Page 94 of Wish I Were Here
“That must have been so scary for you.”
Luca blows out a breath and runs a hand through his hair. “I’m just glad I was there.”
“I’m sorry I doubted you.” I stare past him, at the underside of the front desk. “I’m sorry I was so wrapped up in following the rules that I missed the fact that you’re the most caring, thoughtful, good-hearted person I’ve ever met.”
His mouth curves upward. “I forgive you. You had a bad couple of weeks.”
“See, that’s what I mean.” Suddenly, these few feet between us are too many. I push away from the wall and crawl over to the blanket nest. “You take care of everyone. Your family, the people in this building… and me.” I inch closer. “I don’t know what I would have done without you these past few weeks.”
“You’re the most capable person I’ve ever met,” Luca says. “You would have figured it out on your own.”
“I think I’m done with being on my own.”
And then Luca gives me that crooked smile, the one that’sjust for me, and he reaches out a hand to pull me against him. “Well, it’s a good thing, because you have a lot of people who care about you.”
And then he kisses me.
I inch closer, sliding onto his lap and pushing him back against the blankets. His arms wrap around me, gently shifting me sideways so I’m lying next to him on the pillow, and then he kisses me again. When we finally break apart, Luca props himself up on his colorful arm, bending it under his head so he can look me in the eye. “Moonstone,” he murmurs.
“Yes, Elbow?”
“Watching you juggle tonight was amazing.”
“That was a onetime thing,” I warn. “So, don’t expect it to happen again.”
“You keep saying that, but…” He draws out the words like he doesn’t believe me one bit. “Mrs. Goodwin told me earlier tonight that the community center made so much money just on ticket sales alone that they can cover the last 10k they needed to buy the building. So anything they make on the auction can go toward funding new programs.”
I close my eyes. “Don’t tell me.”
“The community is very interested in juggling lessons.”
“I wonder whose idea that was.”
“We’ve got one guy on board to teach the class. But do you know anyone who might be able to assist him? Maybe someone with teaching experience…” He cocks his head. “Like a professor, for example?”
I lean back to look in his eyes. “I am never going to escape my clown destiny, am I?”
“Why would you want to?”
I think back to an hour ago when Dad and I were up on that stage together. Matching each other step for step, throw for throw. I can still hear the hoots and cheers from the crowd. Dad’s shows bring real joy to people. And then there was that day in the gym when Dad taught the whole group how to juggle. You couldn’t miss the pride and sense of accomplishment on their faces when they landed a catch. “You’re right,” I admit. “Why would I want to?”
Luca’s smile widens. And in that moment, I know that not only will he coax me to juggle again, but I might as well give up on coasters, and someday, I’ll probably end up with a tattoo.
But I don’t mind one bit. I reach up and run my fingers down Luca’s shoulder to the edge of his T-shirt and then across his colorful arm. “Sal was right. Something might seem like a disaster and turn out to be a beautiful, wonderful opportunity.”
Luca’s eyes widen. “What did you say?” He springs upright like a jack-in-the-box. “Who?”
I stare up at him. “Sal. You know. That sweet older man with the butterscotch candies. He gave me some advice about my identity disappearance. And he was right.”
Luca blinks at me over and over. It goes on for so long that I begin to worry. Finally, he chokes out, “That’s impossible.”
I push myself up to a seated position next to him. “What’s going on? Did something happen to Sal?” My heart squeezes. “Now that I think about it, I didn’t see him at the party.”
Luca slowly shakes his head back and forth. “Sal wasn’tat the party, Catherine… because he died last year. Sal was my grandpa.”
Now my mouth drops open. “That’s—no.” But I know Luca would never make a joke about something like this. “Then who was the guy I met in your car? That day you picked me up from my meeting with Dr. Gupta? We chatted while you went in the pharmacy.”
“The day we went to the pharmacy, it was just me and Mrs. Goodwin. You waited in the car alone.”
