Chapter 38
“He’s finessing a situation ?” Nate says that night at dinner. He convinced me to leave the resort and go into town, away from the Pureskin people. It seemed like the perfect idea until we were sitting at a romantic beachside restaurant.
Now, instead of a good idea, it feels a lot like a date.
“That’s what he said in his message.” I sip my pina colada, feeling the distinct difference between the cool liquid and the muggy air outside.
“Sounds like he has a girlfriend he needs to break up with before he can meet you.”
“He doesn’t have a girlfriend.”
“Fine, a wife, then.”
I scowl. “He doesn’t have that either.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I asked him.”
“Just because you asked him doesn’t mean he was honest with you.”
“I know his character. If he says he doesn’t have a girlfriend or a wife, then I believe him.”
“Pfft. You know his character,” he scoffs. “You’ve never even met the guy.”
“Yeah, but we’ve been talking for ten months. Character and values can’t be hidden or faked. They ripple into all areas of a person’s life, especially after that long.”
He grins in his smirky way. “Before this trip, you thought I didn’t have any character or values, and now you really like me.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“I hope so.” The smirk in his smile morphs into something a little softer. “I’m working hard to convince you.”
What do I do with the genuine look in Nate’s eyes and the nagging feeling that there’s potential between us? I can’t puzzle it out because we work together, and Mr. International wants to meet. It’s all too much, so I just avoid and ignore it.
My eyes drop to my salad. “The Caesar salad isn’t my favorite.”
“The second I saw those anchovies, I knew you wouldn’t like it.”
When did I tell Nate I don’t like anchovies?
“So, since you come from a big family, do you want a lot of kids like your parents?”
“I find that there are two types of people who come from large families. The ones who love it and want a big family and those who are traumatized and don’t.”
“And you’re traumatized?”
“Maybe because I was the oldest and a lot of responsibility fell on me.” My shoulders lift. “I’m sure I’ll have kids, but not that many.”
Nate lifts his hands. “I want a lot of kids.”
I can’t keep the shock from my face. “You do?”
“Yeah, like a whole army of little Nates.”
“I didn’t know that.”
He puckers his lips like he’s thinking. “So I guess that seals it. You and I don’t have that much in common after all.”
“I guess not.” I fake a laugh while secretly dying inside, as if my heart holds out hope for Nate against my will.
“Where do you see yourself in five years?” He takes a sip of his drink.
My eyes narrow. “What’s with all the deep questions?”
“I like asking random deep questions. It’s my thing. But also, I’m trying to get to know you better. It seems like most of our problems started because we didn’t take the time to get to know each other first.”
“No, most of our problems started because I showed up at Voyager Travel on day one, and there you were, handsome and charming as could be. Isaac had just broken up with me, and I’d promised myself I’d never date another guy from work again. No matter what. So I kept you an arm's length away. You were just another casualty of my messy breakup.”
Slowly, a smile spreads across Nate’s lips.
“What’s with your expression?”
“I just find it funny.”
“What?”
“You’re telling me if I hadn’t been so dang charming on day one, we would’ve gotten along just fine?”
“Not really.” I fight the urge to smile. “You were still way too handsome for your own good and for mine. You were the exact type of guy I always fall for, who ends up breaking my heart.”
I know it’s dangerous to admit all this to the enemy, to flirt like this, but I can’t help myself.
“Not every charming, handsome guy wants to break your heart.”
“Not in my experience.”
“Let’s just say, for the sake of arguing, that I’m the one charming guy who wouldn’t break your heart. And so you know, I had to be charming because you completely took my breath away when you walked in the office.”
“Yeah, right.”
“It’s true. I meant what I said to my mom. I thought you were beautiful and intimidating, and I just wanted to impress you so you’d like me.”
I’m flattered —more than flattered if the banging in my chest means anything.
“I believe you said to your mom, and I quote, ‘Then Carly spoke, and I realized what a pain in the butt she is.’”
“That’s true too.” Nate laughs good-naturedly. “You were prickly, so despite being beautiful, I didn’t like you much. But fighting with you started to feel a lot like falling for you, so I didn’t mind our arguments. I thought they were kind of fun.”
His eyes hold mine, beating me down with their honest sincerity. I keep looking for an adorable glint or a teasing undercurrent, but it’s distinctly absent.
Nate Farnsworth is telling the truth.
I can’t look away from his brown eyes, even as every alarm starts ringing in my head. DANGER. DANGER. DANGER.
“Your Thai Pad,” the waiter says, setting a steaming plate of vegetables and noodles in front of me.
I’m grateful for the interruption because, without it, who knows what I would’ve admitted to feeling for him?
* * *
That night, when we return to the villa, I’m nervous about the sleeping arrangements. Nate and I can’t share a bed again, not after how things ended up last night, and especially not after all the honest things he said to me today.
I’m relieved when he announces, “I’ll sleep on the floor. I’m not sick anymore, and”—his smile tips up flirtatiously, sending my stomach into hysteria—“I don’t trust myself to keep my hands off you.”
That visual has me tossing and turning for hours all night long.