“I came to Chicago.”
He wasn’t making any sense. “What? When?”
“Right after you left.”
“I don’t understand. I never even saw you.”
“No, you didn’t. I overheard you talking to your friend.”
What friend? Who had she seen other than her attorney? Cecily. Of course. And they had talked about the job when they’d met for coffee.
“And you were just…what? Lurking? Why the hell didn’t you come to me?”
“Like you came to me before you left?”
She flinched. “Look, I already explained that—”
“Yep, you did. I was under the impression when I left
that we still had something to talk about, but you already made up your mind. Without me. Again. So I came home.”
Norah’s brain scrambled, trying to remember the conversation, what exactly he’d overheard, to understand what it was he thought was going on here.
Cam flashed a bitter smile. “The thing is, I don’t blame you. Not really.”
That stopped her. “You don’t blame me?” What was he accusing her of?
“You tried to warn me from the very beginning. It’s my fault for pursuing this, for believing you’d be able to change. For thinking I could make you happy.”
He thought she’d taken the job. He believed she’d made the decision to walk away from him without even giving him the courtesy of talking about it. That she was capable of being that selfish after everything they’d been through. The insult of that robbed her of words.
But Cam had no trouble jumping into the silence. “So I don’t need whatever pretty speech you’ve prepared to justify all this.”
He didn’t even want to grant her an opportunity to explain. He was so goddamned certain he knew what was going on. So positive he knew what she would say and do. And none of those views of her were positive.
“Well, if you know everything, then I suppose there’s nothing left for me to say.” Except that you’re an idiot.
“Doesn’t look like it.”
Hush, standing between them, whined and butted her head beneath Norah’s palm. Automatically, she threaded her fingers through the dog’s fur, using her as an anchor as the world listed hard to one side, the man she loved turning into a stranger before her.
“I won’t say anything to the family about this. I don’t want to do anything to damage your relationship with them. You can handle that however you want.”
Was he patting himself on the back for that? Thinking that meant he was still putting her first, even though he clearly thought she was callous and horrible?
“Listen, I know you’ll need to be packing up and going soon, but I hope you can stay long enough to help set up something to get the word out about this referendum. The coalition can use your expertise. It’s the last shot we’ve got, and I know that this, at least, is important to you.”
The implication that he wasn’t important hung in the air between them.
She could fix this. Could clear it up with a few minutes of explanations. But did she really want to be with a man whose opinion of her could so easily turn? She needed time to think, to get past the insult and the hurt before she decided what to do next.
“Of course, I’ll help. I’ll get in touch with Molly and see what she needs me to do.”
“Thanks.”
He picked up another pot, and Norah realized she was dismissed. Bleeding from more wounds than she could count, she turned and walked out, without another word.
Chapter 21