Page 27 of The Lovers (Echoes from the Past #1)

SEVENTEEN

Quinn threw down the dish towel and retreated back to the sofa, suddenly too tired to tidy up.

She’d seen a lot of Gabe over the years, but this was the first time he’d referred back to that night in Ireland—well, the second, actually, in as many weeks, and it rattled her.

Gabe had seemingly made up his mind to drudge up the past, and Quinn supposed that as an archeologist, that was what he was trained to do to clear up any unanswered questions.

“Had you been mine,” Gabe had said. Perhaps it just slipped out, or perhaps he’d been waiting to say the words all along, his feelings for her buried but never fully forgotten.

Had he carried a torch for her all these years, or was this something new, something built on years of friendship and not the attraction they felt for each other before?

Had she made a mistake when she’d chosen Luke?

She hadn’t thought so, but looking back, she knew that her choice had been motivated by all the wrong reasons.

She had been young and impressionable and perhaps a little dazzled by Luke, who’d always been the soul of the party and the bloke all the girls tried to get close to.

She had been flattered by his interest, seduced by his good looks and his aura of unshakeable confidence.

Quinn knew that Gabe had feelings for her.

She’d been drawn to him as well, and the intensity of her attraction to him frightened her.

She was somewhat relieved that Gabe was in a position of authority, being the dig supervisor, and couldn’t act until the dig was officially over and his pursuit of Quinn wouldn’t be seen as unprofessional and inappropriate.

She could have waited, but she hadn’t. She’d gone for Luke, who was easygoing and fun, the polar opposite of Gabriel Russell, who was intense and demanding.

In retrospect, she realized that she ran because she wasn’t emotionally ready for him.

That night, after confiding in him about her gift, she panicked, and she’d allowed Luke to take her home, walking out of the pub without so much as saying good night to Gabe, who’d been waiting to walk her back to her B&B.

She’d allowed Luke to kiss her that night and had invited him back to her room.

She’d been a bit drunk, but not drunk enough not to know what she was doing.

She was burning bridges with Gabe, and her plan had worked.

She just hadn’t expected her relationship with Luke to evolve as it had.

He’d fancied her since they first arrived at the dig, it turned out, and wasn’t about to pass up his chance.

Their summer romance turned into eight years, but now, looking back, Quinn wasn’t sure how much of their relationship had been love and how much was comfort and convenience.

They both had busy schedules and were often away on digs and at conferences.

They came together at her little chapel, spent a few weeks or months together, and then parted again.

She’d been content, but had she really been happy?

She’d always taken it for granted that Luke was faithful to her, but had he been?

Had he always gone to bed alone when he was away from her?

She supposed she’d been blind to his faults, but the veil had lifted and now she was finally beginning to see clearly.

She still believed that Luke loved her in his own way and had been devoted to her at one time.

But Luke had only one great love—himself—and he’d discarded her as soon as something better for him came along.

He could have asked her to come with him, but he hadn’t.

He wanted a fresh start, and he wished to be unencumbered and free to pursue new relationships.

Well, he had it, but so did she. Like it or not, this was a fresh start.