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“I never thought you’d shack up with a guy so quickly.” He looked at her for a second. “Doesn’t seem like you.”
Her stomach sank. “Franky, what is it you think is going on here?”
“Merritt said you were staying with Luca.”
Now things were starting to make sense. Her sister-in-law, always trying to play matchmaker.
“I mean, I saw the way he looked at you at your birthday.”
She rolled her eyes. “This again.”
“Are you in love with him?”
“I told you. Luca and I are friends. That hasn’t changed.”
Franky’s eyes darted to hers. “It hasn’t?”
“No.”
“But you’re staying here. I just assumed—”
“Don’t.”
His eyebrows raised in surprise.
“Don’t make judgments and assumptions. Straight out ask me what you want to know, and then go.”
“Sky.” His lips turned down in a frown.
“I’ve been working really hard on myself while I’ve been here, working through a lot of things, and you coming here out of the blue … it’s threatening to erase all the progress I’ve made. So please, what do you want, Franky?”
“Are you with Luca now?”
“I told you I’m not.”
“So, nothing happened with him this summer?”
“It couldn’t have, even if I wanted it to.” She noticed him cringe slightly when she said that. “Luca’s been in Italy since before I arrived. He offered me his place for the summer so I could get away and figure some things out.”
“Oh.” A smile crossed his face. “Good.”
“Why is that good?”
His eyes suddenly landed on the opened envelope on the table. “Hey, you got it!”
“Today,” she replied.
“Did you like it?” His eyes searched hers.
“You know I love that you wrote me a song.”
“Did you listen to the whole thing?”
“Y-yes.” She fought back tears again, remembering the new lyrics.
Franky moved closer again, and the breath almost left Skylar’s lungs at the sudden rush of longing for him. Her hand lifted automatically, held between them, to stop him from coming too close.
“I meant every word, Sky.”