Page 53 of Nothing Breaks Like A Heart

I got up from the bed, returned the phone to the pocket of his jacket, and hung it in the closet. Then I zipped the empty suitcases and shoved them inside before closing the door. My breath was still coming fast, my head spinning with questions I couldn't answer. Maybe he just had a second phone for work. But that sounded like another excuse, and if I asked him about it, no doubt he'd come up with a similar explanation, something that would make me feel stupid for even asking about it.

The door to the suite suddenly opened and closed, and I hastily moved into the bathroom and shut the door, turning on the sink, as I pulled myself together.

A knock came at the door, and Andrew's voice rang through the air. "Lauren? I'm back."

"I'll be right out." I let the water run for another thirty seconds, staring at myself in the mirror, feeling like I was looking at a stranger.Was Andrew the person who'd suddenly changed or was it me?

"Lauren, I need to get in there," Andrew said. "We have to leave in fifteen minutes."

His voice pulled me back to reality. I shut off the water and rubbed my cheeks to bring some color back into my face. Then I put on a smile and opened the door. "Sorry. I'm moving a little slower today."

"It's okay." His gaze scanned my face. "You look better. Do you feel better?"

"No. I'm still in a lot of pain."

"I had a feeling…" He pulled a bottle from his pocket. "I took this when I hurt my back a few months ago, and it gave me a great deal of relief. I think you should take one or two."

"I'm not good with strong painkillers. They make me feel sick."

"One won't hurt you, and it could really help." He held out the bottle to me. "Hang on to this in case you change your mind."

"Okay. I'll think about it," I said, moving back into the bedroom. I grabbed a sweater to throw over my white denim jeans and tank top and then put the medication into my bag. For now, I wanted to keep a clear head, and if that meant living through some pain, so be it.

We left the room a few minutes later. Andrew had taken a very fast shower and then thrown on khakis and a polo shirt. He had arranged for a golf cart to meet us in front of the lobby so I didn't have to walk down to the harbor.

He grabbed my hand as we sat down in the cart and gave it a squeeze, followed by his broad smile. "This will be fun," he said.

"I hope so. Who all is going?"

He let out a little sigh. "Should I start with the one person you're most interested in?"

"I assume that's Allison."

"Yes. Victor invited her, not me. They met this morning to discuss her designs."

"Great," I murmured.

"Colin and Harper are also coming, so you'll have a friend there besides me."

"What about Jay?"

"Victor told me I could bring him along, but Jay wanted to kayak. He'd rather be paddling a kayak than sitting out on the water sipping cocktails with a bunch of rich people," he said dryly.

"Maybe he's starting to feel like the odd man out with Harper and Colin spending so much time together."

"I don't think he cares about that."

"Do you think Colin likes Harper?"

"Looks that way to me. But who knows? They seem to be having fun."

"Harper got her heart broken last year. I hope it doesn't happen again."

"She's known him for two days. I don't think her heart is involved," he said.

He was probably right, but I could still remember the joy in her voice when she'd told me she thought she could fall for Colin. Well, she was a grown woman, and she could make her own choices.

As the cart hit a bump, I winced.

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