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

“Here’s what I was thinking,” he said. “You can stay here at the beach house. You’ll have the food truck and I know you want to move around the state, but you need a permanent home, right? And I need someone to watch the house, so it’s a perfect scenario. Think of this place as completely yours.”

“That’s…really generous of you.”

“You know my job entails a lot of travel but I’ll be here as much as my schedule allows. Knowing that you’re here, waiting for me, it’s something I’ve never wanted before with anyone else.”

“Waiting for you?”

“That’s not what I meant. I know you have a busy life. I do, too. That’s why this set up will be so perfect. And whenever you want to come see me, just say the word. You have an open invitation, any place, anytime.”

“So, this would be a part-time relationship?”

He blinked, like he knew he’d said something wrong, only he wasn’t sure what. “No, we’d be together full-time.”

“Just not physically together?”

He sat back into the couch and looked at her. “I would never ask you to give up your career.”

“And I would never ask you to give up yours.”

“That means we have to compromise, right? We’ll talk on the phone every day, Skype, and see each other as much as possible.”

The whole thing sounded incredibly convenient. And frighteningly similar to what he’d had with Victoria.

“I can see how that would be a good arrangement for you, but what’s in it for me, Luke?”

He looked surprised by her question, but he quickly recovered. “A chance to see where this relationship will take us. A home that you wouldn’t have to pay a penny to live in. And a permanent address so that you can get your own library card.”

The last part made her smile. In some ways, he knew her so well. But if he couldn’t give her what she really wanted, then this relationship was never going to work.

Everything he said made sense. They’d only been together a few weeks. What more could she expect? It was tempting. It really was. Luke wasn’t the marrying kind. He’d been up-front about that.

She wasn’t the marrying kind, either. At least, she hadn’t thought she was. But after seeing Ethan and Julie and Lauren and Nate and Mimi and Zeke… Sarah couldn’t fool herself any longer. She wanted what they had. She wanted the same goofy look on her face that Mimi got whenever she touched her pregnant belly. She wanted marriage and kids and a forever kind of love. And she wanted it with Luke.

She blinked back tears. She wasn’t going to cry in front of him. He hated tears. He’d told her that once. She wasn’t going to be Victoria and give him an ultimatum. She was going to be dignified and leave this relationship with her head held high.

“That’s a really good offer, Luke, but I just don’t see us lasting very long under those circumstances. Once you get out to Alaska and I start working on my food truck, we’ll both be too busy for a relationship. We had a really terrific summer and I’ll always remember you, but… I think it’s better if we say good-bye.”

He looked as if she’d just hit him.

She couldn’t stay here any longer. Not with the way he was looking at her.

She stood up. “I have a favor to ask.” She reached inside her tote and handed him an envelope and a dry cleaning receipt. “I took Lauren’s gown to the cleaners. It’ll be ready for pick up in a few days and I’ve already pre-paid, and…this is just a little note to Mimi. Can you give these both to your sister? I know she’ll pick up the dress and return it to Lauren for me.”

He glanced down at the envelope and the receipt like he was in a daze. Then he cleared his throat and took them from her. “Of course.”

“I’m sorry I won’t be here for Claire’s going-away party, but I’m sure she’ll

kill it at Duke. And tell Cameron goodbye for me, too. I hope he gets the soccer thing worked out. Remember, it’s his job to tell his parents. So…thank you for sharing this house with me and all the wonderful times we had and, of course, for that really great sex.” She laughed nervously, hoping that last part would elicit a smile from him. But it didn’t. She reached out to give him a quick hug. “Best of luck with Alaska.”

Then she grabbed her tote and rushed out the door, grateful that she’d already loaded her things into the car.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Four nights later, Luke was at his sister’s house. It was his niece’s going-away party and a gender reveal (still not sure exactly how that worked), so the crowd was a mix of Claire’s teenage friends, Zeke and Mimi’s friends, and family. He was currently sitting on a lawn chair in the backyard, nursing a beer and listening to his brother-in-law’s friends discuss which teams were likely to head to the playoffs this year. Being a Braves man, naturally, Luke was all about the National League, but the conversation must have gotten away from him because now they were discussing Earl Handy’s will and he had no idea how they’d gotten off the topic of baseball.

“Earth to Luke,” Zeke said, waving his hand near Luke’s face.

“Sorry, what was the question?”