He took her hand before she could rise. His voice was calm again, and too gentle to resist. “I wanted to know who you are. I have feelings for you, so it matters.”

Slowly her hand relaxed under his. The hard gleam faded from her eyes. “I understand that someone with your background would feel that their family, who and what they came from, are part of what they are. I don’t feel that way about myself.”

“Where you come from means something, Bess.”

“Where you are means more. What does your father do?”

“He’s a carpenter.”

“Why aren’t you a carpenter?”

“Because it wasn’t what I wanted.” He drummed his fingers on the table as he studied her. “Your point,” he acknowledged. “Look, I’m sorry I pushed. It was just weird hearing all this from Judd.”

“From Judd?”

“He got it from Holly, who got it from some other teacher who reads the tabloids.” Even as he said it, it struck him as ridiculous. He grinned.

“See?” Relaxed again, she leaned forward. “Life really is a soap opera.”

“Yours is. Three ex-fiancés?”

“That depends on how you count.” She took Alex’s hand, because she liked the feel of it in hers. “I wasn’t engaged to L.D. He did give me a ring, and I didn’t have the heart to tell him it was ostentatious. But marriage wasn’t discussed.”

“One of the ten richest men in the country gave you an ostentatious ring, but marriage wasn’t discussed?”

“That’s right. He’s a very nice man—a little pompous, sometimes, but who wouldn’t be, with so many people ready to grovel? Can we get some chips or something?”

“Sure.” He signaled to a waitress. “So you didn’t want to marry him.”

“I never thought about it.” Since he asked, she did so now. “No, I don’t think I would have liked it very much. He wouldn’t have either. L.D. finds me amusing and a little unconventional. Being a tycoon isn’t all fun and games, you know.”

“If you say so.”

She chuckled. “But he’d prefer a different type for his next wife.” She dived in immediately when the waitress set baskets of chips and pretzels on the table. “I enjoyed being in love with him for a few weeks, but it wasn’t the romance of the century.”

“What about the other one, the writer?”

“Charlie.” There was a trace of wistfulness now. “I was really stuck on Charlie. He has this kind of glow about him. He’s so interested in people, in emotions, in motivations.” She gestured with half a pretzel. “The thing about Charlie is, he’s good. Deep-down good. Entirely too good for me.” She finished off the pretzel. “See, I do things like join Greenpeace. Charlie flies to Alaska to help clean up oil spills. He’s committed. That’s why Gabrielle is perfect for him.”

“Gabrielle?”

“His wife. They met at a whale rally. They’ve been married almost two years now.”

Alex was determined to get it right. “You were engaged to a married man?”