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that’s what you really want.” He met her gaze, the swirling dark depths pulling her in.
    â€œIt’s not. I mean, I want to stay.”
    She wanted to have this night with him and know what she’d been both dreaming of and pushing away. She’d pull herself together afterward. She had no other choice.

Five
    Nick had planned to pull out all the stops and convince Kate he meant business. But as they ate in silence, Kate devouring first the Manhattan clam chowder his mom had made for him, and then the steaks he’d broiled, he was beginning to doubt his ability to win her over. She was wary and uneasy, two things he didn’t want her to feel around him.
    â€œYou asked me about my long-term relationships,” he said into the silence. “Now it’s time to talk about yours. How many have you had?” He threw her question back in her lap.
    Her spoon clattered against the table and she picked it up again. “Why?”
    â€œBecause I want to get to know you.”
    â€œI’m not all that exciting. Especially my dating history.” Her cheeks flushed pink.
    â€œUh-uh,” he said, waving his spoon at her. “I didn’t ask about dating. I asked about relationships.”
    Her scowl was so fierce, he was surprised she didn’t stick her tongue out at him too. “You know I didn’t go out with anyone in high school.”
    And he pretty much knew she barely dated here in Serendipity, unless there were guys from other towns he didn’t know about. There had to be. He couldn’t see a beautiful woman like Kate going without male company completely, he thought, doing his best not to scowl at the thought.
    â€œThat leaves college.” She’d gone to a local university but he knew the place attracted out of staters too. He raised an eyebrow and waited for her to answer.
    â€œFine. College. I dated a couple of guys there and then I met someone I thought was special.” Her eyes glazed at the memory.
    Nick’s stomach cramped at the notion of Kate with feelings for someone else, suddenly understanding her reaction to his twisted situation with Faith. He filed that away to deal with later. “What happened?”
    â€œHis name was Scott and he paid attention to me almost from day one. He was persistent. Kind of like you.” She wrinkled her nose at him and he refrained from leaning across the table and kissing the tiny lines.
    â€œSomehow I doubt we have anything in common,” he muttered.
    â€œHe pursued me pretty relentlessly, also like you. He met me after class, walked me to my car, took me on dates. He even met my parents.” She wiped her mouth with napkin, facing him head on. “You’d figure a guy who is willing to pick you up at home and meet your folks is a good guy, right?”
    â€œObviously not.”
    â€œExactly. We went out all senior year. It got pretty serious, at least for me. He was my first,” she admitted softly.
    Oh, hell. Faith had been his first and he knew how long he’d held onto hope when there was none. He reached for Kate’s hand and she didn’t pull away.
    â€œWhere was he from?” Nick asked.
    â€œMassachusetts. He lived on campus. Went home for holidays and stuff. I should’ve realized I wasn’t getting the same things in return. I hadn’t met his folks and he never invited me there, but he always had what sounded like a legitimate reason. I figured I’d meet them come graduation.” She pulled in a deep breath. “Except he broke up with me a couple of days before commencement.”
    Nick studied her expressive features. Clearly the pain of that hadn’t gone away after all these years and he doubted it was because she still had feelings for the guy. “Did he say why he ended it?”
    Her harsh laugh took him by surprise. “He sure did. He had a girlfriend at home. One he was serious about. I was his hookup on the side, someone