“You’ll get there, Lori. I know you will. And dad is… well, he’s dad. He works a lot, making sure all his businesses and properties are running smoothly. I tell him he should delegate more, but he can’t stand the idea of some manager coming in and taking advantage of his residents or his employees. How about yours?”
I lay my forehead against the window, watching the city drift by. “He sounded optimistic on the phone. It’s like he doesn’t believe the doctors when they say it’s serious. He actually laughed when I told him lung cancer is no laughing matter… but then the laugh turned into a cough, Jaime, this horrible cough. It sounded like an engine that was about to die.”
Pushing away a sob, I take a bolstering breath. I need to be strong for my dad now. That’s the whole reason I transferred back to the East Coast, so I could help mom when his condition started to worsen. Mom works full-time at a veterinary clinic, and I know how much she loves her work. With me here to lend a hand, she won’t have to cut her hours as much.
“I’m sorry, Lori,” Jaime mutters.
“What about you?” I say. “Any new girlfriends?”
He shakes his head with a smile. Jaime seems to have a new girlfriend every couple of months now that he’s got his own place, but he’s always cagey about letting me meet them. He says he wants to find a serious partner before he bothers introducing them to his friends and family.
“No, you’ll be surprised to hear.” He grins. “What about you? Any boyfriends?”
He doesn’t ask me if I have any new boyfriends, because I’ve never had a relationship. Jaime has always said any man would be lucky to have me… but never in a way that would imply he wants to be that man. It’s so nice to be able to be friends with a boy without constantly wondering if he’s harboring some secret crush. I know that Jaime never has.
“No,” I say. “I’m just focusing on my studies.”
I don’t tell him about the dreams that visit me several times a week. When I wrap the blankets around myself and imagine they’re Lukas’s arms instead, where he lays his powerful body against mine and whispers in my ear that he wants me, only me.
“That makes sense. But you could go on a few dates here and there if you wanted.”
“I know,” I mutter.
It’s true. Even if I’m not the most athletic or glamorous woman in the universe, there were a couple of boys in college that were interested in me.
But what’s the point. They’re boys.
Part of me wishes I could stop thinking about silver-haired Lukas, with his powerful hands, his strong jawline, and that intense way he has of looking at people. And yet another part of me can’t imagine a world where I let go of my childhood crush, even if I should’ve outgrown it a long time ago.
Jaime pulls to a stop outside my childhood home, a three bedroom bungalow on the outskirts of the city, and helps me with my bags.
“You can come inside, if you want,” I say softly.
He looks closely at me, head slightly tilted. “Thanks, but I think you’ll want to reconnect with your dad first, right? I can always swing by tomorrow.”
“Thanks for being so understanding.”
“Hey, that’s what friends are for.”
He wanders back to his car and I push my key into the lock. The second I open the door, Chirpy sprints over, the little Chihuahua brimming with energy, his little tail flicking from side to side as though attached to a motor.
I scoop him up, cradling him to my chest.
Dad walks into the hallway slowly. His eyes are sunken and he’s lost weight from his latest bout of chemotherapy. His bald head is difficult to accept when he had a ponytail for most of my childhood.
“Oh, dad,” I whisper, falling into his embrace.
He wraps his arms around me and Chirpy, and we stay like that for a long time just holding each other.
Chapter Two
Lukas
I work the punching bag, the music blasting in my ears as I jab it over and over. Only thirty seconds left until my set is done.
My muscles are burning, my forearms tight, sweat coating my body. It’s the final exercise of the session and the floor around me is puddled with sweat, my T-shirt sticking to my skin.
Finally, the set ends, and I hit the bag one final time, causing it to rock and whine on its hinges.
I always prefer working out here, the first gym I opened after I ended my pro boxing career and started my business – gyms, restaurants, stores, and even a few laundromats.
Combining all my businesses, I bring in a healthy income, enough that I’d be able to start a whole new life if I wanted to.