Page 102 of Away With You
“Whatever. Girl, you are crazy to let that man go. He is gorgeous.”
I shush her, creeping forward on my knees until my nose is just about pressed up against the screen.
“Tell us a bit about your off-season break, Nate,” Natalie Pinkham asks Nathan with a sly smile. “There was news of a wedding in St. Lucia.”
Nathan’s expression doesn’t waver as he smiles at the F1 Sky Sports reporter. “Yes, I was lucky enough to spend some time in beautiful St. Lucia to celebrate my brother’s wedding.”
“Tell us about it.”
He scratches the stubble on his jaw, the muscle jumping in his cheek, the only sign he’s uncomfortable with this line of questioning. “It was beautiful. I mean, a wedding in the Caribbean. What could go wrong?”
I snort.My goodness, what didn’t go wrong?
“That’s great to hear. And what about you? Any news you can share about your own love life? We heard some rumours swirling about a new girlfriend, perhaps?”
My lungs stop working as I hold my breath, waiting for his response.
“Ah, Natalie. You know I don’t talk about that sort of stuff. But what I can tell you about is the new updates for theRedline Racingcars. The engineers at the factory weren’t as lucky as I was. While I was sunning myself on the beach, they were spending the last few months working hard at the factory, and I think we’ve got something special here this year.”
Natalie smiles. “Tell me more about it.”
“Well,” Nathan launches into a description of the new aerodynamics of the car, running his hand through his hair as he speaks, and I freeze, my eyes stuck on him. On his wrist.
“Pause the TV,” I yell at Jade.
“What?”
I scramble to stand up, diving for the remote and pressing rewind, and then pause. There. It’s really there.
“What are you looking at?”
Tears flood my eyes as I sink back down in front of the screen. “Look at his wrist,” I whisper.
My friend joins me on the floor and takes my hand. “Okay, what am I looking at?”
I point with shaky fingers. “He’s still wearing my hair ties. Around his wrist. They’re my hair ties.”
Her dark eyes bounce between me and the TV, a wrinkle appearing on her brow. “Huh?”
Sinking back on my bum, I wipe my eyes and draw in a shuddering breath. “When we were in St. Lucia, Nathan noticed how often my hair ties break. And how annoying it was for me. The day we went to the cocoa plantation, remember I told you about that?”
She nods.
“Well, my hair tie broke, and I didn’t have another one. And then, like magic, he pulled one off his wrist for me.”
“Wow.”
I rub my arms, feeling cold and hot at the same time. “Right? I mean, who does that? Who notices something like that and then does something to help?”
“That man does.”
My eyes trace over his face, over the lips I want to kiss forever. Over the calm blue eyes, I want to get lost in forever. Over the wrist that still holds my hair ties.
“What am I doing?” I jump to my feet and pace to the other side of the room, my body needing to move. “What am I doing?”
Jade joins me. “I’m not sure, but let’s go with it.”
I stop. “I’m so stupid. I let that man go. After he told me he loved me? And I didn’t say it back! And he’ssending me snow globes. And he’swearing my hair ties. I must be the stupidest person in the world!”
