He took the moment to study her. Memorizing the euphoria on her face, as she stared up in wonder and delight. A soft breeze drifted through her hair, pushing it from her face, as she closed her eyes and breathed deeply. If he were a painter, he would like to paint this moment, as he would lock this image in his mind forever.
“I forgot how beautiful the sky is at night.” Olivia said after a few minutes. “Where I lived you couldn’t see them, because of the city lights.”
“Where were you, before California that you couldn’t see them?” Heath was curious about Olivia. He had told her a great deal about himself. More than he usually liked to talk about, and yet, he hardly knew anything about her. It was like she was afraid of him knowing more about her.
Olivia looked over at him warily, before answering. “New York.”
Huh, he never would have pictured her in New York. She didn’t seem the big city kind of woman. Olivia looked more at home here in a small town. “How long were you there for?”
“A while.”
Heath picked up on the fact that she was dodging his questions with evasive answers. She didn’t want to talk about her past. He didn’t know if it was because her ex that hurt her, and she didn’t want to talk about it, or if there was another reason.
“I bet this was some change for you. Coming from New York to here.”
“Not really.” She gave a rueful smile. “I grew up in a small town, and I prefer them to big cities. The only part I liked about New York was my job.”
“What did you do there?” He soaked up any and all information he could learn about her like a sponge. She was an enigma he had to solve.
Olivia looked down at her cup in her hand, her face crestfallen. “It doesn’t matter anymore. It was a long time ago and best forgotten.”
“Olivia, I want to get to know you better, but I can’t do that, when you keep shutting me out.”
Olivia turned to face him, her eyes full of pain. He wished he knew how to erase it, but he was lost. “There are just things about my past I’d rather forget. I want to forget that part of my life and focus on the here and now. Knowing my past, isn’t going to tell you who I am. I’m a different person than I was then.”
Heath understood what she was trying to say. It was because of his past that he was the person he was today, and he wasn’t the same person he was years ago, or even a month ago.
Heath just wanted to understand what it was about her past she was hiding. He could ask Aaron, their computer tech, but he didn’t want to go behind her back. If Olivia didn’t want him to know about her life in New York, then so be it. He could wait. His life was nothing but patience and calm.
When she was ready, she’d tell him, he had no doubt. “Will you at least tell me where you grew up? I told you about my childhood.” He added, reminding her he already shared some of his past with her.
Olivia bit her lip to keep from laughing, when he gave her the puppy dog face. “Pinehurst, North Carolina.”
“It sounds like a nice place.”
Olivia looked out over the town, nodding in agreement. “It was. Nothing ever really happened there, a lot like this place. I remember wanting to get out and see the world, when I graduated. I went to New York, and now, I’m back in a small town just on the opposite coast.”
Another nugget to stash away in his mind. “Well, whatever the reason for you moving, I’m glad you’re here.” And he was. Olivia was a special woman. She was more than just the next conquest. She was a kindred spirit.
“Me too,” Oliva graced him with a radiant smile, and he thought his heart stopped, and he died.
They finished their meal, as Olivia rested back on her hands, swinging her legs over the tailgate. Heath joined her, needing to be closer to her, and drawn to her side. “Can I ask you something?” Something that was nagging him.
“What’s that?” She shook her hair back from her shoulders, rolling her head to the side to look at him. He didn’t know if she did it to entice him, or because her hair was in her way, but either way, he was entranced. A floral fragrance teased his senses, and he found himself growing hard and uncomfortable in his pants.
“Why did you finally agree to go out with me? Not that I’m complaining.” He quickly added. Heath was glad she finally said yes, but he didn’t know what caused the sudden change. “I’m just curious.”
“I told you before that it started out that I thought you were only interested in one night, and that’s not what I wanted. There was also the fact that I found you arrogant.”
“This doesn’t sound like reasons to finally agree.”
Olivia chuckled. “No, but over the past month, I saw that you were kind, caring, and generous. Nothing at all like I first thought.” That sounded much better. “Then, during the carnival, we had a lot in common.” They did, and he was still shocked he had so much in common with her.
Olivia’s eyelashes fluttered, before looking up at him directly. “I said no for so long, because I was leaving.” She licked her lips in a nervous gesture, and he felt his stomach clench. Was she trying to tell him she was moving, and she was only giving in, because of that? “But I was leaving for the wrong reasons, and now, I’ve decided to stay. So, I didn’t see a reason to keep you at arms distance anymore. We can take things slow and get to know one another.”
Chapter 13
“You’re staying?” He couldn’t believe his ears.
