biology. This was one roadblock that could not be charmed, wined and dined, bulldozed or outmaneuvered.
He was stuck, whether he liked it or not, and—determination to do the right thing aside—it didn’t sit well with him. Not at all.
He unlocked his car and slid behind the wheel. In a perfect world, he’d head straight home and dig out a large bottle of scotch to drown his sorrows and quench his frustrated anger. In the real world, he was due at his parents’ place at six-thirty. For a few seconds he toyed with the idea of canceling, but he already had his nephew’s present in the car. Just because he’d screwed up didn’t mean Garth should miss out.
Rhys scrubbed his face with his hands, then reached to start the car. It wasn’t until he was pulling on his seat belt that he registered his missing tie and remembered that he’d left it on Charlie’s couch. He was tempted to leave it, but then he remembered the spartan neatness of her apartment.
He turned off the engine and got out of the car. As he climbed the stairs to the first floor, it hit him that this was probably the first of many times that he’d have to put Charlie’s sensibilities and preferences ahead of his own.
Something else he needed to get used to. Somehow.
CHAPTER SIX
CHARLIE tidied the kitchen, washing Rhys’s mug and the milk jug before drying everything and putting it away. She wiped down the counter, even though it was already spotless, then went into the living room and straightened the pillows on the couch.
She was aware of an insistent burning sensation at the back of her eyes and a heavy, tight feeling in her chest and throat, but she staunchly kept working, willing the unwanted feelings to go away. She was plumping the last cushion when she discovered Rhys’s tie crumpled between the arm and cushion of the couch. She picked up the striped length of silk and folded it neatly, placing it on the coffee table. The next thing she knew, tears were streaking down her face.
She used the sleeve of her shirt to wipe them away, but they kept coming. Her breathing became choppy, and she squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to get a grip on herself.
She’d never been a crier. Her father had trained that out of her at a very young age. “If you want my attention, you earn it,” he’d said. And the army had reinforced the notion that tears were a form of weakness, a child’s way of expressing herself. Soldiers didn’t cry. Soldiers sucked it up and moved on.
And yet she couldn’t get the tears to stop, and for the life of her, she didn’t understand why. She’d had a perfectly agreeable conversation with Rhys. Things were looking far better than they had this morning. So why was there this desperate pressure pushing out from behind her breastbone? Why did she feel so fragile and frightened and forlorn?
A knock echoed through the apartment. She started, then used her sleeve to mop her face again as she walked to the door. She squinted through the spy hole, her whole body tensing when she saw Rhys, a small frown on his face as he checked his watch. It only took her a second to join the dots—he wanted his tie, of course. Which meant she needed to let him in.
She took a step backward. No way could she allow him see her like this. No. Way.
She raced to the bathroom, splashing her face with cold water before blotting it on a towel. Rhys knocked again as she exited the bathroom. She pinned a polite smile on her face as she unlocked the door and swung it open.
“Oh, hi,” she said, feigning surprise.
“I forgot my tie.”
She couldn’t quite make herself look him in the eye, afraid he’d guess that barely thirty seconds ago she’d been blubbering like a big baby. She settled for focusing on his left earlobe.
“I found it. I’ll grab it for you.” She pivoted and walked briskly into the living room. She collected the tie and turned, only to find that Rhys had followed her and was studying her with slightly narrowed eyes.
“Is everything all right?”
“Yes. Of course,” she said too quickly.
“Look, Charlie, if I said something to upset you before, I’m sorry.” He sounded both confused and cautious.
“You didn’t. I’m fine.” She took a step toward him, expecting him to fall back and let her pass. He didn’t move, however,