“Okay.” Now he soundedreallyannoyed. Shit.
She turned off the oven. The potatoes would be mush by the time they ate them. Oh well. She grabbed her keys and purse and hurried out to her car.
How could they have forgotten about Nate arriving tonight? She hadn’t been happy he was coming to stay with them. Not the way things were. Their life was in turmoil, and now, after getting the news from Dr. Edgar, they didn’t need another person hanging around their house.
How were they supposed to talk things out with Nate there?
How were they supposed to talk things out when Derek didn’t even bother to come home?
As she sped along the 101 from Montecito through Santa Barbara she stared straight ahead, throat tight.
But Nate had problems of his own, and when he’d called last week to see if he could stay with them, Derek couldn’t say no. Nate was his best friend. They hadn’t seen him for almosttwo years. Two years since tragedy had demolished Nate’s own life. The memory of that squeezed Krissa’s heart.
She pulled up in front of the small airport terminal, eyes searching for him. Her gaze skimmed over a tall man sitting on a suitcase, then went back to him. It was Nate. He looked…thinner. Those dark wraparound sunglasses disguised him, but she’d always know him. He still had an athlete’s body, his shoulders wide and muscled, his legs long and lean in faded jeans. His brown hair was longer, more tousled than it had been two years ago.
When he turned her way, she lifted a hand. He stood and grabbed his bags, one of which no doubt carried all his camera equipment. Krissa popped the trunk of the BMW, then hopped out to see if he needed help.
“Nate.” She walked up to him and opened her arms for a hug. He hesitated, then pulled her against him. “I’m so sorry we forgot about you,” she murmured into his chest. “It’s a long story.”
Despite having apparently lost some weight, he still felt big and solid. He smelled like warm male, with a faint hint of soap and cinnamon chewing gum. It felt so good to be held, it made Krissa realize how long it had been since she and Derek had hugged like this…just hugged, not for the purpose of having sex or procreating, just to connect and show affection.
“You can tell me later.” Nate’s arms tightened fractionally around her, then released her. Dark glasses hid his eyes and his square jaw with a shadow of beard and straight mouth gave him a grim, hard look.
She forced a smile. “Yeah. How are you?”
“Shitty, thanks.” One corner of his mouth kicked up in a meager smile.
She turned to his bags. “Here, let me…”
“Don’t be silly.” He hefted them as if they were loaves of bread and heaved them into the trunk. He may have been ill, but he was still strong.
Inside the car, Nate clicked his seatbelt into place. “So your husband is MIA?”
“Yes.” She sighed, glanced over her left shoulder and pulled out into traffic. “We…had some bad news today. I think he’s taking it hard.”
“Ah.”
She tensed, waiting for him to ask, dreading having to tell the story, or worse, tell him it was none of his business. But he didn’t ask.
He looked around. “It’s nice to be home.”
“Really?” She shot a sideways glance his way. “I didn’t think you were ever going to come back.”
He stared silently out the side window. “I wasn’t sure if I ever was either.”
“It’s been a long time.”
“Yeah. It has.” He nodded. “The funny thing is, I was planning on coming back to the States next month anyway. A gallery in L.A. is having a show of my work.”
“Oh, wow! That’s great, Nate.”
He shrugged. “Not much point in going now.”
“But, you have to go. It’s your show.”
He turned to her, and she felt the intensity of his eyes even though she couldn’t see them. She wished she could. She hated it when she couldn’t see people’s eyes. He shook his head. “I don’t think I can face people like this.”
She licked her lips, unsure what to say. “Maybe you’ll be better by then.”
