Ain't She Sweet (Seven Brides for Seven Mothers #2) - Whitney Dineen Page 0,35

you have trouble committing or something?” Who reaches their thirties without having ever been with someone for longer than a year?

“Nice, blame me.” He kicks off his own shoes before putting his feet on the couch and pulling Penny onto his lap. “The last woman I dated got transferred to Seattle. There was no point in trying a long-distance relationship when I have no desire to leave Spartan. The one before her didn’t like the hours I kept. She was a night owl, and as I’ve mentioned, I go to bed at nine. People have to fit all aspects of your life for a relationship to work.”

I stare at him as though the intensity of my scrutiny alone has the same power as Wonder Woman’s Lasso of Truth.

He stares right back. “Not to mention there aren’t a ton of available women to choose from in this town. Unless of course, you’re interested in recently divorced gals in their fifties. I had two rather bold requests for my time this summer.” He winks indicating the nature of those invitations, and a ripple of lust tears right through me.

I offer a nervous giggle. “Did you take them up on it?”

“As flattered as I was, I had to turn both ladies down.” My left eyebrow arches in question, so he discloses, “They wanted to go out after my bedtime.” Damn, James Cavanaugh is one charming man.

For some reason, I feel the need to tell him, “The first year of my relationship with Romaine, we both traveled so much we rarely saw each other. The next year I quit modeling and went to cooking school. When I got my first restaurant job, I moved in with him in hopes of having more time together.”

“And?”

“It turns out we wanted vastly different things from life. Romaine wants to stay in the public eye and live his rock-and-roll lifestyle. I don’t.”

“Do you still love him?” he asks.

I shrug my shoulders. “You can love people without being compatible.”

“Do you ever miss him?” he asks.

I decide to turn the tables. “Do you ever miss your old girlfriend?”

“I miss the companionship for sure,” he says. “I miss the life I thought we could have had together. But when she took a job transfer without discussing it with me, I realized I didn’t mean as much to her as she meant to me.”

“I’m sorry.” There’s nothing else I can say. Anyone who’s lost at love knows the toll it takes on your heart. “I love Romaine,” I finally say. “We just aren’t a good fit.”

“Does he know that? I mean, if he pursues you as much as your mom says he does, he’s obviously still hoping to work things out.”

“My mom told you that he pursues me?” What is she thinking? That’s pretty personal information to share with a virtual stranger.

“She said he comes to her house begging for information about you.”

I stare at him for a long moment before saying, “I don’t think anyone has ever left Romaine before. I think he’s worried he’s lost his star power and feels like he has something to prove by getting back together with me.”

“Like you’re some kind of trophy, huh?”

James’s words have almost a physical effect on me. I feel an actual sharp pain in my chest. Talk about a knife to the heart. “I guess I’m done being a trophy,” I mumble quietly. “I want to be an equal partner in my next relationship. One where the man I’m in love with understands that his career doesn’t trump mine just because he gets more attention for it.”

He stares at me so intently, I finally have to look away. I feel extremely vulnerable having made that confession. What is it about James Cavanaugh that lowers my force field to the point where I’d tell him something like that?

“My parents always worked together,” he says. “They were a team in everything they did: the lodge, their family, and their hobbies. They were my example for what a relationship should be. I want the same kind of synchronicity they shared. And honestly, I’m at a place in my life where I won’t settle for less.”

“Good luck with that,” I say with a tinge of bitterness. “My parents divorced when I was fourteen. My dad remarried and had another family.”

“Your mom never remarried?” he asks.

I shake my head. “She’s dated a few different men, but nothing ever came from it. Sometimes I’m worried that she’s lonely and I blame myself.” Why did I tell him