Page 87 of See You There

“I’m sorry. That must be hard.”

“It’s fine. It’s been a long time,” Her voice had changed, and he could feel her pulling back.

“My dad died a little over a year ago.” Luke’s voice was carefully neutral.

“Were you close?”

He took a sip of wine. “Not really.” Luke grinned to cover the ache that always surfaced when he thought of his father. “Which was obviously his fault, because I’m amazing.”

A cloud passed over her face, and Luke had the feeling she saw through him. “Obviously,” Dahlia said, giving him the out.

They sat in silence as the mountain peaks around them faded until they were only visible as a faint outline. Luke hadn’t expected this side of Dahlia, but something seemed to have shifted in her since last night. It was as if she was actively trying to share everything about herself. Normally, that level of intimacy made him want to run, but there was something about Dahlia that made him crave it. He wanted to know everything about her.

Now that full darkness had fallen, the insects picked up their clicking, getting louder and louder.

“Are those cicadas?” Dahlia asked.

“I think so.”

Below them, fireflies blinked on and off.

“I can’t remember the last time I sat someplace like this and just… existed,” Dahlia said softly. “It’s so peaceful. I can actually hear myself think for once.” She stirred in her chair as if embarrassed by the admission.

“It’s nice.” Luke matched her low tone. “For the last few years, it feels like all I’ve done is to work toward this one goal… I forgot there was more to life than that.”

Dahlia pivoted in her chair to face him. Her lips parted in an O. “Yes, exactly that. Except in my case the goal kept shifting, and I wasn’t sure where I was heading anymore.”

Their eyes met and locked. His voice was husky when he finally pushed the words out. “And how do you know when you’re there? That you’ve reached your goal?”

Dahlia’s tongue skimmed across her lower lip, never breaking eye contact. His own vulnerability was reflected in her eyes. “The bigger question is, what if you never figure out what your goal really is? I always thought my goal was to headline in a feature film. To be a famous actress… But now I’m almost there, and I feel further away than ever.” Her cheeks tinged pink again. “What if that isn’t what I really want?”

Her eyes fell away as she finished her glass of wine. Luke needed to say something. He couldn’t leave her confession in the darkness out there by itself.

“I always thought being a powerful lawyer was my end goal.” Luke’s voice was little more than a whisper. “That if I made enough money, gathered enough influence and power in my own sphere, it wouldn’t matter that my father considered me a disappointment. I needed to succeed on my own without him—develop a reputation that wasn’t connected to his.”

His throat thickened. “I always thought there would come a time he would look at me and tell me he was proud. Instead, it only pushed him further away… Things happened… And now it’s too late.”

Dahlia reached across the narrow distance, her eyes wet, and covered his hand with hers. The small gesture made his heart stutter. He’d never said these things to anyone. Not even James, though he suspected his twin knew. Both of them had defied their father to go their own way, and both had lost him.

Luke pulled his hand back. Her eyes flickered, but she placed her hand on her lap. What was it about Dahlia that made him want to expose all the ugly, messed up things he’d kept bottled up?

But he couldn’t. She’d moved beyond being just a client, and if he weren’t careful… Luke rose to his feet. He needed a moment to get himself together before he spilled every secret he’d ever held.

“I’m just going to get the bottle of wine.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Luke returned not onlywith the open bottle they had been drinking, but a fresh one as well.

Dahlia lifted an eyebrow. “That kind of night?”

When Luke had retreated into the cabin, Dahlia had a brief flash of panic. Had she been too intrusive? Shared too much? She was rusty at this. Had she taken Item #3 too far? She got the distinct impression that Luke didn’t talk about his feelings much.

Luke poured what was left in the bottle into their glasses. “I don’t normally drink like this.” He smiled. “But it’s been a shitty week.”

She laughed and took a large sip. “I guess as long as we make it back inside and don’t pass out as mosquito food, we’re okay.”

“No big plans tomorrow?” he joked.