Page 89 of Reluctant Chemistry

CeCe cut the engine and stilled for a moment. She’d texted him almost a week ago to ask if she could visit, and while she knew a proper thank you was long overdue, her stomach still tightened with nerves.

A knock on her side window startled her from her thoughts. Luka stood at the car door, dressed in a black linen shirt and light blue jeans, his usually short hair slightly longer and hanging over his forehead as usual.When he opened her door, she grabbed her bag and the container from her passenger seat and tried to still her unease.

He leaned over, his hand on the doorframe. “Hi. Are you coming in?”

She looked up, lifted her sunglasses into her hair, and nodded. “I guess that’s why I’m here.”

“How’s the collarbone?”

“Good, thanks. But my shoulder’s still pretty weak.”

CeCe stepped from the car and followed him up the steps and into the yurt, her sight coming to rest on the spines of the roof structure for a moment. “This is cool. It’s a lot bigger than it looks from the outside.”

“Yeah. I like having plenty of room.” He gestured to a pairof chairs flanking a large TV. “Have a seat.”

“And you have a new vehicle?”

“Yeah, I thought it was about time.”

She offered him the container. “For you…as a thank you. Apple cake.”

Luka accepted the gift with both hands. Today wasn’t the first time she’d made him apple cake, and she wondered if he remembered the last time. “Thanks.” He moved to the counter and put the cake down. “Would you like some?”

“No. I’m fine. I’d love a green tea, though.”

As Luka flicked the kettle on, CeCe studied the interior. It was moderately messy, with clothes lying in piles on the bed and several books stacked on the floor. After their last visit at her parents’ place, she’d expected to feel more relaxed in his presence, but her skin prickled and heat pooled between her thighs even at the sight of him.

Luka placed two mugs of tea on a small antique bronze table between the chairs and took the seat adjacent to hers.

“How long have you lived in the yurt?”

He sipped his drink. “A few weeks—it’s just until I move into the main house. It helps to be onsite at the moment.”

“So, this land is yours?”

“Yes, I bought it last year. You would have seen the house as you drove in. All going well, I should be moving in next week.”

“Just in time for Christmas. Did you design it?”

“Me, no. William Cook from CookHouse Projects is an old friend of Mum’s. He and his wife, Jessa, worked on it together. They’re an amazing team.”

CeCe couldn’t help but notice how he’d crossed one foot over the other, his toes perfectly pedicured. “Do you think you’ll stay here long term? In Clifton Falls, I mean.”

“Sure. I’d planned to go to the States in the new year, but that’s not a happening thing with the border restrictions. I know I could still go, but…”

CeCe sipped, then wrapped both hands around her mug, its warmth welcome. “Anyway, I wanted to thank you for the rescue. I realize you were just doing your job, but… We shouldn’t have been up there with the weather closing in, and that dubious decision caused you guys a whole lot of unnecessary stress.”

“Yeah. Maybe your boyfriend should have known better. But hey, we all push the boundaries sometimes. I guess luck wasn’t on your side that weekend.”

They lapsed into silence. It was gracious of Luka to flash the luck card when CeCe knew only too well it was hers and Nick’s stupidity that put everyone in danger. “He’s not my boyfriend, I told you that, remember? He’s seeing an archaeologist.”

Luka grinned. “An archaeologist? In Clifton Falls?”

CeCe found herself smiling with him. “Her specialty is seventeenth-century Maori artifacts. The subject fascinates him.”

“Really? Although, being part Maori, I can see the appeal.” He hesitated. “And what about you?”

“Me?”

---