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She would have preferred a solid table between them, but she hopped up on a stool. “I’ve never seen you cook.”
He served two plates from the stove and turned to face her. “I like to eat,” he said, setting her meal in front of her. “Coffee? Juice?”
“Orange juice would be nice.”
He reached in the fridge and pulled out a carafe of fresh-squeezed. “That explains it,” he said.
“Explains what?” She frowned, not following his meaning.
“Well,” he said with a droll smile, “I brewed coffee every morning thinking the caffeine would coax you out of hiding. But it never worked.”
She felt her face flush. “I’m sorry if I was a poor houseguest.” He sat down beside her, smelling as yummy as the home-cooked breakfast. She eased her stool a few inches to the right and took a bite of bacon. “This is very good,” she said.
They ate in silence. Surprisingly, Cate discovered it was nice to feel normal, even if for only a few moments. Her mood mellowed considerably, but Harry unexpectedly dented her moment of peace.
“Your family is expecting you for lunch,” he said. “I told them you’d be there no later than eleven thirty.”
She turned and gaped at him, her face flushing with aggravation. “Who made you king of my schedule?” she snapped.
One large male shoulder lifted and fell. His expression was hard to read. “Somebody had to. You weren’t doing it.”
“You’re the most arrogant man I’ve ever met,” she said, wondering why she was still sitting in his kitchen when he made her so frustrated. His dark hair, an intriguing mix of raven black with the occasional lighter strand, was still ruffled.
His gaze was guarded. Like everything about him, Harry’s eyes were oddly unsettling. The beautiful irises were steel gray with a tiny line of silver around the pupils.
He stood abruptly and carried his plate to the sink. “When you’re ready, I’ll take you downstairs and show you the car. It’s electric. You can use it as long as you need to. I’ll give you those keys and ones for this place.”
Panic set in. “I don’t want to go home right now,” she said.
“You have to...your parents and your sister are worried about you.”
His implacable certainty triggered the tears again. “Don’t you get it?” she cried. “I’ve suffered a major life disappointment. I’m not ready to move on. This hurts, damn it.”
Harry leaned against the counter, his hands propped behind him. The pose made his shirt draw taut over his abs. Not that she noticed.
He sighed audibly. “Tragedy and heartache happen to all of us at one time or another. And you’re right. It hurts. But moving forward is the only option.” He paused, for a moment seeming unsure of himself.
“What?” she asked. “What is it? What aren’t you saying?”
“I’ve talked to Jason a couple of times. He made it safely to his hotel in Peru. I thought you would want to know.”
She trembled, glad she wasn’t standing. Her fists clenched in her lap. Thinking about Jason was agonizing. That was why she had done her best not to. What did Harry expect from her?
“Super,” she said, infusing the two syllables with snark.
“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked quietly.
On the huge list of things she absolutely didnotwant to do, discussing her ex-fiancé with Harry was number one. “No thank you.”
He stared at her, his intense regard making the trembling worse. “I’m not the enemy, Cate. You’re not a prisoner. No one is keeping you here. You’re welcome to pack up your things and go.”
She closed her eyes briefly, trying to stop the tears. One escaped. Then another. Swallowing hard, she lifted her chin and found the courage to speak. “I don’t want to go,” she said, her throat tight. “I appreciate you letting me stay here. I’m sorry if I seem ungrateful.”
Harry’s eyes flashed. He straightened. “Oh, for God’s sake. This isn’t a soap opera. All I did was offer you a bedroom and a chance to catch your breath. It’s no big deal. And this isn’t some kind of quid pro quo. I love Jason like a brother. I’m doing this for him mostly.”
“I see.” For some reason, that hurt even more. Ofcourseit was Jason he cared about. Not Cate. He might feel sorry for her, but she was little more than an inconvenient acquaintance to him. She had hoped that wasn’t the case, but now she knew.
“Leave the dishes,” he said abruptly. “My housekeeper will be in today. I’ll meet you at the elevator in five.”
