Page 65 of Love… It's Messy

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Page 65 of Love… It's Messy

“So, metal has never touched your skin,” I pry, now slightly more intrigued.

“I plead the Fifth. Like you said, a lot happened before we met at twenty-six.”

My lips want to ask more. Like what happened in the years since we’ve seen one another. Asking questions can be dangerous. The answers might not be what you want to hear.

Still, when it comes to this man, I’m invested. Emotionally. Pragmatically.

Perhaps I don’t mind a little bit of danger.

“And after twenty-six?”

The sides of his mouth quirk up, but his eyes don’t. “Dating is like real estate. The longer you’re on the market, the more people think there’s something wrong with you. When it comes to me, they’re right.”

“You have your flaws,” I say, to which he feigns insult, and I laugh. “I’m sure some woman has stolen your heart at some point.”

His eyes flicker up, and I feel the acute sense of loss. I take a quick intake of breath.

As casually as I can manage, I ask, “Why haven’t you met a good woman and had kids?”

“Because I can’t,” he answers matter-of-factly.

I tilt my head. “Can’t or won’t?”

He stands up straight. “Both.”

My eyes narrow at him as I try to decode what he’s not telling me. With Luke, I often feel like I’m getting half the story.

The words out of his mouth appear to be true. Luke doesn’t coat things to make it easy on people. He says what he’s feeling without hesitation. He spits out the truth and calls it as it is.

It’s the words he doesn’t say that you have to be wary of. That’s why when he pours his heart out to me in the form of honest words, I don’t just listen to what he’s saying. I wonder what he’s not saying.

Like now.

He looks around the room that’s dressed for a spectacular affair. His hands are on his hips, and he looks absolutely amazed.

“I’m proud of you, Jillian. You don’t need my accolades, but I remember a girl who said she had a dream of opening her own company, and here you are.”

I flush at his words. “I couldn’t have done it without my grandmother.” With a sigh, I think of the woman who would sit and talk with me for hours on the veranda of her waterfront estate. While everyone else was decked out in designers, she wore jogging suits and red sneakers. “She was a hell-raiser, didn’t care about societal norms, and gave it to you straight. She was the backbone of my grandfather’s real estate firm, yet never received credit until he died and she took the company over. Her advice was always stern yet understandable. She’s the first person I told I was pregnant. She gave me my home. It was an investment property she and my grandfather had, and she signed it over to me free and clear. Told me not to tell anyone because it wasn’t their business. Of course, they all found out when she passed last year. It’s been an awkward year, to say the least. My family couldn’t comprehend why she’d singled me out with the property. They didn’t understand we’d had a bond. I was closer to her than my own mother.”

He smiles lightly, yet his eyes seem sad.

“She steered you in the right direction. You’re a successful single mother.”

“It wasn’t easy. I used the money I was spending on rent to provide care for Ainsley when I needed it. Worked long hours, took Ainsley with me when I had no one to turn to. Being on someone else’s schedule and working on their dime wasn’t working for me. I took a small business loan to open my own company. It was risky, but my grandmother had pushed me to be a success. Melissa and I opened Lavish Events together. She’s a genius at design and social media.”

“It sounds like you’re cutting yourself short.”

“Where Melissa’s great with the creative side, I’m the spreadsheets girl. Finances, bookkeeping, inventory, booking, ordering, planning, and logistics are all me. If I left that up to her, we’d be in a world of trouble. The two of us together make an excellent team.”

“Sounds like she balances you well.”

“I’m incredibly lucky.”

I smile at the thought of how fortunate I am to have Melissa in my life. Some would have said I was crazy to ask a woman going through a divorce to open a company with me, but there was something about her that I knew was exceptional. I’m glad I went with my gut.

“Done,” he declares with fanfare as he places the last bit of card stock on the table. “What’s next?”

“That’s it.” I run my hands down my palazzo pants. “I have a small window until I have to go upstairs for the pictures.”




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