As if reading my mind, Frank popped back up from his chair and extended his hand. “Let’s go in the office. Everyone will hear us out here, and I’m not into discussing my personal life in public.”
Once inside the office and behind the closed door, I let out a small breath of relief. “This is much better.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely.”
He indicated I should sit in his guest chair, then dragged his own chair from around the desk and placed it next to mine. After turning it to face me, he sat down and ran a hand through his hair with a sigh.
“Good. There was no way we could have this conversation out there. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it would be so crowded tonight. Mondays are usually a lot slower.”
“It’s okay. Crowded is good.” I gave him a small smile. “For business, I mean.”
“I knew what you meant,” he said, sounding as if he was assuring me.
Frank seemed to sense my nervousness, although I wasn’t sure why I was the nervous one. I wasn’t the one who had done anything wrong. Maybe I was apprehensive for what was to come, or what was at stake. If I didn’t like the things that Frank had to say, then I wouldn’t be able to entertain the idea of dating him. But if it was the opposite . . .
“Claudia, I want to get right into it. We’ve wasted enough time, and I don’t want to waste any more.”
I swallowed around the small lump in my throat. “Okay. Hold on.” I leaned to one side and pulled the folded piece of paper from my back pocket.
Frank laughed. “You actually made a list?”
“I had to,” I said honestly.
“Why did you have to?”
“I was afraid I might forget something.”
He smiled again. “Okay. But first, I need you to know how sorry I am. I know I’ve said it on your voice mail and in text messages a thousand times, but I haven’t said it enough to you in person. I am so sorry for everything. I’m sorry I lied, and I have no excuse that would ever be good enough for you, but I hope that you understand. Or maybe you will after tonight.”
“That’s why we’re here, right?” I softened my tone. “To see if I can understand why you lied to me?”
He shifted in his seat, clearly uncomfortable. Frank obviously didn’t like the idea of my possibly not being able to understand or forgive him, but he’d accept my decision if it went down that way. “Should we have a rapid-fire question round, or . . .” He paused as he waited for me to respond.
“I can just go down the list, if you don’t mind. Start at the top?” I suddenly felt a little foolish for not only having a list, but for wanting to read from it like a child who couldn’t simply speak from her heart.
Again, Frank seemed to be clearly in tune with my emotions. He reached for my hand. “Ask me anything. Ask me everything. I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.” He brought my hand to his lips and pressed a soft kiss on my knuckles. “I like that you have a list.”
“You do?” I asked, hating that I sounded a little breathless.
“I do.” He cleared his throat and released my hand, giving me my space. “I’m ready. Ask away.”
And just like that, he’d eased any potential tension I had previously had. He’d calmed me down, leaving me ready to grill him until I had every answer that I needed.
“Why did you lie to me?”
A breath whooshed out of Frank like I’d sucker-punched him. He probably hadn’t expected such a hardball question right off the bat, but I needed to know. Frank hadn’t owed me anything when we first met, so telling me that he had a girlfriend shouldn’t have been that big of a deal. But for some reason, he had turned it into one, and I wanted to know why.
Firming his lips, he looked me straight in the eye. “Meeting you wasn’t something I ever expected. The first time I saw you, I was completely shaken up from the inside out, but also calmer than I’d ever been before. It was a complete contradiction of emotions, and before I knew it, I was bringing you drinks and doing damn near anything I could to get close to you.”
My gaze dropped to those gorgeous lips of his, which twisted into a half smile as he continued.
“I wanted to talk to you. I needed to be near you. I’d never felt that way about anyone, like I was drawn to them. Every time I looked in your eyes, I felt like I was home. I feel a pull when it comes to you that I can’t explain, even though the logical part of me really wants to be able to.”
He drew in a breath. “Each time I was with you, or saw you, I wanted more. I should have told you about Shelby, but telling you meant that you’d walk away. If you knew I had a girlfriend, you’d never talk to me again, and I couldn’t stand the thought of that. So I kept quiet. You deserved the truth, but I was too fucking scared to tell you. That’s why I lied. Because I knew you’d leave.”
It was barely audible, but his voice cracked when he mentioned my leaving, and that little vulnerability from him caused my eyes to instantly fill.