“I mean that.” He dips his chin with an uncharacteristic shyness. “I read the articles you’ve written so far and was genuinely impressed. And your photos are some of the best I’ve seen.”
This lightness overcomes me, making me realize how much tension I’d held in anticipation of his reaction to my work. I think I could walk on the waves riding up onto the shore right now.
I smile at him. “Does that mean you don’t think I’m some dirt-digging reporter anymore?” I regret the words the minute they leave my mouth, even if I meant it as a joke. “Sorry. Forget I said that.”
He stops me from walking away. “You’re an amazingjournalist, Sophie. I’m sorry I was so quick to judge.”
I shield my eyes from the glow of the dipping sun. “It’s understandable.”
His head tilts to the side in a micro movement as his brows draw down.
“I read the article that came out after your mother’s death. You know that paper was just a gossip rag, right? They get sued at least once a month.”
“That doesn’t justify what they did.” A fierceness flashes in his eyes, then recedes like the waves from the shore. He tips his head back with a long exhale. “Sorry. Just when I think I’m past it, I get angry allover again.”
I press my lips together and nod. “It made me angry too.”
His eyes flash as he impales me with that molten gaze of his. “Thank you for saying that.”
“I meant it.” We both seem to be saying things we mean right now.
One side of his mouth tilts up. “I believe you.”
We continue our trek toward the water as the growing sounds of ocean waves dance up the shore in a steady rhythm. Just above the shoreline, I stop and take a few shots of a boat that has a pelican perched on the bow, voraciously gobbling down chunks of fish left out for him.
Luke draws in a deep breath next to me, then releases it with a sigh. I had a feeling this would be good for him, to decompress from the pressures of the new season starting…and looking out for his sister.
He doesn’t know that Kinsley texted me that her professor allowed her to resubmit her paper. She wound up changing her mind about the entire thing and wrote about Luke instead. I wish I could be a fly on the wall to see his face when she tells him.
“This was a great idea.” He sounds calm…peaceful.
“I had a feeling you’d like this.”
He swivels his head toward me. “Thank you. Again.”
I tilt my smile and lift one shoulder. “Don’t mention it, Iceman.”
But there’s something I would dearly like to mention myself. Not to be nosy, but to prove to him that I’m not some reporter digging for dirt. I care about Luke—maybe more than care, but I’m not ready to examine that yet—and I want to know everything about him.
I take another shot of the pelican flapping his wings at the boat owner, demanding more fish. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Shoot.” He ticks up one side of those gorgeous lips of his into a lopsided grin. “Pun intended.”
I resist the urge to roll my eyes at his almost dad-level joke.But speaking of dads… “Do you remember anything about your father?”
His smile slips as he looks away, but not completely. He stares out at the water in a pause long enough to make me think he won’t answer. Maybe I overstepped, and now he‘s rethinking his opinion of my work. Or me. Maybe I am a nosy reporter who should have kept her mouth shut. Before I can take my question back, he starts talking.
“Not really. He wasn’t around much. He would go on these business trips and be gone for weeks at a time.” He puts air quotes around ‘business trips.’
The article I read said he was arrested for drug trafficking, so I assume that’s what he’s referencing. “That must have been hard on your mom.”
“Not really. Funny thing is, our house was peaceful when he was away.” He clears his throat. “I didn’t find out until later that he was dealing drugs.”
His honesty ignites not only my curiosity but this desire to listen and hear his heart. I suspect Luke hasn’t had that in his life since his mother died. “Your mom told you?”
He shakes his head. “She just said he walked out on us. I found out the truth after her death.”
The pieces click into place. “From that article.”
