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“I don’t know how he found me,” I shrugged, looking at Luke.
For a moment I thought he would smash the wine bottle. “I’m sorry, Natalie,” he apologized, red-faced. “He kept hassling me for your number and I told him you were going on a date with someone else.”
That he had the nerve to harass Luke at work made me smile. “Don’t apologize,” I said, sobering. “It wasn’t so bad.”
I didn’t tell them about the job offer or the interview. I wanted to take that secret to my grave, but I couldn’t forget how he made me feel, how he seemed to understand what I was going through.
“He seems like a nice person.”
But Luke was shaking his head, looking furious with himself. “Natalie, there is a lot of things you don’t know about him. He’s not a nice guy. He’s a huge mess. A couple years ago, he—” He colored and suddenly fell silent.
“He what?” I prompted.
“I really shouldn’t say. It’s not for me to tell you. But, just believe me—he has a host of issues you don’t want to deal with.”
My lungs froze. What did it matter, really?
I’ll probably never see him again.
I sat down at the kitchen table, Luke avoiding my eyes.
“Why shouldn’t she give him a chance? You gave me one.”
His gaze cut at her. “Don’t—it’s not the same at all.”
But his girlfriend would not let him off that easily. “How is it not the same?”
A pin could have dropped in the kitchen and I would have heard it. Luke’s mouth faltered.
“I can’t. It’s not my place. I’m sure he’ll tell you eventually.”
Well, now I have to know.
“And when he does, Natalie can decide for herself if she wants to date him.”
“I don’t even want to see him again.”
Luke blew out his cheeks, looking relieved. “Don’t Google his name, Natalie. I’m serious. Even if it’s unlikely you’ll see him again.”
Jessica swatted his arm. “How is she supposed to stop herself from doing that? Don't putting ideas in her head.”
She squealed as he suddenly pulled her onto his lap and kissed her cheek. A flutter of awkwardness swept my insides. I always felt like I was walking in on something private around them.
“How is it with that side of the family? He mentioned that he was in the race to be CEO.”
With Jessica in his arms, he gave a derisive laugh. “I will be really, really surprised if he gets it. He’s a loose cannon.”
Considering how disrespectful Will was when he talked about Luke, I couldn’t exactly muster the energy to be angry on Will’s behalf. I could detect a faint note of bitterness coming from Luke’s voice. Was he upset that his father’s death ruled him out of the hierarchy of the company?
“I could see things getting ugly between all of them when Uncle Dominic resigns. Did you know that he tried to sell my share of the company without my knowledge?”
“What?” I hissed as I looked at Jessica’s grim face. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah. He controls all the trusts, and he wanted to sell all the shares. I’m in the middle of a lawsuit with him, actually,” his voice trembled.
What a horrible family.
“I’m sorry.”
