The lemonade burned its way down her throat, or maybe that was the stupid tears she was holding back. She hated crying. It had been a sign of weakness that other children pounced upon in foster care and school, and Mar was not a crier.
She finally threw the lemonade away and headed for home. Somehow, being alone was more miserable when everyone else seemed to have someone.
As she approached her house, she saw a black sport utility on the curb and a man facing the door. She stopped on the sidewalk and squinted from a block away. Somebody was visiting her? That was weird. She wasn’t currently dating anyone, and while her neighbors were friendly when she saw them, they weren’t “bring over a plate of cookies” friendly. Her heart leapt as her gaze trailed over the man’s strong back in a white button-down dress shirt. Could it be …?
The man turned and started back to the car. Mar saw his face and gasped.
“Luke!” she yelled, running toward him as if he were her lifelong love. Maybe he was. He’d come back for her. Her smile was so big her face almost hurt. She sprinted like she’d never sprinted, and in five-inch heels to boot.
His head snapped toward her and he grinned, jogging her direction. She reached him and crashed into him. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she leapt into his embrace. His hands came around her back and held her suspended from the ground. He hugged her tightly for a few seconds, and everything was suddenly right in her world. Luke had come. He’d come!
He still held her off the ground, but he tilted his head and asked, “Happy to see me?”
“Yes!” Mar nodded vigorously, happiness coursing through her. He’d come back for her. Maybe he loved her like she thought she loved him. It was crazy, insane, but crazier things had happened. Oh, the good Lord was so blessing her for going to church and all the money she and Cosette donated to various charities.
Luke set her on her feet, released her, and straightened up.
“What are you doing here?” she gasped out. She was still out of breath from running. She liked to walk a lot, but she rarely ran. She left the running to Cosette. Now she was even more out of breath from the wonderful feeling of being held by Luke and then the awful feeling of him releasing her without a kiss.
“I have a … business proposition for you.”
Mar flinched backward as if he’d slapped her. That was why he’d come back? He’d implied last night that kissing her was more important to him than his businesses. Obviously not. She would’ve kissed him right now. She would’ve taken him in her house and kissed him some more. She’d kiss him anytime, anyplace, and he wanted to proposition her about business. The nerve! Her and Cosette’s business was flourishing. What could he possibly propose that would be intriguing to her?
“What do you mean?” She hated to sound slow, but she felt disjointed and out of place. She needed someone more calm than her to please explain how he’d brought this around to business and why they weren’t kissing.
“Would you be interested in taking a short trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, with me and advising me on a business I’m looking at buying?” Luke looked the epitome of the professional, impressive businessman with his tailored clothes and his handsome face cracked in a placid, unemotional smile. Unemotional. She could give him some emotion.
“I’ve got to work,” she said shortly, though the lame, needy part of her wanted to tell him yes, she’d go anywhere he offered to take her.Shut up, she told that weak-sauce part. She’d ignored that alter ego on so many occasions, you’d think it’d give up and wilt away.
Luke’s smile grew into a beguiling grin. “Take a couple of days off, please. Jackson Hole is beautiful this time of year. We’ll go hiking, mountain biking, ride the ski lift up, and savor the view. There are amazing restaurants, and if you’re crazy enough, I’ll take you jumping off a cliff into the coldest, clearest water you’ll ever jump into. Please.”
Mar studied him. What was his motivation? He’d left and then come back for her. Had he been trying to write off his feelings for her and then changed his mind? Was he inviting her to go with him so they could spend more time together, get to know each other, test out kissing again and see if it was as incredible as the first time? She convinced herself that what he wasn’t saying spoke as loudly as what he was saying. He wanted to be with her. Maybe the business he was buying was just an excuse to be with her so they could explore their relationship.
Maybe she was a weak, insecure woman inside, but she couldn’t resist spending more time with him. That kiss had been too incredible, and she was sick and tired of being alone. Maybe, just maybe, she was worthy to be with someone as amazing as Luke. She’d never know if she didn’t say … “Yes!” she all but yelled.
“Sweet. Pack a bag for a few days. Thank you.”
She wished she dared throw her arms around his neck and kiss him, but she simply smiled and said, “Let’s do this.”
He smiled back. “It’s going to be fun.”
Mar hurried in to pack a suitcase. Fun? She liked fun, but that wasn’t all she was after with Luke; she wanted a lot more. She prayed that he wasn’t only asking her along for the fun. If he rejected her after this, it might break her completely.