I think Luke’s in love with you.
Meadow
That’s a destructive conclusion! If a man tells you he’s not open to a relationship, no woman should interpret that to mean he’s in love with her.
Bridget
Nonetheless, I think Luke loves Finley. He just hasn’t admitted it to himself yet. He’s been alone for a long time. He’s afraid.
Finley
I don’t think he loves me but I do think it’s possible that his feelings for me are in the same galaxy as my feelings for him. The difference between us is that I’m willing todiscuss my emotions and follow where they lead. He’s not.
Meadow
Case closed. Until a man tells you he likes you and shows you through his actions that he likes you he’s not worth your time.
Music pounded through the house.
What was she doing? What was God doing? Why would He give her these feelings for Luke if He didn’t intend something good to come from them? How had she toppled from her serene single existence into this—thisvatof turbulent emotions?
So much unnecessary drama! And for what?
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. She couldn’t hear the words over the din, but it didn’t matter. She was talking to Chase, and he could hear.
What she and Chase had shared had been beautiful. No way would she now settle for stolen kisses with a man who didn’t value her. If she opened her heart to a man again, it would be to someone who respected her. Someone she could trust.
Luke had been right when he’d said playing with their physical attraction was playing with fire.
She performed another pillow-scream for good measure.
That’s it! No more.Luke wasn’t open to a real relationship, so it would be damaging to continue kissing.
Padding to the living room, she turned the volume low. Joplin became an undercurrent instead of a storm surge. She continued to the kitchen to make tea.
“Staying committed to Chase is easy,” Luke had said to her. “He’ll always remain perfect in your memory, and he’ll never let you down. The relationship you didn’t have with him can stay on its pedestal.”
Luke, of all people, understood things about her she’d not only never said to another living soul but hadn’t even acknowledgedto herself.
She viewed herself as brave. People often complimented her on her bravery. She wore bravery like a medal around her neck.
Yet, when she got brutally honest with herself, she could admit that she wasn’t brave about relationships anymore. If she let herself love someone new, she’d be vulnerable to the exact same devastation—which had lasted years and years—that she’d endured when she’d lost Chase.
She blew on her tea before taking a sip. “You can’t live scared, Finley.” In which case, why not go on more dates with Derek? He acted like a gentleman. He seemed to think she’d hung the moon. He did not send bolts of desire through her veins. In other words, he was exactly what she needed.
So she’d go out again with Derek. But what should she do about Luke?
Their responsibilities at Furry Tails bound them together for eight hours a day, five days a week. The treasure hunt bound them together for additional hours outside of work. She couldn’t avoid him, nor could she give him the cold shoulder. She was an adult woman, and so she’d deal with him like an adult woman. With straightforward grace.
Even though she was still—still!—angry.
Luke spent Valentine’s night stewing over Finley and sleeping little.
He showed up for work the next morning with no idea what to expect from her. She’d proven that she preferred to talk through conflicts. But it could be he’d pushed her over a line this time and now she’d freeze him out.
Before he’d taken a seat at his computer, the door to her office opened and she filled the doorway. Bell bottoms, black top, and a hat he hadn’t seen before. Made out of black, white, and red wool plaid, the hat looked like a beret, except it had a very shortbrim at the front. Beneath that brim, her eyes were incredibly blue, like a candle glowing through sapphires. “Can we talk?” she asked.
He nodded, entered her office, and closed the door behind him.
