After all, I can’t expect to keep seeing the daughter of James Carter.
And I certainly can’t fall in love with her.
If I ruined her father, it would kill Allie.
I’m not re
ady to be that man.
I’m just not.
The water is running lukewarm and I sigh as I step out of the shower and wrap a fluffy towel around my waist. When I walk into the bedroom, Allie is still there. She’s dressed in her emerald silk from the night before, and she’s managed to calm the worst of the frizz from her hair.
She still looks happy. “I was thinking,” Allie chirps. “Why don’t we go out for breakfast, Dane? Wouldn’t that be fun?”
“No,” I say shortly.
“Oh, well, then maybe I can make something for you,” Allie continues. “I mean, I’m not a great cook or anything, but Donald – he’s our chef – he’s taught me a few things, and I can make a decent French toast.”
I sigh. “As delightful as that sounds, I’m afraid that I’ll have to go into the office.”
“Oh.” Allie pouts for a moment. “Okay, well, what about dinner later?” She flushes. “I mean, if you want to. It doesn’t have to be fancy, or anything, I just really—”
“Enough,” I say. I hold up a hand to halt her babbling. “Allie, please. I have a headache and I have a lot of work to do today. You need to leave.”
Watching the happiness vanish from Allie’s soft eyes is torture.
“Now,” I add. It kills me to be so rude to her, but it’s better this way. She can’t keep sniffing around me.
No. If only she was literally the daughter of any other man, I wouldn’t be forced to do this.
“Okay,” Allie says. She gets to her feet and I can tell she’s struggling to hold back tears. “Um, Dane?”
“What?”
“Did I do something to make you not like me anymore?” Allie can’t meet my eyes as she speaks. “Or make you upset?”
Oh, just that you’re the sweet, innocent daughter of a wicked man and I ruined you, I think. But I can’t reveal that to Allie.
I couldn’t ever force her to choose between me and her father.
“No,” I say. “I’m just a very busy man, Allie.”
Allie sniffles. She nods miserably, then gives me a baleful look before heading into the foyer and buckling her heels on her plump feet.
“Bye,” Allie calls. She lingers in the foyer, obviously hoping that I’ll change my mind and ask her to stay.
And God, do I ever want to.
But I don’t cave, and finally Allie opens the door and steps out into the hallway.
A sick, empty feeling envelops me and I stand there like a dying man, watching the door and hoping that she’ll come back.
She won’t, though.
And even though I know things are better this way, I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve just ruined the best thing to ever happen to me.
Chapter Thirteen