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Overcome with regret, he stopped, turning to face Claire. “I know we never got the chance to speak earlier, but I just…I need to apologize again for how…”

He paused as she waved a hand in a gesture for him to stop. “Look, we don’t have to do this,” she said softly, darkness shrouding half of her face as she looked up at him. “We’ve already agreed that a relationship wouldn’t work between us. Talking about it again would just be too painful, you know?” She looked away, her shoulders falling forward as she continued in a voice barely above a whisper. “Honestly, being around you is painful. I just can’t do it anymore.”

His chest tightened. “What do you mean?”

She looked up at him, her features downcast. “I think I’m gonna catch an earlier flight home.”

Panic gripped his chest. He knew he’d be busy with work, but a small part of him had clung to the hope that he’d still have the chance to speak with Claire in the late evenings. Now, with her leaving, that one light in his dark life was being taken away too early.

“You-you can’t leave,” he said, shaking his head, feeling the threads of his life snapping one by one. “You came all this way. I’ll just stay at my own apartment after Christmas. That way you won’t have to see me.”

Would it be enough for him to simply know that Claire was still in England, even though he couldn’t see her? Or was he simply stringing out the painful inevitable?

She gave a half-smile, her brows turned upright. “It’s not being with you that’s painful, Liam. It’s knowing that I can’t be with you. And I don’t want that constant reminder anymore.” She took a step away from him. “Please don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”

She turned around and walked away. He watched her retreat in a sort of daze. She was leaving England, cutting her holiday short, flying all the way back to Colorado…just because she wanted to be with him but couldn’t?

His heart tapped against his chest, as if learning to beat for the first time. Did she really like him that much? Did she feel as deeply for him as he felt for her?

Needing to know the truth, though he didn’t know what he’d do with it, Liam jogged toward her. “Claire, wait.”

But she shook her head, still walking away. “No, Liam. We need to make a clean break.”

“We can’t.” He ran in front of her so she had to stop, but she wouldn’t meet his gaze. “I need to know first how…how exactly you feel about me.”

She wouldn’t respond. He reached forward, but she pulled back.

He didn’t blame her, nor would he push it, but his heart ached at that need for connection, to experience her warmth, to physically feel what her heart felt.

“Please,” he said softly, “just tell me—”

He stopped, his phone pulling him from their conversation as it rang. Claire dropped her eyes to his pockets, but he merely reached back and pressed the side button to silence the generic ringtone. Pulling his mind back to the conversation, Liam drew a deep breath and gathered his thoughts. Claire remained silently watchful.

“Claire, too much has gone on between us for us to—”

Again, his phone went off. He sighed, pulling it out to silence it indefinitely before pausing as he read the name emblazoned across the screen.

Garrett. What the devil was he doing calling right now?

“Is that your boss?”

Liam looked up, Claire’s eyes on him. “Yeah.”

She looked away. “Go ahead. I’ll wait.”

Frustration filtered into his heart at Garrett’s interruption. “I’ll just be one minute.”

She nodded, turning away to allow him to take his call in private. Liam accepted the call, facing the other direction. “Hey, Garrett.” He hoped his voice revealed just how annoyed he was.

“Liam, I need you to come in.”

Liam paused, scoffing. “Can you tell me why?”

“Armstrong Glass is losing interest. We’re putting together a presentation for them, and we need you to head it up.”

Liam lowered his voice as he responded, though he knew Claire would hear no matter what. “I was under the impression that, since I worked through the night yesterday, I wouldn’t be asked to come in on Christmas. I missed my mum’s party, visiting with my family—”

“We’re all making sacrifices here, Liam. I’m also away from my family tonight.”