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

The rest of the room gazed at him with the same question in their eyes.

“What I should have done four days ago.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

“I don’t know, Mom, I’m pretty confused right now.” Sarah picked up her overnight bag and took a couple of steps forward in the line waiting to get off the cruise ship.

“Are you saying you’re not sure if you want to buy this food truck?” Mom asked.

I’m saying I’m not sure what I want, period.

She’d come up with the food truck idea almost three years ago, and had been scrimping and saving ever since. But now that she had the money, she wasn’t sure she wanted it anymore.

“I love the concept of it, but maybe it’s time for me to settle down.”

“Can’t you settle down in one place and still buy the truck?”

“Maybe.” It was what Luke had suggested.

They took a few steps forward. It was Monday and only nine am but it was already almost ninety degrees and sweltering. Not that she minded. She was used to the late summer Florida heat. She’d just spent time with her mom, catching up with each other’s lives and relaxing by the pool. They’d gone shopping in Nassau and snorkeling in the ocean, and last night everyone at their table had sung Happy Birthday to her a day early.

She’d had a wonderful summer. She now had the money to buy her food truck. And she’d just spent a quality weekend with her mom, all of which should have made her happy. But Sarah had never been more miserable in her life.

She wished she could pick up the phone and dial Luke. Claire’s going-away party was a few nights ago. Did the party go as planned, and what were Mimi and Zeke having? A boy or a girl? She wondered how the Alaskan deal was going, and if Luke had had a chance to talk to Cameron about the soccer team.

It couldn’t hurt to call and find out, could it? Just a simple phone call between friends.

Except they really weren’t friends anymore. She’d seen the hurt look on his face when she’d rejected his offer to continue their relationship. If she wasn’t going to accept him on his terms, then it would be cruel to give him false hope. No. A clean, clear cut. That was the best way.

They came to the end of the line, gave their papers to the purser, and followed the crowd to pick up the rest of their luggage. Thirty minutes later, they were in the parking lot, heading toward her car, when she spotted Luke. He had flowers in one hand and a dry cleaning bag in the other. Sarah froze.

“You must be Olivia,” Luke said. He shuffled the dry cleaning bag around to shake hands with her mother. “I’m Luke, Sarah’s friend.”

“Well, hello, Luke.” Mom eyed him with extreme interest because, really, it wasn’t every day that a man who looked like a Greek god was just waiting by your car. “My daughter has told me nothing about you. I can only surmise that means one of two things. Either you’re someone she has absolutely no interest in, in which case it’s a little creepy that you’re here waiting for her with flowers. Or you’re the man who’s made her all mopey on this cruise and the flowers are some kind of apology.”

Sarah jumped into action. “Mom—”

“I can see where Sarah gets her refreshing candor,” Luke said, appearing unruffled by her mother, which was saying a lot because Olivia Jamison could certainly dish out the heat when she wanted to, like right now. Luke handed Sarah the flowers—daisies, which were her favorite. Had she told him? Or had he guessed? She couldn’t remember. “Happy birthday, Sarah.”

“Thank you, Luke.” Which sounded so lame when what she really wanted was to throw herself into his arms…

Then he handed her the dry cleaning bag. She knew what was in it, of course, she just didn’t understand why he was giving it to her. “I thought Mimi was going to give this back to Lauren.”

“Don’t be mad at Mimi, I never gave her the dry cleaning ticket. I picked it up myself.”

“Oh, Luke, you have no clue how much this dress costs. Lauren told me to keep it, but there’s absolutely no way I can do that.”

“I knew you’d say that. Lauren did, too, but she really wants you to have it. If it makes you feel any better, I know exactly how much this dress cost because I made a donation in the same amount to Lauren’s favorite Alzheimer’s charity in her name.”

“You did? Why would you do that?”

He smiled down at her and the skin around his blue eyes crinkled, making him look even more handsome, as if that was possible. “Don’t you know?” he asked.

Mom looked between the two of them. “So, you’re not someone my daughter has no interest in. I can see that clearly. Which means you must be someone who’s broken her heart.”

“Just the opposite,” Luke said, keeping his gaze on Sarah. “It’s my heart that got broken.”

Mom glanced at Sarah. “Really?”