Dream Wedding(68)

His words warmed her down to her soul. “I would like to say the same thing, but I’m not a better man. In fact I’m not a man at all.”

“Brat.” He grinned, then squeezed her once and stood up. “I have to get back. We’re on for later, right?”

She nodded. They’d had a standing date for after the lectures ever since the talks had started.

“Good.” He took a step away, then returned and kissed her on the mouth. “I hate how little time we have left. I want to spend all of it together.” He kissed her again. “I wish I could talk you into coming with me. Ah, well, another time.”

And with that, he was gone.

Chloe slowly made her way back to her seat. Her head was spinning. Had he meant what he’d just said? Did he plan to ask her to go with him? No, he wouldn’t. They got along well, he cared about her and he would miss her. But that’s all it was. Arizona wasn’t about to fall in love and she…

Chloe settled down next to her sister and aunt and tried to pay attention to the rest of the lecture, but for once, Arizona’s wild tales couldn’t keep her attention. Her mind raced around as she tried to figure out what was right for her…for both of them. If the truth were told, she would like to travel some, see parts of the world. But she wouldn’t want to live somewhere else for any length of time. She wouldn’t want to be a nomad. She needed roots and family around her. Arizona—what did he need? Was she wrong not to talk about this with him? Maybe Aunt Charity was right about her being a coward. Maybe she should try to figure out a way to explain the situation so they could look for a compromise.

The rest of the lecture passed in a blur. Afterward, the three women made their way to the reception. Aunt Charity and Cassie would stay an hour or so, then leave. Chloe would be there until Arizona told her he was ready to duck out, then together they would head over to his hotel.

She’d just filled her plate from the buffet line when one of the administrators from the university came up beside her.

“Ms. Wright, isn’t it?” the elderly gentleman asked. “I’m Dr. Grantham, a vice president at the university.”

“Nice to meet you,” Chloe said, not quite sure why she was being singled out. “Yes, I’m Chloe Wright.”

“Please.” He motioned to a table off to the side. “If you have a moment, I would like to speak with you.”

“Sure.” The hair on the back of Chloe’s neck prickled. She had a sudden premonition that she wasn’t going to like what this man had to say. She glanced around, then spotted Cassie and motioned that she would be joining her shortly.

When she and Dr. Grantham were seated, he gave her a disarming smile. He was older, with white hair and thick white eyebrows. He looked like an English peer.

“Yes, well, this is a bit of a delicate thing. I hope you don’t think I’m intruding or prying. This is about our mutual friend, Dr. Smith.”

Chloe put her plate on the table. Her stomach tightened around the knot forming there.

“What about Arizona?” she asked.

“The university has offered him a full professorship. We think a man of his experience and talent would be a great addition to our faculty. We included a generous package with plenty of time off so he could continue to explore the world.” Dr. Grantham’s mouth straightened. “Much to our disappointment, Dr. Smith turned us down.”

Chloe told herself to keep breathing. That the tightness in her chest and throat was just shock and not an actual seizing of her body. She wasn’t going to die…it just felt like it.

“You offered him a job?”

“Yes. He was very polite, but said he wasn’t interested in settling in one place.” Dr. Grantham gave a humorless laugh. “I can only imagine how many other institutions have offered him as much or more. I don’t suppose we ever really had a chance, but we had to try.”

Chloe nodded. They had to try. They’d failed. Just as she would fail if she asked him to compromise so they could maintain their relationship.

Relationship! What relationship? She was simply a convenience to him.

“I was hoping,” Dr. Grantham continued, startling Chloe, who had nearly forgotten the other man was still sitting at the table, “perhaps you could have a word with him. I’ve noticed you two seem to be particular friends. You might be an influence.”

Chloe bit back a choked gasp. Particular friends. It was a gentle phrase from another time. She was willing to admit that she and Arizona were friends. Of course they were. They had fun together. They were lovers. She was in love with him. But she had no influence over him. Nor did she have the courage to tackle the subject. Not now. Not when she’d just found out that he’d been offered a chance to stay in her world and that he’d refused it. He couldn’t have spoken more clearly. When his time here was up, he wanted to leave her.