This Can't Be Love (Whispering Bay Romance 5)

It just occurred to her that she’d just signed up to share a house with a man she found incredibly attractive (at least physically, anyway). All those nights, the two of them alone, here in this house. What if…

No. For all the best reasons in the world, Luke Powers was strictly off limits. If there was another choice in place to stay she’d take it in a heartbeat, but there wasn’t. Not without incurring a lot of unneeded expense. It was just for another month, anyway. Plus, he seemed unsure of how long he’d be staying. Maybe he’d fish for a couple of days, get bored, then go back to his regularly scheduled life.

Yep. She could do it. She could share a house with him no problem whatsoever.

Chapter Nine

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but you look terrible this morning.” Lucy McGuffin blinked at her behind the thick lenses of her glasses, making her eyes look unnaturally large. Or maybe it was Sarah’s post-Scotch hangover blurring her vision. She shook her head to clear it, then took another look at the barista. Unfortunately, Lucy still looked like an owl.

She was never going to drink again. Ever.

Allie had been a big help when Sarah first came to work at The Bistro, but she only worked a few mornings a week. It was Lucy whom Sarah depended on. She’d just graduated from culinary school this past spring and Frida had hired her on until Lucy could find something more permanent. Occasionally, she could be annoyingly chatty, but she had a big heart, always taking time to notice the little things about the customers, and Sarah genuinely liked her.

“No matter how awful I look, I feel worse,” Sarah admitted.

“Up late reading a good book?” Lucy asked.

“Up late drinking whisky with my new roommate.”

Lucy let out a big, dreamy sigh. “Luke Powers.”

“You know him?” Before Lucy could answer, Sarah said, “Of course you know him, you’re a Whispering Bay native. But how did you know he and I were, um, roommates?” The term still felt strange on her lips. She’d gone to bed, certain that she’d be able to fall asleep immediately now that she and Luke had come to an understanding about her living arrangements. Plus, there was the whisky she’d drunk, which should have knocked her out. Instead, she’d tossed and turned till almost two am, then woken up at four with a headache and a hangover. Luke, on the other hand, was probably still in bed with no plans to wake up anytime soon. Lucky dog.

“It’s all they’re talking about at table three.” Lucy pointed toward a table with four women, all in their thirties, wearing workout clothes. Sarah recognized them immediately. It was the Mom’s Day Out group. “Luke Powers is now officially Whispering Bay’s newest most eligible bachelor. Word is that he and his longtime girlfriend, Victoria, have broken up and that you two are now living together.”

“What?”

“Oh, they know you’re not together together.”

“How do they know that?”

“Because this is Whispering Bay and news travels fast. It’s nice of him to honor the lease you signed with his mother, isn’t it?”

“Oh, it was absolutely fabulous of him.”

Apparently, Lucy was part of the Luke Powers fan club because she ignored Sarah’s sarcasm. “They’re ecstatic with the news of his breakup. His mother has offered him up for the preschool silent auction fund-raiser.”

“Offered him up as what?”

“A date, what else? All the single women in town are already fighting over how much they’re going to outbid each other. The new preschool playground is practically in the bag.”

“It’s barely ten o’clock in the morning. How on earth—”

“When Mimi and Zeke were in for their morning coffee, Mimi mentioned the breakup to Viola, who then called Mrs. Powers to verify the story. She, in turn, mentioned how wonderful it would be if Luke could find a nice local girl. Viola suggested that maybe they could kill two birds with one stone, and presto! Luke is now the headline fund-raiser for the preschool and everyone wins. The preschool raises more money and some lucky girl gets a date with Luke.”

Sarah scanned the small dining area. The Mom’s Day Out group was four tables over from where the Gray Flamingos sat. “Jeez. This town works fast. Did they tell you all this or were you eavesdropping?”

“I’m not a snoop. People just have a tendency to say things around me. Plus, I have some pretty mad skills.”

“Tell me something I don’t know. You make the best coffee on the east coast. Frida better hope you don’t decide to open your own coffee shop someday.”

Lucy blushed, making her look less bird-like and more pretty. “Thanks, but I didn’t mean those kinds of skills.” She glanced around the counter like she didn’t want anyone to overhear. “Can you keep a secret?”

Sarah nodded. “Of course.”

“I sort of have this curse. For some reason, people always want to tell me things they wouldn’t ordinarily tell anyone else. And I’ve always been able to read people. Like…I can tell when they’re lying or telling the truth, stuff like that.”

“How can that be a curse?”