*
Jessica’s stomach screamed at her to hurry up as she applied some light make up and added a few curls to her hair. The aroma of fresh bread and savory herbs wafted up the stairs, enticing her to make her way to the dining room.
“Don’t you look lovely.” Felicity’s welcoming smile eased Jessica’s nerves.
Everyone else was already seated. She chastised herself for wasting so much time plotting Luke’s death when she should have been showering and helping with dinner. Helping with what? Jessica wasn’t sure. She could side a shed or fix a leaky toilet with minimal instruction, but baking fresh bread seemed as intimidating as flying around the world in a hot air balloon.
“Thank you, Felicity. Sorry I’m late.”
“You’re not. My kids are all vultures so they were all early.”
A few chuckles and eye-rolling ricocheted around the table. Jessica made eye contact with Luke as she took a seat next to him. The appreciative smile that stole his lips settled like warm yet sour milk. The stiff, forced smile on hers confirmed it.
“Jessica, this is Lake, our youngest.” Tom leaned over and wrapped his arm around the younger female version of Luke. She was quite possibly the most beautiful teenage girl Jessica had ever seen: high cheek bones, black hair that fell to her shoulders in a chic wedge cut, dark blue eyes, and a model’s body.
“Hi, Lake. Very nice to meet you.”
“You too. So you’re the one who has caught my brother’s attention.”
Jessica placed her napkin on her lap. “I wouldn’t say that. Then again, these days I don’t think it takes much to capture his attention.”
Luke sighed, but only enough for Jessica to feel his exasperation, his displeasure.
Liam cleared his throat. “Well he’s thirty-two and you’re only the second girl he’s brought home … ever.”
Lake shoved a bite of food in her mouth and mumbled over it, proving her manners weren’t as refined as her beauty. Jessica already loved her. “Yeah, but he was engaged to the first girl.”
Like dimming the lights in a theater, silence invaded the room. Everyone’s eyes were on Luke with caution, then Jessica with sympathy, and ending with a scowl for Lake.
“What?” She shrugged. “Sorry, I didn’t know it was top secret.”
“It’s not,” Luke intervened. “Jessica’s not my girlfriend or fiancée, so … it’s fine.”
Everyone relaxed and carried on with dinner, except Felicity and Tom. Jessica could feel their empathetic eyes on her, gauging her reaction to Luke’s clarification. So he had a fiancée, and a lunch date, and possibly a glass or two of wine … so what? He also had something happen to him in college, but what? Why would he tell Jessica, the “not girlfriend or fiancée,” about his personal life?
“Mmm, this is amazing.” Jessica focused on the food and found her smile after taking a bite of her herb-roasted asparagus.
“Thank you. Actually, Luke seasoned the vegetables.”
Jessica dabbed her lips. “Well, looks like he’ll have a talent to fall back on if the mind-manipulation thing doesn’t pan out.”
Laughter bubbled from his family as Luke’s hand rested on her leg. Jessica turned to stone. Her pulse raced like he’d slammed down the accelerator to her heart.
“Ah, my dear friend, Jessica, has such a refreshing sense of humor.” His grip on her leg tightened.
Was it a test? Jessica rested her fork on the table and curled her fingers into a fist, pumping it several times. She wanted to dig her nails into his hand instead of her own. The growing need to throw him on the floor, tear off his clothes, and taste the saltiness of his flesh consumed her.
“Did your lunch date have a refreshing sense of humor?” she asked with a smile, but firmly clenched teeth.
“Aw, Luke … you called me your lunch date. How sweet.” Lake stuck out her pouty lower lip.
Luke smiled and released Jessica’s leg. “Yes, I did. I don’t get many lunch dates … with all the ‘mind-manipulating’ that I do, so it was nice to have one with my favorite Lake.”
Felicity melted in her chair, no doubt touched by Luke’s sentimentality. Jessica, however, was ready to knock out a few teeth.
They coasted through dinner with Luke giving an occasional sidelong glance to Jessica, which she returned with absolutely nothing: not one look, one smile, one word.
“Thank you for dinner, Felicity. I need to go make a phone call.” Jessica stood as everyone finished their dessert.
“You’re very welcome. We’re going out on the houseboat in a little bit so grab a jacket or you can borrow one of mine.”
“Oh … okay.” Jessica retreated to her bedroom and collapsed on the bed.
Luke was heroin in her veins. Just his proximity made her world a better place, yet at the same time he felt like her imminent demise. She was going to need another psychiatrist just to recover from him.