She would have refused.
Her ex-fiancé had broad shoulders that stretched the cotton of his ironed polo shirt. His khaki walking shorts and hiking boots were ideal island wear. As always, Rick Lane looked immaculate and every inch the successful insurance executive.
“Hey,” he said, giving a lopsided grin as if they’d parted company months earlier with a promise to meet up. As if she hadn’t caught him in bed with another woman and thrown his ring at his head. She eyed his forehead, but she must not have tossed the diamond hard enough because the skin there was smooth, unmarked and scar-free. No, regrettably, he looked every bit the successful business professional that he was. He certainly didn’t look as if he’d been pining for her.
She narrowed her eyes.
“What are you doing here?”
“Can I come in?” He paused in the doorway, not thrown by her less-than-warm greeting.
“No.” She didn’t feel like being nice, and she definitely didn’t want him inside the cabin.
“No?” His smile widened. “That’s not terribly polite of you.”
“Ask me if I care.” She stepped around the counter and gestured out onto the porch, because Rick wouldn’t go until he’d gotten whatever he’d come for. He was the master of charming persistence.
“Hey.” He spread his hands wide as he followed her. “I care, baby.”
She almost managed not to snort.
His hand snagged hers as she passed and he tugged. “Sit down with me. Please?”
“Five minutes.”
“Ten,” he countered, grinning. “I know you. You’ll time me, and I need a full ten.”
She dropped down into an Adirondack chair, pulling her knees up to her chest as Rick’s eyes wandered over her. She could almost see him trying to reconcile her no-nonsense office attire with the gauzy beach dress she’d picked that morning. She didn’t have to dress for success at Sweet Moon and she liked the whimsical ruffles around her neck. The fabric was so sheer that she knew he could see the outline of her bikini beneath the dress and no doubt, a hint of pale skin. And yet she was still all covered up.
“You look good. Relaxed.” Apparently, she’d passed his visual inspection.
She wasn’t responding to that. She couldn’t and keep her distance. Instead, she pulled her phone out of her bag and dropped it on the table between them where the clock was clearly visible. “Ten minutes, remember?”
“Okay.” He leaned forward, arms on his knees. “I’ll lay it out.”
“That would be good,” she agreed. The sooner he said his piece and left, the better.
“I screwed up,” he said.
No disagreement from her there. In her world, when you asked someone to marry you, you were offering that person a promise that included fidelity and trust. And love. Love would have been nice. Heck, she hadn’t even got the fidelity and trust part.
“You think?” she asked with a hint of sarcasm. “I was under the impression we were engaged. Evidently, you weren’t.”
“Shari was a mistake. She was there and willing and—” He paused, which was wise, because she was going to have to kill him. Clearly, throwing his ring back at him hadn’t been enough. “And our sex life wasn’t particularly exciting, okay?”
No. It wasn’t okay.
“You came all this way to tell me our sex life stank? I was there, too, remember?”
He blinked. Yeah. Maybe Rick hadn’t considered that angle.
“It takes two,” she continued, pointing at him. “My mistake, I misunderstood which two you wanted.”
“Shari isn’t in my life anymore,” he interrupted. “I want you to know that.”
At least he hadn’t given the other woman the ring they’d picked out together. She’d wondered about that.
“I don’t care.” And that was true, she realized with some surprise. She’d waited weeks for Rick to understand he’d made a mistake, for him to come back to her. Yet here he was, and she just wanted him off her porch.
“You don’t want to know why that matters?” he pressed and she gave him a tight smile.
“I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”
“I want us to get back together.” He reached for her hand. The sensation was pleasant. Familiar.
That wasn’t good enough anymore, however.
“That ship has sailed.”
“I don’t think so. I think you’re mad and you’re right.” His watchful gaze annoyed her. “Whatever was or wasn’t going right for us in the bedroom, my seeing Shari on the side wasn’t the answer.”