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Ashanti set the bouquet in a vase and then filled it with water. She admired the bright blooms and smiled to herself. She hadn’t expected Luke to be so romantic. What other surprises did he have planned for this evening?
Her heels clopped as Ashanti headed back into the living room where Luke was sitting. When he saw her approach, he jumped to his feet. “I got us a reservation at Paparazzi’s.”
“Wow. Fancy.” She eyed his outfit again but chose not to comment on it.
Luke probably didn’t dress up because he didn’t want to. He was showing her that he cared in other ways so Ashanti wasn’t going to lament his over-casual look or think too deeply about it.
“I’m ready if you are,” she said.
“Let’s go.” Luke swept his arms toward the door and offered to lock up for her. Ashanti stepped back and let him be a gentleman, marveling at the consistency in his behavior.
Luke was considerate to her when she was his friend and now that they were more than that.
At first, she’d been mystified by it. How boring would their relationship be if he acted the same before and after the confession?
Now, Ashanti saw his gallantry in a different light. Luke’s kindness was one of the reasons why she’d fallen for him. Being honorable was just… who he was.
He held the door open for her—which was a new move and one that had her shyly ducking her head. Ashanti slipped into the car and waited for Luke to jog around and enter on the driver’s side.
In the shadows, something silver glinted on the floor. She bent over, curious. It was an earring designed with two dainty silver hoops, one ring on top of the other.
Luke’s door opened and Ashanti snapped the earring into her palm and closed her fists over it. She wasn’t sure why she hid the earring instead of confronting Luke about it, but now that the deed was done, she couldn’t speak up.
Luke glanced over and smiled at her. “You look amazing, Ash.”
“You said that already.”
“I didn’t have time to change before I came tonight. I don’t look too shabby, do I?”
“You look fine,” she said woodenly.
The point of the earring dug into her flesh. She barely winced at the pain. Her brain was too focused on the unwinding mystery that painted an awful picture.
The perfume on Luke’s clothes.
The earring in his car.
Him showing up late to pick her up.
His shady answers when she asked why.
Luke had been with a woman earlier. A woman he couldn’t talk to her about. And only one person fit that bill.
Michelle.
Ashanti turned and studied Luke’s profile in the dimness of the car. The passing streetlights cast golden light on his chiseled cheekbones and pointed chin.
At the hospital, before Luke told her he liked her ‘more’, he said that he liked Michelle. As in he had feelings for them both. As in… he wasn’t completely over her.
Ashanti pressed a hand to her heart and winced as it shattered. It was her own fault for jumping onto this train without making sure that Luke had really boarded.
Stupid. Stupid.
By the time Luke parked in the restaurant’s lot, Ashanti wanted to go home. Instead, she climbed out of the vehicle and trudged up the stony path to the restaurant’s doors.
Paparazzi’s was the very definition of elegance—marble floors, vaulted ceilings, flagrant chandeliers and beautiful Belizean artwork on the walls. Of course, these amenities came with a hefty price tag.
Conscious of the cost, Ashanti ordered the cheapest thing on the menu and then nibbled at her plate. Their conversation was sparse thanks to her foul mood and Luke’s general reticence.
