Close Your Eyes (35 page)

‘
Totally fine,
one
hundred percent.’
H
e
broke into that
beautiful smile that usually melted her into a puddle of weakness. ‘Thanks to Alice, that is. She was really amazing,
Megs
. The way she fought that woman, I have never seen anything like it.’

‘I’m so glad
.
’
Meg
an glanced towards the girl, who had just finished talking to Henry and was watching them with a shy smile. Ry
an
waved at her
,
and she approached, her green eyes on
Meg
.

‘I am totally in shock,’ she admitted
with a genuine smile
. ‘
Talking
to Mr.
Harper
is rather intimidating. I was worried the whole time I’d say something inappropriate.’

‘
I d
on’t think it’s possible
for you to offend him
, Alice
,
’ Ry
an
said warmly
. ‘You’ve got him wrapped around your little finger.’

They laughed in unison, her high soft soprano complementing his deeper, masculine voice.
Meg
tried to join in,
but
her effort
died
as her throat tightened in a sense of panic she
didn’t
understand.
She could only smile
, her lips stretching in a forced response.
Megan
hated her sudden weakness,
but was
too embarrassed to explore what
had
really brought it on. Instead
,
she tried to chat lightly
. She was g
rateful
that
Matt
and Ry
an
dominated
the conversation. Their friendly bickering would
have had
her in stitches if it
weren’t
for the girl at
their
side
s
. Alice’s
huge green eyes
held
fast to
Ry
an
’s lips with such admiration
that
Megan was
tempted to
lean over
and
kiss him on the mouth if only to see
the other woman’s
reaction.

Unpretentious and upbeat, Alice mentioned her parents
’
tragic death only two years ago
. T
heir car
had been
caught in one of those freaky, sudden mudslides
that plagued
Australia’s western
coast
from time to time.
Alice was e
ager to escape the memories and be in touch with whatever little family she had left.
So she moved to England.
Meg
felt bad for her,
and
even her selfish annoyance
was not up to the task of making her
immune to the
audible
pain
in Alice’s voice.
She could see the same sympathy in Ry
an
’s face
as
his hand patt
ed
Alice’s in a comforting gesture.

Meg
couldn’t take it any longer
and used
the excuse of
needing
a coffee
to save
her
at
the last moment.
The worst part is that Alice is truly nice,
Megan thought wretchedly as she finally excused herself under the pretense of getting a cup of coffee. She would have really enjoyed having Alice as a friend if they had met somewhere else.

Glad to have something that allowed her to leave the stifling room, Meg
dismissed
Matt
’s chivalrous offer to
grab
a coffee
for her
.
She was relieved that the cafeteria was on another floor. She hurried out of the room,
her bouncy step belying the chaos inside her heart.

K
eep it together,
she told herself
firmly,
you’re
probably
making a big deal out of nothing.
She knew she shouldn’t be so insecure as to feel threatened whenever Ry
an
smiled at another woman.
They wouldn’t have much of a relationship
if she freaked out each time he was nice to a girl
, even one who had recently saved his life
.

Only it
isn’t
like that,
the stubborn
little
voice inside her head whispered insistently, refusing to be silenced. She was not the jealous type, never had
been
,
until
she had seen
the two of them together,
with nearly palpable
energy between them.

Alice
was
beautiful
. E
ven the
un
flattering
nurse
uniform couldn’t subdue her inner radiance. She was
also
kind, smart
,
and funny
; s
he didn’t act improperly or
try
to
garner attention for herself
.
But there was a certain
way
that
Ry
an
looked at her when she talked,
and he probably had not even realized it
,
but it
planted the seed of unease inside
Meg’s
head. She swallowed hard, pushing the lump forming in her throat lower, away from her quivering lips. In a conscious effort
,
she forced her lungs to breathe deeply
. The
simple action of air filling her chest and stretching her tissues to their limits
soothed
her
.

You have to get a grip on yourself before you act out on these feelings and come across like a fool.

The cafeteria
greeted her
with the divine scent of fresh coffee
. T
he
subtle hues of vanilla, hazelnut
,
and
cinnamon hanging in the air
took
away some of her anxiety, though only marginally.

H
er hands
still shook
slightly as she searched her purse for coins.
H
er fingers
finally closed
around the silvery coins
.
She looked up at the handmade signs as she waited in line.
The pictures
that accompanied the elaborate writing
made her remember
that
she
had
skipped breakfast.

The whole situation
will probably
look better
after I’ve
had something to eat
.
She eyed
her options with newfound interest.
H
er stomach churned painfully at the sheer thought of food
. It
was
tied in knots of anxiety that would not be
conquered that easily
. In the end
,
she opted for
just the
coffee, adding milk, cinnamon
,
and sugar.
R
eplac
ing
her usual black brew with this sweet, creamy beverage
would have to be concession enough
.

She debated where to drink
her coffee.
Recalling
the way
Ry
an
had
looked at Alice
extinguished her impulse to return to his room
. She
desperately
needed some time alone, away from her nagging doubts and
the
childish insecurity she seemed incapable
of overcoming
.

What if
it’s
visible
on my
face, for everyone to see?
Do I really
want to
betray
my
emotions in that way
?
She could almost imagine
Rupert
’s discomfort and Ry
an
’s disbelief as she made it clear how she felt about the woman who
had
saved her boyfriend’s life. Henry
Harper
would
certainly
see her as what she was
:
a needy brat
who
couldn’t handle anything that didn’t fit into her carefully tailored plans.