Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
The first sign something was amiss was when I pulled my luggage to a stop just outside the entrance of the country club the next morning and my brother wasn’t waiting for me. I checked my watch to make sure I was on time and I was. That was strange.
A car pulled up and Mark got out the driver’s side. It was some fancy car. I couldn’t tell you what make or model it was but you could tell it was sleek and expensive. I sometimes wondered how lucrative his career choice was.
“I’ll be taking you home,” he said, taking my luggage before I even realized what he was doing.
I shook my head and tried to reach for my bag to stop him, but he already had it safely tucked into the trunk of his car.
“But Matthew was supposed to give me a ride back home.” I refused to get into his car as he held the passenger door open for me.
“He had to leave earlier than expected. I told him I would make sure you got home safely.” He inclined his head to the empty passenger seat.
Was that true? I studied him, trying to figure out if he was lying.
He had been trying to corner me for most of the weekend and I had, up to this point, been able to side-step him.
It was too convenient that I would have to spend the next couple of hours cooped up in car with him.
I began to suspect he had orchestrated this.
I hesitated, knowing being in his company for any amount of time would be dangerous, but I had no choice.
It was too far to get a taxi and I hadn’t brought my car.
My stubborn streak surfaced and I contemplated checking with my parents or Sophie if they were still here, but I knew it would look weird if I refused to take a lift from Mark.
He watched me patiently as I battled internally.
Finally, I sighed when I gave in and got into the passenger seat.
The door closed and I busied myself with putting my seatbelt on but my hands fumbled nervously.
Get it together. I hated that the entire car smelled just like him so I tried to concentrate on anything but the man who seated himself beside me.
The car purred as he started it up and I held my purse on my lap, unable to feel comfortable in his company. My heart was beating erratically and I chewed my lip while I looked straight ahead, refusing to look in his direction.
“Your parents really enjoyed this weekend,” he said, making an attempt at a conversation a few minutes after we started the long journey back to the city.
“They did.” I kept my answer short and without much encouragement. I didn’t have much choice about taking the ride from him, but I was intent on giving him the cold shoulder.
He had an ulterior motive and I wasn’t going to play along with whatever he was trying to do. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him glance in my direction but I continued to watch as his car ate up the miles to our destination.
“You’re not very talkative today, are you?” he said, posing the next question.
“I don’t take well to being manipulated.” I was too irritated to play nice and I wasn’t going to pretend I was oblivious to what he was doing.
I snuck a look in his direction. His mouth tightened.
“That’s not what I was doing,” he stated.
I crossed my arms and turned to glare at him. “Yes, it is.”
He sighed. “I’m just concerned.”
I rolled my eyes, feeling more irritated. “Like I told you before, there’s nothing to be concerned about.” It was difficult to hold on to my temper when he was being so frustrating.
When he looked at me again briefly it was difficult to stop how my stomach tumbled at the directness of his gaze.
“My gut tells me otherwise.”
“Well, I can’t help that it’s wrong,” I said, brushing off his concern.
“It’s never wrong.” The surety in his voice was astounding.
It was like I was arguing with a brick wall. I was wasting my time so I shifted in my seat, making a point of putting my back to him so I could stare out the window.
Why couldn’t he just leave it alone? I would get back and get my keys from Jack.
There would be no drama and things could go back to normal.
No one in my family needed to find out any more than I had already told them.
If only Mark would stop digging, but if I didn’t appease him in some way he would continue to dig until he discovered something.
Halfway through the journey, I decided to make an attempt to ease his concern. It was the only way to get him to stop.
“Haven’t you ever been through a breakup?” I asked softly.
I didn’t know if he dated or not, but I had never seen him with a girlfriend, and it would only have raised questions if I had asked my brother about it.
There would be only one reason I would want to know that type of information.
It had left me with my own imagination about his private life and, trust me, it was so private I had no idea what he got up to between assignments .
“No.”
I felt an unexpected relief at his answer. I always wondered why he was the way he was. I bet it had something to do with his upbringing.
“Then you have no idea what I’m going through.” I twisted my hands. The agitated movement did not escape his attention. “Honestly, there’s nothing more to it.”
“You were never that into him and it wasn’t going to work out.”
My mouth fell open as I stared at him. How did he know that? Had my brother mentioned his opinion of Jack?
“Did my brother say something to you about Jack?” I asked, trying to figure out how he had come to that conclusion.
“No. I have eyes.”
I faltered, never expecting he had noticed, but then again it was part of his job to notice things most people didn’t.
“Just because I wasn’t head over heels for him doesn’t mean I won’t still miss having someone around.” I sighed.
“Why would you waste time on someone it wouldn’t work out with?”
I didn’t know how to respond to his direct question. I couldn’t reveal to him I had been trying to find someone I could feel the same way I did for him .
“I don’t want to end up alone.” My honesty surprised me and I didn’t like how revealing I was with him.
“You won’t.” He didn’t look in my direction.
“You’re just saying that so I don’t feel like some kind of failure.” I stared unseeing into the distance, unable to stop myself from letting him in.
He remained silent while I looked down to study my fingernails.
“You are not a failure, just a little scatterbrained.”
I glared at him. It reminded me of why it was so important to keep him and my family from discovering more about my breakup with Jack.
“Thanks,” I responded sarcastically.
“It’s the truth.” He shrugged, like it was more fact than opinion.
I sometimes wondered if that was what attracted me to him, that he was the complete opposite of me.
He was organized where I was always misplacing things and forgetful.
I bet he never lost anything. I had often wondered what his place would look like.
Looking around his car, which was spotless, I bet his apartment wasn’t cluttered, where everything had a place.
There were times I wished I was the same but there always seemed to be more important things to do than tidy up. Maybe I just had to accept my shortcomings and make peace with who I was instead of trying to change now.
Even with that new outlook I still wasn’t going to tell anyone anything further about Jack. Besides, later today I would get the keys and I would never have to see Jack again.
The next time I met someone, I was definitely going to take things slower. I had learned my lesson and would ensure I didn’t make the same mistake again. It was difficult to think about the possibility of meeting someone when the guy I wanted sat beside me now, oblivious to how I felt about him.
My shoulders were stiff from tension when Mark pulled up in front of the familiar apartment building. The trip had felt a lot longer and I was glad it was finally at an end. I hadn’t opened up about Jack, and Mark had driven the rest of the journey in a contemplative silence.
It would take more than just my say so for him to let it go but I didn’t know what more I could say to stop him.
I just had to hope I could get hold of Jack and sort out the keys.
So far I hadn’t been able to get through to him.
The signal at the country club had been too weak, and it had been beyond frustrating.
I unclasped my seatbelt as soon as Mark switched off the car. “Thanks for the ride.”
He got out to help me with my luggage but, instead of allowing me to take it, he kept it firmly in his grasp. “I’ll see you to your apartment.”
“That’s really not necessary,” I argued. I held out my hand for my luggage but he shook his head.
“Call me old fashioned.” He gave me an impatient look, and I frowned.
Feeling annoyed, I retracted my hand to fumble for my keys as I walked into the building to the elevator. Mark followed behind me. Usually I spent a good while trying to fish my keys out of my purse but this time I found them easily and held them tightly in my hand.
I poked the up-arrow button twice, feeling annoyed at how long it was taking for it to open.
The elevator pinged when the doors slid open and I refused to even glance at my unwanted companion as I hit the fourth floor.
I tapped my foot as the car groaned from one floor to the next.
I knew Mark was taking in everything and I didn’t want to know what he thought.
It was an older building and I loved the décor, but some would view it as just another old building that needed updating. I bet it wasn’t a place Mark would ever live in. I could feel the silent judgment as he followed me out of the elevator and down the corridor.
“Thanks,” I muttered, opening my door before turning back to take my bag from him.
“Let me at least see you inside,” he insisted, and I studied him for a moment, knowing arguing with him was futile.