Page 19 of One Night Only
“Feelings of exclusion, lack of attention—”
“Are youanalyzingme?”
“You’re not that deep,” he mimics.
I bite back my retort. “I’m an only child,” I say stiffly.
“Even worse.”
“Oh, excuse you, like you know anything about me.”
“I can take a guess.” He abandons the flowers, dusting his hands free of the petals. “You have, after all, so confidently diagnosed me.” He turns to me then, a spark in his eyes I don’t like. “You’re from where? Pennsylvania?”
“How did you know that?”
“Annie mentioned. But she didn’t mention where exactly, so I’m going to guess it’s a small town. Is that right?”
“I don’t—”
“You met Annie in college, so you left when you were eighteen. And I know you two lived together before she met Paul, so you never moved home.” He tilts his head, frowning as I gape at him. “You’re an architect, so you’ve got a decent job. You’ve got a nice apartment too. And a roommate who didn’t look too surprised to see a stranger in the morning. But the speed and skill with which you threw me out—”
“I didn’t throw you out.”
“Shut the door in my face then,” he continues pleasantly. “Suggests it’s not the first time you’ve done it. And it’s how you like it.”
“Are you trying to mansplain my feelings to me?”
“I wouldn’t take it personally,” he says calmly. “I do it to everyone. Men included.”
I fight the urge to look away as he holds my gaze, his expression suddenly clearing. “A bad breakup.”
“Excuse me?”
“That’s your thing.”
“Mything?”
“Someone broke your heart back home. You ran away to New York and told yourself you’d be independent forever.”
“My heart’s just fine.”
“Your parents then,” he pushes and I flinch in surprise. He latches onto it, triumphant.
“Only child, small town,” he continues. “Tale as old as time. You have overbearing parents who can’t cope with you gone. Every Christmas they ask when you’re coming home. Sarah, they say, why don’t you find a nice man to settle down with it? Why don’t you give us a grandchild? It drives you nuts and that’s why you—”
“My parents don’t speak to each other,” I say, cutting him off mid-stride. “They divorced years ago.”
Declan stares at me in surprise. I have the feeling I’m looking at him the same way. I can’t believe I told him that. I mean, Icanbelieve it. The wine has loosened my tongue and he’s annoying me and I…
I finish my glass as things grow even more awkward between us.
Declan presses a loose petal between his fingers. “Do you seriously believe you get points for that?”
“What?”
“No way. You think you can beat me?”
“Beat you?”
