“No, it’s room 38,” she huffed.
“It clearly said Room 37 on the door,” he shot back.
She’d just have to take his word for it. There was no way she was stepping out of her room until she was fully dressed. And even then, she was still so humiliated she wanted the entire building to collapse on top of her. “How did you get in here?”
“I used my key,” he replied. “How’d you get in here?”
“The key,” she said with a frown.
“How is that possible?” he demanded. “We got keys for two separate rooms. How could both our keys open the same door?”
“I don’t know.” Her eyes darted around the room until they landed on the luggage in the sitting area. His duffel bag had been placed on top of her suitcase. “Is this some scheme or something? Some ploy you cooked up?”
He turned around to face her, indignation flashing in his eyes. “Come on. You really think I’m capable of something like this?”
She clutched the towel even tighter to her and lifted her chin defiantly. “Well, maybe now you know what it feels like to be accused of something.”
Silence. His blue eyes narrowed, and he took a step towards her. Finally, he said, “I’m sorry. Clearly there’s been some mistake here. I feel like a jerk for walking in on you like this.”
“You didn’t actually answer my question,” she pointed out sharply.
“What?” He crossed his arms and glared. “No, Heather, I didn’t plan this. Is that good enough for you?”
“I don’t know, I need to think about it,” she retorted. “In the meantime, I can hurl insults at you.” Her breath hitched on the last word and she felt a lump forming in her throat. Why did he always manage to get such strong reactions from her? No man had ever had such a tight grip on her heart the way he did. She tried not to care what people thought of her, but no matter what happened between them Simon would always be her childhood friend, and her first love. Losing his confidence and trust hurt worse than any heartache.
The hard expression on his face vanished, and suddenly he looked stricken. Full of remorse. “I’m sorry.”
She lowered her eyes, hating that she could already feel the sting of tears. After she had said goodbye to August she came into her room and had a great talk with her mother and Finn on the phone. Talking to her family always lifted her spirits, and the hot shower after had been invigorating. Now, she was on the verge of tears.
“You’ve already apologized for barging in,” she said bitterly.
“That’s not what I meant.” He paused. “Heather, I figured something out recently. Something important that I have to tell you, but I don’t know how.”
Lifted her gaze, she blinked her tears away. “What is it?”
Simon didn’t say anything for several moments. Whatever he needed to say must have required monumental courage, because he looked like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. “I never should have broken up with you. I mean, I know I’ve said as much before, but I don’t just mean I should have kept up a long-distance relationship with you while I was at college. I mean, I never should have left you at all.”
“But your dream—”
“My dream doesn’t mean anything without you,” he said. “I started Dover because you were the only person who ever really believed in me. But the truth is, we should have built Dover together. Without you, my work and my life are incomplete.”
She was stunned. That was the last thing she’d expected him to say. After he had accused her she had thought that, even though he regretted it, his feelings for her had evaporated. But they hadn’t. If anything, with the scorching heat of his gaze on her, it might have only gotten more intense since she transferred out of his office.
“I am sorry,” he continued. “Sorry I left you behind. And sorry I said those horrible things to you.”
“You said I was pathetic.” Sharp pain clawed at her heart as his cruel words echoed in her mind.
“I’m an idiot. It’s unforgiveable. I know. I never should’ve said that to you,” he said firmly. “I have no excuse for my behavior. None. I’m sorry I belittled your life and your accomplishments. I’m sorry I tried to make you feel ashamed of giving a damn about me for all these years. Lord knows I don’t deserve your devotion.” He took several more steps towards her, closing the space between them. His hand lifted to move a damp lock of hair out of her face. “The worst thing is, I brought your son into it. The way I talked about you getting pregnant with Gary’s child... I tried to shame you for that, and that was unacceptable.”