Page 83 of See You There
A warm bubbly sensation spread through her body. Luke liked her? The parts of her she had tried to keep hidden away? He saw Dahlia? She looked away, convinced she was giving him heart eyes.
“Dahlia?”
He’d asked her a question.
What made her change? Memories crowded in, popping the bubbles.
“I learned that wild doesn’t get you anywhere you want to go. Sometimes the repercussions are too much, and it’s better just to change who you are.”
“You can’t change who you are.” Luke shook his head.
“Yes, you can. I did!”
“That’s ridiculous!” Luke scoffed. “People are who they are. You can’t change the core of someone.”
“I am not the same person I was,” Dahlia said, shoving the cart forward. This conversation felt too raw. Forget #3, she wasn’t ready for this level of honesty.
“Hey, wait! Stop.” Luke grabbed the end of the shopping cart when she tried to push past him.
Luke met her eyes over the basket. “I wasn’t trying to upset you.”
“You didn’t.”
Luke’s eyebrows lifted so high they practically screamed, “liar.” Dahlia rolled her eyes at him, but Luke didn’t look away, his gray eyes held hers.
“I was just trying to say that if this new Dahlia, the one I’ve enjoyed shopping with today, is the one you’ve been trying to bury. Don’t. I like her, and I’d like to get to know her better.”
Dahlia was positive her insides had melted to goo.This man!The entire swarm of butterflies took flight this time, and she let them. “She likes you, too.”
Luke’s lips tipped up on one side, causing Dahlia’s heart to pick up its pace. “Good. That will make the next few days a lot easier.” His eyes strayed down the aisle where they had lingered. “Can’t skip this one.”
He caught the front of the cart and towed it down the aisle, stopping to load several bottles of wine.
“What are you doing? You said a week at most.” Dahlia eyed the mounting pile of bottles.
“Andyousaid there was no television. Besides, I’m on vacation.”
“There has to be something else we can do. Hiking, reading…”
“Meh. We should have provisions just in case,” Luke said a little too innocently, his head swiveling. “Where do you think the beer is?”
Thirty minutes later, Dahlia eyed the mounting total on the register’s screen worriedly. She wondered if she could come up with an excuse to send Luke away in case she needed to split her half of the bill between two credit cards. She’d put the clothes she needed for the press tour leading up to the premiere, as well as the retainer, on her already stressed credit cards. But before she had a chance, Luke pulled out his wallet and inserted a credit card in the machine.
“My treat,” he said, winking at the older woman behind the counter, staring open-mouthed at him.
Dahlia didn’t blame her. When Luke grinned like that, he was gorgeous. Firm jaw, sharp nose and laughing gray eyes. It wasn’t fair for him to be so handsome. Dahlia ducked her head when the woman’s eyes dropped to Dahlia’s face. Being recognized wasn’t likely, but Luke was right. Better safe than sorry.
By the time they got back to the cabin and unloaded the groceries, Dahlia was ready for a shower. When she came out of the bathroom, she found Luke stretched out on the sofa, sound asleep. Dahlia had dozed off a few times in the office, and again in the car, but she was fairly certain Luke hadn’t slept at all in the last twenty-four hours. Dahlia leaned against the wall, taking the opportunity to observe him.
Awake, Luke was barely contained energy. His face constantly shifted between scowls and that devastating smile.His dark hair had fallen over his forehead, and her fingers itched with the desire to bury themselves in its thick texture.
Luke lay on his side, clutching the pillow they’d purchased to his chest. His thick lashes fanned over his cheeks, above where his mouth was slightly parted. It was the first time she’d ever seen him fully relaxed, and she couldn’t take her eyes off him.
Her heart squeezed. When Dahlia first met Luke, she had worried that it would be the intense undeniable chemistry between them that would cause her trouble. Now that she knew him, she realized the danger lay down a different route. Dahlia was already beginning to care too much.
She wanted a more normal life. One with real human relationships. She wasn’t sure she was ready for a romantic relationship, but Luke might be worth the risk. But was he even interested? He had that two-week rule. That could be just what she needed to ease herself back into the world.
They could have a fling. Maybe even stay friends afterward. It didn’t have to be anything more than that. Dahlia’s brow furrowed. Luke had flirted with her practically from the moment they met. But not once since he’d learned about Scott.
