Bidding Wars (Love Strikes)

by Wolfe, Lacey

  Pulling up into her driveway, he saw a car he didn’t recognize, which wasn’t too unusual because hers was totaled. But he had a feeling this belonged to her bozo boyfriend, whom he had finally got to meet yesterday. The boyfriend, Jack, was a real piece of work.

  After he knocked on the door, he waited. Leslie knew he was coming, because he’d called and warned her. Even though she said she didn’t want to see him, he told her he was coming anyway.

  The door opened, and Jack stood there. “Hey.” He spoke in an easygoing tone.

  “I’m here to see Leslie.”

  “Yeah, she’s sleeping, dude.”

  “Wake her up.” Luke didn’t have time for this crap.

  Jack shrugged and left the door wide open. Luke watched through the doorway as Jack talked to her over the back of the couch. She sat up, looked Luke’s way, and groaned. He watched as she pulled herself off the couch and came to the door.

  “I told you I didn’t want to talk.”

  “Sammy says he misses you.”

  “I miss him, too, but it isn’t like you’re going to let me see him.”

  “You’ve got that right. You need to get some help.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Give me a break. You’re not Mr. Perfect.”

  “I never claimed to be.” He took in a deep breath and then spoke again. “I’m not here to fight with you. I want to talk about our son and what’s best for him.”

  Leslie crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe.

  “You know that Sammy coming to live with me is the best thing for him. I don’t know what happened Monday with the accident, but that had to be a wake-up call. With the hours you’re working, you don’t have time for him. Hell, last week he was out of school two days sick, and you had no idea. Then when you claimed you were going out of town, you didn’t even have the decency to call and talk to him. When is the last time you spoke to him?”

  She was silent. She kicked one of her feet and stared at the ground. When she did that, it meant she was seriously thinking about something. He stayed quiet and let her have a moment. Finally, she looked up at him and nodded. “I agree with you.”

  Relief swept over him. Did he really hear her right? Had she finally agreed that the best place for Sammy was with him?

  “I can’t take care of him like I need to. I tried, I really did. Maybe you don’t believe me, but I really did. It’s not in me. I’m not cut out to be his mom all the time. I hate that it’s not in me. I guess I’m a failure.”

  After she said it, his mind flashed to Molly, who also felt like a failure because she couldn’t have kids. Two opposite types of women, but they both thought they were failures. “You’re not. Want to know why?”

  Leslie nodded.

  “Because you’re putting his needs first now.”

  “When can I see him? It’s been over a week.”

  “If you’re feeling up to it, maybe dinner tomorrow night at a restaurant—the three of us together. I don’t want you alone with him right now.”

  She agreed. After a few more minutes of talking, Leslie claimed she had a headache and needed to lie back down. After he climbed back in his car, he checked the time. It was still early. He picked up his phone and asked Annie if she could keep Sammy a little longer.

  * * *

  Molly searched through her junk drawers, looking for the packing tape. She knew she had some; it was just a matter of where had she put it. Currently, she had several boxes that needed to be taped so she could stack them into a corner.

  Shoving the drawer shut, she leaned against the counter.

  “If I was tape and I belonged to Molly, where would I be?”

  The last time she had used it, she was mailing a box of books to her cousin. Her bookshelf was in the spare bedroom, so maybe the tape was in there as well.

  She checked the bookshelf first, but it wasn’t there. Next she checked the small desk and its drawers. Where the heck was it? It had to be in here. She got on all fours and looked under the bed. Found it! It must have fallen and rolled under there.

  She reached as far as she could, but it was just out of reach. She needed the broom. Going back out to the kitchen, she grabbed the broom, and headed back to the bedroom. She retrieved the tape and it felt like victory. She jumped up and down and spun around. The excitement was short lived. Back to work.

  After taping up the boxes, she pushed them into her foyer for now. This time, she laid the tape on top of the stack and hoped she would remember where she had put it.

  Was that a knock at her door? She walked over and looked out the skylight window. Her heart sped up. Luke was out there. Maybe she could hide. No, she was being silly. She should just open the door to see what he wanted. She couldn’t avoid him forever.

  Taking a deep breath, she opened the door. “Hi, Luke.” Her tone was soft.

  “I hope you don’t mind I came by. I would’ve called, but you haven’t returned any of my calls.”

  Part of her wanted to giggle from his bluntness. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry. Let’s talk about it. Can I come in?” She stood back and motioned for him to come in. “You’ve been packing.”

  “I have.”

  She followed him into the living room and took a seat on the opposite end of the couch from him. She’d much rather be sitting closer to him, but she wasn’t sure how the conversation was going to go. It was best to keep her distance until she knew.

  “We need to talk about the house.”

  She smirked slightly. She’d been trying to talk about it all this time, but if she could recall correctly, it was he who never wanted to talk about it. “OK, let’s talk.”

  “I walked away from the house for you. Once I got to know you, I developed feelings for you. I saw the joy that the house would bring you and I wanted to give you what you wanted. I hear it’s one of my weaknesses, putting myself second to make sure everyone else is happy.”

  “But why? At the time, you thought that if you got the house, it would help your chances with your custody case. It seems silly you would have given that up to take a chance with someone you hardly knew.”

  “You’re right, but deep down I think I knew the house didn’t really matter. When my agent first contacted me about the highest and best offer, I wasn’t going to up my offer any. But then, you came and visited me and it changed everything.”

  “I was a bit hot-headed that day.”

  He smiled. “You were, and it was hot.”

  “OK, you’re a nut if you like psycho women.”

  “Why have you been ignoring me?”

  “I don’t see how this can work between us.”

  “It seemed to be going pretty well, in my opinion.”

  “Yes, when we pretended the house didn’t exist.”

  “Does what I just told you not mean anything? I told you, I gave you the house.”

  “But what if it doesn’t work out between us? You’re going to regret it. And then you’ll hate me.”

  “What are you worried about? That I might sue you for the house and claim to the judge, ‘She made me fall in love with her just so I’d give her the house, and now I want it back’?” He cocked an eyebrow at her.

  Did he say the word love…and about her? She bit her bottom lip, unsure of what to say.

  “I’ll be honest, it’s crossed my mind that if things work out between us, I get a pretty sweet deal—you and the house. But that’s in the far future.”

  She still didn’t respond. She’d had the same thoughts, but didn’t know what to say to him. She cared for him a lot, but she hadn’t opened herself up yet to the idea of love. Gazing at him, she wondered if she could love again. Over the past year, during her pity-fest, she never took the time to actually heal. Was she ready for the type of relationship he was looking for?

  Of course, she could be overthinking things again. She was about to start a new life, and having him in it would be great, but she had to know she was ready. And that was one t
hing that held her back all along in their time together. She still wasn’t certain she was at that point in her life where she was ready to open her heart. And if she opened her heart, it wasn’t only to Luke, but to Sammy as well.

  “I need some time.”

  “For what?” His tone was laced with irritation.

  “To figure it all out. I’m sorry this isn’t as easy for me as it is for you.”

  He raked his hands through his hair. She was hurting him. He’d basically told her he loved her, and she wasn’t reciprocating.

  “If I’m going to enter into a serious relationship with you, then I need a little time to sort things out. Can you give me that?”

  He huffed. “Do I really have a choice in the matter? If I told you no, then it would be over. If I agree, you could still choose this to be over. The ball has been in your court this entire time. I’ve been walking a fine line around you, hoping I’d showed you how much I care. Yet I still haven’t gotten through to you. I wish you’d just throw caution to the wind and stop thinking so much and do what feels right.”

  Molly didn’t know what to say back to him. Taking life by the reins was easier for him than it was for her. Yes, she deliberated a lot—maybe more than others—but it was who she was.

  “Please, just give me some more time.” She looked down at her hands. “You need to concentrate on Sammy right now anyway.”

  “I can handle you and Sammy.”

  She moved closer to him and took his hand. At first he was tense, but as he gazed into her eyes, she could feel it leave his body. His eyes changed from hurt to love in a heartbeat. She knew right then that if she took a chance with him, she wouldn’t regret it.

  She tugged on him. He came right away. His lips claimed hers and once again, the world felt right. Even though they were just kissing, she had never felt more whole in her life. A tear began to form behind her eyelids. She wasn’t going to cry, she told herself. At least, not in front of him.

  Pulling away, she lifted his hand and left a light kiss on it. “Please be patient with me. Give me some time to sort my emotions out.”

  “It doesn’t look like I have much of a choice, does it?”

  “Thank you.”

  He stood and headed toward the door. She followed right behind him. “Luke, take this time for Sammy. I have a feeling things are going to be hard for him. I don’t know the details of what happened with his mom, but Sammy’s going to need you a hundred percent.”

  He nodded. He likely agreed, even if he didn’t want to admit to it. Before he left, he leaned forward and placed his lips to her cheek. He lingered a moment before he finally left without a backward glance.

  She stood in her doorway and watched as he drove away. She had to keep faith that if it was meant to be, he’d wait for her.

  Chapter Twenty

  A few weeks had passed and Molly was days away from getting the keys to the Maple Street house. She’d been so busy training the new nurse and packing that she really hadn’t had time to think about the move. But when she did, her mind clouded with Luke. How was he? How were things going with Sammy? God, she missed them both like crazy.

  She’d texted him once, over a week ago, to say she missed him—and he said the same. She missed her dinners with him, their lunches, everything. But she made a promise to herself that she was going to get through the move and into the house before she attempted a relationship. She also had to come to terms that if she and Luke did marry, they could never have kids. She’d had a therapy session earlier in the week to discuss that very issue. She talked the entire time and, by the end of it, it was like a light had switched on. She wasn’t a failure as a woman or any less of one. Even if she was a stepmom to Sammy, that was fine. She could adopt a child and be happy with that as well. You didn’t have to carry a child to be its mother. And yes, finally, this was her thinking. Not someone telling her how to think. It was finally sinking in.

  Even though she felt like a brand new woman, she still resisted running to Luke. She might have a whole lot of begging and making up to do with him when the time came, but in the end, this time would be worth it—she hoped.

  Her cell phone rang, pulling her from her thoughts. “Hey, Sandy.”

  “Get your shoes on. Theresa and I are picking you up in ten minutes.”

  “What?”

  “You heard me. You’ve either been at work or locked away in your house surrounded by boxes. You need a night of fun. We’re grabbing dinner at a local hibachi place. Ten minutes, girl. Be outside or else we’re breaking down the door.”

  Molly laughed. “OK, see you in a bit.”

  She hung up and went to change out of her scrubs. Once she was dressed, she quickly checked an auction on eBay before she found shoes, fed the cat, and went outside to wait. Just as she shut the door and locked it, they pulled up in Sandy’s car. Molly quickly put her shoes on and jogged to the car. Climbing into the backseat, she smiled at them both.

  “We’ve missed you. Between training and packing, it feels like we’ve had no Molly time.” Theresa poked her bottom lip out.

  Molly rolled her eyes. “Like I’m all that exciting.”

  “When you were bringing that hot man around, you were our favorite person.”

  Sandy smacked Theresa and gave her a look. Theresa looked back at Molly. “Sorry, I forgot, that topic is off limits tonight.”

  “It’s fine. And I agree, seeing him did make life a little more fun.” Molly gazed out the window.

  “Fun is what you need,” Theresa said.

  “That’s what we’re about to have,” Sandy chimed in.

  The restaurant wasn’t far. One of the perks of her current place was its close proximity to the center of town. She’d have a little more of a drive from the new address. She was fine with that though.

  Inside, the hostess sat them down at one of the tables with another couple. At the table next to them, a cooking show was going on, and the fire was high. Molly loved hibachi and having the food cooked in front of her.

  “Do we want wine?” Sandy looked at the other ladies.

  “We could share a bottle.” Theresa shrugged.

  “I don’t know. With all the excitement lately, I’ve been feeling queasy. I’m worried the food and wine won’t mix well. I think I’m going to have a water.”

  Sandy pouted. “You’re no fun. Hope you’re feeling better once you move in. We’re having a party.”

  “By then, the stress I’ve been feeling will have melted away. I’m positive I’ll be good for a party.” Molly couldn’t wait to have a housewarming party. The thought of all her close friends coming by for dinner and oohing and aahing over her place made this whole thing worth it.

  The waiter came by to get their orders. Molly noticed another couple had joined the group table. She smiled at them right before the waiter returned with drinks and a tray of soup. He placed a steaming bowl in front of each of them.

  “The soup is my favorite part.” Sandy picked up her spoon.

  “You could eat soup for every meal,” Theresa said.

  “I like it. It’s filling.”

  “Maybe for someone as skinny as you. I need some substance.”

  Molly giggled. She’d missed the two of them. “Soup and a sandwich can fill me up usually.”

  “You’re itty bitty too.” Theresa looked Molly up and down.

  Theresa wasn’t fat; she was just a curvy woman. Personally, Molly would love to have the shape Theresa did. It was sexy.

  “Excuse me, Molly.” A female voice spoke from behind her.

  Molly spun around in her chair and was surprised to see Leslie standing there with a man she assumed to be her boyfriend.

  “Leslie, hi.”

  Molly heard Sandy gasp, and she prayed her friends had enough class not to start anything.

  “I thought that was you. Jack and I were just finishing up over there and heading out. I thought I’d say hi.”

  “Thanks for stopping by.” This was awkward.<
br />
  “For what it’s worth, Sammy loves you. I hope you become a stable person in his life.”

  She wasn’t sure what to say. She had no idea what was going on with the custody battle between Luke and Leslie. Though she had to admit her curiosity was piqued because it was a weekday and Leslie wasn’t at home with Sammy. “Thank you.”

  “I miss my little guy, but I know this is for the best.”

  She was confused. Had they been to court? It had only been a few weeks since she’d had a conversation with Luke. But if something as big as him getting custody of his son had happened, wouldn’t he have texted or called her? After all, she only asked for time about them, not to be shut out of everything. “I’m sure he misses you too.”

  Leslie tugged on her boyfriend. “Well, we’ve got to get going. Jack and I are attending our first AA meeting.”

  “Oh, well, have fun.” Wait…was that something someone had fun at?

  “We’ll try. Hug Sammy for me, and when you see Luke, put in a good word for me. He insists I can’t have any alone time with our son until he sees some improvement.” Leslie glanced down at the floor.

  “I will.” Molly took a deep breath. “And I’m happy to see things are looking up for you.”

  Leslie took her boyfriend’s hand and they left. Molly turned back to her friends, not really sure what to say. They each looked as though they were ready to pounce, but the cook came up right then and began greasing up the cooking area. She welcomed the distraction. It would give her time to wrap her head around everything that had just happened and the fact that a lot had happened in Luke’s life recently that he hadn’t shared. Had letting him go and asking for time been her biggest mistake?

  * * *

  “Who else is bidding?” Luke stared at his eBay account. He usually tried to stay away from the site, but he’d come across an antique clock he had to have. Several days were left in the auction, and before now he was sure it was his. But now a mystery bidder had popped into the picture.