Page 26 of If We Never Met

"I can't promise that." She gave a helpless shrug. "I feel how I feel, and that won't change until Mark proves himself in some way or I find information that leads me to believe he's a perfectly harmless old high school boyfriend who just happened to end up in the same town as my mom."

While a part of him thought that Keira was making something out of nothing, he was also impressed with how much she cared, how far she was willing to go to protect someone she cared about. He liked the fierceness of her loyalty and her love. It was kind of strange, but in some ways, she reminded him a little of his mom. His mother had always been on top of everything that they were doing, what was happening in school, who their friends were, what they were thinking. He'd hated her constant questions when she was alive, but after she'd died, he'd missed that, especially when his father's interest in his thoughts or whereabouts was basically nonexistent.

"Dante?" she questioned. "What are you thinking?"

Before he could answer, they were interrupted by an attractive woman with hair the color of a dark-red flame. With her was a tall, athletically built guy with brown hair.

"Hello," the woman said, giving him a speculative look, before extending her hand. "I'm Hannah, one of Keira's best friends. And you are?"

"Dante," he said, shaking her hand.

"And this is my fiancé, Jake," Hannah added. "I have to confess that we know who you are. Your presence is all over town. There were reporters in the Blue Sky Café this morning asking where you were staying."

"Great," he muttered.

"I don't think anyone said you were staying here. Actually, I didn't even know you were staying here. Lizzie didn't share that."

"She has been very discreet."

"I didn't really recognize your name," Hannah added, "but Jake practically had a heart attack."

"Uh, I wasn't that bad," Jake said. "She's exaggerating."

"He's lying," Hannah said with a laugh. "Jake knows a lot about your stats. He bored me with quite a few on the way over here."

"But I won't bore you with what you already know," Jake said, shaking hands with him. "Sorry about your injury. That's rough."

"Thanks." The word came out short and sharp. He knew he'd been too abrupt, but he didn't know what to say next. He'd let down his guard while he'd been talking to Keira, and now he was caught between his past and his present.

"We should eat," Keira said, jumping into the awkward silence. "We can talk more over dinner." Keira grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the buffet table.

He was surprised by the sudden heat of her fingers wrapping around his. She was clearly an affectionate person. He hadn't grown up in a family where people held hands or hugged when they saw each other. Maybe his parents had been like that before his mom died, but since then, he and his brothers and his dad had more of a slap-you-on-the-back kind of relationship, and even that was a rare occurrence.

She let go of his hand when she handed him a plate. As she met his gaze, a warm flush crept up her cheeks. "Sorry. I shouldn't have grabbed you like that."

"You got us to the front of the line; I'm good with that," he said lightly, as he spooned some salad onto a plate.

"You looked like a deer in the headlights when Hannah and Jake recognized you. I'm surprised you're not more used to it."

"I am used to it, but it was a lot easier when I…" He didn't know how to explain it to her.

"When you were on top," she said softly.

He met her gaze. "When I knew who I was." He regretted his words almost immediately. They were too personal. They were too honest. He'd revealed too much. But there was something about Keira's warm gaze that broke down his defenses.

"I understand."

"How could you?"

"Because I can," she said simply. "You don't have to worry. I won't tell anyone your secret."

He wanted to believe she understood. He wanted to believe she'd keep his secrets. But he'd been let down many times in the past. Trusting someone wasn't a risk he could afford.

However, he didn't need to trust her. He just needed to keep his mouth shut.

Chapter Seven

After filling their plates,they made their way to a nearby table. Hannah and Jake followed shortly thereafter, with Jake sliding into the seat next to him.

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