This Can't Be Love

by Maria Geraci

  “Is that what you do? Work at different restaurants filling in for people when they’re on vacation?”

  “For now,” she answered vaguely. “What about you? Your sister told me you’re some kind of environmental engineer.”

  “Kind of.”

  “You must do pretty well for yourself. I mean, I couldn’t help but check out the photos.” She nodded toward the Luke Powers photo gallery and he cringed. He really needed to take that down. “Fancy ski trips, hiking in Europe, beautiful off-and-on girlfriend. It looks like you have a great life. Do you think you and Victoria will get back together again?”

  He frowned. “How did you know her name?”

  “Mimi mentioned her. I know you’re officially broken up for now, but apparently your mom is really hoping that you’ll get back together permanently.”

  Great. His sister was not only renting out his beach house behind his back, she was also talking to complete strangers about his love life. Good thing Mimi was his favorite person on earth, or he’d wring her neck.

  “Listen, I know Mimi said you could stay here but—”

  “Managing The Bistro is a twenty-four-seven job. I basically only sleep here and I don’t use much electricity.” There was a hint of desperation in her voice that made him feel like a first-class heel for even thinking of tossing her cute little ass out the door. She seemed okay. Not some psycho off the street, and Mimi obviously trusted her. If he kicked her out now, his big-hearted sister would probably never forgive him.

  “If it helps, you can stay here for a couple of days while you look for something else.” The words were out of his mouth before he could take them back.

  Instead of looking grateful, however, she stiffened. “That’s a really nice offer, but did you forget that I have a lease?”

  He vaguely remembered her talking about a lease last night. He was hoping that in his sleep-deprived state he’d imagined it. “Okay, you’ve got clothes on today, so let’s see it.”

  She ignored his dig, then reached into her backpack and handed him a single sheet of paper.

  He scrolled down to the bottom line to see his mother’s large, bold signature. Then his gaze hit on another line in the middle of the page. “You’re paying five hundred dollars to lease this house? For the entire summer?”

  “Yep. And the check’s already been cashed, mister.” She smiled, and it could only be described as ridiculously smug. Maybe even a little bit sexy. It was the attitude, he realized. Blondie didn’t take shit from anyone. Luke wasn’t sure whether he wanted to put her in her place. Or kiss her.

  “Five hundred is a joke and you know it,” he said. “I could rent this place out for a thousand a week. Minimum.”

  “True. But you didn’t. And neither did your mother, who, I understand from your sister, has complete authority over this house in your absence.”

  “Okay. So how about I give you your five hundred back and add in another five hundred for your trouble.”

  “And what? Move out of here? Sorry, but no can do. I’ve already tried to find another place, but there’s nothing decent within a reasonable driving distance in my price range. Besides, I’m only here for five more weeks. Why don’t you come back then?”

  Come back in five weeks? Who did she think she was? This was his house! He wanted to laugh in her face, but she was dead serious.

  He was about to tell her what he thought of her little plan when she sighed dramatically. “Or we could just share the place.”

  “Share?”

  “Yeah. It’s that thing they teach in kindergarten when you want to play with all the toys yourself? You were right. Five hundred dollars for the summer was a steal, so I’ll even let you have your bedroom back. I have an inflatable mattress I keep in the trunk of my car that I can set up in the extra room. Like I said, I work a lot of hours at The Bistro. We probably won’t even see one another.”

  She kept an inflatable mattress in the trunk of her car? That seemed strange. Or maybe not. Maybe she was used to crashing at other people’s places. The idea of sharing his beach house with her, or anyone else for that matter, was unacceptable. His mother’s signature on that lease made things difficult. Still, there had to be a way around it.

  “Let me think about it.”

  The look on her face said he could think all he wanted but he didn’t have any choice. She picked up her backpack. “I’m going to the library, then to the grocery store. Want anything?”

  “You don’t mind? I’d go myself but…” He shrugged.

  “Yeah, I know. You don’t want anyone to know you’re here. No problem. Just give me a list.”

  Chapter Five

  It was easy to see how Mr. Six-Pack-Abs kept that body of his so ripped. Sarah read the nutritional breakdown on the back carton of the most “vital” food on his grocery list (he’d underscored the item three times in red ink)—some kind of organic protein powder that she’d been surprised to find the Piggly Wiggly actually carried. The rest of his order was equally uninspiring—lots of free-range chicken, fresh fruits, soy milk, and veggies. No wonder he’d gone gaga over her mac and cheese. Not that Sarah had anything against eating healthy, but a person had to splurge their culinary taste buds once in a while.

  She headed over to the produce aisle, adding her own things to the cart—a whole chicken (skin intact) along with a bag of small red potatoes, some lemons and rosemary, and a few other fresh herbs. Each week she experimented with a different recipe for her food truck. Roasted chicken was one of her signature dishes but probably too fussy to include on a food truck menu. She’d make this for herself and bring Lucy the leftovers.

  She was waiting in the checkout line, reading the latest news on Justin Timberlake (sigh!) when an attractive older woman came up behind her.

  “Are you Sarah?” She was tall and well-dressed, probably in her early- to mid-sixties with perfectly-coifed brown hair and sharp blue eyes that reminded Sarah of a hawk glaring down at its prey. A twinge of uneasiness skated up her spine. Oh, boy. She’d seen those eyes before. Less than an hour ago, to be exact. Of all the people to run into at the Piggly Wiggly!

  Sarah carefully put the fan magazine back in its rack, hoping against hope that she was wrong about this woman’s identity. “I’m sorry, have we met?”

  “Miranda from the deli pointed you out to me. I’m Ann Powers, Mimi’s mother.”

  Sarah automatically placed her hand out. Ann Powers had a firm, almost masculine grip. “It’s nice to finally meet you. Mimi has been fantastic. And, um, thank you so much for everything. The beach house, I mean.” Sarah could feel herself blabbering.

  “I would have come by and introduced myself. I watch the house for my son but my husband and I just got back from a trip to Maine. Normally, we don’t rent out Luke’s beach house, but well…I’m glad it’s not just sitting there empty.” She not-so-discreetly eyed the contents of the grocery cart like she was taking inventory.

  No need to get paranoid.

  “My, that’s certainly an eclectic mix you have there,” Ann said, pointing to a bag of mini Snickers bars on top of some organic rice cakes. “It’s almost like you eat like two different people.”

  “Well, you know how it is.” She laughed nervously. “One day you diet, then the next day you splurge!”

  Luke’s mother studied her a moment, then smiled. It seemed…off, though.

  Sarah smiled back, feeling the edge of her mouth quiver.

  First, she’d lied to his sister. And now to his mother!

  Sure, Ann Powers was scary in a Junior League and pearls kind of way, but what sort of man avoided his own mother?

  Sarah began placing the groceries from her cart onto the conveyer belt. Each item felt like a piece of incriminating evidence against her. She tried to hide the giant box of Froot Loops but it stuck out like a lone skyscraper on a flat horizon. There was absolutely no way the person who bought organic honey and protein powder would buy chocolate-flavored peanut butter. She turned, trying to
block the items with her body. “It was nice meeting you, Mrs. Powers. I hope to see you around sometime.”

  “Oh, it’s a small town, dear. I’m sure we’ll run into each other again very soon.”

  * * *

  To her relief, Sarah returned to an empty house. The last thing she wanted to find was Luke in his boxer shorts hanging around in the kitchen.

  She put away the groceries, making sure to replace the bottle of Glenlivet she’d purchased at the liquor store back in the top cabinet. If she’d known how expensive the scotch was, she would have never tasted it.

  She was straining pasta when the back door opened and in walked Luke wearing nothing but board shorts, his hair damp, and a beach towel draped around his neck. Dear Lord. She’d thought maybe she’d been hallucinating last night, but no, that body was completely, one-hundred-percent for real. Maybe she’d been a little hasty knocking his ultra-healthy eating habits.

  He glanced around the kitchen with undisguised interest. “You’re cooking dinner?”

  “Yep, pasta primavera. I got everything on your list and I replaced your scotch.”

  He opened the refrigerator door and pulled out a bottle of water. “This all looks great. Thanks. Did you have enough cash?”

  “More than enough. There was even some change. It’s on the counter,” she said pointing to the two twenties left over from the money he’d given her for his food. She plated the pasta and dished out a few heaping tablespoons of the vegetables then grated fresh parmesan cheese over it.

  He was pretending not to watch her, but Sarah could feel his eyes on her food. “Want some? I made plenty to share. We can eat outside on the patio and you can tell me all about yourself since we’re going to be roomies for the rest of the summer.”

  “I never agreed to that.”

  “Suit yourself then.”

  She picked up the plate and was about to head out the door when he said, “Okay, sure, I wouldn’t mind eating some of that pasta. Thanks.” He served himself a healthy-sized portion then followed her out the back door and took a seat across from her at the table.

  The backyard patio was one of her favorite things about this house. With a floor made of rustic-looking bricks and twinkling white lights strung overhead to make a faux ceiling, it was the perfect place to sit and enjoy the gulf view. The sun was beginning to sink into the horizon like a great big orange melting into a puddle, and, despite the summer heat, the breeze coming up from the water made the weather almost pleasant. If she were here with anyone else, it would almost be romantic.

  “This is really good,” he said after taking a bite of the pasta.

  “As good as my macaroni and cheese?”

  “Nothing is as good as your macaroni and cheese.”

  It was ridiculous, but she couldn’t help but be absurdly pleased by the compliment. “It’s my mother’s secret recipe. I practically grew up on it.” She thought about telling him that she’d run into his mother at the grocery store, but instinctively she knew it would ruin his suddenly semi-friendly mood.

  “Is that who taught you to cook?”

  She nodded. “But I’ve learned a lot from the places I’ve worked, too.”

  “Like where?”

  “Small diners or bakeries, mostly in Florida or the Alabama coast.” She shifted in her chair. He sat across from her, still wearing the board shorts, but at least he’d put on a T-shirt. Not that it helped. The sight of his bare chest with those washboard abs was now permanently fried into her brain circuits.

  She envied him his freedom. She wanted nothing more than to change into her own bathing suit and take a quick swim. He’d seen her naked (sort of) but only in bits and pieces. She wasn’t ashamed of her body but there was something unnerving about the idea of him seeing her in a skimpy bikini. Not that he’d indicated any sort of physical interest in her. Well, maybe last night he’d seemed a bit amused at finding her naked in his bed. Today, however, the only thing she’d detected from him was barely concealed tolerance.

  “This is a great house. Why don’t you ever come here?”

  At first, she didn’t think he was going to answer her. She was probably being too direct. People were always telling her she had no filter.

  “What makes you think I never come here?”

  “Your sister mentioned it.”

  “What else did my sister tell you about me?”

  “Not much.” She decided to leave out the part about how he’d been this morning’s topic of conversation at The Bistro. From what she knew of him so far, Luke seemed like the kind of guy who kept his personal life to himself. His own family included. “So, when was the last time you were here?” she asked.

  He thought about it. “Last year,” he said vaguely.

  “Last year?” She set down her fork.

  “I’ve been busy.”

  “I could never be too busy to come visit this place.” He didn’t say anything, so she continued. “Mimi said you live in Atlanta and that you travel a lot. You’re some kind of big shot engineer, huh?”

  “I’m an environmental marine consultant.”

  Fan-cy. “What does that mean exactly?”

  “It means I tell companies who want to build around the water how their construction will affect the surrounding marine life so they can be environmentally responsible.” He recited it like he’d said it a thousand times before. It was probably a line ripped straight off his company’s website.

  “So, you’re a save the whales kind of guy, but you’re not against catching fish and eating them, just against destroying their natural habitats?”

  “Exactly.”

  “And you have a condo in Atlanta and you travel all over the world and you have this great beach house here.”

  “What are you getting at?”

  “Nothing. I mean, it sounds like you have an awesome life. But if you’re never here, why buy this place?”

  “I didn’t buy it. It belonged to my grandfather. He left it to me after he died.”

  “Nice grandfather,” she mused.

  “Gramps was a great guy,” Luke agreed.

  It was dark now, which meant it must be after eight. Normally, after dinner she’d go for a swim, then read or watch some TV and hit her bed, completely exhausted from getting up early and working all day. But tonight she found that she wasn’t tired at all. It was like she felt a weird kind of energy she couldn’t put her finger on. Probably nerves leftover from worrying about where she was going to sleep for the next month.

  “All these places you’ve worked,” he said, redirecting the conversation to her, “that’s what you want to do with your life? Work temp jobs? Travel around? Like Steinbeck did with his dog?”

  Steinbeck? Oh. He must have found her copy of Travels with Charley. “Not exactly, although I wouldn’t mind a dog.”

  “Then what’s stopping you from getting one?”

  Lack of a permanent home for one. But something about the way he said it sounded like a challenge. “What’s stopping you from proposing to Victoria? I mean, besides the fact that you’re broken up.”

  He sat back in his chair and stared at her like she’d grown an extra head. Whoops. There went her big mouth again. She was about to apologize when—

  “That’s exactly what I’d like to know,” said a familiar voice. They both turned to find Ann Powers standing in the small backyard.

  Luke stood. “Mom, I—”

  “Does Victoria know that you’re here?” she whispered dramatically. She looked at the two of them as if she’d caught them in bed.

  “This isn’t what it looks like,” Sarah said quickly. “Luke wanted to call. He really did, but he got in so late last night and then he found me here, sleeping in his bed, and well—I’m so so sorry about deceiving you at the grocery store, but—”

  Luke turned to her. “You saw my mother at the grocery store and you didn’t tell me?” The accusation in his voice made her wince.

  “There’s no need to apologize for my son
’s behavior, dear.” Ann reached inside her purse, pulled out a hankie, then dabbed the corners of her eyes. “And…I believe you when you say there’s nothing going on between the two of you. At least, I want to believe you. No mother wants to think that she raised a cheater.”

  Oh, boy. This was getting sticky fast.

  Luke sighed heavily. “I’m sorry I didn’t call, Mom, but like Sarah said, I just got to town last night.”

  “Imagine my shock when I drove by here and saw your truck parked in the driveway! It’s a good thing I just had a physical with Dr. Miller. He says my heart is fine, but I don’t know. How can that be when it’s being broken?” She dabbed at her eyes again.

  “Are you okay? Do you need to sit down?” Sarah asked, pulling out a chair for her.

  “My mother is fine,” Luke said.

  “How would you know?” Ann said. “You never come home anymore. You barely call…”

  “Mom, let’s take this inside.”

  “Oh, no. I couldn’t possibly talk about this right now.” She sounded surprisingly strong for someone who seemed to be having cardiac issues just a few seconds ago. “We’ll talk about this tomorrow, Luke. At dinner. Six pm sharp. And don’t be late.”

  Chapter Six

  First thing in the morning, Luke called his assistant, Lori.

  “How was Louisiana?” she asked. “Oh, and the guy from Syntech wants to meet with you next week. And Victoria called and asked if you’d received her wedding invitation and if I knew whether or not you were coming. She said the deadline for the RSVP was last week but she’s holding you a spot.”

  “Louisiana was fine. Cancel the meeting with Syntech. And yes, I got Victoria’s wedding invitation.”

  His assistant of seven years responded with silence. It was louder than anything she might have said, so he tried again. “Louisiana was hot and humid just like the rest of the south is right now. On second thought, don’t cancel the meeting with Syntech. Have Gary meet with them. He’s ready for this project,” Luke said, referring to one of the junior biologists at his firm. “And I’ll take care of Victoria’s RSVP.”