Chapter 7
Adrian looked toward the window.
For a long moment, neither spoke.
Then he nodded.
“I think I knew that before I came.”
Claire stood.
He stood too.
At the door, he turned.
“For what it's worth, Claire, I really did love you.”
She smiled sadly.
“I know.”
His eyes searched hers.
“And that was why it took me so long to leave.”
He nodded once.
Then he walked away.
Claire watched him disappear into the elevator.
This time, she didn't wait for him to turn around.
That evening, Claire met Nathan at a small Italian restaurant near the river.
He immediately noticed her red eyes.
“Rough day?”
She nodded.
“Adrian came to see me.”
Nathan set down his menu.
“Are you okay?”
“I think so.”
He waited.
Claire told him everything.
The apology.
The photographs.
The question.
Her answer.
When she finished, Nathan was silent for a moment.
Then he asked, “Do you wish you'd said yes?”
Claire looked at him.
“No.”
He nodded.
“Then I'm glad.”
She tilted her head.
“You're not going to ask whether he wants me back?”
“I assume he does.”
“And that doesn't bother you?”
Nathan smiled faintly.
“Claire, I'm interested in someone who has her own mind. It would be a strange thing to admire and then try to control.”
She stared at him.
He reached across the table, palm up.
Not grabbing.
Not demanding.
Simply offering.
Claire placed her hand in his.
“I think I'm falling in love with you,” she whispered.
Nathan went very still.
Then his fingers closed gently around hers.
“Good,” he said.
Claire laughed nervously.
“Good?”
“Very good.”
He leaned closer.
“Because I've been in love with you for a while.”
Her breath caught.
“Since when?”
Nathan considered.
“Probably the afternoon you spent forty minutes explaining why a public library needed more windows.”
Claire blinked.
“That was our third coffee.”
“I know.”
“You fell in love with me talking about windows?”
“No.”
His thumb brushed her knuckles.
“I fell in love with how you talked about making people feel welcome somewhere.”
Claire's eyes filled.
Nathan smiled.
“And because you always save the last bite of dessert for whoever you're with, even when it's your favorite.”
A tear slipped down her cheek.
He gently wiped it away.
“Claire, I don't need you to rush. I don't need you to prove anything.”
He paused.
“But if you're asking whether I want a future with you, the answer is yes.”