Page 58 of Blindly Yours

Hewasperfect, though, and I’m so sure of it I refuse to believe he and Nate are the same person. I can’t imagine Nate has the capacity to feel those deep emotions we talked about late into the night. I can’t imagine hearing those sweet things coming directly from his lips.

When I laid in bed last night, I scrolled through our conversations, trying to put the pieces together. His icon glowed green, indicating he was online too. Probably messaging someone new. Hopefully someone with six cows and an affinity for homesteading.

As I zip up my bags, I almost laugh. I can’t imagine bringing him home to my parents. He’s their building manager. No, scratch that. Anemployeeof their building manager. No worthy last name. No massive inheritance. No status.

They’d laugh at me.

BigSpoon told me he owned a company. He said he had a place on the lake. I hate that he lied to me.

I hate that I care.

And I hate that I’m still turned on thinking about the way his body felt against mine.

With a huff, I push the memory from my mind and leave my room to head down the hall. Nate is already in his coat when he sees me. He stands taller and clears his throat. “Roads are plowed. Got the shovel in the truck. Ready to go?”

Ok, so no pleasantries this morning. Fair enough.

I nod and look around. The boots are gone. Not that I wanted to wear them, but I guess it’s back to flats in the snow today.

Kara comes around the corner and immediately throws her arms around me with the biggest bottom lip. “Oh, Rose…promise you’ll come back to visit soon?”

I smooth her hair and peer down into her blue eyes. They’re just like her father’s. “We’ll see. I have a very busy schedule.”

She steps back and hands me a piece of paper. “Here. I used a purple colored pencil ’cause I know it’s your favorite.”

It’s a drawing of a skyscraper with a swirl of playground equipment on the roof. There’s a slide, a climbing tower, and a tire swing. There are also three people holding hands. She has labeled them. Kara, Dad, and Rose.

I glance up at Nate, who’s studying the drawing too. His eyes briefly meet mine. There’s grief there.

“Thank you, Kara.” I hug her again. “This is really beautiful.”

“You’re welcome.” She frowns.

Nate picks up my bags. “Let’s get going. Kara, stay in the house. Mrs. Nelson is coming over in about five minutes. Only answer the door for her. I’ll be back in less than an hour.”

“Okay,” she replies, slumping down onto the sofa and crossing her arms.

“Bye, Kara,” I say as we leave through the front door.

The path Nate shoveled on the sidewalk yesterday is still clear, and I’m able to make my way to his truck without stepping in the snow. Once we get in and he pulls onto the newly plowed street, the silence turns deafening. He just stares straight ahead, jaw stiff.

I chew on my lip. I have to say something. I can’t let us end like this. So, I take a deep breath and look ahead. “Why did you lie to me?”

A pause. “I didn’t lie to you.”

“Yes, you did.”

“I said I was going to tell you about Kara—”

“No, not that.” I shake my head. “You said you owned a company. You knew I joined the app by accident. You knew what I was looking for. So, you told me that to keep me around.”

He exhales loudly like I’m an extreme annoyance. “I didn’t lie. Idoown my company.”

I look at him. “But you work for Joe.”

It’s his turn to shake his head. “No. Joe works for me. It’s my business. Hale Property Management.”

I blink, surprised. “Oh. I had no idea.”

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