“On my brother’s grieving widow?” The words felt raw and gritty in Lucas’ mouth.
Derek raised a shoulder. “You so sure she’s grieving?”
Lucas opened his mouth, then closed it again. “She married my brother.”
“Everyone has reasons. Ever ask her hers?”
Lucas swallowed hard. “No.”
“And on that happy note, I’m out of here.” Derek pushed himself up and off the desk. “Learn from Kade. Women are either a pain in the ass or you can’t live without them. Might as well figure out what yours is.”
Lucas rolled up the nearest piece of paper and tossed it at Derek. “Go home.” And he’d do the same.
Not to make a move on his houseguest but to begin living whatever his life was going to be like now.
A little while later, Lucas walked into his apartment to the delicious smell of dinner, reminding him he’d skipped a meal. He stopped at the kitchen, which was sparkling clean, and glanced in the refrigerator. A plate with a note for him to microwave dinner if he was hungry.
He was. But he wanted to thank her first.
He headed toward her bedroom and caught sight of her curled up on the sofa. He stepped closer. She had one hand beneath her head, her hair falling around the throw pillow and her lips slightly parted. The television scrolled movie credits in the background.
His heart kicked hard in his chest.
He knelt down and brushed her hair off her cheek. “Maxie.”
“Hmm.” Her nose twitched and she rolled over, her eyes opening wide. “Lucas.”
He loved the sound of his name on her lips.
“You’re home.”
“Better late than never.”
She pushed herself to an upright position and curled her legs beneath her. “There’s dinner in the fridge. If you haven’t eaten.”
“You cooked?”
She nodded. “I figured it was the least I can do.”
“Thank you. And I’m sorry I didn’t make it home in time.”
She lifted one shoulder. “It’s fine. I’m used to eating alone. And I don’t mean that in the pathetic sense. I did it long before Keith passed away.”
She was independent and he respected that about her. But the innuendo behind the comment got him thinking. Maybe it was none of his business, but he couldn’t help but be curious what her life had been like with her husband. And why she’d stayed with him to the end.
So he kicked off his shoes and sat back beside her. “Mind if I ask you a question?”
“Go for it,” she said, meeting his gaze.
Chapter Two
“Was it always like that? Your marriage, I mean.”
Maxie thought she was prepared for a serious question, but she hadn’t thought he’d dive into a conversation about Keith already. But she wasn’t going to avoid the question.
“No. In the beginning things were good. I moved to Manhattan after graduation, and I ran into Keith one of the first nights here.” Her eyes glazed over and she was clearly lost in thought. “I was out with friends and he was at the same restaurant. We talked, I told him I was looking for a job, and he offered to put in a word at his firm. He seemed so different from the pompous jerk he was when we were growing up. His firm hired me and we spent time together as friends. You were out in Silicon Valley then. And we’d lost touch for a while,” she reminded him.
“Do you want a drink? A glass of wine?”