My last nerve screamed audibly before dying, and I pulled two glasses from the drying rack. “I’m having a glass of wine. Would you like a glass of wine?”
He didn’t respond, so I poured two glasses of merlot. He accepted when I passed one to him.
“Are those your parents?” he asked, motioning to the photos taped to the refrigerator, a few inches below where my whiteboard had recently hung.
“Mm-hmm,” I said, willing my racing heart to settle again. “They met in France when my mom was on a college trip. She never said where, specifically, but she gave me a few photos. Well, she gave me one, and I found a few others. His name is Bastien Allard.”
Lucas’s brows rose. “He didn’t raise you?”
I shook my head. “He didn’t know about me.”
“A shame,” he said, stepping close and looking more carefully at the image. “They seem happy.”
His words were a kick to the heart, because he was right. They appeared young and in love.
“I’ve tried finding him, but I haven’t had any luck,” I said. That truth suddenly felt like one more failure in an epic pile of failures. “Let’s sit in the living room.”
I led him back in the direction he’d come. I was deeply grateful he hadn’t seen the place a few months ago. Tonight, I realized I’d achieved a level of boho chic I didn’t know I loved until all the details were in place.
We took seats on opposite ends of the couch, a foot and a half of space between us. Then I told him about my SUV’s recent, public repossession thanks to Robert.
“Ah,” he said. “That helps explain your strong feelings against marriage.”
I toed off my shoes and pulled my feet onto the cushion beneath me. I’d briefly forgotten he’d witnessed my comments to Camilla on the subject at lunch the day before. I took a long, slow pull on my wine and savored the robust flavors of cedar and clove. “She’s not speaking to me because of that outburst. We’ve never been in a fight, and I don’t know how to manage this,” I admitted.
Lucas stole a few looks at me before setting his glass aside without taking a sip. He bent forward, resting both elbows on his thighs. “You’ve seemed on edge lately. I guess you have more on your shoulders than I realized.”
I nodded and sipped again.
“You could’ve told me,” he said. “We’re friends, aren’t we?”
I took another drink and let my head fall back against the couch. This was my chance to tell him about my secret small business and the big fat omission of that information on the day he hired me. Now that the opportunity arrived, however, I still wasn’t ready.
“How about you?” I asked. “I barely saw you at work. You were in your office all day, but when I went to see you, you were gone. Is everything okay?”
He stared at me, jaw clenching and releasing. “I was looking into something.”
I took another sip as silence stretched between us. He didn’t elaborate.
The wine warmed my stomach and eased my tension.
I turned my focus to the handsome man seated one cushion away. It seemed so strange to see him there, in my space, at my home. He was a work person. Those people only existed when I went to the restaurant. Yet here he was.
Why was he here?
Did he already tell me?
Lucas cleared his throat. “I’m sorry about your ex-husband,” he said. “It’s too bad he’s making things more difficult for you than they already are.”
“That’s Robert,” I said. “Always reminding me I made the right decision.” I set my empty glass on the coffee table, and Lucas passed me his.
“I have a long drive,” he said. “You look like you need this more than I do.”
I accepted and raised the glass slightly in cheers. “I’m guessing you didn’t come here to talk about my problems.”
“No.” He chuckled and clasped his hands where they hung loosely between his knees. “But we can. If you want.”
I considered him a long moment. I wanted to tell him everything, and I wanted him to share his life and concerns with me as well. Would he, if I asked? “What were you looking into?”
