Resorting to Romance

by Franky A Brown

  He heard a scuffle of activity over the phone. Someone else was talking to Grandma.

  “A shark, yes. Well, he obviously didn’t get killed; he’s on the phone with me right now, Gracie,” she said to the person with her. Then her voice sounded louder in his ear. “Are you all right, dear? Did you go to the hospital? Why didn’t you tell me right away?”

  “Everything is fine, Grandma.”

  “You’d tell me everything was fine if all your limbs were amputated, wouldn’t you?”

  “I would certainly not. I promise all my body parts are intact.”

  “If you didn’t go to the hospital, you best go get checked out just in case.”

  “I’m really truly okay, Grandma. I didn’t mean to scare you. The shark charged us in the boat, but we were able to row back to shore. Neither one of us was hurt or scarred. Not physically scarred, at least.”

  “You keep your two feet on dry land from now on.”

  “I won’t be going swimming out in the ocean this week. That’s for sure.”

  “This girl who went with you…tell me more about her.”

  “She’s…” What could he say? She was smart, funny, cute, the woman he enjoyed talking to more than anyone in the world. “I think she likes someone else. I’m not really sure.”

  “Thinking is quite a bit different from knowing.”

  “True, but, honestly, there are plenty of reasons why we can’t be together.”

  “Oh, dear, I’m sorry, I’ve got to go. My nurse is here to check on me. But I want to hear more about this young lady and this incident with the shark. I’ll call you back in a little while.”

  “Okay, I love you, Grandma.”

  “Love you, sweetheart.”

  Luke breathed out slowly. He needed to get ready for the black-tie event. It was supposed to be about networking with the other agents. But with him and Josie both attending, it was more than likely to be more than that.

  Luke arrived downstairs in time for cocktails and attempted to network. Unfortunately, most of the conversations fizzled out too quickly and now he was stuck with Kelly beside him with a champagne glass in her hand, going on and on about how much she liked Gina. He knew for certain that Gina didn’t care for Kelly. He fought the temptation to roll his eyes and, instead, scanned the crowd of people in the room filled with circular dining tables. He’d snatch the first person he recognized for a sudden, urgent conversation.

  Then he spied Josie walking through the doors, and his heart leaped. She was absolutely amazing in a little sleeveless black dress, golden curls falling perfectly around her shoulders. He didn’t breathe for a moment.

  “Luke, did you hear me?” Kelly nudged him.

  Inhaling slowly, he then released it quickly. “Excuse me, Kelly, I need to go speak to…someone else.”

  Not looking back, he weaved his way through the crowd, hoping Kelly would lose sight of him and not see where he ended up. He lost sight of Josie once he was in the center of the room.

  He had no idea where he and Josie would be seated. This dinner had assigned seats, and the coordinator was mixing up the tables so the agents from different areas would be forced to mingle. Fortunately, it decreased the chances he would be seated at a table with Kelly. One more second of her rambling would more than likely cost him his sanity. Gina was the last person he wanted to talk about with anyone.

  Some people were already seated, so he strolled through the room, glancing at the name cards at the place settings. The last table to check was where Josie sat.

  She waved him over with a smile. “You’re right here.” She pointed to the place beside her.

  He returned her smile and took the seat. This was definitely against the odds. And not safe. He was dangerously close to falling for this woman.

  “Have you heard anything about the broker exam yet?”

  Luke shook his head. “Not yet.”

  “Me either. Being Victoria’s associate broker isn’t appealing to me anymore.”

  “What is it you want?”

  She shrugged. “I’m not sure yet. For now, just going to stay an agent even if I earn my license. As an associate broker, I’d have to talk with her a lot more than I do as an agent.”

  Luke nodded. “I certainly understand.”

  “It seems like Victoria is getting worse. Maybe it’s just me.”

  “It’s definitely not just you. I’m leaving Southern Homes no matter what happens.”

  She sighed. “You should grab that other house you showed me before someone else does.”

  “Unfortunately, I need to finish and sell the first one.”

  “Hey, I know someone who may want to invest.”

  “Who?”

  “Luke, good, we’re at the same table.” Victoria came up to the table and pulled out the chair across from them. “What did you think of that Five Steps for Success class? You were in it, I hope, Joselyn. I didn’t see you.”

  Luke resisted the urge to grab Josie and bolt.

  Josie folded her hands in her lap. “I was there.”

  “Good.” Victoria paused to sip her glass. “I hope it taught you something.”

  Luke had had enough of Victoria treating Josie like she was a worthless agent. “I was actually dozing off in that class…” Luke shrugged. “The instructor’s monotone dialogue was like listening to an ocean soundtrack.”

  Victoria’s eyes went wide. “You fell asleep?”

  “It’s all good. Josie, here, took great notes and shared them with me.”

  Josie glanced at him and he sent her a wink. Then she grinned at Victoria. “I thought it was a great class and I took notes of everything.”

  Victoria narrowed her eyes at Luke. “I expect you to stay awake in every course if you’re going to stay on top.”

  “I apologize.” Luke was playing with fire and he knew it. “I mean no offense to the instructor. However, teaching isn’t for everyone.”

  “I have known Sam Greene for twenty-five years. He is highly experienced and very successful. You would do well to be conscious for his advice on success.”

  Others came to fill the remaining seats at their table, taking Victoria’s attention off of Luke.

  Dinner was soon served and Luke ate while listening to the conversations around him. Victoria spoke to a broker seated beside her about interest rates, and Josie chatted with the young woman next to her, an excited new agent.

  Once dessert came, Victoria was still conversing with the man beside her and not paying any attention to him or Josie. Good.

  He poked Josie’s arm and jerked his head toward the door. Fortunately, no one else seemed to notice. They needed to get out of there. And he needed to get something off his chest.

  Josie took a large bite of the cheesecake on her plate, then placed down her fork and stood up.

  Victoria immediately stopped talking and stared at Josie. “Are you finished already?”

  Luke got up as well and stood beside Josie.

  “Circulate and do some good networking this evening,” she said to Josie.

  “Yes, of course. I’ll get right on that.” Josie snatched up her clutch purse from the table. “Nice to meet you, Michelle,” she said to the young woman she’d been talking to.

  Michelle smiled and handed Josie her card. “Let’s stay in touch.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Joselyn followed Luke into the hallway and he gave her a tight smile. Something was up with him and she had no idea what.

  “What’s going on, Luke?”

  “I need to tell you something.” He glanced around them. “Why don’t we go outside?”

  “Okay.” She was intrigued and, of course, happy to escape Victoria anytime. “Let’s go.”

  They walked side by side down the hall of shops leading outside to the pool area. He selected a solitary spot near the pool, where an outdoor sofa was surrounded by large potted plants that added privacy.

  Joselyn followed him and sat beside him.

  “
I want to tell you something that I’ve been keeping to myself…”

  “Is everything okay?”

  Luke sighed. “I think Kelly suspects something; she’s asking a lot of questions about me and Gina, and insinuating there is something going on between you and me.”

  “Oh no.” She wasn’t sure what else to say. This was what she’d been afraid of when they’d disappeared from the restaurant together. She didn’t really know what was going on between them but it certainly was bad news if anyone at work thought she and Luke were a couple.

  “Gina and I broke up.”

  “What? When did this happen?” Joselyn’s stomach lurched. Did Victoria know?

  “It was final a few days before I came here. But it was a long time coming.”

  A mixture of emotions swirled around inside her. She was shocked, relieved, and annoyed at the same time. He was single and she’d been feeling guilty for being attracted to him for no reason.

  She struggled for words. “I…I’m surprised.”

  “No one knows yet. Gina was the client I mentioned to you that cornered me into a romantic dinner. It was awkward at first, but we liked each other. I sold her house for her and then we dated. We didn’t get far before things got out of hand. She called me and texted me all the time; she always wanted to know where I was and who I was with.” He paused and drew in a deep breath. “Gina didn’t understand why I didn’t want special treatment at work.”

  He stared at the flowers nearby. “I knew breaking up with Gina would upset Victoria, and I am not likely to keep my job once the secret is out. You know I was planning for a while to start my own business, but I’m not quite ready to do that. I hoped for a little more time, and Gina agreed to keep the breakup news to herself as long as I didn’t tell anyone either.”

  “Why are you telling me this?” Her tongue went dry and her heart thudded in her chest.

  “I need to be honest with you. I’ve enjoyed getting to know you better.”

  “I appreciate honesty. I do.” She said it out loud to remind herself of that.

  “Please keep this to yourself.”

  “Yes. I promise I won’t say anything.” Joselyn studied her hands, her heart conflicted. “If I were in your position, I don’t know if I would have trusted anyone to keep it secret.”

  “I am sorry, Josie. I was trying to avoid talking about Gina altogether. Kelly bringing her up constantly has me worried she’s figured it out.”

  His eyes locked on hers, stealing her breath.

  “I like you, Josie.”

  And there it was. The happiest and scariest thing he could possibly have said. Well, besides the other L-word. She opened her mouth, but there were no words. Her body went cold.

  Why was this so terrifying? It wasn’t a proposal.

  Her ex had waited until the last possible moment to be real about his feelings. Not that his short text was a truly meaningful expression of his deep emotions…

  Luke was staring at her, waiting for a response, sadness in his eyes as he waited. What on earth could she say?

  He watched her turn her head away and waited for her to respond. His heart constricted in his chest a little more every second she failed to speak.

  “Luke, I…” She sat a little straighter. “This is a lot of information.” She drummed her fingers on her knees a moment, then turned back to face him. “I like you too…but…”

  That pause. That little three-letter word. They felt like a noose tightening around his heart.

  “I believe I mentioned to you before that I had a bad breakup.”

  He nodded slowly.

  “I was engaged.” She gulped and folded her arms. “But never married.” She turned her face away from him and watched the blue water in the pool ripple nearby. “He broke up with me via text, right when our wedding was about to start.”

  “No way. Seriously?”

  She glanced his way. “He texted me four words: ‘I can’t do this.’”

  “You were left at the altar.” Anger that someone would treat her so horribly mixed with the relief of understanding where she was coming from and that she was confiding in him this way. “Oh, Josie. I’m so sorry.”

  “The irony is, I’d been having doubts about the whole thing too. But I never mentioned it to him, and he didn’t tell me he was having any issues. Weeks leading up to the wedding, he’d been acting strangely. I now see it for what it was. He was extra busy with work and less and less available. I justified it to myself as wedding stress, but that was stupid because he wasn’t doing any of the planning. What did he have to stress about?” She threw up her hands. “But it’s a good thing we didn’t get married. He wasn’t the one for me.”

  “He at least could have had the guts to tell you in person. Before the day of the wedding.”

  “Yeah.” Josie tilted her head to the side and pressed her lips together.

  “You deserve so much better than him, Josie.”

  “I appreciate that. I really do.” She eyed him warily. “I hope you can understand why I’m not ready for any kind of relationship.”

  As much as he understood, it was like a punch in the gut. It was a shock to him that he suddenly found himself ready for another relationship and disappointed that she was not.

  “Things are complicated between us anyway, right? You just broke up with the broker’s daughter and no one else knows.”

  “I do understand that. I am leaving Southern Homes, and I hope that makes things less complicated somehow.”

  “Well, Victoria might turn her wrath on you instead of me, but, who knows?” She sent him a playful grin.

  “I had no idea what you’ve been through, Josie.”

  Her expression turned serious. “I’m surprised you hadn’t heard from one of the other agents. I’d invited them all to the wedding, so they knew I was left at the altar. Of course, I didn’t share with them that he broke things off in a text.” She wrinkled her nose. “No one knew about that.”

  “I’m glad they were respectful of you and not gossiping about it at the office.”

  “Me too. It really surprises me since Kelly is such a gossip.” She sat up a little straighter and breathed in deeply.

  “Maybe she’s a real friend to you.”

  “I do hope so. She can be annoying, of course, but we’ve known each other a long time.” She gazed at him with concern. “When are you going to tell Victoria?”

  “Very soon. I can’t take much more of her, trust me. If I passed the broker exam, I’ll be set to start my own company. But more immediately, I have a closing happening at the end of the week that I’m hoping to keep the commission on to finish this house flip.”

  Josie nodded. “Selling the flip will definitely help you set up a new company.” She checked her watch and stood up. “I, uh, told Chris I’d stop by his office. I’ll see if I can sneak over there really quick. Then I probably need to make another appearance at the event in there.”

  “Sure. I need to make an appearance myself.”

  It was like the bottom dropped out of his stomach when she’d mentioned Chris. He’d ripped the bandage off, told her the truth, and admitted he liked her. She’d said she liked him too…but she wasn’t ready and the timing wasn’t right. He was touched she shared her story with him, but now she was hurrying away from him to her old friend. Was he an idiot to think things would happen differently?

  “I’ll probably see you in a little while, then?” She brushed hair behind her ears and he forced a smile.

  “Yeah.”

  She spun around in her silky gown and left.

  Maybe she was fine with being friends, but now things were going to be weird between them? Perhaps seeing her old neighbor, now an attractive hotel manager, shoved Luke to the back of the potential boyfriend line. If he was ever in it at all.

  It surprised him how it made him sad to be so now, when he’d arrived at Serenity Shores thrilled to be single again.

  Chapter Fifteen

  He couldn’
t have been more attractive in that moment when he sat beside her, surrounded by tropical foliage in the dimming sunlight. It was a picturesque moment as his beautiful eyes studied her. His tempting lips said, “I like you, Josie.”

  It had been so awkward letting Luke know about the embarrassing circumstances of being left at the altar, but he was so easy to talk to. There was no judgment at all. He listened patiently, was kind and understanding. He even shared his plans with her that no one else knew.

  She’d spun her parents a lie that she and Cameron had talked it out and decided they were not right for each other.

  Yes, her family and close friends knew he didn’t show up, but she let them believe he called. It was still rotten to the core to call to cancel while the wedding was in progress, but it was a little better than the truth. No one knew about the text. Her colleagues didn’t know anything other than what she told all the guests that day: the wedding was called off. After her little announcement, she locked herself in a room at the church, stuffed her face into the full skirt of the dress whose details she’d obsessed over for the past several months, and cried for what felt like an eternity. Then she wiped her eyes, lifted her skirt to hide the makeup stains on it, and faced her worried family outside the door with a straight face. She told everyone she was fine and insisted on going back to work the next day.

  And she’d been at work ever since.

  Somehow, she felt her story was completely safe with Luke, despite the fact she’d practically run away when he said he liked her. Maybe he liked her a little less now…but that thought left a pit in her stomach. She was petrified of becoming more than friends, yet absolutely wanted his friendship.

  He’d kept a secret from her. She understood his reasoning, but she didn’t like it. She’d been feeling guilty over her attraction to him, then was both happy and scared that it was suddenly okay for her to like him back. She couldn’t trust him or any other man. Or herself. Wasn’t she the girl who fell for the kind of guy who left her at the altar?

  Instead of going to Chris’s office, she took a seat on a couch in the lobby and pulled her phone from her clutch. She dialed Samantha.