Page 55 of Where Are You Now
“I wonder what the name ‘Amore y Fuego’ means?” she asked.
“Love and fire. I took Spanish in high school.”
“Impressive. I took Latin, and I’ve yet to use it.” She laughed.
His gaze lingered on her before he focused on straightening the napkin under his glass of water. “So you’re going back to New York next weekend?”
“I’m supposed to. They gave me three weeks off to recuperate. They did say they could give me more time if I needed it, but while I’m still a little sore, I’m wearing heels and drinking cocktails, so I think I’m probably okay to go back.”
Lucas nodded and took a drink of his water. “I was hoping you’d go to church at least one more time. Dorothy will miss you,” he teased.
“I think it’s you she’d miss.”
Humor swam around in his green eyes, making her heart patter.
The waitress brought two glasses of golden liquid on ice with speared dried oranges and a maraschino cherry floating on the top. Lucas thanked her.
“Whatexactlywas it about the sermon that hit home for you?” he asked once they were alone. “You said it made you want to focus on people? How so?”
“You tell me how it impacted you first.”
He made a face, his chest filling with air. “I’m not sure this is the place for that explanation.”
Well, he didn’t get up and run away this time, so that’s a start.
“If you tell me your story, maybe I’ll tell you mine,” Ava said.
“I’ve got a better idea.” He took a sip of his cocktail. “Come with me to church next Sunday, and I’ll tell you everything.”
She stirred her drink with the straw. He’d given her a win-win offer. She’d love nothing more than to go back to the little chapel and also to finally hear what he was dealing with. But she had the tiny issue of supporting herself. Could she get a flight home Sunday night? If she did, would that give her enough time to recharge before throwing herself back into the madness of New York?
“I’d love to, but I need to get back to work. I can’t live with my mother forever.”
“I could write you a doctor’s note.”
She laughed. “On what grounds?” She held out her arms. “I’m fine.”
“You’re actually not fine. You have a skull fracture. They can take anywhere from two weeks to six months to heal. I think you should take it slow.”
“I told my coworkers I’d be back next weekend. I don’t want to go against my word.”
“They can’t fire you if you’re recovering. They’d be looking at a lawsuit,” he said.
“But I told them I was getting better.”
He wanted her to stay. The request lurked behind his eyes. Ava loved that look, as if he could drink her in and savor her. She hadn’t seen it in years. If she didn’t get back home soon, she’d do something ridiculous like quit her job and move to Nashville just to be closer to him.
“I still have things I need to figure out in New York,” she said.
She needed to at least try to support Scott in his new position to see if that dynamic could actually work after all he’d done for her while she was out. She couldn’t just leave him high and dry. At the very least, she had to facilitate finding a replacement if she did decide there was something else she should be doing.
Lucas took a drink, thoughts clear on his face. He set the glass down, his gaze upon it. “I wonder if there really is a reason we ended up back in each other’s lives.”
“Oh, there’s a reason all right.”
He cocked his head to the side. “You know the reason?”
“You won’t tell me your secret, so I won’t tell you mine.”
