Charity knew she'd have to tell Ross the truth, and she had to be strong about it. If he sensed how weak she was, he would sweep aside everything she said. And once he took her in his arms, she knew she wouldn't be able to re sist him.
She lifted her chin and glared at him. "You made a choice, Ross," she said. "You went away to Australia for three months. I couldn't handle that. I don't want a part- time love affair. I need all or nothing, and you were giving me very little. So I moved on to other things."
He stared at her, hardly able to believe this was the same woman he thought he knew so well. There was no warmth in those dark eyes. She was wearing her hair loose, caught up inside the hood of her parka, but there was not a hint of the South Seas flavor he'd loved so much. There was even a different shape to her face, and a different set to her shoulders. She seemed almost a stranger, but that was something he couldn't accept.
"What are you talking about?" he demanded roughly.
She forced herself to remain cold. "We've each gone our own way. Let's not dredge up old memories now. We've got new lives to lead. Let's just go ahead and lead them."
He didn't say a word. His face was blank and he didn't move. She looked into his eyes for as long as she could, then looked off again, desperate to get away from him.
"It's no use trying to rekindle a fire that's died," she said lamely. Turning, she walked away, trying very hard not to walk like a pregnant woman.
He didn't call after her and she didn't hear footsteps behind her, but she didn't dare look back. One block, then two. He must be gone by now. She began to breathe more easily.
She turned into Mason's complex, glancing back as she did so. Ross was not in sight, but her heart was pounding anyway. It had been traumatic seeing him. She needed a quiet place to recover in. Looking up, she sighed as she surveyed the stairs to Mason's door. Every day those steps were getting rougher to negotiate, and the high alti tude didn't help.
She took them one at a time, going slowly, and when she got to the landing, she unbuttoned her parka to reach for the keys she'd stashed in an inner pocket. But before she got them out, she heard footsteps on the stairs behind her.
She whirled to find Ross coming up to the landing, and she pulled the parka closed again quickly.