Stroke of Luck - Opal Carew Page 0,45

Whoa, and he’d been worried about April and the champagne. It was having a bigger effect on him than he’d thought. As they walked, April tripped, then stumbled against Austin. His friend’s arm slid around her, stopping her from falling.

She giggled. “You’re right. The champagne did go to my head.”

Quinn was very conscious of the fact that Austin’s arm stayed around her as they continued walking. He wasn’t jealous as much as he wanted to be the one taking care of her. April seemed so comfortable with Austin. So willing to let him do things to help her, but with Quinn, she insisted on paying him back.

Which confused him because if she really were a gold digger, why wouldn’t she just take the money? He’d thought it was pride, or more likely she’d make a lot of noise about paying him back while they both knew it would never happen because she didn’t have the means.

Back in college when they’d been dating, he never would have believed that she’d be the type to go after a man’s money. Not until she’d broken up with him and within weeks was hanging on Maurice’s arm.

He stopped walking. A moment later, Austin and April stopped, too, and stared at him inquiringly.

“April, why did you break up with me in college?” Quinn asked.

She frowned and drew away from Austin. “I told you, it just wasn’t working between us.”

It had been a shock to him when she’d ended it, simply saying that the relationship wasn’t working. He’d thought it was more because she thought he was frustrated about them not having sex. He’d even brought it up, assuring her that he was okay with her reasons for waiting, but she’d denied that was the problem.

“Was it because you’d already met your next boyfriend?” The accusation flashed through his mind and out of his mouth before he could stop it.

Her eyes widened, and the pain in those depths told him he’d hurt her. His heart compressed at his callousness.

“April, tell him the truth,” Austin said.

She gazed at Austin, then bit her lip as she turned back to Quinn.

“The truth?” Quinn glanced from Austin to April. “What’s going on, April?”

Then she shook her head and stared down at her hands.

“Then I’ll tell him,” Austin said. “April broke up with you because she was afraid of being hurt. You didn’t understand it back then, and she was just trying to deal with her issues, but you were throwing yourself into your work, as usual, and she felt abandoned. She didn’t want to make you choose between her and your work, so she chose for you.”

“That’s not fair. If I had known—”

“There are a lot of ifs, buddy. But April was struggling with new feelings. Of belonging. Of being cared for. Being with you prompted needs in her that she didn’t know how to deal with. When you seemed to be pulling away, she was afraid. So she decided to end it before she fell in love with you. But in my opinion, it was too late.”

Quinn remembered that during their conversation this morning, she’d commented on how hard he’d worked in college. He’d taken it as an accusation that he had neglected her, but she’d denied that was why she’d left. Austin’s words gave him more insight. Of course she wouldn’t admit that was the reason, because she wouldn’t even consider laying blame on him for the relationship ending.

“I don’t understand. I wasn’t gone that much.”

Then he remembered canceling their date on the night she’d wanted to make a special dinner for him. He’d finally figured out a bug in his software program, and he’d wanted to fix it right away. He’d wound up working through the night. Then he’d canceled the concert a week later.

But he hadn’t been neglecting her. He’d loved being with her.

He also knew, however, that when he was really caught up in a project, he was so focused he tended to lose track of time.

“Was I really gone that much?” he asked, more of himself.

April didn’t answer, still staring downward.

He stepped toward her and took her hands. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Slowly, she raised her face. Her blue eyes were haunted with sorrow.

“Because I would never ask you to change who you are for me.”

“Ah, fuck.” He pulled her into his arms. “I was such an idiot back then.” He hugged her tightly against him, pain searing through his chest. “If I had known…” He nuzzled her hair. “You were the most important