Page 97 of This Could be Love

“I think,” she said, pausing dramatically, “I think you can’t afford a distraction of this magnitude if you want to get back on the offensive.”

“Vince isn’t adistraction!”

“If he makes you put your goals on the back burner to be near him, he is.”

I gasped for breath. “He’s not doing that at all. It wasmyidea.”

“And it’s a bad one.”

“Allowing love to happen is never a bad idea. But it’s obvious that you don’t understand that. You don’t even see it standing right in front of you.”

Kay flinched. “This isn’t about me. Furthermore, as far aslovegoes, I think you may be getting out over your skis just a tad. You hardly know Vince Greenfield at all.”

“But I knowme.” I thrust out my chin. “And I know what I feel.”

“I’m sorry. But I just can’t support you on this one.”

I sprang up from the table, knocking my chair over in the process.

“Lou, stay here!” she called after me as I disappeared inside.

Chapter 41

The smell of grilled meat and roasted onions hit me as I ran up the stairs. A bottle of beer in his left hand, a pair of tongs in his right, Vince was standing at the grill humming the melody of a song I was unfamiliar with.

“Hey,” he said, a bit surprised when he noticed me. “I thought you’d be coming…” He stopped. “What happened?”

“Kay and I had an argument.”

“Shit. What about?”

Before I could answer, Laurie came out of the house with a bowl of salad.

“Oh! Hey!” she called out happily. “Vince said you’d be coming over after you’d eaten.”

“I ate already.”

“Thank God,” she said, making a face. “The salad would never have been enough.”

With a loud hiss, the grill drew my attention and my gaze back to Vince. Who was looking at me. Again. Or still.Everything okay?he asked with his eyes. This time I shook my head.

“Can you take over a sec?” he asked Laurie. “The potatoes still need around ten minutes. The meat needs to come off in no more than five.”

“Of course.” She reached for the tongs. Either she hadn’t caught our silent exchange of words or was simply being sensitive.

“Tell me, what’s going on?”

“I asked Kay if she wanted to be my trainer when I move here. And”—I waved my hands—“she said no.”

“Youtoldher?”

“Yeah. If we do this, I’m going to need a trainer.”

“But…we agreed to think it over calmly first.”

“We don’t have time. My flight’s in a week.”

“Lou…I…” The moonlight wasn’t bright enough for me to read his expression, but his voice was unquiet. “I can’t.”