Page 34 of Just Trouble

“Willow Forsythe?” he asks and she beams at him for remembering. “Abbie said you were giving new life to some of Jim’s acquisitions.”

She gestures to the bookcase.

“This is your work? Really? I love it. The colour is great.”

“That’s what Daphne said.”

He turns to Cameron. “I don’t think we’ve met.”

“There’s always time to make up for that,” she says. “Cameron Sinclair, right next door. That way.” She points. “That house.”

Luke nods politely, then toasts us all and sips the wine again. “Damn,” he says after he swallows and Mackenzie beams. “That’s amazing.”

“Thanks,” she says and sits down. Luke takes a seat, everyone else finds a place and I end up on one of the barstools at the kitchen counter.

There is a noticeable and awkward silence.

Cameron, being Cameron, puts down her glass, reaches under her shirt and does that miracle move of unfastening her bra and hauling it out her sleeve in record time. She tosses it at Luke and I laugh that he looks so surprised.

That doesn’t stop him from catching it one-handed. It’s bright pink and he glances at the label. “La Perla,” he notes. “Very nice.” Then he tosses it back at her.

I have a lump in my throat, for no reason at all. At least that’s what I tell myself as I make wine go away. I have no claim on Luke and he doesn’t want one on me, and Cameron is how she is.

Their one-and-done is pretty much inevitable.

The wine isn’t agreeing with me, oddly enough.

“Now, you’ve got to sing to me,” Cameron says, triumphant and expectant as she drains her glass.

The hush behind me is complete.

I look.

Luke is suddenly very, very serious and very still. “Haven’t you heard?” he asks softly, maybe even dangerously. “I don’t do that anymore.” Then he puts down his glass. “Keys in the morning?” he asks me and I nod before he murmurs something polite about seeing them all again, gets up and walks out the door.

“What did I say?” Cameron asks in the quiet that follows.

I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.

8

LUKE

That move of Cameron’s, that moment, it takes me right back to a place I don’t want to go. Ever. I’m shaking a bit when I get to my bike and I know I shouldn’t ride just yet, no matter how badly I want to escape.

Of course, Daph doesn’t miss a thing.

To be honest, I was kind of hoping she’d follow. I can trust her. I can talk to her.

I can admit that things are not okay, just to her.

And I’ve been missing her all day, missing her something fierce. It’s another reason I’m off-kilter. Things are out of balance between us and I came here tonight to make it right. I didn’t expect her to have company. I didn’t expect to have to wait even longer to talk to her.

I know that’s unreasonable. Of course, she has a life. It would be nice if I didn’t keep making the wrong choice around Daph. It might give me a snowball’s chance.

She stops behind me without saying anything, but I feel her presence. I know she’s watching me and I like my conviction that she’ll wait.

It’s good to have someone to count on again, even if it’s just for this moment.

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