True believer - Nicholas Sparks [49]
Even as she spoke, she knew how small her life would seem to him. Jeremy, as if reading her mind, flashed a hint of a smile.
“You’d like Europe. The cathedrals, the gorgeous countryside, the bistros and city squares. The relaxed lifestyle . . . you’d fit right in.”
Lexie dipped her eyes. It was a nice thought, but . . .
And that was the thing. The but. There was always a but. Life had a nasty tendency to make exotic opportunities few and far between. It simply wasn’t a reality for most folks. Like her. It wasn’t as if she could take Doris or take off much time from the library. And why on earth was he telling her all this, anyway? To show her that he was more cosmopolitan than she was? Well, I hate to break it to you, she thought, but I already know that.
And yet, even as she digested those thoughts, another voice piped in, telling her that he was trying to flatter her. He seemed to be saying that he knew she was different, more worldly, than he’d expected her to be. That she could fit in anywhere.
“I’ve always wanted to travel,” she admitted, sort of hedging the conflicting voices in her head. “It must be nice, having that chance.”
“It is, at times. But believe it or not, what I most enjoy is meeting new people. And when I look back on the places I’ve gone, more often than not I see faces, not things.”
“Now you’re sounding like a romantic,” she said. Oh, he was difficult to resist, this Mr. Jeremy Marsh. First the ladies’ man and now the great altruist; well traveled but still grounded; worldly but still cognizant of the things that really mattered. No matter whom he met or where he was, she had no doubt that he had an innate ability to make others—especially women—feel as if he was in kinship with them. Which, of course, led directly back to her first impression of him.
“Maybe I am a romantic,” he said, glancing over at her.
“You know what I liked about New York?” she asked, changing the subject.
He watched her expectantly.
“I liked the fact that there was always something happening. There were always people hurrying down the sidewalks and cabs buzzing by, no matter what time it was. There was always someplace to go, something to see, a new restaurant to try. It was exciting, especially to someone who’d grown up here. Like going to Mars, almost.”
“Why didn’t you stay?”
“I suppose I could have. But it wasn’t the place for me. I guess you might say that my reason for going there at all kind of changed. I went to be with someone.”
“Ah,” Jeremy said. “So you’d followed him up there?”
She nodded. “We met in college. He seemed so . . . I don’t know . . . perfect, I guess. He’d grown up in Greensboro, came from a good family, was intelligent. And really handsome, too. Handsome enough to make any woman ignore her best instincts. He looked my way, and the next thing I knew I was following him up to the city. Couldn’t help myself.”
Jeremy squirmed. “Is that right?”
She smiled inwardly. Men never wanted to hear how handsome other men were, especially if the relationship had been serious.
“Everything was great for a year or so. We were even engaged.” She seemed lost in thought before she let out a deep breath. “I took an internship at the NYU library, Avery went to work on Wall Street, and then one day I found him in bed with one of his co-workers. It kind of made me realize that he wasn’t the right guy, so I packed up that night and came back here. After that, I never saw him again.”
The breeze picked up, sounding almost like a whistle as it rushed up the slopes, and smelling faintly of the earth.
“Are you hungry?” she asked, wanting to change the subject again. “I mean, it’s nice visiting with you out here, but if I don’t get some nourishment, I tend to get grumpy.”
“I’m starved,” he said.
They made their way back to the car and divided up the lunch. Jeremy opened the box of crackers