His dark eyes turned dreamy, as if he imagined her life. “Where is the most special place you’ve ever sung?”
“The most special? Gosh, I have to think about that.” Most men asked her about how much she made, who she’d sung for, or what famous people she’d sung with. But not Lance. He didn’t care about name-dropping or money, only about what she liked.
“I guess it would have to be the vineyard I’d sung at last summer on my Italian tour.”
“What made it so special?”
“I sang well, for one.” In fact, it was that very performance that got her the newspaper quote that propelled her career. “But, it was more than that. There was something magical about the call of the birds in the background and the smell of the flowers. It was probably why I sang so well. I was inspired by the timeless atmosphere.”
His traced a line over her hand and up her arm, which sent shivers through her body. “Maybe you really do like the outdoors, and you just don’t know it yet.”
“Maybe I do.”
The plane took off, and Alaina gripped her seat. “How long is this trip?”
“A little under an hour. Don’t worry, I’ll get you home before curfew.”
She laughed. “I guess I do have a curfew now.”
“Why’s that?”
“I’m volunteering at a local charter school for the arts. They start classes at eight am sharp.”
“I had no idea you were so kind hearted.”
Alaina glanced down, unable to hold his gaze. Should she tell him the truth? It was embarrassing, but she didn’t want to keep anything from him. Somehow, she thought he’d understand. If he didn’t then he wouldn’t like her anyway and this whole night was for naught. He had to know her, warts and all. She’d lost the Italian guy because she tried too hard to impress him with all her accomplishments. All that she had done was to push him away- right into her roommate’s arms.
Alaina breathed deeply. “I’m not. To tell you the truth, I’ve never volunteered in my life. I just never thought about it.”
He stared right into her eyes as if seeing her soul. “So why are you doing it now?”
“The board of directors of the opera put me up to it. I’m supposed to be cleaning up my image.”
He blinked as though surprised, then curled the right side of his lips. “Are you a late night party girl?”
Alaina slapped her hand on her forehead. “My god, no! It’s not that.” Her tone grew serious. “They don’t think I’m capable of the sweet unrequited love my character has to portray.”
He touched her hair near her ear, smoothing it down and studied her as if she was the most intriguing beauty he’d ever seen. “Are you?”
Staring into his gorgeous brown eyes, Alaina sure hoped so. “I’m not sure if I’ve ever been in true love before. It’s never seemed to last.”
“That’s because you haven’t found the right man.” His smile seemed to suggest the right man sat right next to her. Or maybe it was all her imagination.
Alaina traced a circle on the back of his palm. “And you’re an expert in such things?”
“Not an expert.” Lance glanced at his champagne, suddenly boyishly embarrassed. “Just an observer.”
Lance was so good at asking questions, Alaina had been talking the whole time about herself. She hadn’t learned any more about him. “What have you observed?”
He shrugged. “Love can hit you when you least expect it, but it never comes when you’re looking too hard.”
Alaina thought about how she’d pushed her relationship with the Italian guy. She’d wanted love so badly on that trip. Maybe it was because she was singing about a wedding, or because she hadn’t been in a relationship for a long time. Or it could have been the romantic Italian countryside. Whatever it was, by forcing it, she’d driven love away. “You’re right.”
The plane landed, and they stepped out into cool, misty air. Thick, tall pine trees surrounded a small, hole-in-the-wall airport with one landing strip and a run-down cabin posing as the welcome center.
Alaina hugged her shoulders against the chill night. “Where are we?”
Lance put his arm around her. “Northern Maine.” Pride surged in his voice.
“Maine?” She’d never been to Maine. She’d never had a reason to. Panic shot up her spine as she glanced at the pine trees stretching to the sky. She had a sudden urge to get back on the plane. “There are bathrooms where we’re going, right?”
He laughed. “Yes, very nice ones.”
“Thank goodness.” He had her scared for a minute there. He hugged her close. “Trust me. I know you don’t have much experience with the outdoors, so I’m introducing you in small steps.”
Did she trust him? She’d bought a twenty thousand dollar date, gotten into a dark limo, and onto a private jet. So yeah, she must’ve trusted him at least a little. “Okay.”
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