CHAPTER THREE

NATALIE

"This is delicious, Luke." I smile at him as he sits across the table looking like something out of a dream.

The sun has started setting over the ocean and there's a gentle breeze cooling us off along with the ceiling fans installed on Luke's screened-in porch.

"I'm not much of a cook, but I can grill with the best, so I hope you like things made that way," he laughs.

"I can make dinner." I offer. "I'm pretty good in the kitchen. It was learning to cook or survive on take-out when I was a teenager and Dad was working so much. You can only eat so many pizzas and fast-food burgers."

"Cameron always said someone was helping you guys with that stuff. I offered a few times to help, and he said it was taken care of."

"It was, but then I did some things that I'm honestly ashamed of. I'm surprised that Dad didn't talk to you about it."

"Your dad has never said a bad thing about you to anyone."

What would he say if he knew that I'd kissed his best friend and wanted to do so much more? I think there would be lots of bad things my dad would say about me then. Luke was right to stop us from going any further in the pool.

"Well, I acted out some after my mom died. I didn't like other women in our house even if they were there for me. I've always been a bit of a reader and had started my romance novel phase by then. There are lots of widower who marries the nanny or housekeeper romances. My overactive teenage imagination kept seeing that happening between my dad and these women no matter their age or if they were already married or not." I force a sad laugh at the idea of how I'd try to sabotage the women at thirteen and fourteen. "After a few, Dad stopped hiring new ones and said he guessed we would just have to learn to be the two of us forever as a teen."

Luke looks like he's trying not to laugh.

"You can laugh, I know it's ridiculous and so bratty."

"I actually think it's kind of sweet. You know Cameron loved your mom so much. I met him right after he lost her, and it was such a dark time for him. You were what kept him going." Luke reaches across the table and runs his hand along mine. "There wasn't anyone that could have replaced her for him."

"I know, but now I worry that he isn't even trying to find love again and that it's my fault. What if he would have been able to find someone and I ruined it?" Tears start to gather in my eyes. I worry about my dad all the time and although being with Luke is what I want more than anything I know it can never really happen. He would be hurt by his best friend being with his daughter or by me taking his best friend. Either way, it's impossible.

* * *

LUKE

I hate she thinks she's stopped Cameron from finding another great love. I honestly don't know if he's even looked. He loved Natalie's mom so much. I wish I had known her, but I didn't meet Cameron until after she passed away from cancer.

Cameron and I met through business before I sold my company. I barely saw Natalie as a teenager until her high school graduation. Then it was four more years before I saw her again and that's when she knocked me on my ass.

We finish dinner in companionable silence. It's nice not to feel it's necessary to fill every moment.

"Do you want to have a drink and take a walk on the beach?" I ask, hoping to spend more time with Natalie before we go to our separate bedrooms.

The radiant smile she sends my way makes me believe that maybe she feels the same way and she doesn't want the night to end either.

"What kind of drink?" she asks.

"I have a full bar over here. What do you like?"

She blushes and softly says, "I don't know. I never really drink or go out anywhere. It's not my thing."

I stand and walk around the table to her. "We don't have to have a drink if you don't want to. We can just walk along the beach together."

"No, I want a drink, I just don't know what to tell you I want."

"I have a drink that I make for my mom and sister when they're here. They aren't big drinkers and seem to like it. It's a paloma, but instead of grapefruit I use peach because we're in South Carolina."

"I'll try one of those. I love peach-flavored things. Those gummy peach rings are my favorite candy." Natalie stands, our bodies almost touching.

Without thinking, I wrap one arm around her waist and pull her into me. My lips crash against hers and I devour her. My favorite taste is quickly becoming Natalie.

I gently pull away from her and place our foreheads together. "I think you're my favorite candy, sweet girl."

She blusters, "I, um, thank you."

"You're welcome." I smile and step back. "Let's get our drinks and go for a walk."