Her heart leapt. Traitorous. Immediate.
Luke pushed off the cruiser and started toward her.
Maybe he’d come to apologize. Maybe more that apologize. Maybe he’d realized hedidwant her.
“Grace,” he said, stopping a few feet away.
They stood there, the space between them humming. It felt like standing on the edge of something. Grace was ready to jump, as long as Luke was there with her.
Luke cleared his throat. “Listen, about how we left things—” He shifted, then said, “I’ve been thinking.”
It was dizzying, how quickly the hope she’d packed away came rushing back, reckless and bright.
“About us.”
Her breath caught.This was it.
“We could go to dinner,” Luke said.
The world tipped. For a breathless second she felt weightless, like the ground had vanished beneath her feet and she was flying.
A date. With Luke. A smile tugged at her mouth. Genuine. Unguarded.
This was what she’d asked for. What she’d wanted so badly it had hurt. She hadn’t been wrong about him. Not really. It had just taken a day for him to?—
“I know a place,” he continued. “One town over. Somewhere where nobody knows us.”
The joy collapsed in on itself, sharp and sudden. She hit the ground without bracing. Grace felt it in her ribs, like something giving way.
“One town over,” she repeated. The smile slid off her face.
Luke nodded. “No running into anyone.”
This wasn’t him choosing her.
This was him moving her out of sight. Out of town. Out of the way.
A bitter laugh slipped out before she could stop it.
He hesitated, looking unsure for the first time. “So… is that a yes?”
Grace looked at him. At the uniform. The badge. Officer Luke Bennett of Crystal Lake.
Being with him had been amazing. It had made herfeelamazing. Now it just made her feel small.
“I’m not interested in dinner out of town,” she said calmly. “Thank you, though.”
Luke sighed. “Grace, I’m trying here. I’m offeringsomething.”
She looked at his face. She could keep sleeping with him. That was easy. She could fall into bed with him whenever he came knocking.
But she wouldn’t do that to herself. Not when she’d spent her whole life proving to herself and to this town that she was worthy.
“That’s not enough for me,” she said.
She couldn’t treat herself like that. Not now she knew what he really thought of her.
Luke blinked. “Not enough?”
