She believed she had done that quite successfully too until recently, whereupon that pesky cat had inadvertently ensured that her ex knew her true feelings, and all the hurt and shame she’d endured in the aftermath.
And had promptly ghosted her after, all promises of a reunion while he was in New York for the tournament suddenly forgotten.
Yet, inexplicably here he was now in Courtney’s apartment, standing right in front of her.
Hannah put the flowers on a side table against the wall in the entryway.
‘I’m sure you know this place is not mine. And it’s early actually.’ She self-consciously brushed her fingers through her hair and tucked a few errant strands behind her ears. Glancing down, she quickly realized the front of her robe was open, her silk pyjamas exposed, and she wasn’t wearing a bra. She wrapped the robe around her body and tightened the sash.
Then looked up and met Rob’s gaze. As if reading her thoughts, his eyes flicked ever so briefly along her body, his gaze lasting a moment too long.
Swallowing hard, Hannah crossed her arms. ‘Why are you here?’
He shrugged and turned on his heel, striding silkily through the apartment like a tiger.
‘I wanted to see you,’ he said, non-committal, as he strolled over to the window, taking in the expansive view of the park beyond the glass. ‘Quite the vista.’ And again, as if he owned the place, blithely lifted the sash window, letting in some fresh morning air.
‘Yes,’ she replied distractedly. ‘But again, what are you doing here? And why now when you were in the city last month and I didn’t hear a word?’
He turned to face her, and his expression transitioned from playful to serious.
‘First of all,’ he began, ‘I owe you an apology for being the biggest idiot in the world.’
She stared at him, not sure what to say to this and also how hehad deftly side-stepped her question. Though she could probably guess exactly what Zoe would say if her friend were here.
‘I know I messed up, and it kills me that I hurt you. I realize now what I did was inexcusable. That message …’
‘Why did you need me to spell it out though?’ Hannah asked, perplexed. ‘Surely you must have known what that little stunt would do to me professionally?’
He sighed. ‘I honestly wasn’t thinking at the time,’ he admitted. ‘I was just on top of the world and I wanted to share that with you. With everyone.’
He certainly sounded sincere. As she stared into his baby-blue eyes, all the great times they’d had together came flooding back. Then remembering how he could so easily turn on the charm when he wanted something, Hannah headed into the kitchen and placed a pod in the Keurig, determined to keep her composure. Forget the tea, she was definitely going to need coffee for this conversation.
‘That message was weeks ago though,’ she reiterated. ‘And you said you’d be in town for the tournament last month. I know you were. So why not come and see me then? Why now?’
Rob’s eyes softened and he did the puppy dog eyes thing.
Don’t fall for it,she warned herself.
‘I wanted to come and see you when I was at the tournament, babe. But honestly … I didn’t know what to say. I hated how we ended things and I needed to think about … next steps.’
Next steps? As if her feelings were to be considered as part of some kind ofstrategy? There was more to this visit than met the eye, she was sure of it. She turned to face him, determined to say her peace but keep her cool.
‘Well, now you know why I left. You disrespected me. Youhumiliated me on live TV. You thought of yourself only. You didn’t care a whit about what the fallout would be for me or my career, how I would be judged by my colleagues, my boss, and my clients. You made me look like a fool,’ she finished softly.
He slowly crossed the space between them, pausing ever so briefly by the door to her bedroom. He glanced into the room and took in the rumpled sheets and the mattress, the bedsheets likely still warm. Looking back at her, Rob’s eyes twinkled suggestively, and she knew exactly what he was thinking about.
She straightened her shoulders and did her best to remain non-plussed.
‘I know what’s on your mind,’ she challenged. ‘And I can tell you here and nowthatis not going to happen.’
He chuckled and moved closer. ‘See, it’s stuff like that. You get me, Hannah. Youknowme.’ He took a few more steps and studied her from the opposite side of the kitchen island, where her phone rested since the night before. ‘That’s why we were so good together. And could be again.’
Putting a hand on the device, Rob idly spun it around on the marble top in lazy circles. The movement woke the screen and she glanced down to see a slew of notifications, patiently awaiting her response. And right at that moment, almost as if the other party was aware she was in the vicinity, it started to buzz with a fresh incoming call.
Frowning, Rob snatched the phone and looked at the caller display. The smile dropped and his blue eyes now sparkled with something else as he stared at her.
‘McKenzie …’ he spat darkly. ‘I honestly didn’t believe it but … Are you actually serious, Hannah?’
