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Lucas looked down at his hands and chuckled. “Ah, Oscar. Oscar happened.”
My eyes moved up to meet his, and I laughed in disbelief. “My brother conned you into watching his demonic cat?”
Lucas turned and stretched out against the boulder, propping his elbow on the rock.
“I essentially volunteered.”
“Since when do you talk to my brother?”
“We ran into one another at the grocery store… the night I was picking up the pizza, actually.”
She nodded. “I’m sorry you got roped into watching that cat.”
He shrugged. “It gave me an excuse to stay on the island this week.”
Surprise darted through me. I was surprised Brad hadn’t mentioned anything.
He really wasn’t fond of Lucas.
I couldn’t hide my smile, and I shook my head. “I wouldn’t wish cat sitting Oscar on my worst enemy, but apparently, Brad would.”
Lucas’s eyes met mine. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’m not sure my brother is that fond of you,” I confessed.
“You don’t say,” Lucas said wryly. “But I don’t blame him.”
“You don’t?”
“Nah. He wants to protect his sister. I’d do the same, except Nina…”
I chuckled, knowing Nina was already a handful. “Yeah, she probably doesn’t need protection. No.”
“He probably sees himself in me,” Lucas added, which surprised me.
“How so?”
“He’s a single guy, dating around, not thinking of settling down…” His eyes stayed on mine. “I was like that.”
“What changed?”
“I met you,” he said simply.
I shook my head and laughed, glancing down the beach to see a couple throwing a stick for their retriever.
“What’s so funny?” he teased. “You don’t believe me?”
“Your social calendar is as full as ever. If meeting me made you think of settling down, then why did your dating life explode?” My brow arched. “Unless you’re telling me you went out even more before you met me.”
Lucas scratched his chin, and I noticed the day’s stubble shadowing his strong jawline.
He let out a deep breath. “I think I need to confess something to you, Emily.”
I shook my head. “Nope. We’re just friends. Remember? We’re going back to how things were. You don’t need to explain a thing to me about your dating life. Maybe you went on three dates a day before you met me. I don’t know. I don’t need to know.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “You’re making things pretty difficult.”
My hand slid to his knee, and I felt the pull to him again. “Difficult is my middle name.”
