The Good Luck Charm(32)

The sound of a porch door slamming reminds me that despite dusk having crept in, we’re not alone.

“Ethan, you have a call from Josh.”

I cringe and attempt to scramble out of his lap while he grips my hips to keep me where I am.

“Your mom can see us,” I hiss.

“It’s almost dark. We’re just a blob,” he replies, then calls out, “Can you tell him I’ll call him back?”

“He’ll be right up to take it!” I shout after him. It’s better we stop before it gets out of hand. I don’t know that I’ll have the willpower to say no to him, not when the draw between us is so consuming.

“Okay. I’ll tell him you’ll just be a minute, then?” Jeannie calls back. I can hear the smile in her voice.

“No!” Ethan yells at the same time I say, “Yes.”

“I’ll tell him you’ll call back,” she says with a chuckle. The porch door slams again.

When I try to use his shoulders to push to a stand, Ethan slides his hands under my skirt, fingers dragging over bare skin. “Stay right here with me, Lilah.”

“Isn’t Josh your team captain? Don’t you need to call him back?”

“What I need is to kiss you again.”

“What you need to do is tell me what exactly is happening here.”

“Well, we were making out until we were cockblocked by Josh.”

I’m not sure if he can see my arched brow in the waning sunlight. He slips his hands out from under my dress and cups my face in his palms, caressing my cheeks. His touch is all sweetness, sending a shiver down my spine. “Spend some time with me.”

“Time?”

He nods. “I have a hard time believing I’ve been brought home and all of this”—he gestures to the house—“my dad’s stroke, your divorce, my trade, doesn’t mean something. I don’t expect this to be what it was before, but if you can give me some time to get to know you, then maybe we can be something again.” He looks so hopeful.

“Okay.”

“I promise you won’t regret it.” His smile pops his dimple. “I’m still super fun to hang out with.”

I laugh. I don’t doubt that in the least, and if I’m honest with myself, I want to know the man in front of me just as much as he seems to want to know me, no matter how much it scares me.



My phone rings as I finish up with the cashier at the grocery store on Thursday afternoon. It’s likely one of two people, my sister or Ethan—I’m betting on the latter. I answer on the second ring.

“Hey, beautiful, what’re you doing?”

“Currently I’m leaving the grocery store.”

“I mean tonight. Did you stock up on snack food? We should have a movie marathon. And FYI, carrot sticks and hummus don’t qualify.”

I laugh, but there are nerves under the humor. A movie marathon with Ethan would be both fun and dangerous—hours snuggling in the dark is something I’m not sure I’m quite prepared for. “It’s a weeknight. I can’t do a movie marathon.”

It’s been two weeks since I agreed to spend time with Ethan. While we haven’t gone a day without speaking, we’ve only been out a few times beyond my stopping by his parents’ place. Last week we went on a walk-through of the Hoffman house. They accepted his offer and he’ll take possession next month. This time I stayed far away from the wine cellar, but we spent quite a while in the master bedroom, Ethan making jokes about wanting them to include the art hanging opposite the bed in the sale.

A few days ago Ethan showed up at my house unannounced, with flowers, to suggest going for a run with me and Merk, likely because he knows I’ve been reluctant to be alone with him unless there’s some activity that takes us out of the house.

Coffee dates are safe because other people are around. Ethan in my house is another story. Any kind of cuddling opportunities will most definitely lead to other activities, the kind that might result in missing clothes. Every time he touches me, an arc of electric need passes between us. It’s becoming more difficult to resist the pull. I’m afraid I’m not strong enough to keep my emotions locked down if I give in to that need. So my super mature strategy so far has been avoidance.

“Okay. No midweek movie marathon. What about dinner?”

“The professor just posted the syllabus for my stats course that starts on Monday. I want to get started on the first assignment.”

“That’s almost as bad as telling me you’re washing your hair.”

“It’s been a long time since I took stats and it was never my favorite. I want to stay on top of things.”

“Feeding your body feeds your brain, Lilah. You can’t learn effectively on an empty stomach. There are studies to support that.”

“I just bought all these groceries. I have loads of food.”

“Please? I won’t keep you long. Have dinner with me. Spend some time with me. Exhibition games start soon and I want to get in as much time as I can with you between then and now.”

I sigh. I want to bend for him. I want the time, as well, and that worries me. Exhibition games signal the beginning of the regular season, and that will mean more travel and less time.

“I know that sigh, Lilah.” I can hear his smile.