and check on her apartment before flying off to Boston.
They didn’t arrive until after seven, so he insisted on taking her out for a nice dinner before they went to her place. He hadn’t mentioned staying over, so when he carried her luggage up to her apartment, she assumed she’d take an Uber to LAX tomorrow.
Her apartment wasn’t in the best possible shape. Seeing it through Dallas’s eyes made it even worse. Dirty dishes were stacked up on the counter and filled the sink. Laundry was piled on the washer and the floor. Her coffee table and end tables were thick with dust. And all the houseplants she’d abandoned were dead.
Embarrassed, she opened a window to air out the place, and started dumping any leftover food in the trash or down the garbage disposal.
“Nice place,” he said as he walked around, looking at the art on the walls as though he didn’t see—or care about—the mess.
“I could barely get out of bed when I left here,” she explained. “I’m glad I came home early so that I can get this place cleaned up.”
“It’s not that bad.” He nudged her out of the way so he could close the garbage sack she’d filled. “Where can I take this?”
“I’ve got it,” she protested.
“Let me help.”
“But you have a long drive to get back home, and it’s already nine o’clock. You should get going.”
He frowned. No doubt he could tell that she was already pushing him away—at least in an emotional sense. “I thought I’d stay over and take you to the airport tomorrow, if that’s okay.”
“No need to put yourself to the trouble. I can grab an Uber.” She tried to take the sack from him, but he wouldn’t let go.
“After what happened at the Blue Suede Shoe, I’d rather not leave you alone.”
“I don’t need you to protect me,” she said. “I’ll keep the door locked. I’m sure everything will be fine.”
Straightening, he held her gaze. “I don’t want to leave when we still have more time, Emery.”
She hated the thought that they were coming to the end of whatever had started between them. What they’d had was so unexpected and so good for her—something that had nothing to do with rational thought or checking off a list of traits and preferences that signified he’d be a good match. It simply felt right—natural, comfortable, instinctual. But she preferred to say goodbye now—to get it over with so that she didn’t have to dread it any longer.
Still, she didn’t want to be rude, not after everything he’d done for her. “It’s just that... I know you don’t get to see your brothers very often, and Seth won’t be staying in Silver Springs for long.”
His scowl darkened. “Stop with the lame excuses.”
“Fine. The garbage bin is on ground level around the building to your right.”
“Got it.” He walked out of the kitchen, but as he carried the garbage through the living room, she heard an ominous crunch.
“What was that?” She hurried out to see that he’d stepped on the broken glass she hadn’t bothered to sweep up when she’d thrown a framed photograph of her and Ethan against the wall.
Dallas was bending down to see what he’d stepped on. “Nothing. I got it.”
“Are you okay? You didn’t get cut...”
“I’m fine.” After staring at the picture of her and Ethan—their arms draped around each other at a friend’s wedding—he dumped the frame, the glass and the picture inside the garbage bag. “Do you have a vacuum so I can clean up the smaller shards?”
“I’ll take care of it.”
She was just opening her broom closet when he came up behind her. Resting his hands lightly on her shoulders, he said, “Why won’t you relax and let me help you?”
She was tempted to close her eyes, to let herself feel the heat of his body, the fulfillment that came with just having him around, but she didn’t want him to know that such a small thing could mean so much to her. She was determined to respect the fact that his feelings for her were not as strong as hers were for him, and she refused to make him uncomfortable by coming off as needy or grasping. She thought if he hadn’t been through what he’d been through, things might be different. But if he wouldn’t open up and let her in, there was nothing she could do. She’d tried to talk about his past several times since she’d learned of it, but he’d shut her