Page 49 of The Sweet Spot

“Ava Gardner?” I echo, distracted by the sight of Luca in a tux. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him, enough time that the sharpness of his beauty had begun to fade in my mind. But now we’re inches from one another and it’s slamming into me with the force of a hurricane.

“Actress from the 50’s?”

“Oh, right!” I duck my head, pleased and embarrassed. “You really thinkso?”

He nods, grinning as he leans over and plucks a shell shaped truffle from the table.

“Well, thank you. I don’t know much about the fashion of yester-year, but I do love this dress.” My appetite seems to have fled with the arrival of all the butterflies in my stomach, but I take a little nibble of brownie. “You clean up really well too.”

“I got this suit off the internet. Very last minute.” A brief shadow seems to cross his face.

“Well, how’ve you been? Update me. How was Brazil?” I skewer a piece of pineapple, passing it beneath the chocolate cascading from the fountain.

“It was all right,” he says. “I’ve actually gone back since then.”

“Really?” This surprises me, as he’d seemed so ambivalent before.

His eyes search mine. “Did you ever get the postcards?”

“I did, eventually.” My face warms, but I can’t escape his gaze. Is he thinking about that summer the way I am? I can’t think of anything else. “They were a pleasant surprise. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He pauses, a tiny smile playing at his lips. “So, how do you know the Morgan family?”

“I’m friends with Dallas.” I bring a piece of fruit to my mouth, reluctant to go into detail. The chemistry between Luca and me is as intense as it was the last time we were together, and I’m not quite ready for this feeling to end.

Which it will, when he realizes what sort of friends Dallas Morgan and I are.

“No shit?” He raises his eyebrows. “Small world.”

“Small campus,” I counter, only partly joking. Nearly 20,000 students attend UCSC. Despite that, connections like the ones we’re making tonight are not rare. It’s only strange we didn’t run into each other sooner.

“Where is Dallas, anyway?” he asks, frowning slightly.

“I’m not sure. He said he saw someone he knew,” I say, looking around for the first time since we started chatting. It feels as though we’re in a bubble.

“He just left you here?” Luca wrinkles his brow and laughs. “Oh, Dallas.”

“Well, to be fair, he knew I wanted to gorge myself on chocolate, so…”

“Fair enough.” He pauses as if he’s considering something. “Can I get you a drink, then?”

“Actually, I’d kill for one of those,” I whisper, pointing with my skewer. “I think they’ve got chocolate martinis.”

“Coming right up.”

I can’t wait to tell Saira about this little serendipity. Dallas invited her tonight, too, but she already had plans. Something tells me she’ll be kicking herself when she hears that Kellan was here. She might not have been as sprung for him as I was for Luca, but she’d liked him.

My purse lets out a little bleat. Snickering, I pull my phone from it. It’s Leighton. She programmed a sheep ringtone to play whenever she textedme. I text back, letting her know where I am and promising I’ll message her again when the clock strikes midnight.

When I look up again, Luca’s handing me my martini. “Your drink, miss.”

“Thank you, sir.” We bring our glasses together in a graceful touch. “Cheers.”

“To the New Year,” he says, his eyes locked on mine as we each take a sip.

“Oh.” I close my eyes. “That might be the best thing I’ve ever tasted.”

“Better than cotton candy?” he teases.

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