Page 60 of Incognito

She didn’t have to add ‘like I did.’ He could see regret written all over her face.

Not wanting to hurt his sister after she’d gone to a lot of trouble to finally open up to him, he said, “I appreciate this, Gina.”

Non-committal, honest, and brief, his usual way of handling news that made him uncomfortable, and right now, the thought of Natasha truly loving him—and that he’d thrown it away—didn’t only make him uncomfortable, it made him downright sick to his stomach.

“Good luck, big brother.”

Gina blew him a kiss and he returned it, feeling exceedingly stupid sending kisses to a screen.

Not half as stupid as he’d feel if he’d ruined any chance of a future with the woman he loved.

32

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

Ella leaned in Natasha’s bedroom door, a mutinous frown on her expressive face, the same look Natasha had seen a million times before when Ella tried to contain her emotions. No way would her feisty friend ever let anyone see her cry.

“I’m sure, though I’m going to miss you both.” Natasha zipped her suitcase, sank onto the bed next to her dad, and slipped an arm around his waist.

Ella wrinkled her nose. “I bet you won’t even give us a second thought.”

“I’m taking a break, not leaving forever. Come on, guys, be happy for me.”

Her dad hugged her. “We are, sweetheart. It just won’t be the same around here without you. But take as long as you like. We’ll be fine.”

“Yeah,” Ella said, swiping a hand over her eyes at the same time she did. “Jinx!”

For Natasha’s sake, she could do without any jinxes. She needed a change of luck, starting today.

“Right. Time to go.”

She hated goodbyes for the simple fact she’d never had to face many. A homebody all her life, she loved the Towers too much to leave, and loved her family too much to be away for longer than school camp. Familiarity bred security, and at that moment, surrounded by her dad and her best friend, she’d never felt so secure.

But she’d grown up. Time to shake her life up, step out of her comfort zone, and give her self esteem a much-needed boost—starting with a month long sojourn on one of Australia’s northern beaches.

“Love you, Dad,” she said, succumbing to her dad’s bear hug and blinking back tears.

“Love you too, princess,” he said, ruffling her hair like he had when she was four, and making her want to bawl more than ever.

Easing out of his embrace, she turned towards Ella with arms outstretched. “Hug me if you think I’m cool.”

Ella snorted, and as she hugged her tight, Natasha knew she couldn’t have survived the last few years without her best friend, hoping her extended break wouldn’t change things between them.

They were more than best friends; Ella had become her sister and she needed her as much as her dad.

“Enough of the mushy stuff,” Ella said, breaking the hug as both of them made surreptitious dabs at their eyes.

A loud knock at the door startled Natasha and she glanced at her watch. “Must be the bell boy. Okay, load up the bags. Looks like I’m on my way.”

Ella opened the door while Natasha bustled around the room, making sure she hadn’t left anything behind.

“Anyone seen my phone?” Natasha asked, trying to subdue a mild flare of panic. “I’m sure I left it on top of the TV.”

An eerie silence greeted her question and she swung around, wondering if Ella and her dad had ducked out on her rather than face any more goodbyes.

However, they hadn’t left. Instead, they crowded the open doorway like a welcoming committee, while a guy wearing a uniform—not one of the hotels’s—slowly turned around.

Natasha’s heart stopped and she held her breath, her head reeling from lack of oxygen, shock, or a combination of both, as she stared in open-mouthed amazement at the last man she ever expected to see.

---