And it’s important for me to be able to look after myself.’
Okay. Maybe she was making sense. He’d thought this was an easy get-out clause after not telling her about her disposed-of summer wardrobe.
His phone rang again and he flinched. A wave of concern washed over her face and she reached over and took his hand, her argument about money momentarily forgotten. ‘You know what? Maybe you need to think about something else. You’ve spent an hour constantly fighting with that guy on the phone. When was the last time you had a holiday?’
That was easy. ‘Spring. Four years ago. My dad was in hospital.’
‘You haven’t had a holiday in four years? That’s ridiculous. It’s about time you had a break.’
He shook his head. Ugh. Bad idea. ‘Breaks don’t make you money. I don’t do holidays. They’re a waste of time.’
She let out a laugh. ‘I guess you and I have different priorities. My holiday is the one thing I look forward to every year.’ Her voice tailed off and she looked outside the dressing room.
There it was again. That expression on her face. The one that made him feel like the worst person in the world. He hated it when she looked like that. It didn’t matter that none of this was really his fault. His only crime had been his act of omission. But he still didn’t like the fact that right now he’d do anything to take that look off her face.
A tiny seed was starting to sprout in his brain. Lara was looking up at him with those clear blue eyes. What on earth had that clown Josh been thinking? The guy must have had rocks in his head.
She was shaking her head again, glancing over her shoulder to make sure Bree wasn’t around. ‘This was a nice idea, Reuben. It really was.’ She ran her hand over her own skinny jeans. ‘But it can’t happen. This...today... It was a bit like being a fairy princess for an hour or so. But time’s up. It’s back to real life and the fact I’ll probably need to raid some of the second-hand shops to see if I can restock my summer wardrobe.’
He tried to interrupt but she held up her hand. ‘Don’t. I don’t want charity—and I know you don’t mean it like that. I know you’re just trying to do something nice.’ She gave him a rueful smile and pressed her hand against her heart. ‘But your something nice makes me feel bad in here. It makes me feel as if I can’t look after myself. It makes me feel as if I need someone to bail me out.’ She shook her head. ‘I don’t want to feel like that. I can’t feel like that right now. Finding Josh in bed with someone else is doing enough damage to my self-esteem right now. You need to let me find my own way with this too.’ She stood up. This time her flat abdomen was right in front of his face.
It was probably an unwitting action. She reached out with her hand and ran her fingers through his hair. ‘Come on, Reuben, let’s get out of here before your favourite footballer calls back and you spontaneously combust.’
As if by magic his phone buzzed in his pocket again and he could feel his rage rising. He’d spent the last few years working non-stop. For the most part he’d liked it. It wasn’t as if he had a wife and child to come home to and the lifestyle suited him. He loved the energy of his job, even thrived on the stress a little, but the last day had made him stop to breathe for a moment.
When was the last time he’d taken a holiday? When was the last time he’d even thought about taking a holiday?
He’d always had a take-no-prisoners attitude and it had served him well in his line of work, which was full of inflated egos. He called things as he saw them and worked hard for any team he dealt with. But now? If he had five minutes alone in a room with the current diva he was dealing with it was likely he’d do something he shouldn’t.
The truth was he needed some time out. He needed some time away.
He stood up quickly, his hand catching Lara’s waist.
She didn’t flinch, just wrapped her hand over his and moved a little closer, putting her other hand on his shoulder. ‘You okay?’
