Page 13 of Stolen Moments
“Easy — we’ll bring Melia. She’ll know what to do.”
Luka’s heart jumped into his throat.
“This is something that I really want, Luka.”
Luka walked over to Susan and helped her up. He tipped her chin upwards and kissed her.
Susan shook her head petulantly. “You can put all the moves on me you want. I’m still going — with or without you. Maybe I’ll ask Melia to go with me and you can stay home. We’ll have a girl’s only day.”
Luka felt a moment of panic. Susan and Melia alone?
Susan arched an eyebrow and looked at him expectantly.
He rolled his eyes and nodded. “Fine, we’ll go.”
Susan’s face lit up and she grinned from ear to ear.
Frowning, he grabbed Susan by the shoulders. “But you have to eat a hearty breakfast. And I’ll pack a picnic, okay?”
“Brilliant. You’re the best.”
* * *
Luka looked into the rearview mirror at Susan leaning against the open car window. She seemed to be enjoying her outing. Melia, on the other hand, looked out of the opposite window pensively.
Still, Susan chattered excitedly throughout the whole drive, laughing and holding Melia’s hand. For a moment, life seemed blissfully perfect.
It was a weekday, so La Jolla Cove was empty save for a few sunbathers. A light cloud cover filtered the sunlight into a warm, golden haze. Luka laid down their picnic blanket at a shaded spot where they could all still see the seals sunbathing on nearby rocks.
“Mmm.” Susan sighed contently as she saw Luka unpacking their picnic basket. He pulled out a bottle of Prosecco with a devilish smile. Susan squealed and he poured her some in a plastic glass. Then he took a few raspberries and dropped them in.
“I said if we were going to do this, that we were going to do it right, didn’t I?”
He pulled out three carefully wrapped grilled cheese sandwiches. Susan smiled broadly and turned to Melia. “Luka makes the most sinfully perfect grilled cheese sandwiches in the world.”
“These are all sweet — like you two ladies.”
Melia blushed and Susan laughed.
The grilled cheese sandwiches combined different gourmet cheeses with fruits and chocolate. “I can see why you’ve kept him for so long,” Melia said, nudging Susan.
“Really, it’s only the food that’s made me stay this long!” Susan said, with a giggle.
Melia bit into her raspberry, brie, and dark chocolate and closed her eyes in appreciation.
“If you take a sip of the Prosecco it cuts the richness a bit, so you can keep eating.” She opened her eyes to find that Luka was staring at her. She flushed again and looked down at her hands. She mumbled a thank you and took a sip of her drink.
After they had finished eating, Susan asked Melia to walk with her and pick up seashells. Susan slipped her thin arm around Melia’s waist. The two women walked down the shore bathed in a golden glow. Luka couldn’t hear what they were saying, but they laughed and occasionally bent down to pick something up from the sand.
Melia dug her bare feet into the warm sand and breathed in the salt air. She felt so free and happy. In the open air, her problems seemed so much smaller than they had last night.
Susan linked her arm with Melia’s and turned around. She stopped and looked at Luka. “He’s so handsome, isn’t he?”
“Yeah, he is.” Melia smiled. “If you’re into the tall, dark-haired types.”
“I think he likes you.” Susan looked up at Melia who bent down to pick up a piece of sea glass. “I think you would be good for him.”
“Oh?”