Page 72 of Amore
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The private planetouched down in Manhattan, Kansas, a few days later. Emily had picked up the stuff I wanted to give Lucy for her baby shower, and we’d loaded the plane with the gifts. I was under contract to buy the Malibu house, and Emily was searching for a thirty-day rental for Luke and me to live in once we returned home from the baby shower.
“Excited to see Lucy?” Luke asked as we taxied to the gate.
“I’m nervous,” I admitted.
He grabbed my hand and laced our fingers. “She’s cool with everything.”
“I know.” I exhaled. “I still feel weird how it all went down nine years ago.”
“Lucy will be so wrapped up in the baby shower, it will be fine.”
“I hope so.”
“She invited you to the shower, didn’t she?”
“After she found out we started dating,” I reminded him.
“Trust me. It’s fine.”
My lips formed a thin line as I bobbed my head slowly. I did trust Luke, but this was Lucy we were talking about, my ex-best-friend I had ghosted. When we’d spoken on the phone after Luke and I’d had coffee, I didn’t tell her the real reason why I’d stopped talking to the two of them, but now that Luke and I were dating, I felt as though maybe it was obvious why I had done what I had done.
We had a Suburban take us to the rental house. A rental car was waiting in the driveway, and once we signed for it and were settled, Luke and I freshened up because we were meeting Lucy, her husband, and Luke’s parents for dinner. It felt as though I was meeting his family for the first time.
“Is it hot in here?” I asked, fanning myself. I’d been sweating ever since we’d gotten off the plane and stepped into sticky air. I didn’t miss the humidity I grew up with in the south, that was for sure.
He looked at the air conditioning, which was blasting cold air. “Um, no?”
“I think I’m going to throw up.” I put my hand over my mouth to stop any bile from coming up.
“Hey.” Luke pulled me in and wrapped his arms around me. “If you don’t want to go, it’s fine.”
I shook my head. “It’s not that. I really think I’m going to throw up.”
He pulled back and looked into my eyes. “Are you sick?”
“I’m just nauseous.”
“Let me get you some water.”
Luke went to our bags and pulled out a bottle of water from the case that was stocked in the house for us. He handed it to me, and I took a swig.
“Better?” he asked.
“No.” I took another sip.
“Do you want to lie down?”
“We don’t have time,” I stated.
“Okay, well, drink that bottle, and let’s get you another one. Maybe it’s the change in humidity.”
“Maybe. Or it could be I’m about to walk into the lion’s den.”
“Franks,” he said sincerely. “My parents love you.”
“Did love me.”
