Right. Which I needed to prepare mentally for, if I was going to go. I should go. Nothing in me wanted to relive that night though. But my rescuer might be there. He might be speaking. He might be looking for me.
“Sure.” I hadn’t seen anyone leave a room that fast in … ever. “Is she always like that?” I asked him after she slammed the door upon exit. “I’d give a lot to have that much energy.”
“Sometimes I’m convinced she’s a vampire who sucks energy out of others while they sleep.”
“I know a few people like that.” Roland had been one of them. Lovable, but exhausting. I was sad he was gone. But could Luke truly be blamed? Fine. Maybe I needed more details from his family about Roland’s overall health, or about how he passed. I’d ask that of them when I delivered Luke’s apology.
On the other hand, when Luke wasn’t being overly honest with patients, he did seem to have a redeeming quality or two. His sister seemed to like him anyway, pretty fiercely. That went a long way in my book. “Since Lola left, I should go, too. You probably need to rest.”
“No, stay.”
Stay. What a nice word. I checked his face for clues. Was he just being polite? He looked sincere. But I should go. “I still don’t know why you sent me the peonies.”
“Don’t you like them?”
“I love them. That’s just it. They’re not a typical favorite flower, like roses or daisies or sunflowers. It’s not a random guess.”
“Aw, you can’t say that. Not for certain.”
Maybe, but I felt like I could. For certain. “The coincidences and random guesses are piling high. It’s unsettling.” Add them to the comfort level I was starting to experience around him, and I really did need to watch myself. He could potentially make me stop hating him.
No. Nope. No.
“I’ll make you a deal.”
A deal with the devil who could read my thoughts? Um, no thanks. “What kind of deal?” Traitorous lips!
“You let me change your oil, and I’ll consider telling you how I know about the flowers.”
I folded my arms over my chest. “What’s the catch?”
“No catch.”
“There’s always a catch. Fine print, now.” I pushed my pointer finger into his chest. It was hard, like when I’d bumped my nose into it the other week. I let my hand drop. “Go on. Transparency.”
Luke’s eyes narrowed. They were very dark. Like unadorned coffee. Or rich potting soil. I tore my gaze from them and reminded myself to be firm.
“All right. There’s a catch. I’ll tell you all about it. Everything. When, and only when, you’re ready to hear it.”
Oh, brother. “I’m ready right this second, Luke.”
But was I? What if he told me something totally wacky, like that he was a clairvoyant alien, or that he knew me from another life, or he was a visitor from another dimension? I found myself secretly wanting to like him, and if he was a complete weirdo, I’d be setting myself up for disappointment.
Luke was studying my face—in earnest. He tapped his chin, his gaze skating over my whole countenance, making me feel naked. And a little warm.
“What?” I wrapped my arms around myself against Mr. X-ray Vision. “Stop that.”
“Nope.”
“Nope what?”
“Nope, you’re not ready. I can see it in your eyes.”
Geez. Maybe he really was a mind-reading alien. It would explain his sister’s alleged distaste for the paranormal—just a ruse to throw off the Earthlings.
There I went, whiplashing again. “I’m heading out.” I got up and gathered up my flowers—sans answers, but it looked like I wasn’t getting any today.
“I’ll be by soon,” he said, meeting me by the door.