by Maria Geraci
She scribbled out a grocery list, then freshened up, ready to hit the streets of Atlanta. The first thing they did was eat hot dogs at The Varsity, a world-famous eatery near Georgia Tech, then they stopped at the offices of Powers and Doyle, Environmental Engineering, a two-story brick building decorated in warm earth tones with lots of comfy-looking sofas and chairs.
Luke introduced Sarah to the staff, including his personal assistant, the very efficient Lori, as he referred to her, making the older woman laugh and shake her head. Besides Luke and Ethan, there were four other engineers and three more support personnel. Everyone was friendly, but they seemed a little taken aback by her presence.
“Why were people looking at me funny in there?” she asked, once they were back in his truck.
“Were they? I didn’t notice.”
“Maybe they were shocked to find that you actually have a friend,” she joked, because that’s the way he’d introduced her. “This is my friend, Sarah,” he’d said, but he’d kept his hand planted firmly on the small of her back as he’d guided her through the offices and she’d noticed that his employees had noticed, too.
“Did they look at Victoria that way?”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
She blew out a breath. “Did they look at Victoria funny, too?”
He thought about it a minute. “I don’t think Victoria ever came to the office.”
“Never?”
He shrugged. “I don’t think so. Maybe. I can’t remember.”
It struck Sarah as odd that he’d dated a woman for almost three years and she’d never once gone to his place of business. But, according to Mimi, Victoria worked for a busy law firm, and, of course, Luke traveled a lot, so it probably made sense that she’d never had a reason to visit his office.
Afterward, they visited Centennial Park and walked by the Fountain of Rings followed by a tour of the Coca-Cola factory and a couple of hours at the Georgia Aquarium (Luke’s favorite part of the day). By the time they drove to Ethan and Julie’s home in Buckhead, Sarah was beyond just exhausted.
“You did all that in one day?” Julie asked in amazement after listening to their itinerary. She was in her mid-thirties and very pretty, with straight, chin-length, black hair and dark, almond-shaped eyes. She taught physics at Georgia Tech and Sarah couldn’t help but be impressed. She was also nice. The first thing she’d done after meeting Sarah was give her a hug, then place a big glass of red wine in her hand with instructions to sit down and relax.
Sarah gratefully took a sip of the wine. “We did all that in about six hours to be exact.”
“Powers, are you trying to kill this poor girl?” Ethan asked.
Sarah had immediately liked Ethan as well. He was medium height with a runner’s slim build and warm brown eyes. It was obvious from the way he and Luke joked around with each other that the two men were best friends.
“So,” Julie said, “I’m just going to put this out there.” She turned to Sarah, “Don’t you think it’s weird that Luke is going to his ex’s wedding?”
“Well…” Sarah began.
“It’s more than weird,” Ethan said. “It’s fu—sorry, but it’s messed up.”
“Why didn’t you just say no?” Julie asked Luke.
Sarah didn’t want to play let’s-all-gang-up-on-Luke, but she had to admit to being curious, as well.
“It’s not that weird,” Luke said, shifting uncomfortably next to her on the couch. “Victoria and I were a part of each other’s lives for a long time. She kept insisting that I come to the wedding and if it makes her happy, then why not?”
“Yeah, but what does Luke want?” Julie demanded. “Have you ever stopped and asked yourself that?”
“What does Luke want? Luke is starving, so Luke wants to eat dinner.”
They all laughed politely and Julie refilled their wine glasses. Sarah had noticed from the start that Julie was drinking only cranberry juice. Luke suddenly noticed it, too.
He looked back and forth between his two friends. “No wine for you tonight, Jules?” he asked affectionately.
Ethan put an arm around his wife. “Not tonight,” he said. “And not for the next seven months either.”
“Damn.” Luke rose from his seat on the couch to give Julie a hug and Ethan a slap on the back. “It’s about time the two of you made a little Luke.”
Ethan laughed. “Yeah, we’ll see about that.”
“Congratulations,” Sarah said sincerely. She’d only just met them but with every minute that passed she liked Luke’s friends more and more.
“Thank you,” Julie said, beaming. “We’re pretty excited about it.”
They sat at the kitchen table and dined on a delicious dinner of grilled chicken and veggie kabobs, and Julie and Ethan took turns telling her stories about Luke. One involved a weekend where the three of them went hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains that also included a skunk. Sarah cried, she laughed so hard. Luke sat back in his chair, looking amused. He took his revenge, however, when he told her the story of how Ethan and Julie first met at a party and how she’d initially refused to give Ethan her number.
“I thought he was a stalker!” Julie said. “He kept following me around but whenever I tried to talk to him he’d mumble under his breath and creep away!”
“That’s because I was shy!” Ethan protested.
Sarah laughed. “Then what happened? How did you end up going out?”
“We have Luke to thank for that,” Julie said. “He was at the party, too. Before the night was over he walked over to me and pointed to Ethan and said, ‘See that guy there? He thinks you’re the prettiest girl in the room and he’s dying to get your number. Normally, I’m nobody’s wingman, but he’s my best friend and the best guy in the world, so if you’re as smart as you are pretty, you’ll give it to him’ and that was that.”
“Awww! That’s so sweet!” Sarah looked over to see both Ethan and Luke shaking their heads in that way men did when they were embarrassed.
After dinner, the two men stayed in the kitchen cleaning up, while Sarah and Julie shared a quiet moment relaxing in a pair of comfy chairs on the back patio overlooking a well-manicured lawn.
“I’m curious,” Julie said. “How did you and Luke get together, and is it serious?” She waved a hand in the air. “Forget that. Of course, it’s serious, or he’d never have brought you to meet us.”
“Oh, I think you have the wrong idea.” Sarah took a sip of her coffee. “Luke and I are just friends.”
“Friends? Really?”
“It’s kind of a strange story, but I’m leasing Luke’s beach house for the summer and the two of us ended up sharing the place. Totally against his will at first, but we’ve managed to work it out.”
“I bet,” Julie said in a tone that made Sarah flush. “Do you mean to tell me that the two you aren’t together? I’m sorry, but I find that hard to believe. Do you know that in the almost three years he and Victoria dated we only went out with them twice? And that’s because Ethan and I insisted, but he never brought her here to dinner. Not once. And it’s not because I didn’t invite him to.”
“This is a totally different scenario. He and Victoria were dating and we’re…” She shook her head, searching for the right phrase.
“What? Friends with benefits?”
“I really hate that term.”
“So do I,” Julie said.
“Luke travels for his job. A lot, which of course, you know all about. And I have my own thing, too. So really, this thing between us is just for fun. And very temporary.”
Julie looked at her skeptically. “If you say so.”
She shouldn’t ask because, really, it wasn’t any of her business, but Sarah couldn’t help but be curious. “What’s Victoria like?”
“She’s nothing like you, if that’s what you want to know.”
Ouch.
“Oh, I didn’t mean it that way,” Julie rushed to add. “She’s beautiful and smart and very
driven, always putting her career first. Think of her as a female Luke, only Luke has a heart. He might try to hide it, but it’s definitely there. Whereas Victoria? Everything is always about Victoria. You’re pretty, too, but, in a different way. As a matter of fact, you’re probably about as different from her as night and day.”
“Thank you, I think. But I wasn’t fishing for compliments.”
“I know. I could tell that you weren’t. And I guess that about sums it up right there. Victoria is needy and, from what I can see, you’re not.”
“You mean, she’s high maintenance?”
“High maintenance with a capital H. Ethan and I are invited to her wedding tomorrow, which is strange because the only way we know her is through Luke. We’d planned to skip it, but now that Luke is going, we’ll be there for backup.”
“Backup?” Sarah asked, confused.
“Let’s just say, I don’t totally believe that Victoria’s motives are as simple as wanting Luke there because the two of them were such great pals. Knowing Victoria, she probably wants to rub her so-called new-found happiness all over Luke’s face.”
Sarah wasn’t sure what to make of that. Yes, like everyone else, she thought that Victoria wanting Luke at her wedding was odd, but she’d assumed that the two of them had ended their relationship as friends. The thought of an ulterior motive as ugly as the one Julie implied didn’t sit well with her. “I hope you’re wrong about that,” she said quietly.
Julie cocked her head to the side. “I can see why Luke likes you. You’re a nice person, Sarah.”
“Thanks, he’s a pretty nice person, too. Once you get to know him.”
Julie smiled. “It sounds like you’ve totally got Luke’s number. It’s really too bad that the two of you aren’t serious about one another. You’d be perfect for him.”
It was exactly what Mimi had said to her. “How so?” she asked, but only because she was curious because, really, Julie had it all wrong.
“He’s a total workaholic, which is great for the company. But I love Luke. He’s like the big brother I never had. It would be nice to see him happy and settled down with someone like you. Someone who makes him laugh, the way you did tonight.”
“You don’t think he’s happy?” she asked cautiously.
Julie shrugged. “He seems happy tonight.” She took a long sip of her decaf tea. “Forget I said anything. You know better than I do about the state of your relationship.”
It was past midnight when they finally left to head back to the condo. “What did you think?” Luke asked. “About Ethan and Julie? Aren’t they great?”
“Sure! I loved them.” Which wasn’t a lie because, yeah, Luke was right, they were both great. Except, Julie was a bit…delusional in her thinking.
It’s really too bad that the two of you aren’t serious about one another. You’d really be perfect for him.
She wondered what Luke would think if she told him what Julie had said. He’d probably shrug it off, just like she had.
“So, you never told me what Brad wanted to talk to you about last night. Was it about a donation to the high school?”
Luke kept his eyes on the road. “Not exactly.”
She waited for him to continue.
After a few minutes, he said, “Apparently, the feedback from career night was really positive and the science teacher asked if I could come into the classroom a few times a semester to give a talk.”
“Really? That’s fantastic!”
He glanced at her. “You think so?”
“Of course! You forget. I was there that night and I heard you, too. You were awesome. You totally had the kids’ undivided attention.”
He smiled. “Yeah, it was fun.”
“Are you going to do it?” she asked.
“Sure, if my schedule permits.” It was a blatant reminder that his life, or rather, his real life, was made up of traveling for work and long periods spent away from home.
Neither of them said anything for the rest of the drive. When they got back to the condo, Sarah took a quick shower while Luke opened up his computer to catch up on his emails. She had just closed her eyes when she felt him crawl in beside her on the big, king-sized bed.
“Did you have fun today?” he asked, nuzzling the side of her neck.
It felt glorious, but she was utterly and completely wiped out. “I had a blast,” she admitted. “Thank you for showing me Atlanta and introducing me to your friends. I couldn’t have asked for a nicer day.”
“You’re welcome,” he said.
“Luke?”
“Yeah?” His lips were almost up to her earlobe.
“Can we just…sleep tonight?”
He stopped what he was doing with his mouth. “Of course.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to…but—”
“Sarah,” he said, “you don’t have to explain. Go to sleep, baby. You have to be exhausted.”
He put his arm around her and pulled her into his side, the way he did now after every time they made love. She sighed and snuggled against him. Within a few minutes, his arm went slack and his breathing deepened and Sarah smiled to herself. Luke had been as tired as she was.
It occurred to her that since they’d begun sleeping together this was the first day they hadn’t actually had sex. A part of her wanted to wake him up and tell him that she’d changed her mind, but, no. They could make up for it later. Sleeping here in his bed next to him with his arms around her felt perfectly lovely. And completely right.
Maybe, just a little too right.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Luke adjusted his cufflinks then slipped on his black tuxedo jacket. August in Atlanta was sweltering and today was no exception. Good thing this wasn’t one of those outdoor weddings. Hopefully, The Georgian Terrace was the like the rest of the hotels downtown and had the AC on full arctic blast. But if he was being honest, the humid summer weather wasn’t the only thing making him sweat. Why had he agreed to go to Torie’s wedding? Because, yeah, despite what he’d told Ethan and Julie last night, this was weird.
But no matter what it might seem to almost everyone else, he and Torie weren’t enemies. Sure, they’d dated for almost three years, and the relationship had ended on a sour note, but then she’d met Jeff, and here they were. Two hours before countdown. He was happy for her. Maybe even a little relieved, too. But other than his mother, just about everyone else thought he was crazy for attending his ex’s wedding.
What does Luke want?
Luke wants to strip out of this monkey suit, open up a cold can of beer, and watch the Braves on TV tonight. An image of Sarah, snuggled next to him on the couch, making snarky comments about the way the players got ready at the mound before going to bat, popped into his head, making him smile. After the game, he’d take her to bed and—no, he wouldn’t be able to wait. Sometime during the game, she’d do or say something so completely adorable that he wouldn’t be able to help himself. He’d lay her back on his big leather couch and do her right there between innings.
Yeah, that’s what Luke wanted.
He glanced over to see Sarah standing in the doorway. At least, his brain told him this had to be Sarah, because who else would it be?
He went to speak but nothing came out of his mouth. He’d always thought she was pretty. She had a wholesome, girl-next-door quality about her that he found appealing. But this woman standing in front of him wasn’t just pretty or beautiful even. She was…
“You look gorgeous,” he said finding his voice.
She slowly turned around. “It’s the dress. It belongs to Lauren Miller.”
No, it’s you.
“You don’t think it’s too tight, do you? I tried sitting down a few times and it seems okay.”
“It’s not too tight.”
“And it’s not too…much? I know this is black-tie but—”
“It’s perfect.” You’re perfect. He cleared his throat, then glanced down at his watch. “You ready to go?”
&
nbsp; “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
He put out his elbow and she wrapped her arm around him, allowing him to escort her out of the condo to the elevators that took them straight to the parking garage. He noticed she took slow deliberate steps. “You’ve grown,” he joked.
“I’m wearing four-inch heels, so yeah, I’m probably just a little clumsy right now.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll catch you if you fall.”
“I’m counting on it, mister.”
He grinned. Last night after dinner, she’d been pensive. He’d wanted to ask her if there was something wrong, but he’d held back. Now, however, she seemed more like herself.
He clicked the lock button to the silver Audi he’d rented for the day.
She looked surprised. “No truck?”
“I picked this up for the night. Unless you’d rather climb into the front seat of my truck wearing that dress and those heels?”
“No, thank you,” she said sweetly, batting her eyelashes at him.
He laughed. “I didn’t think so.”
Both the wedding and the reception were being held at The Georgian Terrace, one of Atlanta’s oldest and most beautiful hotels. Luke handed his key to the valet and escorted Sarah into the elegant building. They made their way to a salon where appetizers and drinks were being served. There must have been about two hundred guests, socializing and drinking champagne.
His cell phone pinged.
Luke, don’t forget to try the mushroom canapes. They were my suggestion. And for God’s sake, try to catch the garter! It’s good luck.
He sighed and put his phone away. Why his mother had involved herself with the details of Torie’s wedding, he had no idea. She had her own mother, for God’s sake. Speaking of which, Torie’s mother was glaring at him from across the room. Not that he blamed her, he supposed. Despite the cold air conditioning inside the hotel, a trickle of sweat ran down his back. Why had he come here again?
“Crikey,” Sarah said. “This is fan-cy.”
He grabbed two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter and handed her one. “Isn’t it?”
Sarah took a sip of the champagne then briefly closed her eyes in ecstasy. “This is delicious.” She looked around the room. “Do you know all these people?”
