Nantucket Romance 3-in-1 Bundle (52 page)

He shrugged, walking toward her. “You don’t wear much jewelry. I just thought . . . Well, it’s been a month today.”

Their anniversary, such as it was. Lucas stopped at the foot of the bed. She watched a blush creep into his cheeks.

“It was
very thoughtful. Actually, they’re perfect for the
Dr. Phil
show.”

What did the gift mean? Flowers was one thing, jewelry another. Was Lucas trying to make their relationship appear real? Or was there more to the gesture? Her insides fluttered at the thought. She remembered the way he’d laid a kiss on her head. It had been sweet. It made her feel . . . protected.

She glanced at the box in her hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t—”

Lucas waved her off. “I didn’t expect you to. I saw those in the window at Pageo’s and thought of you.”

He was making nothing of it. Maybe it didn’t mean anything, but it had been a thoughtful gesture. Lucas had some irritating qualities, but he could be awfully sweet when he wanted to be. Carried away by the moment, Kate reached up and kissed him on the cheek. Her lips tingled against the roughness of his jaw.

When she pulled back, she saw something in Lucas’s eyes and wondered if she’d crossed some invisible line. But then he rubbed the back of his neck and turned away. “You heading to bed?”

She closed the lid of the box, watching him go. “Yeah, I’m beat.”

He turned as he pulled the door. “’Night,”

“Oh, I forgot to tell you I talked with your mom this morning. The subject of conflict came up and I asked her about her and your dad.”

Lucas stilled, his hand on the knob. “What did she say?”

Kate sighed and rolled her eyes. “She thought I was asking her because we were having trouble. Like I wanted her advice on how to handle conflict.”

Lucas chuckled. “That’s rich.”

Kate frowned at him. “It’s not funny. She must think I’m a lousy counselor.”
She’s wondering what kind of idiot her son married
.

“Relax. She’s just doing what moms do.”

Well, then. How would Kate know that? In her experience moms didn’t give advice and nurture. They went out and came back unexpectedly and left you wondering what would happen next.

“Anyway,” she said. “I wanted to tell you I’d gotten the ball rolling, that’s all.” She sat on the bed. “Good night.”

After Lucas pulled the door shut, Kate threw the wrapping paper in the trash and tucked the jewelry box inside the top nightstand drawer. She flipped off the lamp and crawled under the covers, but it was a long time before she drifted to sleep.

Be yourself. Although it’s tempting to try and
impress your date, you’re doing both of you a
disservice. Be honest about who you are and
what you like and encourage him to do the same.

—Excerpt from
Finding Mr. Right-for-You
by Dr. Kate

Chapter Fifteen

Kate stepped from the fog of the bathroom and toweled off her wet hair. She could smell bacon frying and hear it sizzling on the griddle. She’d come to expect Lucas’s big breakfasts on Saturday and had decided it was a nice start to a weekend. As long as she stayed out of the kitchen while Lucas cooked and she didn’t have to see the counters splotched with pancake batter or the cracked eggshells in a pile near the sink. If she faced the wall as she ate and didn’t have to see the mess, she could almost put it from her mind.

Kate was shoving her towel into the bedroom hamper she’d bought when the phone rang. By the time she entered the kitchen, Lucas had answered.

“Who’s calling?” he asked, setting the greasy spatula on the counter. “Just a minute.” He handed her the phone, wearing an inscrutable expression.

“Who is it?” she mouthed

“Bryan.” Lucas turned and stirred the pancake batter.

Kate’s adrenaline spiked like she’d had three shots of espresso. Why was Bryan calling? She walked toward the back door and put the phone to her ear.

“Hello?” Her tone was cool and collected.

“Hi, it’s me.”

It rankled that he could still say that.
It’s me.
Like they were still so close he needn’t identify himself. Had he forgotten he’d dumped her for someone else? Kate stepped out the back door and closed it behind her, keeping Bo inside.

“Bryan. How are you?” There was nothing in her voice to make him think she actually cared to hear the answer.

“I’m good. Better than I’ve been in weeks.”

“Wonderful. Is there something I can help you with?” Polite. Friendly, but not too friendly. It unnerved her that it was such a strain. Was it just barely over a month ago that he’d kissed her good night on the eve of their wedding day?

“Kate, I’m so sorry. It’s killing me to hear you like this. Like we’re strangers or business acquaintances.”

Did he have any right to tell her about his pain?

“I called to say I was wrong,” he said. “I know that now.”

Kate stared toward the horizon and leaned against the square column that supported the roof.

“Things are over with Stephanie.” He said it like he expected her to shoot off fireworks in celebration.

Stephanie.
So that was her name. It was no one Kate knew. She was glad for that.

The pause was deafening. Emotions twisted in her like vines around a tree. She wasn’t sure which was strongest.

“Kate, did you hear me?”

What did he want from her? Now that he’d dropped his other woman, was Kate supposed to fall in his arms again? “What am I supposed to say?”

“I know. I know,” he said. “I—” Kate could hear the frustration in his voice. She imagined him running his hand through his blunt cut.

“I was a fool,” he continued. “It was just like you said. It was nothing more than a fear of commitment. I was afraid and looking for an outlet, and Stephanie was convenient.”

“Your outlet was costly.”

Costly
wasn’t the word. It had changed her life, changed their future. It was a little late to realize he’d made a mistake. Did he think he could fix it so easily?

A seagull cried out overhead and swooped over the beach, soaring with wide wings. Kate wished she could leave all this behind her and soar over the landscape of her life as the bird did.

“I miss you, Kate.”

The words, spoken softly, pried at the door of her heart. Kate closed her eyes.
I will not tell him I miss him.
He didn’t deserve to hear it, and she wasn’t even sure it was true. Her feelings for him were muddled, blurry, like the line between the ocean and sky. How could that be when she’d been so certain of her feelings for him only five weeks ago?

“I’m married, Bryan.” It gave her no pleasure to say it. She’d heard the pain in Bryan’s voice, and even though he’d hurt her terribly, she didn’t wish to hurt him.

“I know.” He swore. It was the first time Kate had heard him swear. Why had he called? He didn’t know her marriage was temporary, though he must realize genuine feelings weren’t involved. Did Bryan think she’d divorce Lucas the moment he returned?

“Who is he, Kate? Do you know what it’s doing to me, imagining the two of you together?”

“Yeah, actually, I do,” she snapped.

“I’m sorry. Of course you do.” He sighed. “I don’t know what I’m saying. I’m just—I’m just going crazy over here. My whole life has been so planned, all
my ducks in a row, and now I just feel like it’s all exploded in my face.”

Have you forgotten you’re the one who lit the fuse?
She wanted to say it out loud, but what good would it do? What was done was done. She had to stay married. The media would have a heyday if she divorced Lucas and married Bryan. She shook the thought from her head. It was ludicrous to even entertain the idea.

“You don’t love him, do you?”

Kate grabbed the hair at her nape and squeezed. To tell him yes would be a lie, but to tell him no felt like a betrayal to Lucas. She let the silence grow. She wanted to ask if he’d loved Stephanie, but what did it matter now? The other woman’s journey with Bryan was over, and she had nothing but a foiled wedding as a souvenir.

A bolt of fear struck her thoughts.
What if Stephanie leaks the
information to the media? What if she told them Bryan was supposed to
be my husband and that I’m nothing but a fraud?

“Bryan, how did things end with you and Stephanie?”

The pause seemed to last a lifetime. “What do you mean?”

“How did things end?” she asked sharply. “Did you break it off? Was she upset?” She grasped the phone tightly, wanting to wring the answer from it.

“I broke it off,” Bryan said. “She was upset. Why, Kate?”

Kate descended the deck steps and crossed the sandy grass toward the shoreline. “What if she goes to the media and tells them everything?” She felt like swearing herself. She didn’t know what kind of a person Stephanie was. Was she the vindictive sort?

“She wouldn’t do that,” Bryan said.

“How do you know?” She wanted proof. Or better yet, a reason Stephanie wouldn’t want the news out that she’d broken up Dr. Kate’s marriage. Maybe she detested being in the spotlight or had a career that would be damaged by the gossip.

“She’s not like that. There would be no reason for her to do it.”

“You said she was upset.”

“Well, she was, but I think she’d—”

“You
think
or you know?” Kate kicked a hill of sand and took a breath.

“I’ll call her if it’ll make you feel better. I’ll do whatever I have to do to protect you, I promise.”

His tone was sincere, but the last promise Bryan had made ended with her at the altar saying “I do” to another man.

Lucas turned off the griddle and scooped the bacon onto a plate. It clanked as he set it too hard on the table. He opened the oven and removed the warming pancakes.

He had no idea how long Kate would be on the phone, but he was going to eat while it was hot. He scooted his chair back and sank into it. Bo, knowing better than to beg for food, settled on the rug beside him.

When Bryan had identified himself, Lucas had wanted to ask what business he had calling
his
home on a Saturday morning and asking to speak to his wife. He might have done it, if Kate hadn’t been standing there with her wide eyes and tousled wet hair.

She’d gone outside for privacy, but he’d heard every word through the open window.

Lucas grabbed a piece of bacon and took a bite. He’d been relieved at Kate’s cool tone even though he knew she was only guarding her heart.

When he heard her say, “I’m married, Bryan,” he wondered what had prompted those words. Did Bryan want her back? Is that why he’d called?

The back door opened, and Kate entered. She set the phone in the cradle and joined him at the table. Her face revealed nothing. Was she wishing she’d never married him? Was she wishing it was Bryan at the breakfast table now?

Well, Bryan had left her for another woman. It was Lucas who’d cared enough to follow through. Lucas who’d stuck by her though all those publicity photos. Lucas who got up at the crack of dawn and fixed her eggs over easy, the way she liked them.

Kate picked up her fork, and the diamond on her finger glittered under the kitchen lights. Bryan’s diamond. Lucas wanted to slide it off her finger and toss it into the ocean.

He took a drink of coffee and set the mug down hard. It clattered against the saucer and splattered on the table. Without a word he stood and retrieved a towel, wiping up the mess before settling in his chair.

“What’s wrong?” Kate asked.

“Nothing.”
My wife’s ex-fiancé called my home and probably
declared his love for her. What could be wrong?
He bit into his eggs.

“Well, something’s wrong.”

Lucas swallowed hard, trying to suppress words he shouldn’t say. “I don’t appreciate your ex-fiancé calling here, is all.” He applauded his calm tone. Across from him, he felt Kate still.

“I didn’t think—I mean—” She cleared her throat. “It’s not like this is a real—”

He looked at her, daring her to say it. Yeah, maybe it wasn’t a real marriage in theory, but there were feelings involved. His. And he’d been hoping hers were a little involved. Had he been wrong?