Deplorable? Who uses words like that? Never mind.
“Adam is the world’s kindest man. He would never do anything deplorable or whatever fancy word you want to use.”
“Then it must have been Leah. She cheated.” His jaw tightens with the word.
I stop walking and it takes a few steps for Asher to realize I’m behind him. When he turns around, I am standing with my hands on my hips and a scowl on my face. “Why do you assume one of them did something awful. Do you always assume the worst in people?”
Asher blinks a few times and tilts his head slightly, his eyes darting out to the side as he thinks. “Yes. I do.” His eyes stop roaming and settle on mine. “Why else would they call off a wedding?”
I should have just let him believe one of them cheated. Now I have to answer him. Ugh. “Something tragic happened in our family. It isn’t the best time to host a wedding.” I just took a cue from Leah’s school of “Lies while only telling the truth.”
“Is this one of those things you don’t talk about?” His question surprises me. He was really listening to me yesterday.
“Yes,” I reply, releasing my hands from my hips.
With a slight nod of his head, Asher shows me he understands and then lifts his chin in the direction we were originally going. He turns around and continues walking. My Sperrys move on the pavement and find my spot next to him.
We walk for a few minutes in surprisingly comfortable silence. I follow him around a bend.
There was something he said to me yesterday I haven’t been able to stop thinking about. “How did you know about the way I play the piano? I mean, was that just a line you use on girls or did you really see something?”
“I play too.” He puts his hand on my back and leads me up a narrow staircase going back up the hill. “My mother taught out of our home.”
“You must be pretty good.”
Asher turns to me and winks. “I’m very good.”
“Was that back in Pittsburgh?” My question causes him to stop this time. I turn around on the stair and face him. “If that’s an off-limits topic, I understand.”
Asher lets out a breath, his eyes skimming my face, working something out in his head. “I’ll tell you what. For every thing I tell you that’s off limits, you have to tell me something.” Even as he says the words I see the hesitation in his eyes. They must match my own. Yes, he’s a stranger. I’ll never see him again after this trip. But there are some things I’m not ready to talk about.
Leah says I should let someone in. I just can’t go all the way with my feelings. Who knows where my emotions will land. I don’t need to have a meltdown in front of my European hookup.
Oh, dear God, am I really thinking about him that way? He hasn’t even kissed me. Will he kiss me? This is a date. Oh, crap, I didn’t think any of this through.
Suddenly, my other issues don’t seem so big compared to the six-foot golden god in front of me.
Maybe if I open up a little I’ll scare him away. This way I won’t have to worry about the “what ifs” and “maybes” of tonight.
“Why do you want to know so much about me?”
“I honestly have no idea.” His tone is deep and smooth.
“I need something.” I match his tone, soft and pleading.
Asher takes a step closer to me; he is a step lower, and we’re eye to eye. From this distance I may just fall into his gaze like Alice fell into the rabbit hole.
“When I saw you in the music room”—he swallows, the tone turns serious—“I was moved for the first time in so long. I don’t know why. I wish I did. There is something about you and I’m waiting for you to do something to make me realize you’re just like everyone else.”
This time it my turn to swallow . . . hard. “But I am like everyone else.”
“Not in my world.” He grabs my waist and I gasp.