It’s been a long day, and once Iris is safely back in her apartment, Becca and I head back to mine. We walk inside. I head straight over to the couch and collapse in a heap.
“Thanks for today. I think I had as much fun as Iris did.” I laugh. “Sit down,” I order her, lifting my feet up to make room.
She shakes her head. “I’d love to, but I better get my ass in gear and get home. I have a few things to get ready for tomorrow.”
“Okay. I’ll call you later in the week, then.”
I’ve no sooner walked her out when my phone rings. I fish it out of my pocket, wishing my jeans weren’t so tight because the damn thing stops ringing as soon as I go to press answer. It was Matt, so I call him straight back. It’s always in the back of my mind that Annie might have gone into labor or that something is wrong.
“Hey, it’s me. Mind if I come up? I’m downstairs.”
“Sure,” I say, surprised. “I’ll buzz you up.”
I let him up and open the door, then I walk back into the kitchen to pour myself a glass of wine. I smile when I hear the door open just as I’m twisting the cap off the bottle.
“Want a glass of wine?” I call out.
“Make that two.”
I laugh and prepare a glass of water, knowing Annie is in no condition to drink alcohol. I take a sip of my wine as I peer around the corner into the living room. I nearly choke when I see Luke—not Annie—standing next to Matt. Jesus, I was not expecting him. I cough and splutter for a few more minutes, wincing as my chest burns, until I’m finally able to take a breath without feeling like I’m going to die.
They both stand there, looking amused.
“Good thing I brought a doctor with me,” Matt quips.
“Hilarious,” I say, making a face at him. I slink back into the kitchen to both compose myself and pour their drinks, then I walk back into the living room.
“Thanks,” Matt says, taking a glass. “I need to ask you a huge favor.” He glances at Luke in a way that makes me really nervous.
“What?” I ask.
I hand Luke his drink, still distracted by what Matt could want. Whatever it is, it has to involve Luke, or why would he be here?
“You know how Annie’s parents were coming over for a few weeks? Well, it was supposed to be next month, but they apparently told us they changed their dates to this month.”
“Okay…”
I sit down on the couch, feeling faint. I’m not sure what this has to do with me.
“Only they didn’t,” he continues. “Annie swears they didn’t tell her, but she’s been forgetting everything lately, so who knows—”
“Matt, just get to the damn point,” I snap impatiently. “What are you trying to ask me?”
“I want to know if Luke can crash here for a few weeks,” he blurts out.
“Here?”
My heart races. I can’t think straight. I can’t look at Luke. God, I can’t do anything.
“You have no idea how much it would help us out,” Matt says, his eyes pleading with me to say yes. I look away because I’ve always struggled to say no to him. “We’ll never hear the end of it if Annie’s parents have to stay in a hotel and you have a spare room right here, so I thought it wouldn’t hurt to ask,” he pleads. “And you said to me a few weeks back that you were thinking of renting out your room, right? This would save you the trouble. And I’m sure Luke would be happy to pay you.”
“Definitely,” Luke agrees. I jump, his deep, sexy voice startling me.
What do I say to that?
“Sure, you can stay here,” I hear myself say. I smile tightly at Matt, but not Luke. No, I can’t even bring myself to look at Luke at the moment.
“Really?” Relief floods Matt’s face. “Thank you, Laura. You seriously just saved my marriage,” he declares. He slaps Luke hard on the back, pushing him toward me. “Besides, I’m sure you’ll love having Luke around. And having him here will be handy for you since he starts at Mercy next week too. Maybe you can carpool or something.”
“Mercy?”
I whisper the word, the blood draining from my face. I feel sick, but I still can’t work up the courage to look at him.
“Yes, Mercy,” Matt says, eyeing me strangely. “Luke’s a doctor too. I told you that, didn’t I? I’m sure I did.” He shakes his head. “Anyway, you two will have heaps to talk about while he’s here.”
“Maybe we can exchange patient horror stories,” Luke suggests lightly.
His eyes gleam with amusement as they connect with mine. I glare at him, mortified he just said that and in front of my brother, no less. Not that Matt knows anything, but still…