“Yeah, that’s not going to work.” Bella turned back to him with a smile. “Maybe it’smedoingyoua favor here.”
Luke chuckled. “Maybe. But for now, how about you just settle in, and I’ll order us some takeout? At least for tonight, you should stay off your feet.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“What would you like?” Luke was already getting out his phone. “Indian? Thai? Burgers?”
“Let’s do Thai,” Bella said. She sank onto one of the barstools at the edge of the tall kitchen counter. A few minutes later, they’d put in an order, and they headed into the living room. Bella still wasn’t sure what to say. This was only the second time she’d met Luke, and yet she was now living in his house and carrying his baby. What did a person even say in a situation like that?
So, they didn’t say much. Luke went on his phone, and Bella did, too. She started looking for temporary staff who could take over her next few gigs, which was very depressing and frustrating work. When the food came, they put aside their phones and dug into the white paper boxes with wooden chopsticks. The noodles Bella had ordered were saucy and delicious, but she couldn’t help thinking she could have improved the recipe with a little more garlic and some cilantro on top.
“What do you think?” Luke asked, pointing to the food with his chopsticks.
Bella explained what she’d just been thinking, and Luke chuckled.
“Okay, you really are a chef. Always analyzing your food to see how it could be better. You did that with the cheesecake at the bar, too. I can’t imagine what that would be like.”
“And I can’t imagine living on takeout and frozen dinners,” Bella teased. Part of her was pleased he’d remembered about the cheesecake. He’d been paying attention. He still was.
“And protein bars. At work, I usually eat protein bars.”
“This sounds terrible, and it has to stop. You’re a doctor!” Bella shook her head, though she was smiling. “How can you live on such a bad diet when you advise patients to eat right?”
Luke shrugged. “I’m just too busy most of the time to cook, and it doesn’t make much of a difference for me. If I do cook, it’s something easy, like pasta with red sauce, or sandwiches, and that isn’t as good as takeout.”
“Let’s see about that,” Bella muttered into her food. Teasing Luke seemed like a safe topic. They could joke around with each other, like they had the night they’d met, without acknowledging the herd of elephants in the room.
After dinner, Bella headed upstairs for a quick shower and got into bed. She was applying lotion when there was a quiet knock on the door.
“Come in,” Bella called, suddenly very conscious of the fact that she was dressed in her chili-pepper pajamas and sitting in bed. Luke opened the door a crack and peered inside.
“Hey, I just wanted to ask if you need anything before I go to sleep.”
“No, I’m fine. Um, thanks.”
“Sleep well.” Luke left again, closing the door behind him, and Bella shook her head. It was increasingly clear that neither of them knew how to act in this situation.
I hope I did the right thing.Bella put a little lotion on her belly, feeling the soft flutter of kicks beneath her hand. That reassured her. She’d been thinking of her baby, and having a stable home and two parents was definitely the right thing for her baby.
She’d done the right thing. Even though being here with Luke was confusing and a little uncomfortable after living alone and relying on no one for so long.
CHAPTER 15
LUKE
“Leaving already?”
Luke was halfway out the door, already in his street clothes, when Marco called out to him from across the lobby. He stopped in his tracks and turned back to meet the chief of surgery’s eyes.
“Is that a problem?”
“No, of course not. Your shift ended a few minutes ago.” Marco smiled. “I’m just surprised. You’ve gotten so punctual lately.”
“Hmm,” Luke said noncommittally. Hehadbeen increasingly punctual over the last three weeks, since Bella had moved in with him. He always looked forward to getting home to her, so he no longer worked hours of overtime or as many double shifts, and he never slept at the hospital unless he had a night call.
“Got a hot date?” Marco asked teasingly.
“Ha.” Luke shook his head. “Nothing like that.”
