Page 17 of A Kiss to Remember
But the library had emptied of parents, children, staff and volunteers forty-five minutes earlier, and now she sat in the passenger seat of Declan’s car as he drove through the quiet streets. She couldn’t escape the slow thawing around her heart. Couldn’t escape her relentless thoughts. Couldn’t escapeher.
You wanting her, being with her, of all people, is laughable. She’s boring, fa—
Remi squeezed her eyes shut, blocking out the scenery passing by her passenger window. Too bad she couldn’t block out the memory of Tara’s words. The other woman hadn’t needed to finish the sentence for Remi to discern how it ended.
Fat.
Boring and fat.
Oh Godhow that hurt.
The mental door to that vault she tried so hard to keep shut creaked open and more memories crept out. Memories of her mother’s and Patrick’s voices.
A minute on the lips, a lifetime on the hips, Remi.
I just want you to be healthy, Remi.
Are you sure that choice of dress is wise? It’s not very forgiving, is it?
The judgments, backhanded compliments and criticisms framed as concern poured into her mind. It’d taken Remi years, but she’d come to love and accept herself. But there were moments like tonight—like the other night with her mother in the café—when her hard-won confidence took enough of a hit that she wavered.
When she had to remind herself she wasn’t lovabledespiteher weight or size.
She was lovablebecauseof them.
Smothering a sigh, she silently urged the car to go faster. She longed to get home, drag on her favorite Wonder Woman pajamas, pop open a bottle of wine, put onPride and Prejudice—the version with Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen otherwise known asthe best version—and lick her wounds.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow she would be okay, but God, she needed tonight.
“Remi, we need to talk about tonight.”
The thaw inside her sped up, the red-tinged hurt throbbing.Home. Just get me home.It’d been years since she’d last cried in front of someone, and she didn’t intend to break that record tonight. Not with him.
“I didn’t get a chance to thank you for helping out with setting up and then stepping in when my volunteer didn’t show. I really appreciate it. We all did,” she said, switching the subject from what she suspected he really wanted to talk about.
“You’re welcome. And the deflection isn’t going to work,” he murmured, voice gentle but firm. Too firm. “Since she would probably never apologize, I’m going to say ‘I’m sorry’ for Tara. What she sa—”
“Forget it. I have.”
“Remi,” he tried again.
“Let. It. Go.”
Silence permeated the car, weighing down her shoulders, pressing on her chest. She desperately counted the minutes until she arrived home. Rose Bend wasn’t that large a town, but right now it felt like the size of Boston.
Finally, he pulled up outside her house. Any other time, she would’ve taken a moment to admire the cute, quaint cottage that she’d saved for and bought on her own not far from the beautiful Kinsale Inn. But now, the sight of the yellow-and-white home only inspired relief. She reached for the door handle.
“Remi.” Declan’s hand clasped her wrist. “Wait.”
She paused but didn’t glance over her shoulder to look at him, instead perched on the passenger seat ready to flee.
“Please don’t leave like this. Talk to me, sweetheart.”
She trembled at the “sweetheart,” her eyes briefly closing.
Whatever you’re doing with Remi Donovan isn’t fooling me or anyone in this town.
She wasn’t his sweetheart, and everyone knew it. Hell, even her own mother found it hard to believe. Because a man like him couldn’t desire, couldn’t...Lovea woman like her. A beautiful, charismatic, brilliant, sexy as hell man couldn’t want a successful, independent, educated woman just because she happened to wear a size sixteen.
