the basket, balancing it on the side opposite his cane, and walked out the back door to meet Nolen.
He distracted himself with thoughts of Avery. Too bad she was so darn cute when she got flustered. He couldn’t resist teasing her. Any other woman might smile in invitation, look at him through her lashes, even lick her lips in response. Not Avery. She tripped over her own feet and dropped things. It amused him, but not in a condescending way. Almost as if he had to smile. His heart filled with happiness every time she stumbled, because that was her reaction to him .
The only frustrating part of this whole scenario was the fact that he would be sitting in the passenger seat, waiting to arrive. This wasn’t his thing. He should be driving. He should be picking her up. When would his life return to normal? He might be able to cope with not racing, if he could just get behind the damn wheel again.
It wasn’t just frustration. So much of his identity was wrapped up in racing that he felt like half a person when he couldn’t do it. Half a man when he couldn’t drive to a date.
No one else seemed to get that.
Luke stuffed his feelings of inadequacy down hard as he reached the car. But they popped back up to the surface over the littlest of things, like when Nolen took the basket and loaded it himself.
All these new, dark emotions were difficult for Luke to handle, a somber doppelgänger he wasn’t used to facing. His biggest fear through all of this was that this new part of his personality would linger, dig deep into him, instead of letting him return to the easygoing, superficial star he’d been before.
But tonight wasn’t about him. It was about helping Avery loosen up and have a good time. Though not too good a time—for either of them.
So he swallowed his pride and made his way to the passenger-side door, praying rejection wasn’t waiting for him at the end of this ride.
EIGHT
C indy’s eyes widening was Avery’s first clue that Luke had walked through the front door. Since he’d canceled his appointment for earlier today, she should have been surprised. Somehow she wasn’t.
Luke didn’t give up. He took things in stride and kept on truckin’. Avery wished she was capable of doing the same.
She smoothed her facial features to a careful neutral and prayed she would get through this first meeting post-humiliation as quickly as possible. After all, she was still his therapist. They needed to be able to be in the same room together for her to help him recover—though she had no idea how she would touch him again without remembering how it felt to have her hands moving on his body with passion. Or how it felt to have his hands on her.
She glanced nervously at Cindy. She hadn’t told the other woman what had happened. Somehow it was too personal, too private to share even with one of her best friends. Eventually…but not today.
She cleared her throat and tried to take control of this situation. “I’m sorry, Luke. I don’t have any more appointment times this afternoon. We’re closing.”
“But we could—” Cindy halted when Avery shot a glance full of daggers in her direction.
“Not a problem, since I’m not here for an appointment,” he said.
Avery’s head swam at his words.
“I thought we’d try that drive-in date.”
Her mind went blank. “Why?”
“It’s Friday.” He grinned, charming and carefree. Her complete opposite. “It’ll be fun. You deserve some downtime after this week, don’t you?”
That sounded well and good, but why was he really doing this? Before he’d left the office the other morning, he’d babbled a whole speech about wanting to still be friends, but she hadn’t been buying it. No sexy, charming man like Luke had ever wanted to just be her “friend.”
“She’s overthinking it.” Cindy had to add her two cents’ worth.
“I am not.”
He and Cindy just stared at her in silence.
“Okay, I usually am.” She simply didn’t know how to
He distracted himself with thoughts of Avery. Too bad she was so darn cute when she got flustered. He couldn’t resist teasing her. Any other woman might smile in invitation, look at him through her lashes, even lick her lips in response. Not Avery. She tripped over her own feet and dropped things. It amused him, but not in a condescending way. Almost as if he had to smile. His heart filled with happiness every time she stumbled, because that was her reaction to him .
The only frustrating part of this whole scenario was the fact that he would be sitting in the passenger seat, waiting to arrive. This wasn’t his thing. He should be driving. He should be picking her up. When would his life return to normal? He might be able to cope with not racing, if he could just get behind the damn wheel again.
It wasn’t just frustration. So much of his identity was wrapped up in racing that he felt like half a person when he couldn’t do it. Half a man when he couldn’t drive to a date.
No one else seemed to get that.
Luke stuffed his feelings of inadequacy down hard as he reached the car. But they popped back up to the surface over the littlest of things, like when Nolen took the basket and loaded it himself.
All these new, dark emotions were difficult for Luke to handle, a somber doppelgänger he wasn’t used to facing. His biggest fear through all of this was that this new part of his personality would linger, dig deep into him, instead of letting him return to the easygoing, superficial star he’d been before.
But tonight wasn’t about him. It was about helping Avery loosen up and have a good time. Though not too good a time—for either of them.
So he swallowed his pride and made his way to the passenger-side door, praying rejection wasn’t waiting for him at the end of this ride.
EIGHT
C indy’s eyes widening was Avery’s first clue that Luke had walked through the front door. Since he’d canceled his appointment for earlier today, she should have been surprised. Somehow she wasn’t.
Luke didn’t give up. He took things in stride and kept on truckin’. Avery wished she was capable of doing the same.
She smoothed her facial features to a careful neutral and prayed she would get through this first meeting post-humiliation as quickly as possible. After all, she was still his therapist. They needed to be able to be in the same room together for her to help him recover—though she had no idea how she would touch him again without remembering how it felt to have her hands moving on his body with passion. Or how it felt to have his hands on her.
She glanced nervously at Cindy. She hadn’t told the other woman what had happened. Somehow it was too personal, too private to share even with one of her best friends. Eventually…but not today.
She cleared her throat and tried to take control of this situation. “I’m sorry, Luke. I don’t have any more appointment times this afternoon. We’re closing.”
“But we could—” Cindy halted when Avery shot a glance full of daggers in her direction.
“Not a problem, since I’m not here for an appointment,” he said.
Avery’s head swam at his words.
“I thought we’d try that drive-in date.”
Her mind went blank. “Why?”
“It’s Friday.” He grinned, charming and carefree. Her complete opposite. “It’ll be fun. You deserve some downtime after this week, don’t you?”
That sounded well and good, but why was he really doing this? Before he’d left the office the other morning, he’d babbled a whole speech about wanting to still be friends, but she hadn’t been buying it. No sexy, charming man like Luke had ever wanted to just be her “friend.”
“She’s overthinking it.” Cindy had to add her two cents’ worth.
“I am not.”
He and Cindy just stared at her in silence.
“Okay, I usually am.” She simply didn’t know how to
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