Page 86 of The Bad Boy Prince in Love
She wondered if she could fit in here after all.The big city seemed less intimidating now.Maybe growing up in Terry’s shadow, always being told by her sister that she was a loser, she had lacked the confidence to meet people outside of her closest circle, but Hallie decided to take more risks from now on.
The evening went by quickly, and almost as a side note, she noticed that they had fulfilled their mission.Arnold gave them some contacts of important business people in the city and promised to introduce the company to some big clientele.
“Well, well,” Luke said once they returned to his Porsche, “Here I thought you’d be talking with the Texas man about how the cricket chirps at noon or some other folksy stuff, and suddenly you’re babbling away in Japanese.”
“What can I say,” Hallie shrugged, “I’m good with languages.I also speak Spanish and Welsh.”
“Why on earth would anyone want to learn Welsh?”Luke wondered.
“I liked the challenge.”
“Well, you’ve done it,” Luke said, “You earned your place in marketing.But first, we celebrate!”
“Are you going to get drunk again?”she asked.
“I’m only going to get drunkon life,” he replied.The car pulled out into traffic, and Luke drove south across the river.
They arrived at one of Austin’s many parks, a copse of trees surrounding a big flat grassy area where families usually gathered on sunny days.Now, it was fairly deserted with only a few people strolling and a gaggle of teenagers skulking on a picnic bench.
Hallie didn’t ask why he brought her here.She didn’t know whether it was another attempt to woo her, or just a whimsical desire to celebrate out in the fresh air.But whatever it was, she liked being here.
She wasn’t afraid to be in the park at night, knowing Luke’s martial arts skills, and having some confidence in her own ability as well.
“So, what was his name?”Luke asked suddenly.
“Huh?”
“The guy who broke your heart.”He looked over at her with a little mischief in his eyes, but she had the feeling he wasn’t just asking in order to tease her.“We all have one.The one who got away, the one you thought you would end up with, but instead they just break your heart without even noticing.”
Hallie walked on, wondering why he was bringing it up now.
“I think it would help if you told me his name,” he went on confidently, “It would destroy his hold over you, like breaking a magic spell.”
Hallie couldn’t tell if he was in a playful mood or if he was somewhat serious.
“Maybe there was a guy in my past who fits that description,” she said, “but I’m definitely over him.I wasted so much time being heart-broken already, why would I waste any more?”
The branches of the trees reached out to grab her, like memories of the past.
“See, that’s the trap,” Luke said with a cunning expression.“You think you’re over him, you swear you’ll never end up in the same place again, wasting your time over someone who doesn’t care, but every time you look at me, you probably think of him.”
“That’s not true!”she exclaimed.Then she realized it was a little true.She didn’t trust Luke as much as she could have, not only because he was Luke, but also because he reminded her of someone else.
“To really get rid of him, you have to stop thinking about him altogether.Not as a cautionary tale, not as anything.”
Hallie didn’t respond yet, thinking about what he said.Could it be Luke was actually making sense?
They passed another couple walking by, a bearded man and a long-haired woman holding each other closely.
“I’ll tell you mine,” Luke went on, “Her name was Birgitta.She was a student in my high school, a year older than me.When I met her, she was in her last year of studies, and she didn’t care about some sniveling little royal heir.”
“Really?”Hallie said, becoming interested as she tried to picture him as a young student in some kind of posh boarding school uniform.
“I asked her out, and she said I was too shallow for her.”He smiled, but without any hint of bitterness.He looked playful again, and in moments like this Hallie liked being around him.
“Max,” she said, “His name was Max.”
They walked across a wide stretch of grass.Up ahead, the city’s towers shone in a bright cluster, reflected in the waters of the lake like a dreamscape.A fringe of trees divided the real city from its reflection with inky black leaves in the moonlight.
