Although, in a way, itwaslike that. He and Bella weren’t romantically involved, but they did spend a lot of time together.At first, it had been awkward, but now, things were settling into a routine. He’d helped her pack up her apartment, and she’d agreed to stay in his home at least until the baby came. She’d found staff to cover her catering events, though she still spent a fair amount of time on the couch with her laptop trying to oversee everything from a distance.
Luke still didn’t know all that much about her, but they were closer. At least as close as roommates.
“Well, have a great evening, and see you on Monday,” Marco said. Luke nodded his agreement and headed out into the April evening. It was unseasonably warm and sunny, and the trees that surrounded the parking lot were covered in blossoms, sending a floral fragrance through the air. Luke drove home with the windows open and his favorite NPR channel playing on the radio.
At home, he parked in the driveway and climbed the few steps to the front door. When he opened it, he called out, “Honey, I’m home!” a joke he and Bella had started the first week she’d moved in.
“Welcome home!” a cheerful voice called back. Luke took off his shoes, putting them on the shoe rack, and hung his keys on the key-shaped keyholder Bella had insisted on buying. Over the last few weeks, she’d added her small touches to the house, from the keyholder to better kitchen equipment, to colorful curtains in the living room. Luke complained about it a lot, but secretly he found it pleasant that his house looked a little more like a home.
Luke followed the smell of butter and garlic to the kitchen. Bella was standing by the stove, sautéing something in a large pan. Her hair was pulled back in a bun, and one hand rested on thecurve of her stomach while the other worked the spatula. She glanced over her shoulder at him.
“How was work?”
“The usual.”
“Come on, you can do better than that.” Bella was facing away again, but he could hear in her tone that she was rolling her eyes.
“Well, I treated a few patients with headaches or stomachaches,” Luke said. He leaned against the counter and folded his arms. “One resident thought she’d found a brain tumor in this poor woman’s head, but it turned out to be just a regular headache. And I sewed up some guy’s hand, which he’d cut while cooking.”
“Amateur. Get me a plate?”
Luke fetched two plates from the cupboard, and Bella scooped pasta onto each, then added a few basil leaves and a sprinkle of parmesan.
“Dinner’s ready,” she said with a flourish.
“Excellent. You didn’t have to spend too long on your feet, did you?” Luke asked.
“No, Doc,” Bella said teasingly. “This was only the last half an hour or so. Before that, I spent almost an hour on the phone with a client, but that was all lying on the couch, I swear.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” They carried their pasta to the table, where a giant game of Ticket to Ride was set up. Early on, they’d discovered that they both had a competitive streak, so they often played games over dinner.
“What else did you do today?” Luke asked as Bella dealt him a few cards.
“Just coordinating stuff for work and thinking about… work.” Something in the way she said that made Luke think she wasn’t telling the whole truth, but that was fine. The reason this arrangement worked as well as it did was that they kept things on a surface level. They played games instead of talking much, and exchanged small talk about their days instead of talking about what they meant to each other and what it would be like when they were parents.
It suited Luke perfectly. He was glad to have Bella in his house. He enjoyed spending time with her. But as long as they kept their distance, he could avoid getting too attached, and that was important. You never knew when people were going to leave your life, either on purpose or in a terrible accident, and he didn’t want his heart to break when Bella and the baby eventually left.
For now, he could keep them safe, and that was enough. They didn’t have to talk everything to death.
“You’re first,” Bella said.
“Okay.” Luke placed a few plastic trains on the board in exchange for a card from his hand.
“And don’t forget to eat,” Bella added. Luke chuckled and took a forkful of the pasta. It was buttery and cheesy and a little spicy, with tomatoes and basil adding what Bella would call “a fresh element.”
“Oh, wow. Yum.”
“Good — focus on the food, not the game.” Bella winked. “Then I’ll win for sure.”
“You wish.” Luke took another bite and returned his focus to the game. “I never lose.”
“You lose all the time,” Bella contradicted, rolling her eyes. “At least ninety percent of the time.”
“No way. Itmightbe fifty-fifty.”
“Nah.” She grinned. “I win more than you for sure.”
For a while, they ate and played in an easy rhythm. Just as Luke was finishing the last bite of his pasta and Bella was claiming an important route on the board, she froze. For a moment, panic spiked in Luke’s chest, but then she met his eyes, grinning.
