As I pulled up the reservation, a strange sensation hit me. The hair on the back of my neck stood up and I took in a long, deep breath. The smell of crisp air after a rainstorm and sandalwood hit me like a brick wall.
I knew that smell.
My body instantly heated, and I slowly lifted my gaze…to see Luke Morrison standing in front of me. Dark onyx eyes met my shocked ones. The corner of his mouth lifted into a slight smile. A sexy-as-hell smile, if I was honest with myself.
“Luke,” I said softly, taking a step away from the computer. I brought my hand to my stomach, which felt like it was about to drop out of my body.
“It’s Mr. Walter Cunningham,” he said with a wink as his smile grew bigger.
“Why are you here?” I held onto the counter to keep my knees from giving out.
His smile faded a bit, and I let my eyes take in his appearance. His dark brown hair looked like he had run his fingers through it a few times, and his dark eyes sparkled with something that might have been happiness. “Happy birthday, Bree. Did you get your cake this morning?”
I stared at him in disbelief. What the hell was he doing here in Boggy Creek? I wasn’t sure if I wanted to turn and run from him or jump into his arms. He’d remembered my birthday. And why did that make my heart melt into a freaking puddle?
I had once told Luke about my parents’ tradition of presenting me with a cake at exactly four-thirty in the morning on my birthday, which was the exact time I was born. And he had remembered that too.
Damn him. Damn. Him.
Luke tilted his head and let his eyes sweep over my entire body before they landed back on my face. “Bree?” he softly asked as he took a few steps closer.
I held up my hand, drew in a sharp breath, and said, “I need a few moments, Luke.”
He nodded once.
Slowly, I turned around and walked back toward the kitchen, focusing on not running away from him as fast as I could. The moment I got into the kitchen, I gripped the island and drew in a few deep breaths, trying not to let all the memories flood back at once. All the times he had whispered in my ear how much he cared about me. How much he needed me. How he’d be lost without me.
How much he loved me.
I’d been trying to tell myself that his words were all lies. But a part of me knew they hadn’t been. And where had he been the last few months? He hadn’t even tried to contact me…but of course I was the one who told him to leave. Ugh. And here he was, on my birthday, standing in my parents’ bed and breakfast with a smile on his face that melted my heart and made my knees weak.
Closing my eyes, I felt the tears I swore I would never let fall again slide down my face. I turned and slid down to the floor. A rush of emotions hit me so hard it felt like I had run into a brick wall.
Brighton
Seventeen months earlier - December
“What do you mean, I’m not going to that party? What other party is there, Wendy?”
My assistant gave me a half smile as she walked over, closed my office door, and then made her way back to my desk. “Did anyone ever tell you that you lack the ability to be subtle?”
“Yes, multiple people. Now, what are you talking about?”
She drew in a deep breath and let it out before she confirmed what I thought I’d heard her say. “You’re not going to the company-wide Christmas party, but rather the other Christmas party. The one with all the senior partners and their families. They have it on a different night, of course.”
My mouth fell open. “There are two different parties? Why do I not know this?”
She nodded. “Yep, and you probably do not know because you never go to any of the work parties.” Smirking, she added, “You’re going to hobnob with the big folks.”
I dropped back down in my seat and buried my face in my hands. “What in the hell did I do? What did I sign up for?”
“I’m not sure, but I’m so curious to know why Mr. Morrison needs to bribe someone to be his son’s date. Do you think he’s ugly?”
Lifting my head, I stared at the one and only friend I had in Boston. Yes, my life was so pathetic that I only had one friend, and she was my legal assistant. Okay, so I was a busy woman. I didn’t have time for friends. And Wendy was easy. She got my love of clothes. She wasn’t into drama, and she was there for me when I needed someone to keep me from eating a gallon of ice cream the night before I had to be in court. Wendy also happened to be my eyes and ears in the office. She could find out anything.