Chapter 25

twenty-five

S helby sensed the kind of sisterly bond growing with Harper that she'd never experienced with Grace. After spending two hours selecting accessories for Izzy's house, Harper treated Shelby to lunch at The Nest. They talked about guys and careers and family. When Harper dropped her off around two o'clock, they made a date to install the chosen accessories after the bedroom floors had been refinished early next week.

Amazon had delivered their new computer while she was out with Harper. She wrestled the big box through the front door and across the foyer. When she came up for air in the living room, she was startled by the sight of Luke seated behind her desk.

"Geez, Luke!" She placed a hand on her pounding heart. "You scared me. What're you doing here?"

Ignoring her question, Luke came from behind the desk and took her in his arms. The feel of his body against hers made her ache with longing for the relationship they'd once shared.

He held her at arm's length. "You look amazing, Shelby. The Lowcountry agrees with you."

Shelby's face warmed. "Thank you. I love it here." As the words left her lips, she realized that not only did she love South Carolina, she felt at home here.

He dropped his hands from her arms. "What's going on around here? The place is crawling with workers. Are you renovating the house?"

"An unplanned renovation. A group of guests got out of hand last weekend and caused a lot of damage to the house. You didn't answer my question. What are you doing here?"

He raked his fingers through his dark hair. "I'm not sure, honestly. I missed you. I've been thinking a lot about you lately, and I needed to see you."

"What about Alexis?"

Again, he ignored her question. "Do you have any available rooms? Or are they all under construction?"

"Only the ones in the main house. You have your choice between the pool and garden houses."

"The pool house will be fine. If possible, I'll stay in the room I usually stay in." Luke was partial to the front corner room on the first floor nearest the pool.

Shelby should not have given him a choice. Now they would be the only two occupants of the pool house, an arrangement a little too close for her comfort. When he handed her his credit card, she told him to wait until he checked out to pay. "By then, I'll have the new computer working."

"Or maybe you'll comp me since I'm a family friend."

He stopped being a friend of her family when he broke up with her. "Sorry. No freebies allowed." Going behind the desk, she retrieved his room key from the board and handed it to him. "Here, you go. Room 101. I trust you can find your way."

He looked down at the key and back up at her. "Don't you have a bellman to help me with my luggage?"

"Silas is off today. We don't have any other guests at the moment. Can you handle your bags? Or would you like me to carry them for you?" she asked in a sarcastic tone with a sweet smile.

"Ha ha. I've got it. I have only one bag." He moved toward the front door. "Do you have to work? Or can we hang out by the pool?"

Installing the new computer could wait. Shelby was dying to spend time with him to discover why he was here. "I can spare a couple of hours."

"Cool. Do you have beer for sale?"

"Sorry. Breakfast is the only thing we provide. You're on your own for everything else."

"Ugh. All right, then. I'm going to my room to change. I'll see you in a few."

Shelby gave him ample time to get his bag out of the car before crossing the courtyard to her room. After trying on every bathing suit she owned, she decided on the modest one-piece that revealed just enough cleavage to get his attention. If he were here to win her back, he would have to work for it.

When she arrived, Luke was relaxing in a floating lounger, drinking a beer. "Where'd you get the beer?" she asked.

"From the kitchen refrigerator. Izzy won't mind. She loves me."

Shelby glared at him. "She loved you when we were dating. Not anymore."

"I'm not worried about Izzy. I'll have her eating out of my hand in no time. Get in! I'm saving you a seat," he said about the empty floating lounger beside him.

"Give me a minute. I need to put on some sunscreen." Shelby felt his eyes on her as she slowly covered her body in sunscreen. She plugged her phone into a portable speaker and selected their favorite playlist from Spotify. She was dipping her toe into the pool when she spotted Blossom walking Jolene in the garden. When she called out to the dog, Jolene sniffed her way over.

Shelby scooped up the dog and introduced Blossom to Luke.

Blossom smiled at him. "Nice to meet you, Luke."

Luke barely acknowledged her with a curt nod.

"Does Matt know about your visitor from home?" Blossom asked Shelby in a voice loud enough for Luke to hear.

"Troublemaker," she whispered to Blossom as she dropped the dog into her arms.

Blossom chuckled as she sauntered back to the garden.

"You didn't have to be so rude," Shelby said as she waded into the pool.

"Who is she anyway? And who is Matt?"

"Blossom is our summer guest. And Matt is a guy I've been seeing. We're not exclusive," Shelby said, unsure why she added the last part. Her relationship with Matt was none of Luke's business.

"Here." He removed a bottle of beer from the chair's cup holder. "I brought you a beer."

"No, thanks. I have to work later." Alcohol was a bad idea. She needed a clear head while she figured out what Luke wanted.

He popped the cap. "Good! All the more for me," he said, taking a long chug.

The music took them back in time, and they talked about their younger days in high school and college. Luke returned to the kitchen twice for more beer. Shelby wasn't worried. Izzy wouldn't miss the beer.

They'd been in the pool for over an hour when Luke asked, "Will you have dinner with me tonight at The Nest?"

Shelby smiled, remembering how much he loved the place. Having dinner with Luke was a bad idea, but Harper had mentioned that Savannah was performing tonight. And since she had no other way to get to town . . . "Sure, but only because Savannah is singing."

Luke appeared confused. "Who's Savannah?"

Shelby frowned but then remembered Luke hadn't been part of her life for over a year. "Uncle Pritchard got married last spring. Savannah is his new wife."

"Good for Pritchard."

Shelby noticed dark clouds building in from the west. "Looks like a storm is coming. We should go inside. I need to set up the computer anyway."

They slipped off the loungers and swam to the shallow end. Shelby was climbing the stairs ahead of Luke when he hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her back down. Spinning her around to face him, he covered her mouth with his. He tasted like beer and bad breath. She pushed him away. "Stop, Luke! What're you doing?"

Before he could answer, Shelby heard someone calling her name and turned to see Matt waving wildly at her from over by the kitchen. "There's lightning all around us. Get out of the water and come inside," he hollered over the sudden wind.

Shelby jumped out of the pool, stuffed her belongings in her beach bag, and darted to the kitchen, the first raindrops pelting her face.

Luke called out to her on his way to the pool house. "I'll see you at seven for dinner."

Matt opened the back door for her, and they went inside. "Who's that guy?"

"My ex, Luke. And before you ask, I don't know why he's here. He appeared out of the blue."

Matt cocked an eyebrow. "Come on, Shelby. You know why he's here. He just kissed you."

"And I pushed him away," she said, drying her face with a paper towel.

"But you're having dinner with him later."

"Because he loves The Nest." She held up a hand. "This is all very confusing for me, and I don't want to discuss it."

Matt appeared wounded. "I understand. I wanted to touch base with you before I leave for the day. The painters will be done with the upstairs tomorrow. If the floors get refinished on Friday as planned, we'll be out of your hair no later than Tuesday of next week."

"That's great news. Thanks for the update."

They walked together down the hall to the living room. "Will it be in your way if I set up the new computer?" she asked, gesturing at the computer box on the floor.

"Not at all. We'll drape plastic over it when we work in here. Would you like some help unpacking it?"

"Sure. That would be great."

Matt was electronically inclined, and they had the computer online in thirty minutes. He no longer seemed angry at her. He'd reverted to the genuine guy she'd first met.

When she walked him to the front door, he kissed her cheek. "Maybe I'll see you at The Nest later."

Shelby inwardly groaned. She finally had a chance to get Luke back. She didn't need Matt causing trouble. If she were honest with herself, the idea of seeing Matt tonight excited her more than going on a date with Luke.