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“O-kay.” She couldn’t tell if he just didn’t want to talk about it. “What is your job besides rehabbing the old Sam place? What are your hopes and dreams and all that jazz?”
He let out a low chuckle. “That’s a tall order.”
“I’ll settle for your five-year plan.”
He turned on his side, and she moved over to accommodate him. “Wait. I didn’t want you to move.”
They were close enough to kiss, and there was definitely chemistry between them.
“Right, because we’re not on a date.” She scooted back a bit.
“Right. That’s cool. You can call this whatever you want.”
There was something about Raine’s playfulness that she liked. He was so different from Matt. Matt always was quiet and calm. He had a way of soothing her when she was frenzied about some event. She thought about how it felt to lean into him on the couch, and have Tatum lean into her, when they’d watch movies together at night. Pain ripped through her chest. No. She didn’t want to think about all she’d lost.
“Hey,” Raine said, reaching out and softly stroking her shoulder. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.” He rubbed his hand down her arm. “And I’m not trying to make a move on you, either.”
She soaked up his touch like lotion on dry skin. She missed being touched, held, loved. She missed it so much that sometimes it felt like her gaping heart would never heal. Why hadn’t Matt called her sooner? Why was he with Charlene tonight? “I’m kind of a wreck. I’m sorry.”
“Hey, I like wrecks. I actually majored in wrecks.”
She laughed. He was kind and amusing. Staring into his beautiful, brown eyes made her feel so many wonderful things—things that helped her forget her pain. “Tell me about you,” she whispered.
“Okay. Just so you know, I don’t usually tell all my secrets on the first date, but I’m going to make an exception for you.”
Lucy wasn’t sure if the man was teasing or if he was serious; she didn’t know him well enough to tell. But he was a flirt, and he was persistent about liking her, so she smiled at him. “I’ll take secrets.”
He sighed and then moved his hand to her hair. “You have nice hair.”
Dang it, his fingers felt so nice. She closed her eyes. “You shouldn’t be touching my hair.”
“Do you want me to stop?”
Her eyes flashed open, and he was smiling at her. “No, but I mean it, Raine. I’m a wreck, and I can’t be in any kind of relationship. It wouldn’t be fair to you.”
He turned onto his back and put his hands behind his head. “You know what? I could say something like, ‘Let me decide what’s fair,’ but I sense that me touching you is sort of making you uncomfortable, so I’ll stop.”
Her heart thumped, and she turned to look at the man. Really look at him. He was beautiful, and he might not be too bad to kiss.
“What?”
“Nothing.” She turned back, her heart hammering again, and focused on the stars. “You said you would tell me your secrets.”
“I did.” He paused.
“No pressure.”
“Well, how about we trade secrets?”
She wasn’t sure she liked this. “Hmm. You told me generals about your life, but I want specifics.”
He didn’t wait for her agreement. “Okay. I was born in Colorado. My mother, I don’t know who she is, left me at a fire station.” He spoke quickly, like the words had been waiting to come out. “I told you I was in foster care most of my life. I have a brother, or the closest thing to a brother. Truman. We’re the same age, and we both served in the Army and came back and did … various business ventures, until we invented a software that reads the stock market.” He gave a little shrug. “That’s what we do now: sell that software. It has done well for us.”
Lucy was simultaneously confused and fascinated by this man. She sat up, brushing her hands down her clothes. “Wow.”
He sat up too. “I didn’t want you to move.”
“You have been through a lot.”
