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“Let’s cross the bridge. I know of a great place down this way.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
As they started across a bridge, her toe caught a loose board and she tripped. Derek reached out and grabbed her arm, catching her before she face planted. “Hey,” he said. “You all right?”
She stood there, inches from his face, her heart racing so fast she couldn’t breathe. And when she finally did suck in air, it was filled with the masculine smell of Derek. Her knees grew weak and all she could think about was how much she wanted to kiss him right now. She was such a loser. “I’m fine,” she said, her voice sounding like she’d breathed in helium.
He stared at her. “You don’t look fine. Are you sure you’re okay?”
She tried to stand back from him, but her feet wouldn’t work. “What do you mean?”
“Your face is white.”
“It is?” She about slapped her forehead at the stupid words coming out of her mouth.
Derek nodded. “Yeah.”
She swallowed, trying to think of one intelligent thing to say. Anything. “I just tripped.” And nope, she couldn’t even do that.
“I know.” His gaze held a weight she couldn’t put her finger on.
She gave him a weak smile. “I’m fine, really.” She backed away from him, and he let her go. Man, what was wrong with her today? She really couldn’t handle herself. Why was she so clumsy and stupid around Derek? It wasn’t like she was a teenager in love.
She walked to the middle of the bridge, her heart still hammering. She wasn’t a teenager. And she wasn’t in love. Right? Even though she was just thinking that staying married to him might be nice. That didn’t mean she was in love.
Derek stepped up beside her and lifted his camera to his face. He took a couple of shots, then leaned toward her, showing her the digital screen. “Look.”
Every muscle in her body tensed as she angled closer to him. She became acutely aware of every smell, every sound, every sensation that she took in. And of course, Derek had to go and put his arm around her. His warm hand pressed up against the small of her back. “Really great,” she said, stepping back from him. She had to get away from him.
Why did she agree to go anywhere with Derek? She should have known all she would do is get herself into trouble. And now she couldn’t stop wondering if she had somehow fallen in love with Derek.
They hiked for another hour, Nara desperately trying to ignore the tingling sensations each time they brushed fingers, or he touched her back. She shouldn’t torture herself with thoughts of being in love. He had no such feelings toward her. She had to keep her head on straight.
They reached a park bench, and Nara motioned to it. “Let’s sit.”
Derek nodded. “All right.”
“Do you think you got any shots that you can blow up into a print today?”
He pursed his lips. “I’m not sure. I’ll have to look at them more closely.”
“What determines which ones you make into prints?”
“A lot of things, but mostly the mood.” His phone chimed and he pulled it out of his pocket. He stared at the screen a moment before he turned to her. “It’s a text from your father.”
Her stomach clenched. “What does it say?”
“He’s coming over in an hour. We’d better get back.”
Nara nodded, her mouth suddenly dry. She didn’t want to know what her father would say, but she couldn’t pretend it wasn’t happening. She had to face this head on.
Chapter 27
Nara twisted her wedding ring around and around, waiting for her father to arrive. Derek had told him they weren’t home, so he’d given them time to get back. But now she was pacing the family room, waiting for his car to pull up and anxious to hear what he would say, and feeling guilty for how their conversation went yesterday.
Derek motioned to the empty space beside him on the couch. “Do you want to sit?”
Nara nodded and sat. She twisted her fingers, staring at the blank TV screen. Then, she stood again and shook her head. “I can’t. I feel like I’m going to throw up.”
