He knew Blair hated to be seen as reactionary, and if she stomped off now, that’s exactly how it would appear. A rush of relief washed through him when she sat down in her chair.
The reporter cringed. “Would you mind if I take a restroom break? I had some spicy tuna rolls last night . . .” Her voice trailed off.
A flash of irritation flickered in Blair’s eyes, but then it softened. “No. Of course.”
The woman hurried out the door, leaving Blair and Garrett alone.
Her eyes narrowed into angry slits. “Did you encourage her to do that?”
“No, Blair,” he said sadly. “I didn’t. But I won’t lie and tell you that I’m not happy she left. We need to talk.”
Her shoulders tensed. “There’s nothing to talk about.”
“There’s everything to talk about, from our kiss in that kitchen to Neil’s reasons for marrying you to what you heard when you came out of the house last night.”
Her eyes turned a cold, clear blue. “I told you I won’t waste my time on fools, and I meant it.”
He put his hands on the table. “You think calling me a fool is an insult? I am a fool. I’ve never denied it. Not now and not five years ago when I camped out on your doorstep for half the night begging you to let me explain.”
She sucked in a breath, and though he hated that he was picking at her old wounds, he had to make her see that this wasn’t some stupid competition to him. This was his heart in his hands. “Go out on a date with me.”
Her head jutted back, and she looked at him like he was crazy. “I can’t go out on a date with you. I’m engaged.”
“Not anymore.” He pointed to her now bare hand.
She reached absently for her ring finger, rubbing at the empty spot.
“That ring was never right for you anyway. A traditional, heirloom piece? That seems more like your friend Megan’s style.”
A slight grin tipped the corners of her lips. “Good call. Josh gave her his grandmother’s ring. She loves it.”
“You’re more contemporary. Probably a square diamond solitaire, large but not too large.”
She smirked. “For a guy, you know more than you should about engagement rings.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “That’s a sexist statement.” But it was true. He hadn’t known jack crap about engagement rings up until last night. He’d spent one of his many sleepless hours searching for the ring that would best suit her if he ever got the opportunity to propose. “Am I right? Would that be more your style?”
She didn’t answer, which was an answer in itself.
“So go on a date with me. How about lunch?”
Her grin faded. “I’m having lunch with Neil.”
“I see.”
Anger flashed in her eyes. “Do you?”
He put his hand on the table and leaned forward. “No, Blair. I honestly don’t. You don’t love him. And I know you think he’s safe, but I’m not sure why.”
“That is none of your business.”
“Okay, fair enough, but answer me this.” He kept his tone soft and comforting to cushion the barbs he was about to sink. “When did you start running away? That’s not like you at all.”
She slammed her hands on the table. “What the hell are you talking about? When did I ever run away? You’re the one who left me!”
“You’re pretending that marrying a man you don’t love is the logical decision. If that’s not running away, I don’t know what is.”
“How in God’s name is that running away?”
“Because you’re running away from love.”
“What the hell do you know about love, Garrett Lowry? You took what we had and destroyed it.”
“I know.” His voice broke. How many times would she have to say it to purge it from her system? What if the number was infinite? “I’ll regret it until the day I die, but I loved you, Blair. I still do.” He reached over the table and grabbed her hand. “I meant every word I said last night. I’ve never stopped loving you.”
She looked away, but she didn’t pull her hand away. It was something. “So what exactly are you proposing here?” She glanced back at him. “A date?”
He tried to hold back his excitement. “Yeah. A date.”
“Where would we go?”
He took a shallow breath. “Pizza. Some place where we could get a beer and talk. Then we’d go to a piano bar, like we always loved doing, and make fun of all the cheesy love songs.”
Sadness filled her eyes, and she slid her hand out from under his. “We’ve both grown up since law school.”
“Sure, but not completely. Are you telling me that doesn’t sound like something you’d want to do?”
She didn’t answer, which meant she was considering it. He wondered what her dates with prissy Neil were like, but he didn’t dare ask, and part of him didn’t want to know.
“Why now, Garrett? After all these years, why now?”
He sighed. “I told you, Blazer. I was too scared to approach you after all this time. But then when I saw you in Phoenix . . . and then here. Call it whatever you like—fate, kismet, or coincidence—but to me it was the universe telling me to man up and go after you.”
Her gaze pierced his. “And where does Neil fit into this?”
“Hopefully, Neil doesn’t fit anywhere into this.”
“How can you say that?”
Understanding hit him, and he groaned. “There is no contest, Blair. You’re not some inanimate object to be fought over. I only want you to be happy, but I hope to God it’s with me.”
Garrett glanced up in time to see Brian Norfolk walk through the door.
Blair sat upright in her seat, but her eyes were still locked onto Garrett’s—like she was performing some kind of human lie detector test—as she waited for the jerk to sit next to him.
“Mr. Norfolk,” she said. “How wonderful of you to finally join us.”
“Hey, I’m only five minutes late.” He plopped down in the chair next to Garrett’s.
Blair gave him a condescending glare as the court reporter entered the room behind him and took her seat. “Mr. Norfolk, I’m sure your attorney has told you this, but I feel compelled to reiterate that when we win—which we will—you will end up paying us by the hour. If you waste any of my time, you will end up paying for it handsomely.” She flashed him a smile. “So thank you.”
He muttered a curse word under his breath, and Blair shot him an evil smile before beginning her questions. Garrett had to hand it to her. Now that she’d made him admit to his hidden money, she knew exactly what follow-up questions to ask to find everything else he’d squirreled away. Frankly, Garrett was surprised there was that much money left. He’d seen Norfolk’s expenses.
The entire matter took less than three hours, and Norfolk slunk out as quickly as he could, leaving Garrett in the conference room with the court reporter and Blair. He could see she was stalling, shuffling her papers in her folder. It was another hopeful sign that she was hanging back to talk to him.
He stood to leave, and she did as well, keeping her gaze on the door. Once they were both in the hall, she glanced up at him.