“Well, Mom, that’s going to be pretty impossible considering that she’s getting married next month. And, obviously, not to me.”
The room went deathly silent.
“What?” his mother finally croaked out.
Her confusion was mirrored by the rest of his family. “I don’t understand,” Mimi said.
Luke dragged a hand through his hair. “You already know Victoria and I are broken up. What you don’t know is that she met someone a couple of months ago and they got engaged and they’re getting married next month. It’s that simple.”
Oh, boy. If Luke really thought this little bombshell he’d just dropped on his family was that simple, then he was the biggest clueless wonder of all time.
Sarah felt a surge of indignation crash over her. How could he just sit there and calmly (well, almost calmly because his jawline looked so tight it was a wonder his teeth didn’t fall out) tell his family that their marriage dreams had just gone up in smoke?
“Victoria’s been engaged to someone else and we’re just now finding out?” Mimi said.
Zeke made a face like he wished he was anywhere but here and Alex just looked at his son with pity. Everyone seemed stunned, except Ann, who quickly recovered from her initial shock and went straight into warrior mode.
“This is all your fault,” Ann said. “Of course, poor Victoria has rebounded into another relationship! What with all this silly breaking up and getting back together and you never making up your mind to marry her. What woman would put up with all that! But it’s not too late. You’ll have to go straight to Atlanta and beg her forgiveness, of course, but I guarantee you, she’ll take you back. You need to fix this, Luke. You’re never going to find another woman as perfect as Victoria.”
Everyone waited for Luke to respond. Including Sarah, although if she could have vanished in a puff of smoke she’d do so gladly. She’d always envied people with big families. But not tonight.
“Mom,” Luke said gently, “I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you about Victoria’s engagement this afternoon, but there wasn’t time. I’m not going to Atlanta because I’m not getting back with her. She’s happy. And I’m happy for her.”
“Happy? How can you be happy when the woman you love is going to marry someone else?”
Thank God for Zeke Grant. He stood and waved his two wide-eyed teenagers into the dining room. “Is dinner ready? Because I sure am hungry. Aren’t you hungry, Mimi?”
“Yes!” Mimi practically jumped from the couch. “Now that I’m eating for two, I have to make sure to keep my blood sugar level. Can we eat now, Mom? Please?”
Ann hesitated for just a fraction of a second before she stood with all the grace of a queen. Now wasn’t the time to keep harping on her son, but the look in her eyes said this was far from over. Sarah could almost feel sorry for Luke, except she’d love to strangle him for dragging her into his family drama. “Of course, we can eat. Let’s all go into the dining room before dinner gets cold.”
Chapter Eight
The family dinner from hell ended around nine. After they’d eaten, Mimi had had trouble staying awake, openly yawning and tossing pleading glances at her husband, until Zeke had finally gotten the message and rounded up their kids for a hasty exit.
She and Luke, on the other hand, had been forced to stay another half-hour making small talk with his parents. The ride back to his beach house had been freakishly quiet. Sarah had mumbled a quick good night, brushed her teeth, and settled onto her inflatable mattress, only to now be tossing and turning. The patio lights streamed through the window blinds and the occasional clink of a glass told her she wasn’t the only one having trouble falling asleep.
What was he doing out there in the middle of the night, all alone? Drinking away his sorrows? Ha! Poor baby. She glanced at her cell phone. It was past midnight. In less than five hours she’d be at The Bistro, starting what was usually a busy day. Saturdays always were. But she couldn’t sleep. Not after tonight’s Meet the Parents fiasco. It hadn’t taken her long after Luke’s big announcement to figure out why he’d invited her to dinner.
He’d used her.
Her presence had served as a buffer between him and his mother. Sarah knew the type. Ann Powers would no more create a scene with a guest in her home then she’d take off hitchhiking down the highway.
Sarah slipped a bra on under her thin T-shirt, pulled on a pair of shorts, then headed out to the patio. She couldn’t sleep, so why not join him?
She opened the back door to find Luke sitting at the outdoor table, the newly purchased bottle of Glenlivet opened and, from what she could see, already put to good use.
He glanced at her, then nodded toward an empty chair. “Care to join me?” Both his speech and his eyes seemed clear enough. A mere sip of this scotch had been enough to make her see double. The man could hold his liquor, that’s for sure.
She sat across from him. “Just a sip.”
Instead of getting up and going to the kitchen to get another glass, he tossed back what was left in his, then poured her a small amount of the whisky. Sharing his glass seemed too intimate. But what the heck. She took a tentative sip. “Thanks. Maybe now I can get some sleep.”
“Sorry if the lights kept you up.” Only he didn’t look sorry, just resigned, as if he’d forgotten she was even here but was putting up with her the best he could. The dress shirt and slacks he’d worn to dinner were now replaced by a blue Duke University T-shirt and a pair of worn-out jeans. He was barefoot and his hair stuck out at weird angles, like he’d been running his hands through it. Plus, he had a serious five o’clock shadow going on. By all accounts, he should look awful, but it was just the opposite. Madison Avenue makeup artists got paid big bucks to make male models loo
k this sexy.
It just occurred to her that Victoria was no longer in the picture. Which meant Luke Powers was available. Not that he’d ever be interested in someone like her. Or that she’d be interested in him.