Page 207 of The Havenport Collection

Luke

C oming here was a mistake. Not because I was having a bad time—quite the contrary. I was dancing with Nora and there was nothing better.

Nora’s body in sweats haunted my dreams, but tonight? I don’t think I’d ever be able to get the image of her in that dress out of my head. It was dark red and dangerously sexy. It covered up a lot—it wasn’t showy—but teased at her hourglass figure and miles of delicious curves.

My hand currently rested on the curve of her waist, right above where her hip flared, and I could feel every nerve in my fingertips as they itched to travel lower on her body.

“You are so beautiful,” I whispered. I braced for impact, expecting her to knee me in the balls or at least slap me.

Instead I was met with an eyeroll and a shy smile. “Nonna insisted I wear this dress. It’s a bit much.”

“Not at all. The dress is fine, but you are spectacular.”

“Cut the bullshit, Luke.”

She rested her head on my chest, and I could feel her entire body pressed up against me. My pulse quickened and my peripheral vision blurred a bit. This was it, what I had waited so long for.

Having Nora in my arms felt so natural, so right.

I could rest my chin on top of her head and just breathe in her scent, her essence.

We danced for several songs before taking a break to go to the bar.

I had been drinking a lot, and so had she, but it seemed like the only way to deal with all the tension between us.

Thankfully, I had already texted my assistant and arranged for a ride home.

I was standing next to Nora, watching the various couples on the dance floor. “Jesus,” I gasped, turning away.

“Oh, come on, Luke, it’s just a little geriatric make-out session.”

“I had no idea everyone would be so frisky here.”

She shrugged. “Love is in the air. And you clearly have not spent enough time with the elderly population. They are kind of wild. Ever been to bingo night at the brewery?”

I shook my head and she giggled. “I’ll bring you next month. You need to see it to believe it.”

I smiled into my drink. This night was going better than expected.

I put my arm around Nora, and she leaned into me.

“Oh, shit.” She took a step away from me. “Look at them. They are whispering and snapping photos.”

I looked around to see various old folks staring at us and smiling. A few were not so discreetly aiming phones in our direction.

I ran my hand through my hair and groaned. “Does this mean we’re going to end up on Facebook?”

She scoffed. “Facebook? We should be so lucky if that’s it.

I expect billboards and some entries in top secret government databases with this crowd.

See Mr. Myers over there?” She gestured to a well-dressed man in a fedora.

“He claimed to be in the import export business, but he spent a strange amount of time in Cuba in the sixties. The rumor is he disappeared people for the government.”

He looked harmless to me, but then again, that was probably by design.

“We will probably wake up tomorrow and find ourselves married because of these meddling fuckers.”

I smiled. She was adorable when she was paranoid.

“Here.” I said, taking the glass out of her hand and placing it on a nearby table. “If they’re going to stare, let’s at least give them a show.”

I pulled her onto the dance floor, twirling her toward me and grasping her in my arms.

We swayed this way for several songs, my heart pounding in my ears and pulse racing. This was it. What I had been wanting for so long. This feeling, this woman, this night.

“You never let me apologize,” I began.

“Don’t, Luke, it was years ago.” But I could see the distrust in her eyes. “You probably don’t even remember.”

“Oh, I remember. I remember everything about the night I first met you.”

I pulled her even closer, so that my lips were inches away from her ear.

“You were wearing green. It looked so delicious against your pale skin. You were also wearing these massive door-knocker earrings. I remember you went through a phase where you wore them a lot.”

Her breath hitched.

“I was spending a few weeks in my house here with some friends and business associates. We were a rowdy group, mostly drinking while hanging out on the beach and fucking around on my boat. I was young and stupid and flush with cash.

“My heart stopped when I saw you that cool summer night. You were so self-possessed and confident. Like no other woman I had ever seen. That green dress is seared into my mind. It was light and breezy but clung to your curves, making me wonder endlessly what was underneath it.”

She pulled back suddenly. “So then why did you leave me sitting at the restaurant alone? What the fuck happened, Luke?”

I took a deep breath. This was the hard part. I fiercely guarded my privacy and my mother. But Nora was starting to become a friend and deserved the truth.

“My mother was diagnosed with cancer. I took her to Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and we found out the news. I spent the day drinking and calling everyone I knew to find the best doctors in the world to treat her.”

Her face softened. “I’m so sorry, Luke.”

I ran a hand through my hair. It felt so strange, sharing one of the worst days of my life with someone.

Letting her in. It wasn’t something I did often, but I found myself wanting to talk to her and tell her things.

“I was so consumed by my anger and grief, so obsessed with finding the best care, I truly forgot. And once I realized it, I felt so embarrassed that I avoided you.”

I looked down at her and she cupped my cheek. “I forgive you.”

“I should have called.”

“Yes. You should have. But shit happens, and you were dealing with a nightmare situation. I get it.”

“So why didn’t you let me apologize?”

“I thought you were an arrogant playboy and a jerk.”

“And you were right. I was a complete shithead back then.”

“And you had that tall redhead draped all over you. It was gross. I couldn’t take any apology seriously when you were partying with your bros and about to take some model home.”

I shook my head. “That woman was Lara.”

“Okay. Well, you seemed preoccupied with Lara, and I didn’t want to be a member of your harem. I get that you’re rich, but I don’t share.”

I smirked. I liked a little possessiveness in my women.

“She’s my old friend James’s younger sister. She was hanging out with us that summer because she had just graduated and was thinking about a career in tech.”

“So you didn’t hook up with her?”

“Absolutely not. I would not take advantage of a drunk woman, and second, Lara is an out and proud lesbian. I was just helping get her home because she was sloppy drunk, and I felt responsible for her.”

She punched my shoulder. “Goddamn you, Luke. Why do you have to be such a good guy? It was so much easier when I thought you were a disrespectful man whore and a privileged sociopath.”

I shrugged. “Sorry to disappoint you.”

She threw her hands up dramatically. “I hate being proven wrong,” she said playfully.

She stomped off toward the bar, turning around to grab my arm.

“Let’s go get some shots. My entire worldview has been upended.

What am I going to do if you’re actually a good person and not the evil demon I assumed you were for so long? ”