Road to Recovery (16 page)

Pulling out a chair and sitting next to
him, she leaned forward and pulled the sandwich closer, despite his
protests. “Hey, that’s for me,” he said. “I got you the salad. I
even picked up the honey mustard dressing you like.”

She grinned at him. “My celebration,
right? So my choice, and I’m hungry. I’ll take the sandwich. I mean
it’s not like you asked me what I wanted beforehand,” she pointed
out coyly.

He let the sandwich go. “Guess you’re
right. A salad it is.” He rolled his eyes and pulled the salad
forward.

Taking pity on him, she took half the
sandwich for herself and placed the other half on his plate, then
dished up some salad to go with it. “How about we compromise since
you went to all this trouble and this is definitely much better
than the granola bar I would have had in my office.”

After she finished chewing her first
bite, she acknowledged his effort. “This was sweet. I’m surprised
you remembered. You didn’t have to do anything. But I’m glad you
did. You get points for this,” she added as a corner of her mouth
twitched.

“
Really? I’ll have to
remember that. So what do I get to cash these points in for?” he
asked cheerfully.

Blushing slightly, because she never
seemed to stop that reaction when he was flirting with her, she
said, “Oh, I’m sure you’ll think of something.”

“
Actually, I do have
something in mind.” She blushed deeper. “Not that. Though, come to
think of it…” He paused and then shook his head. “No, never mind,
back to my original thought. I was thinking since this week has
been so crazy and we haven’t been able to make any time for each
other, that instead of you coming to my house on Sunday for the
party, you could come home with me Friday night? Stay till Monday?
I can bring you back home then.”

She tried to figure out the best
response, the best way to answer.

“
Don’t think, just say the
first answer that comes to you,” he coaxed her.

“
OK, then, yes. I would like
that. If you’re sure you don’t think it’s too much time together
and we won’t get on each other’s nerves?”

He released a breath and then joked.
“No, you won’t get on my nerves, though I can’t promise not to get
on yours.” He reached out and tugged a lock of her hair. “Guess we
won’t know until we try it, huh?”

“
Guess not,” she agreed.
Then she grabbed her napkin and leaned forward to wipe a small
crumb from his lip before she realized what she was
doing.

He grabbed her hand softly when she was
done, lowered it, and then leaned forward, his lips hovering over
hers. “I’ve missed you this week. And there are still two more days
to go before I can get you alone again.” He settled his mouth over
hers gently at first, increased the pressure more as she leaned
into him.

Lost in the moment her tongue came out
of her mouth and tentatively traced his upper lip. When he opened
for her, she dove in for more contact. A quiet moan escaped her
lips.

He brought his hand to her waist and
started to pull her onto his lap when they heard a knock at the
door.

Brooke jumped back with a start,
grabbed the rest of her sandwich quickly and took a bite, hoping no
one would suspect what they were doing. Lucas called out, “Come
in.”

“
Sorry to bother you,”
Rhonda apologized, peeking her head around the door, knowing where
they were located. “But there is an employee out here who says she
really needs to speak to one of the legal staff, and you are the
only one available. I wouldn’t have interrupted, but she seems
pretty nervous standing out here.”

“
No problem, Rhonda. I’ll be
out in a minute. Let me finish up here.” He turned toward Brooke.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to cut our lunch short. Not sure if that was
good or bad timing.” He chuckled.

She finished up her last bite and then
put all the plates and containers back in the bag they came in.
Choosing to ignore his comment, she grabbed the bag of garbage and
stood up. “I’ll take this out with me.”

He reached for her hand quickly, gave
it a brief squeeze. “Hey, congrats again. You’ve come a long
away.”

She nodded and walked out, wondering if
he was congratulating her on the end of her physical therapy or
that she wasn’t beating herself up over the fact that he kissed her
in his office.

The rest of the week seemed to drag by,
but it was finally Friday. And only one hour left before quitting
time.

The night before, Brooke had packed
everything she thought she would need. Lucas had told her the party
at his parents’ house on Sunday was a casual affair. And the
weather looked to be cooperating, with mid to low seventies, no
rain, another plus.

“
Pack comfortable shoes or
sneakers,” Lucas had told her. “I want to take you to Lake George
on Saturday. Memorial Day weekend is notoriously busy, kicking off
the start of the tourism season, so we might be doing a lot of
walking. If you’re up for it, that is.”

So she packed her leather thong
sandals, which were as comfortable as any pair of sneakers she
owned, along with two pairs of capris, a few pairs of shorts and
several shirts. She knew she would have a hard time deciding what
to wear, so she wanted to have a few options available. Her sandals
and another pair of flats would cover her bases for any outfit she
decided on.

But now she found herself watching the
clock. She was actually looking forward to a few days away. She
hadn’t had any type of real vacation in longer than she could
remember.

There always seemed to be so much to do
at her last job, she was lucky if she had a weekend off. Even then,
she and Robbie ended up working from home half the time. Or at
least she did.

As much as she was nervous about
spending so much time with Lucas and meeting his family, she was
more excited about getting out of the city for a few days and
spending it on the lake.

This would also be the first time she
would see his house. She had often wondered what his house looked
like. How he lived. She had images in her mind based on what she
knew about him and their conversations, but she wanted to actually
see for herself so she could picture him in his house when they
were talking at night.

It was a new feeling for her. In the
past, she would have put off spending this much time with someone
so soon. Yes, she had dated on and off, but it rarely got to the
point of sex, let alone cozy getaways at each other’s
homes.

Aside from Robbie, no other person she
had ever dated had been to her house before. Her college dorm
didn’t really count in her eyes.

Thinking back now, she realized that
she let Lucas into her home almost from the beginning. Something
she would have to analyze another time. But right now, she was
willing the clock to move faster.

When her phone rang on her desk, she
reached over automatically without checking the caller ID, then
hoped it wasn’t some type of emergency she would have to deal with
before she left. Instead she heard Lucas’s voice on the other end.
“You busy? Can you leave now?”

“
No, I’m not busy, and yes,
I would love to leave now. But I thought you had a lot going
on.”

“
Nope, just finished up the
last thing and I’m ready to call it quits. Matter of fact, I sent
Rhonda home a few minutes ago and I need to get out of here before
the phone rings and I’m forced to answer it,” he said with a
chuckle.

“
Like you’ve ever answered
your work line without it being screened first,” she said teasing
him.

“
Exactly,” he agreed. “I’ll
be there in two minutes, so be ready.”

***

Lucas grabbed her suitcase off the bed.
“Got everything you need in here, or do you have another
bag?”

“
Just one in the bathroom.
Let me get that quickly and we can leave.”

Looking at her legs in gray shorts, he
realized she never wore anything short, she always made sure
clothing was long enough to cover her scar. Too bad. She had great
legs, but he understood why she always kept them covered, more than
he preferred. Less chance of someone asking questions. Inspiration
hit. “Did you pack any workout gear?”

“
Some yoga pants, in case I
had a chance to stretch a bit,” she explained.

“
Pack extra workout clothes,
and your cross-trainers. I’m in the mood for a run, maybe tonight.
You can keep me company and it’ll definitely improve the scenery.”
He raised his eyebrows, making her laugh.

Then she frowned. “I’m not sure. I was
cleared to run this week, and as much as I want to get back to it,
I most likely won’t be able to keep pace with you.”

“
No worries. You can test it
out with me. Any workout time I get in will be a bonus this weekend
anyway.” He unzipped her suitcase for her. “Come on, grab your gear
quick.”

***

She was glad that Lucas had driven. The
traffic before the holiday weekend was horrendous. Everyone seemed
in a hurry to get a start on the long weekend. And having not
ventured outside of the Albany area yet, she wasn’t familiar with
the Northway. She was just as happy to sit back and enjoy the ride,
if bumper-to-bumper was considered enjoyment.

Before they reached his house, they
mutually decided to detour to the grocery store for the makings of
dinner. Neither of them had any desire to go out more than they
needed to this weekend.

The Range Rover’s door shut with a thud
that echoed through the garage. With her arms loaded down with
groceries, Brooke followed Lucas through the door that he was
currently holding open with his foot, since his own hands were
carrying her suitcase and his briefcase.

Entering a small mudroom, she watched
while he slid off his shoes and then did the same. They walked down
a long wide hallway, her bare feet cool on the dark hardwood floors
that seemed to run through the entire downstairs. She noticed a
formal dining room on one side and what looked to be double doors
leading into an office on the other side. From there the hallway
ended in a massive open space.

The first thing she noted was the view
of the lake. It wasn’t hard to miss. Floor to ceiling glass, close
to twenty-five feet high, filled her eyes with sunlight, decking,
beach and water. It was absolutely breathtaking. She felt she could
stand rooted to this spot for hours and never grow tired of the
view. “This is stunning,” she said in amazement.

He put his hand on her lower back,
guiding her to the side and a few steps back into a large gourmet
kitchen. She absently placed the grocery bags on the granite
counter of the center island, and registered he must have left her
suitcase and briefcase somewhere else.

She helped him unload and store their
food away in the stainless steel refrigerator and dark cherry
cabinets.

“
Let’s finish this up quick,
and we can get you situated. I’d say I’d give you a tour, but you
are pretty much seeing it all. Well, on this level at least. Four
bedrooms upstairs, two baths, finished basement—more of a guest
suite, actually, down there,” he informed her, then stored the last
empty grocery bag away.

He was right. She could see the rest of
the downstairs from just about anywhere once they came out of the
hallway. It was a huge open space, almost giving the illusion of
living outdoors.

There was a small informal eating area
in front of the kitchen. To the right was a big living room, with
simple but plush and comfortable-looking black leather furniture,
half the pieces facing a stone fireplace, the other pieces facing
the view of the lake. Of course, a large flat screen TV dominated
one wall.

Stepping further into the living room,
she noticed a staircase tucked into the far corner, leading above
to a landing that overlooked the view beyond, along with the living
area below. Following him up the stairs, with her suitcase in his
hand once again, she noticed the hardwood floors continued to this
level too. At the end of the hallway was a set of double doors,
which were wide open, also with a view of the lake
beyond.

The simple but huge king sized bed was
positioned in the middle of one wall, so you could lie on your back
and stare at the sky and water in front of you, or through the
skylight above you. To the side of the bed was a hallway she
assumed led to a bathroom and closet.

Setting her suitcase on the bed, he
turned and smiled while he watched her continue to look out the
windows at the lake. “There should be a few empty drawers in that
dresser closest to you. You can put your clothes in there if you
want. The bathroom is at the end of the hall behind you. You can
put the rest of your things in there when you’re ready.”

Closing the now-filled drawers, she
grabbed her toiletries and headed for the bathroom. Which, like
everything else in the house, was also oversized.

She thought her spa tub and tiled
shower were big, but they didn’t even compare. Marble gray tiles on
the floor, walls and ceiling made up the shower that could easily
fit three people. Secretly she hoped it never had. There were three
showerheads, one on opposite ends and a rainfall head in the
center. All closed in by two glass doors that slid open on either
side.