It was probably a coincidence. He wasn’t one of the men who’d chased her earlier, but she didn’t want to take time to study his face. She pretended to look at the map and dared another peek underneath her eyelashes. The man in the jacket continued to stare at her. Jacket? Who would wear a jacket in the heat of August? He reached into an inner pocket.
Was it a weapon? Isabelle no longer cared if she looked foolish. Her ankle smarted as she spun around to run back into the hotel and barreled right into another man. She screamed and stepped back.
“Isabelle!” Matt’s hands grabbed her shoulders to steady her. “It’s me. Are you okay?”
She flinched and twisted to look behind her. The man was gone. She pointed a shaky finger. “He—he—”
Matt let her go and stepped around her. “I don’t see anyone.” He offered her a kind smile. “You’ve had quite a scare today. It’s understandable you’d be on edge. I’m so glad you haven’t left yet. I never intended to leave you alone. Sorry for the miscommunication.”
“Yeah, well, we’ve always been good at that.” She stared at the empty doorway across the street. Matt didn’t believe her about the man? Great. Where could he have gone, anyway? Behind one of the cars?
Matt stiffened. “Speaking of misunderstandings, I’d like to explain sometime about what you overheard me telling Randy all those years ago.”
“No need. Water under the bridge.”
He frowned. “What are you going to do tomorrow? Which conference are you attending?”
“The Oceanology Conference.”
He pointed at the map in her hands. “Your conference is almost a mile from your hotel.”
“I’m aware.” She sighed. “Maybe I’ll call a cab.” It would have to come out of her own pocket, though, and the way the conference was split up, she would need four trips a day for the entire week. She couldn’t afford it. The plan had been to walk everywhere...until those men had chased her.
Matt squinted as if deep in thought, little lines forming around his eyes. “If I weren’t so busy—”
He felt guilty? “Matt, you don’t owe me anything. It’s not as if it’s your town. You don’t have to feel responsible.”
He chuckled. “Well, I do. The River Walk has been my home the past couple of years. I’d hate for you to leave with a bad impression.” He looked down at her feet. “How’s your ankle?”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”
A cab pulled to the curb. The doorman walked forward and opened the door for her. Isabelle got in and turned to give Matt a little wave, but he was already gone. Figured.
The other side of the car opened, and Matt slid onto the seat next to her.
“You don’t have to—”
He smiled, the same smile that’d made her knees go weak when she was younger. “I promised those officers I’d escort you back to your hotel, and that’s what I intend to do.” His fingertips brushed her forearm as he leaned forward to point the driver in the direction of the hotel. The touch felt familiar, and a flash of homesickness hit her in the gut. She missed the boy Matt used to be. She blinked back the sudden emotion. It was unlike her to be overcome with feelings, but it’d been a most trying day.
The cabbie kept Matt occupied for a moment, discussing shortcuts and ways to avoid construction. When they’d run out of topics, Matt leaned back in his seat. “It’s been a long time. Please let me take you out to coffee while you’re here so we can talk.”
“I told you, the past is water under—”
“Yeah, yeah.” His eyes crinkled with warmth. “If that’s true, then you’d have no problem catching up like the old friends we used to be.”
Her guard broke down. He had a point. If she really weren’t nursing a grudge like she claimed, he’d have been right. But she wasn’t about to admit that his actions all those years ago still hurt. She forced a smile. “Okay. I’ll check my conference schedule and get back to you.”
Ten minutes later, the cab pulled into the driveway of her hotel. Matt hopped out and paid the driver before she could object. He opened her door and helped her out. “Today’s my only day off, believe it or not. It’d be better to get our coffee on my calendar now. I’ll walk you up to your room, and while I grab you some ice for that ankle, you can check.” He caught her annoyed expression. “And then I’ll be out of your hair.”
She composed her features. “That’s sweet. Thank you.” Somehow he knew. He knew that the moment he dropped her off, she’d make sure she was too busy for coffee. Spending time with him after all these years would be more awkward than she had social skills to handle. But if they had something on the calendar, she’d feel bound to follow through.
They walked through the automatic sliding doors. The conference had proved engaging so far, but as an introvert, she craved some recharging time. Especially today. She’d never experienced fear as intensely as she had while running from those men. Would she no longer feel safe to go to the grocery store late at night? Or take a walk with her dog after sunset? From now on, would she imagine strangers following her?
Would she even be able to fall asleep tonight? She couldn’t take any sleep aids like many business travelers did. She had a history of sleepwalking, and any treatments for insomnia would increase the chances. That was the last thing she needed in a big city.
“Izzy?”
She caught his concerned gaze. “Sorry. Lost in thought. Did you say something?”
“I was wondering if you knew off the top of your head if you were free tonight. Would you want to have dinner instead? I could wait in the lobby while you freshen up.”
Did that mean she looked like she needed freshening up? She pursed her lips. If he thought she was primping for him, he had another think coming. But it didn’t matter. “I’m afraid I can’t. My research center is counting on me to network with potential investors.” Responsibilities weighed her shoulders down. “I’m supposed to be at a dinner with other conference attendees in—” she glanced at her phone and groaned “—an hour.” So much for time to decompress.
Her shoe caught on a snag in the carpet, and her ankle protested again. Matt put his arm around the back of her waist. “You really need to rest it.”
The functional embrace was almost enough to make her forget everything he’d said all those years ago. A shock of heat slid up her spine. She remembered a time when Matt was nothing but sweet and caring. They had never run out of things to talk about. How many times had she gone home wishing he’d have shown a romantic interest in her?
“By the way, no one calls me Izzy anymore,” she said.
“Oh? I seem to remember it was Belle in elementary, Ibby in junior high and Izzy in high school.” He smirked. “What’s left?”
Her cheeks heated at her younger self’s insistence at changing nicknames all the time. “Just plain Isabelle, thanks.”
“I thought you didn’t like that.”
“Yeah, well, that was for superficial reasons I’ve outgrown.”
“Such as?”
Did he really have to push it? She sighed. “I feel safe, as an adult, from the joke.”
“Joke?”
She felt her eyebrow rise. “Are you seriously trying to tell me you don’t remember it?”
“Knock knock.” His lips were fighting a laugh.
She simultaneously wanted to smack him in the shoulder and laugh along with him. “I knew you knew it.” The rest of the