Chapter 17
NATHAN
Nathan woke with Zoe’s head on his shoulder.
His arms were wrapped around her, resting on her shoulder and her side, and she was snuggled against him, her hair fanned across his arm and the pillow.
He could hear the soft in and out of her breath and even feel her heartbeat. She still had that soft floral scent.
Nathan didn’t want to move for fear he’d disturb her.
Last night had been unexpected but breathtaking.
He’d imagined kissing Zoe before, but he had never imagined that it would make the whole world stop spinning.
A few moments from the night before playing lazily through his mind, and Nathan pressed a kiss to the top of Zoe’s head. She didn’t wake.
Still not wanting to disturb her, he settled onto the pillows and looked around the room.
Sunlight was spilling in through the window — neither of them had thought to close the curtains in the midst of last night’s passion.
It illuminated the small but well-cared-for apartment in soft morning colors.
There was Zoe’s desk, around which hundreds of colorful printouts were taped up.
Nathan squinted (he didn’t have his glasses on) and made out prints from social media and news articles.
These must be past clients of Zoe’s. He’d known she was a professional, and he’d seen how hard she worked on his pitch.
Somehow, though, he hadn’t been able to picture all the effort she poured into her work outside of him. He saw it now.
Framed pictures hung on the walls, too, mostly black-and-white images of New York City.
There was the famous picture of Marylin Monroe on the subway grate, an image of the skyline on a stormy day, a shot of kids playing in Central Park, and one of billboards in Times Square.
Nathan smiled. Zoe really loved this city.
But the more he looked around her apartment, the more he saw old playbills and pitches, and the more his heart sank.
When he was showing Zoe around Islingburn or laughing with her or kissing her, it was easy to imagine spending more time together.
Now, though, he saw Zoe as part of a bigger picture.
She wasn’t just the smart, sometimes too serious, gorgeous woman who helped him with his show and savored strawberries from the field and was scared of ladybugs.
She was also a seasoned PR professional who loved her work, and her city, above all else.
There could be no future for them. Not really.
Zoe would always want to live in New York, where she had access to hundreds, if not thousands, of potential clients, as well as Thai restaurants and city skylines and all the things she couldn’t get in Islingburn.
And Nathan would never leave Islingburn — he had his clinic there, but also his friends and family and the sprawling nature he loved so much.
“Nathan?” Zoe yawned and pushed herself up to a seated position. Nathan hadn’t noticed that she was awake. Her hair was loose around her shoulders, her curls mussed from sleep, and there was a line on the side of her face where she’d rested on his arm. She’d never looked more beautiful.
“Good morning,” Nathan said. He managed a smile, but his heart was heavy.
“Have you been awake long?” she asked. With a yawn, she stretched her arms overhead, then smiled back at him.
“No, not long,” Nathan told her. It was true. He’d only been lying with her in his arms looking around her apartment for a few minutes, but it was enough to see the shape of the future.
“Should we grab some breakfast?” Zoe asked.
She got out of bed and padded across the floor to the door that must lead to the bathroom.
Nathan tried not to stare. He’d seen every inch of her the night before, but she was even more breathtaking in the morning light.
“We have that charity lunch in a couple of hours, but these kinds of events don’t usually involve eating much. ”
“Charity lunch?” Nathan asked. He remembered what it was, but he was stalling for time.
“Yeah, it’s a lunch to raise money for childhood cancers, so a lot of big names in the medical field will be there. Like you.” Zoe winked. “It’ll be a good way to form some connections and increase your name recognition. Hold on, I’ll just run through the shower and come back.”
Zoe disappeared into the bathroom, and Nathan got out of bed.
He dressed in the same clothes he’d worn the night before — everything else was at his hotel.
Then he crossed to Zoe’s desk. There was a space in the middle where her laptop probably went, but the rest of the desk was filled with things.
He traced a few social media prints with one finger, his heart sinking further.
If he asked Zoe to come back to Islingburn with him, she would say no.
And why wouldn’t she? They’d only known each other for a few weeks, and being with him would mean giving up her career and the city she loved.
It was too early to be thinking about anything serious, really, especially when actually dating would mean one of them giving up everything.
He needed to make it clear that they could go on with their own separate lives, if that was what she wanted — and it would definitely be what she wanted.
Zoe came out of the bathroom a few minutes later with a towel wrapped around her head and a robe on. She smiled at Nathan as she untangled the towel from her hair and began combing through it.
“Zoe,” Nathan said. He steeled himself. “You love New York, don’t you?”
Zoe smiled, though her brow furrowed with confusion. “Sure I do.” She reached a tangled spot in her hair and eased the comb through it. “Why do you ask?”
“I just…” Nathan sighed and took off his glasses.
He couldn’t bear to look at her. “I just wanted to say that I really appreciate you showing me around. But last night... I think it was a mistake. After all, we’re not really ready for a serious relationship.
We both have our own careers in very different places, and it would be difficult—”
Zoe held up a hand, and he fell silent. She smiled at him. “It’s okay, Nathan. I understand — and you’re right, it probably was a mistake. We need to focus on our professional relationship.”
Relief flooded Nathan, immediately followed by regret.
Part of him had hoped she might suggest they try to work things out, but this was for the best. She clearly wasn’t heartbroken, so he shouldn’t be, either.
They’d spent one fantastic night together.
Now, they would go back to being a doctor and a PR professional.
If Nathan thought a shadow of sadness flickered across Zoe’s face, he ignored it. He ignored the ache in his heart and the small voice screaming that he shouldn’t have called last night a “mistake” when it had been the best in his life. It was too late.