Page 70 of Every Time My Heart Breaks

I rolled my eyes. “Whatever.”

He didn’t answer, just watched me for a moment before saying, “You’re really going to do this for me, aren’t you? You’ll honestlytryto let her into your heart?”

Blowing out a breath, I shook my head. “I mean, yeah. I will try. And I won’tstoptrying until I’ve exhausted every attempt there is to make.”

His face bloomed into a big smile before he paused to scowl threateningly and point at me. “And it goes without saying that she will never learn of his conversation.” He lifted one severe eyebrow. “Correct?”

I shrugged. “Sure. Whatever.” But I guess my blasé answer wasn’t good enough for him.

“I’m serious, Luke,” he warned. “There was a reason she never let you know how she felt about you. She wanted a partner who fell for her on his own accord, without her or anyone else trying to push him into it against his will. You have to make it look like you’re doing this on your own, without any prodding or suggestions from anyone else, or she won’t go for it. You get me?”

Looking him straight in the eye, I promised, “Iwillbe doing this on my own. Genuinely. Push me all you like, I won’t fall until I’m good and ready. So don’t worry about it. I got this.”

17CHLOE

Something was off with Luke.

He had texted me earlier, asking if I wanted to ride with him to the dinner we’d both be attending tonight with some of the others. That was weird all on its own. But after I told him that would be fine, he sent me a heart emoji.

A freakingheart.

Three hours later, I was still staring at that heart, wondering who’d stolen his phone and sent it to me from his number. Had to be someone in the family, messing with me.

My guess was Trick. Or maybe Gracen. Possibly Bella. Those three thought they were simply hilarious.

And yet I kept looking at that stupid, plain red heart, trying to figure out what it meant.

“Ugh, I’m an idiot,” I mumbled to myself and shoved the phone into my purse just as a knock came on the door and it started to open.

Yelping out my surprise, I pressed a hand to my chest, closed my eyes briefly, and then glanced at my watch.

He was right on time.

Luke—who never did anything by anyone else’s schedule but his own—was here, promptly at the time I’d told him to be here.

What in the world was happening?

I took a cautious step back, almost certain it wasn’t him. But there he came…right through my doorway.

I mean, I thought it was Luke. I had to blink to be certain at first because the man stepping into the foyer was dressed up in a button-down shirt, nice, trendy jeans, brown loafers, smelling like cologne, and wearing freaking gel in his hair. Luke never dressed up for regular, old family get-togethers. His attire usually consisted of an old shirt with at least one smudge on it, worn jeans that looked as if they might sprout holes at any moment, tattered sneakers, and absolutely no extra products in his hair or any added smelly stuff.

My mouth fell open as I gaped at him, and he smiled when he noticed me.

“Oh hey!” he said in surprise, then he stopped short and lifted his brows. “Wow. You look nice.”

And that was it for me. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but it ended now. Cocking my hip, I set a hand on it and arched a single eyebrow before demanding, “What the hell doesthatmean?”

“It…” He blinked and pulled his face back, looking cornered and panicky. “It means you look…nice?”

“Well, why do you sound so surprised, as if you think I usually look like shit?”

“I don’t,” he rushed to assure me, waving his hands madly. “You always look good. You just... You look as if you put more effort into it tonight.”

I had. But so had he. Yet you didn’t see me over here, fawning over how gorgeous he was. I mean, not out loud. Because we didn’tdothat.

Something was freakingupwith him.

“More effort?” I repeated quietly, letting him know that was the exactwrongthing to say. “So I haven’t put enough effort into my looks lately, huh? What with trying to recover from my recent kidnapping and torture, and all? Well, I am so sorry to be such a great big disappoint—”

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