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hand. She took another sip of coffee, scalding her tongue slightly.
I live in Seattle in an apartment, she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.
That s not so bad. Why are you hesitant to tell me?
I don t know. I just don t like to give out too much information about myself. I guess it s from the
years of having to be self-reliant. It s difficult for me to share& she trailed off.
Crew looked at her strangely, just as she d expected him to. She was hard to understand. Heck,
she couldn t really understand herself. How was she supposed to explain it to him?
Did you have any other family you could turn to? I know your grandparents should have been
drawn and quartered for the way they treated you, but was there anyone else in your life at all?
This was a subject that Haley absolutely hated speaking about. No. She hadn t had anyone in her
life but the servants at her grandparents place, and even those relationships had faltered over the
years. She hated dwelling on how alone she truly was. She d fantasized about being part of a large,
loving family, but had given up on that dream years before. She didn t want him to fully comprehend
how messed up her life was. This sharing of her past and present wasn t what she d signed on for.
I had some rough years with my grandparents, as you know. I have fought against all the doubts
they instilled in me since I got away from that home, but I tend to psych myself out about it all too
often. Going to school has really helped, but at the end of the day when I look in the mirror, I still see
this person whom nobody wanted. I promise it s getting better, but I ve just had to do whatever it
takes to make it day by day. If I think too far ahead, I get overwhelmed, and that s when I find myself
start sinking within myself. She held her breath, waiting for him to roll his eyes and give up on her.
She was too crazy for a man like Crew, who had it all together.
Now he was going to know she was too much effort, and she d never get the privilege of sleeping
in his arms again. The thought was horribly depressing.
Crew s gaze didn t shift as he brought his cup up and took a sip.
All the more reason for you to move in with me. You need to have someone take care of you.
We ll go pack your things after breakfast. Treating the matter as closed, he set down the mug, picked
his paper back up and started reading again.
Haley ran her hands through her hair and stared at the back of his newspaper. Was he the one who
was insane? Why wasn t he trying to delve deeper, get into her head, or just send her packing? If she
knew she wasn t completely together, why couldn t he see it?
Yet wasn t she overanalyzing this, and trying to seek out serpents in her temporary paradise? It
wasn t as if she couldn t just move back out again when their relationship, or whatever this was
called, ran its course. He hadn t mentioned anything about her two-week vacation. Did he want her to
stay longer? Doubtful.
It might be best to avoid reminding him that she was only here because she d won a raffle. If she
brought that up right now, he might snap out of this spell he seemed to be under and tell her that he d
personally pack her bags and get her to the airport to send her off. The thought of leaving him in a
couple of days turned her stomach inside out.
With a sigh, she looked at her breakfast, the once delicious cinnamon roll now turning her
stomach. There seemed no need to respond to Crew anymore, since he d already made up his mind,
and to tell the truth, she wanted to sleep by his side each night. At least for a while, she could pretend
this was a normal relationship, and that this incredible man cherished her. A little fantasy would help
her sleep on those nights when loneliness was eating her alive.
Making up her mind, she pushed away her plate and took small sips from her cup while she tried
to convince herself that it was OK to seek enjoyment from life. It was OK to not worry about what
tomorrow would bring. She d see this through to the natural end, and she d grow as a person. That
was all she could ask of herself and Crew.
Chapter Twenty-One
A few days later, Haley felt obliged to tell Crew that her time was up. Her train ticket was for the
next day, and though she didn t want to leave, she needed to get back to the real world. She d always
believed that the word heartache was a metaphor, but there was no denying the physical pain in her
chest as she stood in the bathroom and practiced her goodbye speech.
Would he ever think of her again? In time, would she get over him? She and Crew had been
together only two weeks, but they were two glorious weeks, and she knew she d never be the same.
That was all thanks to him, and to his wonderful lessons. Her gloom didn t prevent a contented
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