“It’s uhm...” What could she say to throw him off? “You know... basic tissue engineering. I refuse to talk about it while I’m on a break.”
“Fair enough.”
She let out the breath she’d been holding.
An announcement came on. “We’ve been cleared to land in Chicago.”
Cheers went up all over the plane, though Carly was just praying they’d make it safely to the ground.
“However, there are no departing flights from Chicago at this time, due to inclement weather. Officials are reporting eight inches of snow in the last hour.”
“Eight inches?” Something the consistency of wet cement settled inside her gut. “I don’t know how to drive in the snow.”
“Even if you did, you wouldn’t want to drive when it’s coming down like this.” A crease of worry formed between his brows. “Sounds like a freak blizzard. This wasn’t in the last forecast I saw.”
“Maybe I’ll rent a hotel room for the night and head out tomorrow.” Disappointment lodged in her throat. “I wonder if the snow will knock all the leaves off the trees.”
“I’m afraid it might.” His sympathetic grimace warmed her heart. Of course, Liam was more concerned about her than himself. He’d always been a nice guy, not stuck up like most of the popular kids.
“What about you? Will you be able to get to your friend’s house?”
“My car is already waiting for me at the airport. It’s an adapted SUV with four-wheel drive, so I’ll be good.”
As the plane tilted downward, it jumped and dropped like a roller coaster, and Carly tightened her grip on the hand she’d been holding for the past twenty minutes. “Thanks for keeping me calm. I really appreciate it.”
“Seemed like a better alternative than listening to blood-curdling screams.”
“I’ll have you know my screams have never curdled blood.” She lifted her chin in the air. “It’s never gone beyond a slight temporary coagulation.”
“My hemoglobin is relieved.”
Liam was so much fun. If only he’d paid this kind of attention to her in high school.
Another turbulent drop left her weightless for an eternity. “Sorry if I’m breaking any bones in your hand.” She spoke between clamped teeth.
With her eyes shut tight, she didn’t see his reaction.
“I’m kind of obligated to be your hero now,” he said.” After all, you did call me hot.”
“Thank you for reminding me.”
“Any time. Lest you forget.”
She cracked her eyes open to stick out her tongue.
“I did not, however, call you a hero.”
“There’s still time.”
She laughed, despite another serious drop in altitude. “Don’t hold your breath.” Apart from the gut-tossing plane ride, she hadn’t had this much fun in years.
“You haven’t called me charming, either. But you probably should.”
“What about brilliant?”
“Good choice.” His grin made her heart pitter-patter. “I’m glad you recognized it.”
“Are you always this conceited?”
“Only on Mondays.”
Part of her was relieved the ordeal was almost over. Not the turbulence, but the effort required to keep her identity hidden. All she had to do was keep a low profile at the conference, and she would disappear from Liam’s life forever, leaving him in peace. Everything could go back to the way it was before. Except she might not feel quite as guilty, knowing Liam had moved on with his life.
But the wishful-thinking part of her stole another glance at her swoonworthy hero, and she breathed in deeply to imbed the memory of his clean masculine scent in her mind. This impractical Carly left their fingers entwined long after the worst of the turbulence had passed, relishing the sensation as long as possible.
She could argue that it was therapeutic. By indulging herself, she gave the old teenaged Carly a chance to pretend she’d finally won her long-time heartthrob. Maybe now she would get this silly crush out of her system once and for all.
Who am I kidding?
Grown-up Carly liked grown-up Liam just as much. Maybe even more. Instead of getting over Liam, she would probably pine over him for the rest of her life.
But she deserved to suffer. What was a little heartache compared to her father’s pain, losing a child? Or Liam’s pain, losing the use of his legs, along with his dreams?
She would endure her longing in silence and keep her secret forever. Any other choice would be selfish.
CHAPTER 4
LIAM
Four hours ago, Liam hadn’t known Carly existed, so why did his life suddenly feel empty without her?
