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“Awww! That’s so sweet!” Sarah looked over to see both Ethan and Luke shaking their heads in that way men did when they were embarrassed.
After dinner, the two men stayed in the kitchen cleaning up, while Sarah and Julie shared a quiet moment relaxing in a pair of comfy chairs on the back patio overlooking a well-manicured lawn.
“I’m curious,” Julie said. “How did you and Luke get together, and is it serious?” She waved a hand in the air. “Forget that. Of course, it’s serious, or he’d never have brought you to meet us.”
“Oh, I think you have the wrong idea.” Sarah took a sip of her coffee. “Luke and I are just friends.”
“Friends? Really?”
“It’s kind of a strange story, but I’m leasing Luke’s beach house for the summer and the two of us ended up sharing the place. Totally against his will at first, but we’ve managed to work it out.”
“I bet,” Julie said in a tone that made Sarah flush. “Do you mean to tell me that the two you aren’t together? I’m sorry, but I find that hard to believe. Do you know that in the almost three years he and Victoria dated we only went out with them twice? And that’s because Ethan and I insisted, but he never brought her here to dinner. Not once. And it’s not because I didn’t invite him to.”
“This is a totally different scenario. He and Victoria were dating and we’re…” She shook her head, searching for the right phrase.
“What? Friends with benefits?”
“I really hate that term.”
“So do I,” Julie said.
“Luke travels for his job. A lot, which of course, you know all about. And I have my own thing, too. So really, this thing between us is just for fun. And very temporary.”
Julie looked at her skeptically. “If you say so.”
She shouldn’t ask because, really, it wasn’t any of her business, but Sarah couldn’t help but be curious. “What’s Victoria like?”
“She’s nothing like you, if that’s what you want to know.”
Ouch.
“Oh, I didn’t mean it that way,” Julie rushed to add. “She’s beautiful and smart and very
driven, always putting her career first. Think of her as a female Luke, only Luke has a heart. He might try to hide it, but it’s definitely there. Whereas Victoria? Everything is always about Victoria. You’re pretty, too, but, in a different way. As a matter of fact, you’re probably about as different from her as night and day.”
“Thank you, I think. But I wasn’t fishing for compliments.”
“I know. I could tell that you weren’t. And I guess that about sums it up right there. Victoria is needy and, from what I can see, you’re not.”
“You mean, she’s high maintenance?”
“High maintenance with a capital H. Ethan and I are invited to her wedding tomorrow, which is strange because the only way we know her is through Luke. We’d planned to skip it, but now that Luke is going, we’ll be there for backup.”
“Backup?” Sarah asked, confused.
“Let’s just say, I don’t totally believe that Victoria’s motives are as simple as wanting Luke there because the two of them were such great pals. Knowing Victoria, she probably wants to rub her so-called new-found happiness all over Luke’s face.”
Sarah wasn’t sure what to make of that. Yes, like everyone else, she thought that Victoria wanting Luke at her wedding was odd, but she’d assumed that the two of them had ended their relationship as friends. The thought of an ulterior motive as ugly as the one Julie implied didn’t sit well with her. “I hope you’re wrong about that,” she said quietly.
Julie cocked her head to the side. “I can see why Luke likes you. You’re a nice person, Sarah.”
“Thanks, he’s a pretty nice person, too. Once you get to know him.”
Julie smiled. “It sounds like you’ve totally got Luke’s number. It’s really too bad that the two of you aren’t serious about one another. You’d be perfect for him.”
It was exactly what Mimi had said to her. “How so?” she asked, but only because she was curious because, really, Julie had it all wrong.
“He’s a total workaholic, which is great for the company. But I love Luke. He’s like the big brother I never had. It would be nice to see him happy and settled down with someone like you. Someone who makes him laugh, the way you did tonight.”
