As Lucas ended the call, thunder clapped so loud people in the crowd ducked, including Doreen.
“We’d better get going,” he said, handing her the phone. “It’s over. Thanks, Doreen.”
“I’m sorry.” She looked around. Everywhere but at him. “You can leave me,” she said. “I need to make a hotel reservation.”
“You can stay at the house. There’s more than enough room.”
He’d seen her happy and now she’d lost her glow. Now that her job was done, she seemed lost. “I don’t want to impose, Lucas.”
Lucas grabbed her bag, her words raising his ire. He turned around and Doreen bumped right into him. “Ow, sorry,” she said, so close he could smell the mint from her gum.
He steadied her but didn’t let her go. “You’re not imposing, it’s not a bother, and I don’t want to hear any more about it. You were in the wrong line anyway. All of those people,” he said, as he gestured to another line of people that had wrapped around a bank of phones, “are waiting to make hotel arrangements. You’re in the car-rental line.”
Her gaze ricocheted from the line, the signage and back to his. Thunder boomed again and she shook. He moved closer to let a skycap by with a cart full of unclaimed luggage.
Her breasts grazed his chest and her hands slid up his arms. “That’s so loud.”
Lucas didn’t move. God wasn’t being cruel. Life had just dealt him a fair hand. He hadn’t felt breasts in eight months. “Don’t tell me you’re scared of a little thunder.” Lucas almost didn’t believe her. But this was Doreen. The woman who’d walked in a marathon for breast cancer because a friend of a friend had suffered with the disease and she’d wanted to help.
He waited for the familiar sizzle of lightning and she shivered and nearly covered her ears in response to more thunder. “Sounds like the building is being demolished.”
She looked up as if she half expected something to fall from the sky. Each time thunder rumbled, she sucked in her lips and shook just a little. She wasn’t going to like it down here. Lucas grabbed the bag again, watching her.
“Born and raised a city girl, right?” He carefully stepped away from Doreen and guided her to the short-term hourly parking lot and his truck. He placed the luggage in the bed, secured the covering and held her door while she got in.
“Small town in New York State called Oswego. I told you before, I used to go to my grandmother’s house every summer in North Carolina. But I never got used to the storms. Now I go to a friend’s house so I’m not by myself.” She looked at the grayish sky with concern.
It struck him that there wasn’t any pretentiousness about Doreen. She was honest about her fear and he didn’t feel right teasing her like he would have Emma. He’d have to be gentler with Doreen.
He got in and coasted to the automated exit, paid the fee and accessed the highway before taking an early exit and driving through the residential streets.
The first thing he noticed was that Doreen didn’t have an open magazine on her lap like Emma would have. Doreen was looking at the houses, muttering that she liked this or that. She rolled her window down even though a light mist fell from the sky.
“That is so sweet,” she declared, pointing as they drove by a small, weather-worn white house. “How much do you think it’s going for?”
He’d checked into the house for investment purposes just a week ago. “Just short of a million dollars. Nine twenty-nine, to be exact.”
“No! Slow down. I need to see that again. What’s inside?”
“Two tiny bedrooms and one bathroom still decorated in the seventies green and yellow. Been in the same family for four decades.”
He drove on and had to wipe the dopey grin off his face before she saw it.
“They’re crazy. They might get three hundred thousand, but not a penny more.”
He couldn’t tell her they’d already received three full-price offers.
“What took you to New York City?” he asked.
“An internship with Regents Cable. I worked for a few different companies and then Regents called. They had an excellent educational program that paid for me to get a degree, so I went back to school. Things are finally falling into place and I’m being promoted to director of special events.”
“Is work all you do? Isn’t there someone special in your life?”
She looked kind of wary. They’d never ventured into this territory before. Before, they’d been protected by the rules of his engagement to Emma. Now their status was different.
“There isn’t anyone, but I’m happy.”
Her gaze was intelligent and assessing. He felt like he was on one of the court shows his mother was fond of watching when she was home. Right now, she was in Cairo, sightseeing and having the time of her life, no doubt.
“If I’m getting too personal, just let me know.”
Doreen crossed her left leg over her right. “I’m letting you know.”
Lucas took a mental step back. “All right, city girl. I’ll leave you alone.”
“Thank you.”
The unapologetic stop sign had been thrust into his face, halting his forward trajectory down the road of her personal life.
There was time, he knew, but everything was happening at breakneck speed, and for some reason he felt the need to know so much about her. But he didn’t rush. He was sorry he pressed Doreen.
The silence stretched as he drove the back roads, cutting through the residential neighborhoods he loved to scout.
“That blue house looks familiar. I know that sounds ridiculous because I’ve never been here before, but the white spindles on the front porch, the picket fence leading to the curb…Is that the first house you renovated?”
How long ago had he described that house to her? Seven, no, eight months ago? How many conversations had they had since then? He looked at the house and pushed back his baseball cap.
“That’s the one. You have an incredible memory.”
“Are the owners still there or was it resold?”
“No, they’re still there. He’s a former mayor and she was a state senator of Ohio. My guys built them a garage last month.”
“Too small a job for you?”
“No, I was finishing my house.”
“Right. Sorry.” The tension in Doreen’s face was etched around her mouth and forehead. “What’s that clicking sound?”
Lucas pulled over and shut off the engine. “Just wait a couple seconds and look in that direction.”
“It sounds like a herd of horses.”
“When have you ever heard a herd of horses?” he teased.
“On TV.”
“Just watch. Listen.” He touched her shoulder, his fingers grazing her soft dark hair. A man could easily learn to love holding the strands all night long.
Just as the thought shocked him, the rain had the same effect on her. It stormed up the block like the infamous running of the bulls, overpowering the truck, thumping the roof, causing her to flinch. Her shoulder bumped his and he chuckled.
Doreen punched him in the thigh.
“What did I do?” he protested.
“You’re laughing at me.”
“You should see your face. You look like a kid. Like you’ve never seen