She stepped into the shower, hoping the water would wash away her longing. But all it did was make her think of how his hands, and mouth, had run over her skin during their one night together. She turned off the shower with a fierce yank.
Lola rarely emerged from her bedroom without her hair and makeup done and her clothes and shoes carefully chosen. Tonight, however, she made the rare decision not to do any of that. Instead, she would let Duncan see a side of her that almost no one had ever seen before.
She so rarely wore a T-shirt and jeans that when she looked in the mirror, she hardly recognized herself, especially without makeup and with her hair pulled back in a ponytail. The guys she had dated in the past had given lip service to appreciating a more natural look, but ultimately, they’d all wanted her to look like a bombshell every second of every day.
How, she wondered, would Duncan react? Would he be disappointed? Or would he see that she was still the same person beneath the lipstick and mascara, without the formfitting dresses and sexy shoes?
Walking barefoot out of the bedroom, she saw through the window that Duncan had gone into the backyard. Just as quickly as the rain had come, it was now gone, the sky clear again. Before tonight, he’d always worn either a suit or slacks and a button-down shirt. But even in borrowed faded jeans and a T-shirt with a torn shoulder from when her brother had caught it in a blackberry bush, Duncan exhibited sexy strength.
He was walking down a narrow brick path between her vegetable beds when he turned and caught her staring at him through the kitchen window. She blushed as she waved, then headed out to join him.
His eyes lit, and his lips curved into a smile when she stepped outside and he took in her dressed-down look. “Lola, you’re beautiful.”
Perhaps it shouldn’t have mattered what he thought. After all, being comfortable in her own skin was what counted most of all. But she couldn’t deny how nice it was to know that no matter how she was dressed, wearing makeup or not, he still looked at her as though she was the loveliest woman he’d ever seen.
“I’ve never seen a home garden with so much in bloom,” he said.
“I love being in the garden. On days at the office when it feels like my brain is going to explode, I love getting my hands dirty. By the time I head back to my studio, things rarely seem so difficult to deal with.”
“I haven’t spent much time gardening myself,” he replied, “but now I’m thinking I’d like to change that.”
She was hit with a clear vision of the two of them working outside together, Duncan pruning back roses while she planted rows of strawberries.
Apart from her siblings, she’d never had a true companion. Not just someone to get drinks and dinner and see a movie with, but someone who helped her pull weeds and harvest carrots. Someone who vacuumed the living room while she scrubbed the kitchen counters. Someone to fold the laundry with. Someone to watch the fireflies with on a warm summer’s evening. Someone to cuddle with on the couch in front of a bad movie, before falling asleep in each other’s arms.
Someone to simply be with, and love, no matter where they were, or what they were doing.
Duncan’s voice broke through her thoughts. “I could make ratatouille if that sounds good.”
“I’d love ratatouille.”
Together, they harvested carrots, onions, brussels sprouts, celery, spinach, and tomatoes. When their hands were full of produce, they headed into her kitchen, working together with an ease that should have surprised her, but didn’t. Her kitchen wasn’t huge, but they cleaned and washed and chopped and sautéed as though they’d done this dance a hundred times before. With big-band music playing in the background, it was already just about the nicest evening imaginable.
Forgetting to be cautious about not setting too romantic a scene, she lit the candles on her dining table as they sat down to bowls of steaming ratatouille and glasses of red wine.
“This is really nice, Lola. Thank you.”
“You’re the one who cooked, I’m the one who should be saying thank you.”
But she understood he wasn’t talking about the food. He was thanking her for giving them this chance to spend time together again.
She was grateful for it too.
As they ate, he gestured to her wall of family photos. “Last time I was here, I noticed your big family photo wall. I wanted to ask you to tell me about your extended family, but there wasn’t time. Now that I’m going to meet a few of your cousins over video chat tomorrow, I’m even more curious.”
She almost let out an audible sigh of relief. Talking about her family was the easiest way to keep from blurting out not only how she didn’t think she could keep her hands off him for another moment, but how she wanted so badly to trust him again that she was tempted to throw caution to the wind tonight and just let herself feel.
She pointed to one of the photo groupings. “In San Francisco, I have eight cousins and my fabulous aunt, Mary. Unfortunately, their father, Uncle Jack, passed away when he was in his early forties. We’ll be talking with Sophie tomorrow morning. She’s a twin and her sister, Lori, is pretty much her exact opposite. Lori’s nickname is Naughty, and Sophie’s is Nice. I adore them both.” She pointed to another group of pictures. “I have five cousins in Seattle, plus Uncle Max and Aunt Claudia. We’ll be speaking to Ian and Rafe tomorrow—those two there, with the fishing rods.” She paused to take another bite of the delicious meal. “I also have four cousins in New York. Uncle William raised them by himself after his wife passed away. Suzanne will be on the call with us tomorrow.” She sipped from her wineglass as they both continued to study the photos of her beloved family. “I’m also related to a bunch of Sullivans outside of the US via my grandfather and his brothers, including my five second cousins in London and their mom and dad, Simon and Penny. Malcolm will be calling in from London tomorrow.” She laughed at the concentration on his face as he tried to keep the different branches of the family straight. “I think that’s more than enough info on my family photo wall for the time being.”
“It sounds like you’re all close, despite the fact that you live quite far away from many of them.”
“We are really close,” she confirmed. “Even though my dad and his brothers moved to different parts of the country after they got married, they still wanted to foster connections between their kids whenever possible. For as long as I can remember, we’ve traveled to California or Seattle or New York for birthdays and graduations, and they’ve come here many times, as well. We Sullivans love any excuse for a celebration!”
“I’ve never met a family like yours,” Duncan noted. “A family willing to help even when they don’t know whether the guy they’re helping deserves it, all because you asked them to pitch in. It’s amazing—and incredibly inspiring—to meet people who are so open.”
But she hadn’t truly been open with Duncan, had she? She had railed on him for not telling her the whole truth about his past, but hadn’t she done exactly the same thing? Hadn’t she shown him only the public Lola Sullivan, while holding everything else back?
“You’re right that my family is full of wonderful, open people. I just wish I could be as open as all of them.”