He barked out a laugh. “I’m sorry. I… It’s been a while.”
“What happened to the man that asked if I was enjoying the view of his abs while he worked the saw?”
His laugh was even louder this time. It was exhilarating, making him laugh like that. His shoulders relaxed further. He ran a hand down his face, then pushed both hands through his hair. “You make a great point.”
I shook my head. A gorgeous anomaly, that was what he was. Confident, but not all the time.
The waiter showed up at that moment to take our drink order—beer for him, wine for me.
The drinks loosened us up almost immediately. We’d gone on dates before, in a way. We just didn’t call them that. Why was it any different now?
Because you’ve kissed, because you like each other and you both know it, because it’s real now and not just a flirtation.
“Why has it been a while?”
His eyes narrowed a bit, like he was considering how to answer. “Long version or short version?”
“Long version, obviously.”
He smirked and took a swig of his beer. “I haven’t gone on a date in almost two years. Jeremiah gives me endless shit about it, but the summer flings with people visiting the island just…lost their appeal. I dated a teacher that lived here year-round for a while. We got set up. She was nice, attractive. I thought being a teacher would be a good thing because I figured that means you love kids, right?” He moved his beer bottle in a small circle on the table. “And she did, but I felt like she didn’t connect with Luna, didn’t know what to make of me being a single dad. She was a little younger than me, and it was a few years ago, so I think she was like, twenty-six. So I get it.
“In an attempt to open up, I told her about the whole thing with my parents, how they wanted Luna to move to Pennsylvania and live with them in the beginning. One time she asked me if I ever seriously considered taking them up on it?—”
“What the hell?” I interjected. I couldn’t see my own facial expression, but I knew it was murderous. “How could she even ask that?”
Luke’s chocolate brown eyes found mine, the look full of meaning. “That’s how I felt. I know she didn’t mean anything by it. It didn’t mean she didn’t like that I had Luna but…I just couldn’tget past it. I realized it wasn’t just Luna she didn’t fully connect with, but me, too.”
I nodded and sipped my wine, holding his gaze, hoping he’d go on.
“After that I just didn’t see the point of dating for sport, you know? I’ve been content to hold out for something that was really worth it, even if that meant holding out forever.”
My eyebrows rose.Is that how he still felt? Like he was holding out?
He read my mind. “I’m glad I didn’t have to wait forever.” He said it casually, like it was an obvious fact and not something that set my heart on fire.
I smiled into my wine glass, a poor attempt to conceal that I was beaming, and probably blushing, too.
“That”—he nodded at me—“that smile, is the definition of worth it.” His hand squeezed my bare leg under the table.
I giggled and stopped trying to hide it. Momentarily rendered speechless, I stared at him. I couldn’t believe he existed, and that I got to exist with him. “I can’t believe she said that about Luna,” I said.
He shrugged like it didn’t bother him, but a flicker of some emotion broke through his facade. “It’s a lot. I get it.”
He kept saying that.
“We are a lot to sign up for.”
“It’s a lot.”
I disagreed.
Our meals appeared on the table. I hadn’t even noticed the waiter approaching us.
“Well, I can’t say I’m sad it didn’t work out with her.” I bit my lip.
His mouth took on a devilish grin. “I can’t say I’m sad it didn’t work out for you and Max.”
“On my god,” I groaned. “I’m so embarrassed. I can’t believe he was so rude. I can’t believe I dated him in the first place.”
