She laughed.
“Seriously,” he said. “If you ever change your mind, anytime, for anything—”
“Thanks, but I’m good.”
He nodded, like he understood, but he didn’t really. He had a diverse portfolio, including the normal blue-chip stocks, but he’d also invested in his fair share of start-ups, some of which had lost him a hell of lot more than just five grand. Not that he anticipated Sarah’s business going belly up. Just the opposite. She was talented, but she also worked harder than anyone he’d ever met before. He admired her. And, of course, he liked her. More than he could ever remember liking anyone. Man or woman. Ever.
He cleared his throat. “So, I’m kind of in a bind here,” he said.
Her green eyes got big with mock surprise. “Uh-oh. You just realized you’re going to need your kidney after all.”
He laughed. “I wish it was something that simple. I promised Victoria I’d go to her wedding next weekend.”
“Oh. That’s kind of…odd. Isn’t it?”
“Tell me about it. But she wouldn’t take no for an answer. And neither would my mother.”
“Are you trying to tell me you’ll be gone next weekend?”
“I’m trying to ask you if you’ll go with me.”
She stilled. “You want me to go with you to Victoria’s wedding? As…”
“As my date.”
“Oh.”
He’d started to say as friends or as his guest, but that was ridiculous. His heart began to thud. She wasn’t saying anything, which wasn’t good. It meant she was thinking about it too much, which meant she was thinking how to turn him down.
“I know work is going to be a problem, but I’ll be happy to pay for extra help at The Bistro—”
“How many days would we be gone?”
“We can leave Friday afternoon and be back by Sunday. Or if that’s a problem we can do it all in one day,” he said quickly. “But I’d really like the chance to show you around Atlanta.”
“Okay. Let me check with Lucy and Allie, but I think it’s doable.” She draped a leg over his thigh. “I’ll m
ess with that cranberry bread recipe later,” she said meaningfully.
The thudding in his heart quickened and something fast and furious began to shoot through his veins. He recognized it immediately. It was the same sensation he got after running a few miles. Endorphins. He was happy, he realized. But then, why shouldn’t he be? He had a great life—a thriving business, a healthy family, and a woman who…
A woman who right this very second looked as if she wanted to be kissed again.
“Good,” he said, his voice husky. “Because I’m thinking I can’t wait for tomorrow morning to do this.” He flipped her so that she lay beneath him and this time he was the one who told her exactly what he wanted.
Chapter Twenty
“You need to go to Bunco tonight,” Mimi told Sarah. Luke’s sister was a member of the Bunco Babes, a local group that played Bunco once a week. Sarah knew that admittance to the Babes was strictly by invitation only and their waiting list was a page long. Frida was a member, as was Lauren Miller and Kitty Pappas and Pilar. Sarah was flattered by the invitation, but it was Thursday and The Bistro closed in exactly ten minutes. Tomorrow morning, she and Luke would leave to go to Atlanta for the wedding and she still had tons to do.
“That’s so sweet of you to invite me but I really don’t know how to play,” Sarah said. “Plus, I have to pack for the wedding.”
“You know this wedding is a black-tie affair, right? Which means tuxes and long dresses.”
Sarah nodded. Luke had told her about the dress code, but she’d been working double shifts all week so that Lucy could be off a couple of days to make up for the long weekend ahead. Sarah hadn’t had a chance to breathe, let alone buy a dress. She’d have to drive to Destin or Panama City this afternoon, someplace that had an actual mall, plus there were shoes to buy and… Oh God. A long dress meant alterations because what were the odds of finding something that actually fit? Why hadn’t she thought of all this before? And why had she said yes to Luke in the first place?
Because you can’t say no to the man, that’s why.
“I asked my brother what you were wearing and he said he didn’t know, so I figured you’d been too busy to buy a dress.”