Page 68 of Where Are You Now
His thumbs moved down to her shoulders, hitting all her pressure points. “I’m a neurologist by trade, but I can manage a good shoulder rub.”
She turned around to face him. “Wait, you don’t even specialize in muscles,” she pointed out.
Lucas grinned. “I did take one semester of kinesiology in college. I figured I was the most qualified of the two of us to give you a good once-over.”
She willed the pattering of her heart to slow at the sight of the humor in his eyes.
She pushed away what had come to mind:You can check me any time.
“Here we are.” Martha came into the room with three mugs balancing in her grip. She handed one to Lucas and then toAva. “I have pie for later as well.”
“That sounds wonderful, Mrs. Barnes,” Lucas said.
Ava took a drink of her apple cider, savoring the hints of oranges, cloves, brown sugar, and maple syrup to get her mind off Lucas’s touch. Her mother usually kept the recipe for Christmas, but with the three of them there and the fire going, it did kind of feel like a holiday.
“So, Lucas,” Martha said. “Ava told me about your job change. What brought you to Nashville, specifically?”
He settled in, draping one arm along the back of the sofa. “Well, I knew Tennessee would be a great place to invest in property, and with Vanderbilt also here, it was an easy transition.”
“So there’s no way you’ll go back to New York?” Ava asked.
He shook his head. “It just doesn’t fit me.”
Would Elise move for him?
Looking back on her childhood, Ava had been robbed of the only youthful conversation she enjoyed when Lucas moved, and she’d chased it all the way to college and then tojobs in New York. Could she find happiness if she had Lucas to talk to every night? Why was she even considering her answer?
“Well, I’m going to have my cider in the office,” her mom announced. “You two have fun and call me when you’re ready for pie.”
When her mom left the room, Ava resumed their conversation. “So you’re planning on investing in property out here?”
“If I find the right piece of land … For years, I sat on my savings, not knowing what to do. I wasn’t any better when I’d first moved to Nashville. But then you walked into my office.”
“I made you better?”
“More confused. But better.” The corners of his mouth turned up, that all-too-familiar fondness in his eyes.
“What are you confused about?” she asked, trying to stifle her affection for him.
“The life you and I had as kids outweighs all the things I’ve done during my adult years. Being out here makes me want to give up my job, move onto a big piece of land, and live out the rest of my days caring for a family.”
She had to admit he was right. “Have you mentioned any of this to Elise?”
“No, I?—”
“Oh, my goodness,” Martha said, rushing into the room, interrupting their conversation. “You’re never going to believe this.”
“What?” Ava asked.
“The woman from the craft show? Well, her question was about how quickly I could makethirtybags. She put a photo on her website of the one she’d bought from me, and she’s had thirty orders so far. But that’s not all. I’ve also got eight more on that craft website I signed up for.” Her mother gaped a them, panic on her face.
Ava mentally shifted from the last conversation to the new one. “What are you going to do?”
Her mother shook her head and plopped down next to Ava. “I guess I should get them made. Could you help me?”
“I’ll get on the phone later and call sewing shops to see if I can’t at least find someone who can cut the squares for us. My fingers can’t manage that many.” Ava set down her mug on the table. “We might have to train some people on how to construct them so you don’t have to do them all yourself.”
“What are you two talking about? Is it something I could help with?” Lucas asked.
