Page 29 of So Right
“Of course. I’m sorry. I’m just… I’m upset. Which is dumb, I guess.”
“It isn’t.” She’d so wanted someone to respond this way when it had happened, but she hadn’t had any friends—Noah had done a great job of isolating her from everyone. And her mother had blamed her. Gram would’ve been there for her, but Grandpa had just died, and Kelsey hadn’t wanted to burden her. “I appreciate your concern. Truly. But I like to leave it in the past where it belongs.”
“I get that. Do you mind my asking when this happened?”
“About two years ago.” She remembered that night so vividly. Summer had just turned to fall, and she’d been so looking forward to the holiday season. They’d started talking about marriage, and she’d been certain he would propose. Now she knew she’d dodged a bullet.
“That was here, then,” he said. “In Ribbon Ridge. I remember meeting you at least two years ago.”
“Yes.” They’d been living in the area maybe three or four months. She angled herself away from him and focused out the passenger-side window, hoping he’d drop the subject.
“Damn, I keep talking about it, sorry. I’m a dick.” He exhaled. “So, I had a girlfriend before.” He let out a sharp laugh. “That sounded stupid. I had a girlfriend in California. We tried a long-distance thing when I moved back here, but it didn’t work out.”
She turned back toward him, grateful for the change in topic. The fact that he was offering up his own love life for discussion intrigued her. “Was it because the relationship was long distance, or was it doomed before that?”
He slid her a glance tinged with admiration. “You’re very astute. It wasn’t great. I think I knew that. Hell, it was probably part of why I decided to come back.”
“Ouch. That’s pretty telling if you have to move to another state.”
“Yeah, I guess. Wait, that’s not fair. Paige is a nice person. I still like her, actually.” He sounded a bit confused. Or surprised. Like he hadn’t expected to say that.
Kelsey couldn’t imagine a conciliatory breakup. “That’s nice. You’re lucky.”
They were nearing Ribbon Ridge, and Kelsey looked forward to getting home, jumping in the shower, and being alone. Except she’d told Gram she’d drop by her new apartment after the hike. Kelsey had offered to cancel and help, but Gram hadinsistedshe keep her “date.”
Kelsey looked over at Luke. His profile was devilishly handsome with his sexy stubble and the firm line of his jaw. “Luke?”
He flicked her a glance. “Yeah?”
“Was today a date?”
“Uh. I sort of thought so, but I’m not really sure. Does it matter?”
It was what it was, right? She’d had a good time. Until she’d messed it up. “I guess not. I just wanted to, you know, understand your expectations. You know what, never mind. I had a good time, and that’s all that matters.”
He nodded firmly. “Absolutely.”
They were quiet until he pulled into Ribbon Ridge. “Are you going to work after I drop you off?” he asked.
It was nearing four. She had plenty of time to go to the library and get a couple of hours in, but no, she’d go visit Gram. She looked at him askance. “No. Are you?”
“Ha! Maybe. We’ll see how I feel after I shower. I’m sure I have plenty of e-mail from Cam to read. He’s busy coordinating our first wine club dinner in a couple of weeks, and he’s adamant that we all chime in. But really, what the hell do I know about planning an event?”
“Probably more than you realize. I mean, you know what you like, right?”
His gaze shot toward her and lingered. “I do.”
Heat pooled in her belly, and she wondered if she ought to let her guard down. He was pretty great. But the nagging fear that he could be someone entirely different from what he presented was nearly crippling.
She didn’t respond because she couldn’t think of a thing to say. He pulled onto Main Street and got into the right lane. There weren’t any open parking spots in front of her building, so he had to turn the corner.
“You can just drop me here,” she said.
He slowed the car. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, it’s no problem.”
He pulled into an empty loading zone. “It’s also not very gentlemanly of me to let you out around the block from your apartment. I wanted to park and walk you to your door.”
