Perfect Fit (Serendipity's Finest) - By Carly Phillips Page 0,52
delicious too.
“Hey.” He didn’t crack a smile as he stepped inside. His expression looked dark and forbidding, and a sudden chill skittered over her skin. One that had nothing to do with the brief blast of cold air from outside.
“Ready?” he asked.
“I just have to get my purse and jacket.”
He shoved his hands into his front pockets and waited without making small talk and without looking at her at all.
She swallowed hard. His greeting was nothing like she’d expected. Okay, so he wasn’t admiring the view as she’d done with him. She told herself that was fine, even as disappointment welled inside her.
But his closed expression put her off and unnerved her even more. He looked nothing like the man who’d dropped her off yesterday afternoon with a blistering kiss and a promise to stay the night.
“Umm…is everything okay?” she asked as she picked up her small bag from the couch.
“Any reason it wouldn’t be?” he asked in an ice-cold voice.
Her discomfort turned to alarm. “You tell me.”
He glanced at his watch. “We’re going to be late,” he said, without answering her question.
“And I don’t give a damn.” Cara wasn’t going anywhere with Mike in this mood. She tossed her bag back onto the sofa. “Talk.”
He turned to face her, his eyes and expression glacial. “I went to see my mother today.”
Uh-oh. “What did she say?”
Disappointment flashed across his handsome face. “Are you really going to play this game? You know exactly what she said. That she’s been in touch with my father on Facebook and you knew.” He spat the words like an accusation.
Cara’s stomach twisted in tight knots, but she straightened her shoulders, standing by what she had—or hadn’t—done. “It wasn’t my place to tell you.” She’d felt angst about it, felt guilty, but in the end, there was only one choice she could make, and she remained silent.
He shook his head back and forth slowly. “I talked to you about my father. I don’t talk to anyone about him, including my family.” His eyes blazed with anger and betrayal, causing her heart to pound harder in her chest.
“I know.” And Cara had valued every ounce of information he’d given her, no matter how small. “And I appreciate that you let me in.” She stepped closer, placing a hand on his shoulder, but he stepped out of reach.
She did her best not to shiver at the rejection. “I begged your mother to tell you, but she didn’t want to upset you. She insisted, and I gave my word.”
“That’s it?” He glared at her, not giving an inch. “You saw me after the judge’s house. You knew how conflicted I was. And all you can say is you gave your word?”
She nodded, pulling her walls back up because she wasn’t getting through to him. “My word is everything. It’s what defines me.”
He raised an eyebrow. “That cut-and-dried?” he asked.
“You’re damned right. Want to know why? Because I know what it means not to keep it.”
He narrowed his gaze.
Cara went on. “Every time my father swore he wouldn’t touch my mother again, he gave his word. He promised over and over he wouldn’t hit her again. He wouldn’t belittle her. Demean her.” Cara’s thoughts went back to the scene at the grocery store the other day. “Order her around, demand she walk away from her own daughter at his command.” Cara’s voice caught, but she forced herself to go on. “He makes her feel like she’s nothing. And every time he promised not to do it again, he did. He broke his word. And each time was worse than the last.”
She felt rather than saw his shock. The atmosphere changed between them, chill turning to warmth, but Cara didn’t want Mike softening toward her because of pity. He needed to understand why she’d keep a promise no matter what.
“I learned early on, the only thing that matters is whether a person can keep their word. That’s what defines who I am as a human being. That’s what makes me different from him.” Her voice cracked, but she wasn’t going to fall apart on him. “So no, I didn’t tell you what I knew because I promised your mother I wouldn’t.”
This time he came to her, his body heat bracketing her where she stood. “Cara.”
She shook her head, unable to believe that the night she’d looked forward to had gone so far off course. Yet she didn’t blame him for being hurt or angry with her.