Liam glanced at his phone again. Kate had been gone for seven minutes. He’d said five, but he knew something had happened, and she wasn’t ready to share with him. If he’d learned anything while dating Sarah, it was that when a girl needed a moment to compose herself, he needed to let her have it.
He tapped his feet impatiently. How long should he let her have? This relationship was far too new for him to know what Kate would need. What if she needed him to hold her, to wrap his arms around her and tell her that everything would be all right? Had she gotten a call while he was in the restroom? Someone in her family could be hurt.
Liam jolted from his seat and threw down his napkin. That was it. He couldn’t just sit back and let her deal with something so obviously hurting her all alone. She needed him. He moved through the restaurant toward the double doors that led to the balcony. When he reached the outside, he looked both ways down each side, but it was completely empty.
Confusion swirled within him. He stepped back inside and hailed a waiter. “Did you see a woman come out here a few minutes ago?”
The waiter shook his head. “I’m sorry, sir. No one has been out on the balcony this evening.”
A heavy weight settled into the pit of his stomach. Kate was dealing with something, and it had to be bad if she’d left without so much as a word. He darted back to his table, left a tip, and grabbed his jacket. Then he headed for the exit. Wherever Kate was, she was alone, and she needed him. He could feel it right down to his toes.
Liam couldn’t get to the elevator fast enough. She had to be headed to her hotel room. That was the only place that would give her the privacy she’d need to work through whatever was bothering her. He forced himself to walk, though doing so was almost as painful as watching Kate struggle at dinner. The hotel management wouldn’t take too kindly to him running through the lobby like he had to put out a fire, but with each passing minute, he wasted precious time.
The dark feeling shifted and contorted until it was no longer just in his stomach. It had settled over his shoulders and clouded his vision. Worst case scenario: someone could be dying. He’d been through that before, and he could help her.
His footsteps slowed. What if her ex wanted her back? He attempted to shake off that notion, but like a vulture, it circled overhead. That worm could have called her and told her he was sorry and wanted to come meet her. Or he wanted her to come home—to him.
Liam’s hands balled into fists. That man wasn’t good enough for Kate. He’d proven it already. And by her reaction, she wasn’t thrilled about what had happened.
Several more depressing thoughts raced through his head, each one weighing him down even more. The only way to set this right would be to talk to her. He was making himself sick with every new idea that passed through him.
He made it up to her hotel room and took a deep breath. He couldn’t be on edge, not if she was working through it. Adding to her pain was the last thing he needed to do right now. He lifted his fist and knocked on the solid wooden door.
There was no noise from within the hotel room. Out in the hallway, no one wandered to their rooms. It was too quiet, setting him even more on edge. He swallowed around the lump forming in his throat and knocked harder this time. “Kate, I know you’re in there.”
Still nothing. He glanced down the hall both ways. Maybe he was wrong. Kate could have gone to the bathroom instead of the balcony. But she hadn’t gone in the direction of the bathroom. What if he’d missed her? He could go back down there and wait.
Instinct told him Kate was in her room. He could feel it just like he’d been able to feel that Sarah was ending her chemo even when she hadn’t told him yet.
His jaw tightened, and he worked it back and forth. He could go down to the lobby and ask for a key to her room. Heck, he could call the front desk right now and tell them he thought she might need help.
But that wasn’t his style. Fighting the urge to pound on her door and yell for her to open it, he turned and leaned against it. Folding his arms, he focused on calming the anxiety that had wrapped around his throat like a noose.
“I’m not going anywhere, Kate,” he muttered. “Take as long as you want. When you’re ready to come out and talk, I’ll be—”
The door handle clicked. He jumped away from his position and spun around as she pulled open the door. Kate’s hair was wet, hanging around her face. Her cheeks and the area around her eyes were blotchy, but because of a hot shower or because of tears, he couldn’t tell.
She peered at him through the open doorway, not letting him in or coming out to speak to him.
He frowned, searching her eyes for any hint at what she was going through. “Are you okay?”
Kate shrugged, giving him a short nod. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“You left. You just—” He raked a hand through his hair. “I’ve been around the block before, Kate. Something’s bothering you, and it’s not some small thing.” He blew out a harsh breath. “I can’t help you if you won’t talk to me.”
Her eyes hardened. “Don’t pretend you know me, Liam. When I say I’m fine, accept it.”
His head reared back. The tone of her voice held a bite to it that stung more than he wanted to admit. He took a step closer to her room. Her eyes widened briefly, like she was scared he would force himself inside, but then her expression cooled, leaving no trace of that fear.
Liam reached out and brushed his thumb down her jaw. “I care about you. That means I can worry about you too.”
She pulled her head back. “Well, you don’t have to.” She sighed, and her gaze softened somewhat. “I’m tired. It’s been a long day, and I just want to go to bed.” Her voice cracked, and she sucked in a breath before blowing it through pursed lips. A smile filled her face, but it didn’t meet her eyes. Fake. All of it was fake. “I’ll see you tomorrow for the cookie-decorating contest, okay?”
His jaw clenched. Something deep inside him told him leaving her like this was a bad idea. A very bad idea. If he didn’t clear the air now, things would only get worse. But what could he do? It wasn’t like he could force her to tell him what was going on. If she didn’t want to trust him, he couldn’t make her, no matter how much he wanted to.
They stood for what felt like several minutes. Then she broke eye contact and stared at the floor. “Fine.” He spun on his heel and took a few steps down the hall.
“Thank you for dinner, Liam,” she whispered.
He froze, not looking back. He knew if he did, he wouldn’t be able to leave again.