Page 14 of When Love And Destiny Collide

"Why did you get a divorce?"

Her question hits me like a punch to the gut . Why on earth would she want to know?

"Now I'm the one who's sorry," she says quickly, her face flushing. "Never mind. I'm sorry. That was inappropriate."

She picks up the saucepan and pours the simple syrup into the pitcher. I hand her the measuring cup with the lemon juice, and she adds it to the mix, stirring the concoction with a large spoon.

I walk to the refrigerator, grabbing some ice and cold water, my mind whirling. Can I really open up to this young woman?

I fill the pitcher with ice and water and stir it. Then Lily adds a few slices of lemon.

"Forget I asked," she murmurs, shaking her head.

"Lily," I say gently, "it's okay. I'm just surprised you don't know. Jon and Sharon know the whole story."

"I may be like family," she says softly, "but I'm not. There are things they would never tell me, and I would never ask. I'm embarrassed that I asked you something so personal."

"It's not a secret," I say, my voice steady.

When she looks up at me, I feel an overwhelming urge to tell her everything—not just the sordid story of the end of my marriage but also how beautiful she is and how her eyes captivate me in ways I never expected.

"When my mother got sick," I begin, "I returned to the States to care for her. Davey was just a baby, so Marian stayed with him in Japan. I was here for almost four months. After Mom died, I went back to Japan and found my wife was two months pregnant—with another man's baby."

The look on Lily's face is pure shock, her eyes wide as she absorbs my words.

Her blue gaze locks onto mine. "Why would anyone ever cheat on someone as—" She stops mid-sentence, leaving me hanging on her unfinished thought.

"It's okay to say exactly what you're thinking," I say gently, my heart pounding in anticipation.

"Why would anyone cheat on someone as cool as you?" she smiles shyly.

"You think I'm cool?" I ask, feeling the weight of our huge age gap in that one word.

"Yeah," she says. "You're a great dad, a good brother, a gifted writer."

"Please, don't stop," I laugh, the tension easing. "You're on a roll."

She laughs, throwing her head back. It's a loud, contagious, amazing laugh—a sound I could listen to until the end of time.

"And funny," she says, pausing just long enough to add, "You make me laugh."

I make her laugh, and she makes me believe I could fall in love again.

Just not with her.

Chapter 4

Lily

"Are you going to offer me some lemonade?" I ask, noticing the intensity of his gaze—and realizing just how much I like it.

"I am!"

I watch him pull two glasses from the cupboard and fill them with ice. He brings them to the table and pours in the lemonade. The bright yellow of the lemon slices contrasts beautifully with the cool, clear liquid, making it look as refreshing as it feels to be here with him. Whoa! What the heck am I thinking?

He sits across from me and takes a sip. "It's good," he says, licking his lips. I can't help but stare. When his brown eyes meet mine, I feel he can read my thoughts. Whatever is happening here feels almost tangible, and I wonder if he feels it, too.

"So, Davey has a sibling," I say, wanting a distraction and to hear more of his story. His eyes darken slightly, and I can tell the memories are painful.

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