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“I did? I mean... I don’t usually cry... unless someone drops a hat. Which obviously happened just now... uhm... somewhere in the world.”
He was starting to recognize her change-the-subject maneuver and decided to show some grace. Whatever was bothering her, she wasn’t ready to share.
“Must be bad when it’s really windy.”
“Huh?”
“Wind gusts. People dropping hats, right and left.”
“Oh yes. I’m especially weepy when there’s a heavy wind. During the last hurricane, my tissue purchases alone sent the stock prices soaring on Kleenex.”
“Hope you never lived in tornado alley.”
He was relieved to hear her chuckle. “No. Just Dallas and Houston.”
“Dallas? That’s where I grew up!” She hadn’t mentioned it before, had she? “Where in Dallas? Maybe we were in high school together. I went to Highland Park.”
That could be why she seemed so familiar.
“I... uhm... we moved away from Dallas when I was young.”
“Oh. That’s too bad. I thought I’d finally figured out where I’d seen you before.”
“It’s the Faye Fortune thing. Happens all the time.” She cleared her throat. “I really appreciate you finding me a place for the night and driving me out here. I promise I’ll be out of your hair tomorrow. As soon as I can get a rental car.”
In the reflected light from the dashboard, he spotted her chewing her lower lip.
“We’ll worry about that tomorrow.” With any luck, the weather would prevent her departure. He needed time to break through her barriers.
But a niggling fear pushed at the edge of his mind. What if he was wrong about Carly? What if she was like Elle and couldn’t get past his disability? He might break down her walls and find the only emotion she felt toward him was pity!
He had to take a step back. He needed to assume the worst and judge her with a critical eye, keeping his emotions carefully contained.
I’ll stay completely detached until I get to know her better.
“I can’t thank you enough for rescuing me,” she said. “You are totally my hero.”
Her hero! His puffed-up chest ripped his shirt seams apart.
Yeah, I’m about as detached as a puppet to his puppeteer.
CHAPTER 5
CARLY
As cold as it was, Carly was perspiring as they waited outside the massive carved wooden doors.
This was a bad idea. The more time she spent with Liam, the more she liked him. And the worse she felt about her part in ruining his life. How many nights had she cried herself to sleep, wishing she could relive that night and make a different decision? The secret had been slowly smoldering deep inside, burning at her conscience. But meeting Liam had fanned it into a full flame.
Will I be able to go on with my life and keep pretending I had no responsibility for my brother’s death or Liam’s paralysis?
And she’d almost blown her cover multiple times already.
Carly Simon. Carly Simon. Carly Simon.
She practiced her name inside her head. She couldn’t let “Simpson” slip out of her mouth the way “Dallas” had. But her heart thumped so loudly in her ears she could barely think.
The doors opened, and a man ushered them inside. “It’s good to see you, Mr. Bennett.”
