Page 64 of Reluctant Chemistry

“He was on call, and his beeper went off.” Mitch raised both eyebrows, that cheeky grin still firmly in place. “Have you seen him lately? Apart from today, I mean.”

A memory of Luka in his black boots and white jodhpurs surfaced. “Actually, I saw him at Horse of the Year. I didn’t realize he was an equestrian.”

“Really? I thought everyone knew that. He’s been riding for years.”

“Yeah, well, I guess it’s in his blood. What other talents does he have hidden up his sleeve?”

Her brother chuckled. “You tell me.” He went to walk out the door but turned back. “Enjoy your lunch with Nick.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“Oh, and just a heads-up. Luka will be at the benefit dinner next month if he isn’t on call. He’s waiting for his roster to come out.”

CeCe puffed out a sigh.Luka in a tux. Shit!“Why am I not surprised?”

* * *

Nick arrived as promised, bearing vegan sandwiches made from some weird yellow ‘bread’ that stuck to the roof of CeCe’s mouth and so full of raw onion that she could hardly eat them. He talked about his job—a lot—a distraction she had neither the time nor the energy for. But she didn’t want to hurt his feelings.

By the time Nick left, that tightness in her temples from earlier had turned into a full-on headache, so she headed over to the loft for painkillers and a ten-minute nap.

With a glass of water in one hand and her phone in the other, CeCe sat on the sofa, a soft breeze floating through the open balcony door, providing a welcome freshness to the air. She set the water on the side table and unlocked her phone.

CeCe:Thanks so much for the honey. Please let me know what I owe you.

Luka:It’s a start-up gift. Sorry I didn’t deliver it myself. I was on call and had to rush off. How’s the business going?

CeCe:Slowly.

Luka:You’ll get there.

There were days when CeCe wondered if that were true. Sure, to make the dream a reality, she had to focus and put in the effort, but it wasn’t hard work she was afraid of; it was what would happen if she failed.

She took a deep breath, her fingers hesitating over the keypad. Maybe Mitch had a point, and she needed a second opinion. But could she do this? Invite Luka into her space? It was one thing to meet at social gatherings, where she was free to leave whenever she chose, but entirely different to work with him. It would be like lab day at school all over again. But then, what did they say about desperate times?

CeCe:Do you know much about stabilizing emulsions?

Luka:Should I brag and say my salad dressings rarely split? Why?

CeCe:I’m not sure I have my mixture of surfactants quite right.

Luka:Assume you don’t want to use sodium lauryl sulfate?

CeCe:No. Any ideas?

Luka:Not really. I haven’t even been in a lab since leaving Tulloch Point High.

CeCe reread his reply. She stared at the screen, put the phone down, then picked it up again.

CeCe:OK. I’ll rethink. Thanks.

The fight left her for a moment, but instead of the nap she’d planned, CeCe picked herself up off the sofa and headed back to the lab as the painkillers kicked in. On the way, she reminded herself that the spark of connection she’d felt with Luka the night of Mitch’s party came courtesy of the music, the starlit night, and that last glass of rosé.

It had no place in their everyday lives.

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Reluctant Chemistry

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