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“Only time knows the answer to that.”
“Well, as someone who has watched what happens to a family when people are unwilling to forgive, I hope time is kind to you and yours.”
“Now look who’s giving loaded responses,” he said as he ate another jelly bean. “Care to elaborate?”
“No.”
“Not even if you know it’s going to drive me crazy the entire rest of this bus ride?”
“Still no, but nice try. Besides, I don’t even know your name.”
“Lucas.”
“Well Lucas, I’m Ella and it’s a pleasure to meet you.” She held out her palm, and when he wrapped his strong hand around hers, heat shot to her core, fireworks erupted along her arm, and every movie meet cute suddenly paled in comparison.
Chapter 2
After a long day of travel, Lucas never expected he’d be grateful for his diverted flight. He’d been ready to chuck his luggage in a dumpster at the airport but now as he shook Ella’s hand, holding on much longer than he probably should have—though she didn’t seem to mind—he was counting his lucky stars.
Ella was beautiful, charming, and—more importantly—she liked black jelly beans. A woman after his own heart. He loved the way she’d spoken about her family and her grandparents; it was refreshing. He didn’t have siblings to make fun of him and because of his dad he didn’t have grandparents to spoil him. It had been just him and his parents but he couldn’t even really call them a family, not when his dad had cared more about closing his next deal than he did about them or how his mom had preferred to spend her weekends at the spa away from home and away from Lucas.
Because of his dad’s dedication to work and success, Lucas grew up with everything he could ever want, but those material possessions could never fill the void in his heart. What he had always wanted were people who supported him without question and who loved him on days when he’d been impossible to be around.
Maybe his parents had loved him in their own selfish way, and maybe Lucas was greedy, because it wasn’t enough. The shocking surprise about his grandfather had been the final nail in the already closed coffin. He’d gone back to school and never once looked back.
He’d found family in friends as he slowly began to build a relationship with his grandfather. But being on the other side of the country made it difficult. So, now that his startup company was taking off and he had employees he could rely on, it was a no brainer when his grandfather called and asked him for help with the finances of his restaurant—a town staple that Joe started at the young age of twenty-two and had hoped his own son would take over one day. Lucas knew how that story went and only hoped he wouldn’t be as big of a disappointment as his father was.
“You got quiet. You okay?” Ella asked. “I didn’t mean to pry.”
He laughed. He barely knew the girl but he knew enough. “Yes, you did.”
“Okay, I did, but now I feel bad.”
“Nothing to feel bad about. Just lost in thought for a moment there.” He picked up the bag of jelly beans and examined it. “Still have half a bag left.”
She swiped it out of his hand. “Not for long.” She took a couple, popping one in her mouth with a satisfied smile before handing them back. “So tell me, Lucas, other than black jelly beans, what’s your favorite food?”
“Easy. Tacos.”
Ella’s hand froze halfway to her mouth. “You’re kidding?”
“There are many things I kid about, but tacos aren’t one of them. Why what’s your favorite food?” he asked.
She looked at him with sparkling wide eyes. “Tacos.”
“Come on. You’re just saying that.”
“You can call one of my best friends and ask them yourself. We have Taco Tuesday where we gorge ourselves with tacos and drink margaritas.”
“Sounds like you know how to live.”
“You only have one life, might as well make the best of it.”
He looked at her beautiful dark brown eyes that he was sure brought many men to their knees. “I couldn’t agree more,” he said.
“Do you have any traditions with your friends? Assuming you have friends that is.”
“I have friends.”
