She released her grip on her bag strap and prayed that this time things would be different.
“You look amazing.” Luke’s blue eyes were wide with appreciation as he gave her a once over that left every single place his gaze traveled tingling.
Because she didn’t date, she didn’t have a lot of clothes in her closet suitable for a night out, but she borrowed an ankle-length black satin skirt from Hope, a white silk blouse from Aggie, and thrown on her only pair of black pumps. Since she wasn't usually one to wear much makeup, she’d gone with a simple shiny lip gloss and a little mascara, then let her hair fall in natural waves around her shoulders. She’d been anxious that she wasn't going to live up to Luke’s expectations, but from the look on his face, she had far exceeded them. Knowing that helped her relax a smidgen.
“You look pretty good yourself.” She offered him a shy smile. He was dressed in a simple pair of light grey chinos and a white shirt. Again, he wasn't wearing a coat. “Don’t you ever get cold?”
Luke laughed. “Nope, I love the cold, winter is my favorite season. What about you?” he asked as he sat down at the table.
“Umm.” She wasn't really sure, she loved all the seasons, but if she had to pick just one, she knew which it would be. “Spring. I love the blossoms on the trees, all the new little baby leaves coming out, and all the flowers. It’s such a pretty and colorful time of year.”
“Yeah, it is.” He smiled. “It’s beautiful, just like you.”
Her cheeks immediately burned with embarrassment. She wasn't used to compliments, especially from guys about her appearance. Carlton had always told her how beautiful she was, and she’d become accustomed to hearing it, but he’d been dead a long time now, and she’d avoided men like the plague. “Th-thank you,” she stammered. She might be embarrassed, but her mother had instilled manners in her since the time she was born.
Luke laughed again. “You’re so adorable when you stutter.”
How was Luke always so happy? He had lost so many people in his life, been tossed back and forth as a child, yet he always seemed so positive. “How come you aren’t more …” she paused, searching for the right word, “more sad?”
His eyes dimmed a little, but his smile remained in place. “Because what would be the point? So, I had a rough childhood. Plenty of kids have had far worse, and complaining about it doesn’t change it, it only makes me miserable. I don’t want my past to define me, I want a happy future with a happy family, so I make sure I keep myself happy. Sometimes I've gone a bit overboard to try and force relationships to work because I thought it would make me happy, but I want to do things differently now. I want what Nick and Aggie have. I want the real thing. I want a family.”
Luke had laid all his cards out on the table.
He wanted to find out if something real could develop between them.
He wasn't interested in her as a time passer.
He wanted to see if there could be something serious between them.
Summer had to decide if she wanted the same thing. Could she go from marriage to not dating for ten years to a serious relationship?
She didn’t want to hurt Luke’s feelings, and she was interested in him, but she wasn't ready to commit to something long-term yet. “I need to take things slow,” she said.
“That’s fine, Summer. I'm not asking you to marry me. I'm just asking you to give this a chance. I want to be upfront, I want you to know what I want, but I also want you to know I won't force you into anything you don’t want. If you really just want to do friends, then we’ll be friends.”
He had put the ball firmly in her court. What happened next was up to her.
Friends or boyfriend? What did she want?
Well, she knew what she wanted, she just had to decide if she was going to go for it or run and hide.
It was time to stop being a coward. She had needed a push to crawl out of the hole she had hidden away in, and Luke had given it to her.
“Okay.”
“Okay, what?” Luke asked cautiously.
“Let’s see where this goes.” When she said the words, she felt such a rush of emotions. Fear, relief, excitement, guilt, sadness, happiness, more emotions than she’d felt in a long time.
Luke relaxed like he hadn’t been altogether sure what her answer would be. “Let’s order, then we can get to know one another.”
Summer relaxed a little too. She liked Luke, she was attracted to Luke, but most importantly she knew that he wouldn’t pressure her. She wanted to find a way to move forward, but it would take time to get there.
She was about to pick up her menu when she saw two people striding purposefully in their direction. A short woman with a mass of curly blonde hair and a tall man with brown hair.
Her brow crinkled in confusion. It was Allina Bennett and Jonathon Dawson. What were they doing here?
And why were they headed for her and Luke’s table?