For years he’d assumed that once Lissa had gotten pregnant and Brad had done the right thing by marrying her, she’d lived a charmed life as Bradley Banks’s wife. The money, the country club, all the things that at the time, Trevor could never be sure he’d be able to provide. And once she’d had Brad’s baby and married him, whether or not Trevor succeeded in life no longer mattered. He’d had a decade to build a picture in his mind of how good her life had been without him, while no matter how much professional success he achieved, Trevor still felt hollow inside.
It had taken no time to have his illusions—or rather, delusions—shattered. According to his mother, Lissa’s married life had been a decade-long embarrassment. The bastard had married her in name only, doing the so-called “right thing” by his child. Not by the baby’s mother. When Lissa finally had enough and walked out, her settlement had been paltry and she’d been forced to take a part-time job serving coffee at Cuppa Café while writing the obituary column for the Serendipity Gazette. She lived in a small house on her original side of town, and though their daughter’s future was secure thanks to Brad’s parents, Lissa worked for everything she had.
No wonder she’d nearly passed out when he’d mentioned a formal affair and a dinner party this weekend. Not only couldn’t she afford those kinds of clothes, she probably didn’t even own them. Trevor had misjudged her, the life she’d lived, and who she’d become. And though nothing could change what had happened in the past, he damned well respected her choices now.
He should have known better. If he could have gotten past his hurt and anger sooner and let his mother fill him in, he’d have known how unhappy her life had to be. Would it have changed anything? Would he have gone back for her, married or not?
He’d never know.
On that thought, a mechanical voice announced he was on the thirty-sixth floor, and the elevator door opened in front of him.
Well, whatever was in the past, Lissa was here now and Trevor had this one chance to see what might have been. What could be. Either way, when this interview process was over, he’d have the one thing that had been missing all these years.
Closure.
And he’d also have Lissa one more time. He refused to accept any other outcome.
Trevor reached Lissa’s room and found the door partially open. He walked in to find her sitting on the edge of the bed surrounded by bags of clothing.
“Hi,” he said to capture her attention.
She glanced up, meeting his gaze with a wide-eyed, wary gaze. “What is all this? And don’t say clothes,” she said, before he could do just that. “Why didn’t you just let me go shopping?”
Trevor ran a hand through his hair, embarrassed. It wasn’t like he went around ordering clothing for women. “It wasn’t hard to figure out that I was putting you on the spot with the formal affair and the dinner party.”
“And I said I’d go shopping.”
“You also mentioned something about serving coffee and you literally paled when it dawned on you that you’d have to buy new things. I realized I knew nothing about you now.” He stared up at the ceiling, knowing he had no choice but to admit the truth. “So I called my mother and she filled me in.”
Lissa felt her face flush hot with embarrassment and awkwardness. “So you found out all about my life and realized I couldn’t really afford a new wardrobe for the weekend. You felt sorry for me and sent these clothes over?” Her voice rose along with her mortification.
“Hey, that’s not it.” He sat down beside her, close enough so their legs were touching. “It’s more like I got a shocking lesson in making assumptions.”
She swallowed hard. “You thought I lived well off the Banks money.”
“Well, I assumed that if the guy was doing the right thing by marrying you after he—” He caught himself before saying knocked you up. “After he got you pregnant, then he would treat you right after he split up with you, too.”
“You know what they say about someone who assumes things,” she muttered.
To her surprise, he laughed. “Yep. And an ass certainly describes how I acted today. So maybe the clothes were an apology, too.”
Lissa didn’t know what to do with this kinder, gentler Trevor, and part of her wondered if that wasn’t his intention. To keep her off balance, guessing, unsure of herself during the time she was with him. To her dismay, she realized she didn’t know him all that well anymore.
“I’m sorry things have been so hard for you.”
She forced a smile. “I managed.” She’d also put herself in the position of having to marry Brad, but it didn’t seem smart to get into the specifics of their past right now. “Thank you, though.”
“You’re welcome.”
>
“And thank you for these.” She swept her hand toward the bags surrounding them on the bed.
“That was my pleasure.” His smile warmed her straight down to her toes.
She was trying really hard not to think about the fact that they were sitting in a hotel room alone on a king-sized bed, but it wasn’t easy. Trevor’s pants-clad thigh touched her bare one and she could swear she felt the heat of his skin through the material. When she inhaled, he smelled deliciously male and need rose quickly.
It had been so long since she’d had a man’s arms around her, a man who made her feel good and wanted. Unlike her ex, Lissa had remained faithful in her marriage, and her one short relationship afterward had left her cold and wondering whether she’d ever feel real desire again.