“Here you go. Hey, are you okay?” She cocks her head observing me.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m going to… take a walk.”
“You know the path heads down both sides of the lake, but I like the view when you follow it around to the right.” Mae smiles, handing me my cup.
“Thanks,” I say.That’s exactly the direction I planned to go.
Luke’s on his dock, looking out over the lake when I arrive. I shake out my hands, wiping them on my shorts. The boards creak and groan under my flip-flops, and Luke spins, his gray-green eyes flashing with surprise. I remember the first time I looked at those eyes, thinking they reminded me of a warm summer day.
There’s so much more to them now.
“Hi,” he says.
I wave awkwardly.
He stabs his fingers through his hair, seemingly unsure where to begin.
“Luke—”
“Trip, I mean it when—” we begin at the same time.
My hands fly up. “You don’t owe me anything. We agreed this was supposed to be a no-strings kind of thing. It was never meant to be anything serious, and certainly nothing to stress about. We never said this was exclusive while I was here. I can’t be upset if you have other… interests.” I hope he can’t tell I’m lying.
He takes a step toward me. “No, it’snotlike that.”
I take one step back.
“Listen, maybe I don’t owe you any explanation, but Iwantto give you one. I need you to understand that my interests aren’t anywhere but here, with you, and only you.”
I inspect the hem of my shirt, suddenly finding it very difficult to look into the stormy eyes of the man before me. There’s an ache in my chest that’s all too familiar. I felt it when my dad said he didn’t want me, and when Mom left me behind. I felt it when my ex cheated and then left. I feel it now.
“It’s such a tight line to walk, to keep her happy enough that she doesn’t complain, but distant enough to show her there’s zero chance of me giving her my time. She has been coming on to me all week, and all week I’ve been trying—politely—to make it clear I’m not interested. Yes, she tried to kiss me last night. I stopped it. I never got to say anything further before she assumed we’d hang out later that night and bounced away toward her parents. I never met her last night, never had any intention to.”
I close my eyes against his words, taking them in.
“I have absolutely no interest in her, or anyone else who’s not you.”
I glance up, and he takes another step closer. This time I don’t retreat.
“Do you have any idea how badly I wanted to tell her to just fuck off and leave me alone? How badly I wanted to tell her you’re all I can see, and she’ll never compare? I couldn’t though. I never can.”
Everything about him radiates genuine sincerity, like it has from the moment I met him.
“Because she’s a guest,” I say.
He nods, then takes another tentative step. “I have to be polite, even to a guest who can’t take a hint.”
“I get it.” I do. This place is everything to him, and business is down as it is. An unhappy guest situation wouldn’t be ideal, especially now.
“I need you to know.” Another step has brought him within a foot of me. “I need you to know that aside from the fact that you’re the first guest I’ve ever…”
“Hooked up with.”
“Yeah.” His mouth tilts in an adorable half smile. “From the moment I saw you in the coffee shop, you’ve consumed me. My dreams, my thoughts. Then, when you showed up here last weekend, you consumed my reality too. Idon’thook up with guests. Ever. That is until you came along.”
He takes the last step, standing just inches away. His hand reaches out and grips mine. I stare down at the point of contact, my heart fluttering. He reaches the other under my chin and brings my gaze to his handsome face.
“For a long time, I shut down my heart. Focused on the family, the bed-and-breakfast, and what I needed to do here. Then you came along and… you didn’t give my heart much choice.”
