Except I never get a chance to say it.
“Wy? Where are you?” a feminine voice calls from the hall. “Oh! There you are!”
The world freezes, mute and motionless, like the moment just before a lighting strike. My back snaps straight. My eyes, still on Wyatt’s, go so wide it would be comical if my heart wasn’t shredding inside my chest cavity.
Wyatt flinches as Caroline steps up to his side. His jaw is clenched so tight, the tendons in his neck stand out starkly. I finally force my eyes to leave his, to focus onher. She’s wearing a giant t-shirt, undoubtedly one of Wyatt’s. She’s barefoot, her long legs perfectly toned and tan. She’s dressed as though she’s just rolled out of bed, but her blonde hair is perfectly styled and her face is made up with more products than I own, so I’m guessing she’s been awake a while.
“Oh! Wy, I didn’t know we had company!”
Thewekills me.
Her eyes are sharp. “It’s Katie, isn’t it?”
My tone is sharper. “Close enough.”
She laughs without humor. “I’ve been seeing you on every newsstand and computer screen — it’s a nice change of pace to see you in person! You’re dating Grayson Dunn, aren’t you? I saw your interview onThe Eileen Show.” She drops her voice to an excited murmur. “Do tell, is he as good in bed as they say?”
I see Wyatt stiffen.
My mouth goes dry.
“Oh, did I say something wrong?” She laughs again. “Wy is always telling me I go too far when I ask people personal questions. I can’t help it! It’s a hazard of my job. I work in film sales — you’re way more likely to close a deal with a foreign distributor if you know what makes them tick.”
I don’t say a word; neither does Wyatt.
She shrugs, unfazed. “Anywho, what are you two up to in here?”
“Just going over a few things for the premiere.” Wyatt’s voice is empty.
“Dull.” She leans against his side, wraps her hands around his arm, and pouts two perfectly pink lips at him. “I’m hungry. Can we go out for breakfast?” She looks at me fleetingly. “Whenever you’re done with…this… I mean.”
Another slice rips through the delicate flesh of my heart. I can barely breathe.
Wyatt removes her wrists from his arm and pushes her back gently. “Caroline, I need to finish talking to Katharine—”
“You know what?” I say brightly, blinking back tears as I glance at my watch. “I’ve overstayed my welcome anyway. Plus, I have another meeting to get to, so I better be going.”
“Katharine—”
I’m already speed-walking toward the door. I’ve made it out of the study, into the foyer by the time he catches up to me. His fingers curl around my bicep in a steely cuff. I shake him off with a jerk, like he’s burned me with his touch. His hand falls away.
Caroline wanders slowly toward the kitchen, expression bored but eyes alert. She lingers in the doorway just long enough to betray her desire to overhear our conversation.
“I mean it,” I say flatly. “I have to go.”
His eyes are on mine, guarded again. “Don’t be ridiculous. You can’t just leave.”
I grit my teeth. “Watch me.”
“You haven’t even told me why you came, Katharine,” he reminds me softly.
How silly am I, to think he stopped me from leaving for an entirely different reason…
“Right, of course.” I snatch the folder off the small side table in the foyer where I left it when I first walked in, and hand it to him. “Here. My gift to you.”
He flips open the folder and scans the first page, features darkening into a scowl.
“Yes. You’re reading that correctly. Cynthia Firestone:Mother of the Year,twenty-two-time consecutive champion. I’m sure she’ll be serving you a copy of your own in due course, but I thought I should warn you.”