by Amie Denman
“I have a second wind this evening,” she said. “But I know I’ll be happy to get in bed tonight.”
He noticed color on her cheeks after she mentioned bed, and he wanted to take the opportunity to tell her about his stateroom that occupied nearly an entire deck of the ship. A king-sized bed, a bathroom with a giant tub, a private library and lounge, and a bank of windows onto the world. He didn’t know if Autumn would be impressed, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to impress her. Unlike most of the women he met socially, Autumn didn’t think the size of his yacht and bank account was the most important thing.
Maybe that was why he loved the entire Benedict family so much. They reminded him of what mattered, no matter how many zeroes he lined up behind his bank balance.
The clerk appeared with a box and opened it, offering a glittering silver shoe. Luke wanted to look away as the clerk slid the shoe on Autumn’s beautiful foot. It shouldn’t be the sexiest thing he’d seen in ages, but it was. He swallowed. He needed to get his feelings under control before he did something reckless and ruined his best friend’s wedding cruise. He tried to think about Grady instead of Grady’s sister as the clerk slid the other shoe on Autumn’s foot. If his best friend asked about the evening shopping trip, Luke would downplay it as an excuse to take his tender out for a spin.
Autumn got up and walked to a long mirror where she could look at the shoes glittering beneath her ankle-length pants. Luke wanted to pull out his smartphone and take a picture, but instead he tried to memorize the way she looked. Her long blond hair reached past her shoulders, and her heart-shaped face made him want to follow its curves with his fingertips.
“My dress is ocean blue,” she said, standing before him. “Do you think these will go?”
“I think they’ll go with everything,” he said.
She cocked her head and frowned at him. “You said the same thing about red velvet.”
“Well then you’ll just have to decide for yourself. If you like those, get them.”
She leaned down and he tried very hard not to take the opportunity of looking down the v-neckline of her shirt. “I don’t know how much they are,” she whispered. “There’s no price tag on anything in this store.”
“That’s because they want you to pick out what you want instead of worrying about the prices.”
She straightened and looked down at him. “That’s not how I operate.”
He sighed. “You put your other shoes back on, and I’ll go to the register and ask. Okay?”
She smiled, obviously relieved, and nodded. He picked up the box, tucked the shoes inside, and went straight to the front desk by the door.
“I’ll take these,” he said. He pulled out his platinum credit card and laid it on the desk.
“No way,” Autumn said, breezing up beside him. “You’re not paying. How much are they?”
Luke glanced at the clerk who probably spoke enough English to understand what was going on, especially since Autumn’s body language made it clear.
“They’re on sale,” he said. “Sixty-five euros which is about the same in U.S. dollars.” He waited, hoping she would buy the lie. How the heck was he supposed to know what was a good deal in women’s shoes?
“Really?” she asked. “That’s a lot better than I expected.” Her shoulders relaxed and she dug through her purse for her wallet. She pulled out a bank card.
“Oh,” Luke said. “They don’t take those cards in Greece.”
“Very funny,” Autumn said, trying to look haughty, but Luke detected a question in her expression, too. “And I suppose you’re fluent in Greek and that’s how you know this?”
Luke looked to the clerk whom he had spoken to when he’d first entered the store. The clerk pointed to her credit card and held up both hands, shaking his head at the same time.
“Believe me now?” Luke asked.
Autumn shoved the shoebox across the counter and stepped back. “I’m sorry I wasted your time. Maybe there’s somewhere else in town I could get something so this whole trip wasn’t for nothing.”
“I think you’ll find the same thing everywhere you go,” Luke said. “I should have warned you, but here’s what we can do. I’ll put the shoes on my card and you can pay me back later if you want. That way you can wear them without feeling guilty.”
Her expression brightened. “Are you sure?”
“Totally.” He pointed at his platinum card which still lay on the desk and nodded to the clerk. Autumn wandered off to look at a display of printed silk scarves, giving Luke the opportunity to pocket the receipt for four hundred and eighteen euros. Autumn would never see that number, but she would look fantastic for her brother’s wedding.
He carried her bag for her as they walked back toward the dock. “Can I talk you into a drink at one of the open-air bars along the waterfront?” he asked.
Autumn smiled and appeared to be considering it for a moment, but then she shook her head. “I want to get back and relieve Grandma of babysitting duty. My dad is probably hoping she’ll come back and bring him an icepack for his knee.”
“One second,” Luke said, pulling out his phone. He dialed the number for his steward and requested an ice pack for Nancy and Bill Benedict’s room. “Done,” he said to Autumn as he dropped his phone into his jacket pocket.
“It’s that easy, is it?”
“Yes.”
She took her shopping bag and swung it between them like a barrier as they walked along. Was she upset that he took care of her dad’s aching knee with one quick call? It’s not like he had French champagne or priceless caviar delivered to the stateroom. It was one lousy icepack.
“I’d like to go back to the…to your…uh, yacht.”
“I prefer to call it the Paige Ellen,” he said lightly. “It was the least I could do to honor my mother and aunt after all they did for me.”
Autumn’s smile told him he’d said the right thing. “I haven’t seen their lakefront home, but I’ve heard it’s nice. They gushed about it in their Christmas card two years ago.”
“And they don’t even have to clean it themselves,” he said. “A concession I insisted on.”
Autumn transferred the shopping bag to her other hand and used her free hand to give his a short friendly squeeze. “Thank you for the offer of a drink, but I really want to get back.”
“Absolutely. We’ll have plenty of time to get caught up over the next seven days.”
“That sounds…nice.”
Luke tried not to let his step falter, but he wondered if catching up would include any details about Carter. He wanted to ask someone in her family about the baby’s father, but there wasn’t exactly a polite way of bringing it up. Especially not when they were all there for a special occasion. Would his mother or his Aunt Ellen know? He knew they had remained in close contact with the Benedict family even though he’d been too busy to pay attention while he was in Europe.
“The week will go too fast,” he said, hoping his tone was pleasant and friendly. “We’ll visit some private islands and beaches after the wedding tomorrow.”
“I hope my brother doesn’t mind his family tagging along on his honeymoon.”
“They have the private guest suite on a lower deck which is exclusively for them,” Luke said. “I don’t think you can get more private without getting your own boat.”
Autumn laughed. “I just hope Carter will be a good traveler. He’s never been tested.”
“So far he seems to be doing great.”
“We just got here today. I know you’re probably not around little kids very much, but their good humor can disappear in a heartbeat.”
“I’ll have to trust you on that.”
Autumn flashed him a glance, but she didn’t say anything. He wished she would trust him enough to fill him in on what had been going on with her in the past two years, but other than being an old friend and a friend of her brother’s, he didn’t have the right to pry.
At least not directly.
Tomorrow would be a very big day.
Chapter Four
Daylight peeked under her closed lids, and Autumn could swear her bed was moving very slowly and gently. She opened one eye and closed it again. The sun through her open blinds was intense, more intense than anything she remembered from back home in Michigan. She’d have to remember to close her stateroom’s curtains when she went to bed that night, which meant she’d have to be a lot less distracted when she went to bed.
As she lay back for a moment enjoying the soft mattress and luxurious sheets, Autumn remembered that it was her brother’s wedding day—a day that would change his life. Would she ever get married? Autumn sighed at the thought. Getting married would mean she would have to share her secret, and she knew it would be a long time before she would be ready to do that.
She rolled over and found the clock on the bedside table. Five minutes past six. She considered closing the curtains so Carter would sleep longer, but she could already hear the telltale swishing of his legs in their pajamas against his crib sheet. He’d roll around for another ten minutes, but then he’d be ready for the day. If only she was ready.
Watching her brother get married and being part of his wedding party was something she’d looked forward to for over a year, but being close to Luke all day would test her resolve to keep from him the secret that would bring back all the pain of losing his wife and make it even worse. If only she’d offered him friendship that night just months after his wife’s death and stopped there. Maybe it had been the wine, the emotion, the years of longing on her part and the emotional vulnerability on his…but the result was a beautiful complication she wouldn’t give up for the world.
Which was her choice.
Carter began quietly babbling in his crib, and Autumn dashed into the bathroom to brush her teeth before her son decided he wanted out of the crib. Even brushing her teeth and finding time for a shower had become a daily challenge as a single parent, but one smile from Carter or one reach of his little arms for her made it entirely worthwhile.
Her phone chirped with an announcement from the wedding app her future sister-in-law had subscribed to. Dress shopping, playlists, and food suggestions had bounced around the wedding party for months, even though being offered a private yacht had taken a lot of the planning duties off their hands. The Paige Ellen’s chef would handle the food, and Luke had taken care of the photographer, but the phone app had been a fun way to stay connected to the whole process.
Wedding brunch at eleven, assorted breakfast foods in dining room beginning at six. The message was brief, but exactly what Autumn needed to know.
“How about that, Carter? Would you like some breakfast?” Autumn reached down and scooped her son out of the crib, rubbing her cheek against his soft one. “You can even stay in your pajamas as a special treat.”
Autumn tugged on a pair of shorts and a lightweight sweatshirt, brushed her hair into a ponytail, and slipped her bare feet into sneakers. She changed Carter’s diaper and ran a warm washcloth over his face and hands, and then she headed for the dining room. No one should be up this early. Heck, she shouldn’t be up this early, especially considering how late she’d been out the night before.
She shivered a little, thinking about the cool air on the boat as she’d ridden back to the yacht with Luke. It had just been a shopping trip, but it seemed like more. Perhaps it was the location—a magical foreign city on the Aegean Sea. And the indulgence of buying high heels in a high-end shopping district was a new experience. She hoped Luke was telling her the truth about the price of the silver shoes, even though it definitely seemed too good to be true. She made a mental note to look up the brand online to see if the deal made sense.
When she entered the dining room with Carter on her hip, Autumn saw only one other early riser at the breakfast buffet. Luke. He wore shorts and a t-shirt, and his hair was tousled as if he’d just rolled out of bed. How many times had she seen him emerging from a tent in the backyard or the spare room at their house when they were kids and he’d stayed the night? She should be used to it…but adult Luke was so different from skinny teenager Luke.
Autumn would have backed silently from the room if only her empty stomach were involved. But Carter had to be hungry. Her mother had given him a night-time snack, but that was at least eight hours ago, probably longer. And what was that aroma? Eggs, cheese, bacon, something with cinnamon…and coffee. Heavenly coffee.
Luke turned and saw her, and the beard stubble on his face made Autumn wish she had run back to her room and rummaged through her purse for food. Did the man have to be so sexy? He smiled a slow relaxed smile when he saw her, and she knew running back to her room wouldn’t help. She was going to have to get through the next six days with Luke right at the edge of every waking vision or thought.
“Let me help you,” he said, coming toward her.
She thought for a moment he was going to reach for her son, but instead he stopped and pulled out the chair with the booster seat attached at the end of the table.
“Can I get you a plate of food?” Luke asked. “We have everything you could want for breakfast, and if there’s anything you don’t see, just ask.”
Autumn flashed him a smile as she strapped Carter into the seat and moved the silverware and glasses out of his reach. “This is the most incredible travel experience I’ve ever had. I stayed in a roadside motel on a skiing trip with my girlfriends a few years ago, and I’m starting to think their breakfast buffet wasn’t as spectacular as we thought it was at the time.”
“You were probably just hungry from all that fresh air and skiing,” he said. “I didn’t know you still skied.”
“I did. I haven’t in a while, not since…” her words trailed off, but Luke followed her glance to her son. Autumn was confident he could fill in the blanks.
“I went once last winter, but I’d rather spend my time in a warm place when I have the chance,” Luke said. “My vacation time is pretty limited.”
“You work hard,” Autumn said in a soft voice. She knew it was true. A man didn’t go from shoveling sidewalks to earn bike money to owning a multi-million-dollar yacht without effort and sacrifice. It was amazing he was taking the time to host her brother’s wedding. The monetary value of the gift was probably small potatoes compared to the gift of his valuable time.
“Well,” he said, smiling and waving two fingers at Carter who returned the gesture and laughed aloud. “I don’t want to go back to cleaning the restrooms at the community pool, so I have to keep showing up at the office.”
Autumn couldn’t help smiling. “You didn’t just clean the restrooms. My friends and I saw you in the lifeguard chair plenty of times.”
“You noticed?”
“You were a senior and we were in the sixth grade, so yes, we noticed you,” Autumn admitted. “Being twelve gives you license to be silly.” As she said it, she realized she’d seldom seen him being silly. Even when he was building snow forts with her brother or going fishing, he had always seemed determined to get it right. It was one of the things she’d always admired about him, but also always wondered about. As a child, she didn’t understand why he was so driven, but she vividly remembered her mother explaining it to her one afternoon in the kitchen. Her mother had been stirring spaghetti sauce and had mentioned it was one of Luke’s favorite foods and she imagined he’d smell it and come over in time to eat. Autumn had expressed surprise that he liked it so much because he usually tucked his head down and ate without saying much beyond a polite thank you.
“Food is survival to him right now,” her mother had said. “Just like everything else. He has a streak of determinati
on in him a mile wide. I wonder how different he’d be if his daddy hadn’t died when he was so young.”
Autumn had never forgotten the expression on her mother’s face as she adjusted the flame under the big pot of homemade spaghetti sauce. She knew her mother pitied but admired Luke, and the Benedict family had been just as proud of Luke’s success as his own mother and aunt.
“You and your son both have the same serious expression right now,” Luke said, “and I can only interpret it as hunger.”
Autumn broke with her thoughts of the past. “We’d better fill his plate before he makes a scene,” she said. She kept an eye on Carter as she edged toward the banquet table lined with warming dishes and artfully arranged trays of pastries. Filling two plates quickly, she went back to the table and offered Carter a plate of foods he could pick up with his little fingers while she sat next to him and watched.
Luke took the seat on her other side, and he was so close she could smell the scent of ocean still clinging to him from the night before. She noticed his plate was heaped with eggs, sausage, mini-waffles, toast, fruit, and croissants, and she remembered his habit from childhood of eating as if it could be his last meal. Would he ever relax and enjoy his food now that meals were a luxury as well as a bulwark against starvation?
She knew from personal experience that there was nothing harder than letting your guard down.
Someone pulled out the chair across from her, and Autumn glanced up to see her cousin Julie. At twenty-two, Julie had one year left of college to get her elementary school teacher’s license. She was one of the few people aside from her parents Autumn ever trusted to babysit, and only when it was really necessary.
“Best seat in the house,” Julie said as she picked up a piece of food that had rolled off Carter’s plate. “Everyone should get to look at adorable babies at breakfast.”