The Heart That's Meant to Love You [COMPLETED]

Chapter 40: Avoidance

Avoidance never worked for anyone, but that's the path Kieran chose. Since he had decided to dump Naomi, he wouldn't chance seeing her. He knew so little about the real Naomi, but he knew that one look from those innocent eyes had the potential to reel him in again.

He couldn't risk it. Naomi had been a bad decision to begin with. He had known her data, but not her persona. Mistakes had been made, admittedly. If everything went well from now on, Kieran would avoid her as much as possible.

Professor McNally had been right. If Kieran couldn't man up and take the responsibility, he should leave Naomi alone. It was the right thing to do.

But, dang, if it wasn't hard to wean himself off the addictiveness of Naomi's naivete. That's all it was, Kieran told himself. An addiction to something he rarely came into contact with.

Kieran had dumped hundreds of girls. Hecould do it again this time. It wouldn't be any different. He had a responsibility to Tawny, so he couldn't get too involved with anyone else. The reminder should have been enough to knock some sense into him. Instead, it made his shoulders sag with the weight of reality.

"You look down, buddy. Wanna talk?"

Kieran closed his eyes and heaved a sigh. Leave it to Jack to have the most terrible timing. On top of that, who really wanted relationship advice from Jack, of all people? The man couldn't keep a girlfriend to save his life. Kieran didn't even know if Jack was still in a semi-serious relationship with... what was her name? Natasha?

No way was Kieran going to tell Jack about Naomi. Nor did he have any inclination of explaining any of the craziness going on around him.

So, Kieran remained silent and picked up the next lens to clean it.

Jack tapped Kieran on the shoulder. "Don't you have a class to teach or something? You were filling in for your college professor, right?"

"No class today." Kieran examined the lens in the light.

He hadn't lied. Class had been canceled. His own doing. If he went to the school, he would undoubtedly run into Naomi.

He had to give her time to move on to what was better for her. That rich kid could give her everything she was used to and then some, even if he had been annoying. Annoying Oliver hadn't been annoying to the Little Rich Girl, so Kieran would let it slide. He had no room or reason to butt in.

Jack nodded slowly, then cleared his throat.

Great. Here it came. Kieran could feel it. The other shoe, hovering just inches above his head.

"Natasha wants me to marry her."

If not for his lightning-fast reflexes, Kieran would have dropped and shattered his camera lens.

"She wants... what?"

Had Jack's girlfriend gone mental? Weren't they on the outs because of Jack's busy schedule? She had been dissatisfied with Jack last time Kieran spoke with him. Had she fallen and damaged her brain?

Jack sighed. "Marriage."

"To you?"

"That's what she said, anyway."

Kieran set the lens down before he really did drop it. "This is the same Natasha that yelled at you because you're never around?"

"Yeah, see, I don't get that either. I went to dinner expecting her to break up with me and instead she pulls out a ring and proposes."

"Did you say yes?"

"What else was I supposed to say? I was shocked. Surprised. It really knocked me off my game."

"Oh, I'm sure." Kieran tried to wrap his brain around it.

Girls didn't stay with Jack long because Jack had no attention span for them. He treated them like extras in a Hollywood film. Half the time, he didn't even remember their names. Why would someone who—from what Kieran had heard of her—sounded like a woman with decent standards lower herself to marry Jack?

"Should I call it off?" Jack asked.

Kieran rubbed a hand against his forehead. Here he was thinking he had relationship problems. His problems didn't hold a candle to Jack's.

"Can I be brutally honest?" Kieran posed the question because he didn't know how his boss would take the next words that came out of his mouth.

Of course, Jack agreed immediately. "Of course, tell me. What should I do?"

"Honestly..." Kieran wet his lips with the tip of his tongue. He shouldn't say it. He should stay out of this decision. But... "The truth is you're never going to find another woman that's crazy enough to marry you."

"So I should marry her?"

"I'm not saying yes and I'm not saying no. That's a decision you have to make." Kieran retrieved the camera lens and set to cleaning it again.

Jack's love problems were none of Kieran's business. Given Kieran's history with women, he had about as much clout as Jack when it came to advice on love. So he would stay neutral this time. State the facts and nothing else.

"She and I are from different worlds, so it's probably not a good idea, right?"

Kieran shook his head. "Your decision, not mine."

But, boy, would he like to meet this insane woman who wanted to marry Jack so badly. Did she have ulterior motives? What possessed a woman to take a liking to Jack? Kieran didn't understand the appeal. Jack didn't have a romantic bone in his body.

"Come on, man! Help me!"

"Why should I?" Kieran gave Jack the side-eye. No. He would not get in the middle of it.

Jack pouted at him, but he turned to walk away. It was only thanks to the quietness in the studio that Kieran heard him mumble, "I can't keep her, but I can't give her up, either."

Kieran set down his cleaning tools and rested his hands on the table, pressing downward to relieve some of the stress building in his shoulders. You and me both, Jack. You and me both.