A Second Chance

“Speaking of keeping secrets, did you know there was something going on between Celeste and Doc?”

“I thought there might be. How lovely. Do you think it’s serious?”

“I don’t know. It’s just so…weird.”

“Because they’re senior citizens?”

“No, because she’s my grandmother. And because she’s Celeste. You don’t know her like I do. She’s usually all proper and snooty and looking down her nose at everyone. Now here she is, giggling like a schoolgirl and…and flirting.”

“Maybe she’s in love. Or moving that way. Love can be very transformative, you know.”

“So I hear.” Watching all his cousins fall in love when he’d been working at the hotel was one of the reasons he’d come to like them so much. He’d seen every side of them-seen them angry, vulnerable, hurting and ultimately very happy.

“Yes, love can make a huge difference in a person’s life. But it can also be destructive.” Like his father’s careless love for his mother. He’d given her just enough love to make her long for more-just enough to keep her from divorcing him, at least during those first few years.

“But how could it ever work out for them?” Loretta asked. “Doc has lived in Indigo his whole life. He would never move to New Orleans.”

Luc was silent for a few moments as he thought about that. Then, he got it. Of course Celeste had a master plan. She hadn’t given him the task of renovating the cabin simply out of kindness or compassion for him, or guilt that perhaps she owed her dead son something. She’d had her own selfish reasons.

“Oh, my God. She’s going to move to Indigo.”

“You think?”

“It all fits! She had me renovate the cabin so she’d have a place to live. Now she’s going to watch how I run the bed-and-breakfast so she can do it herself-or hire someone else. The whole opera house/museum thing-she’s trying to ingratiate herself into the fabric of Indigo society so that when she moves here, she’ll already be an insider.”

“So you think she’s here to stay?”

What a scary thought. “I can’t live in that house with my grandmother for six months.”

“Six months? Luc, is there a timetable I’m not aware of?”

Yeah, the remainder of his probation. “I’d always planned on staying here two years,” he said carefully, not wanting to lie outright. “Next April will be two years.”

“You could always move in with me and Zara.”

The invitation hung in the air and an awkward silence filled the car.

“Sorry, scratch that,” Loretta said with a nervous laugh. “That was probably a bit premature. Considering this is our first date.”

But he couldn’t forget she’d said it. The fact she would even consider it, after he’d given her fair warning that he wasn’t the sticking-around kind, was amazing. But the really scary part was how attractive the prospect was to him.

If he moved in with Loretta and Zara, he might never want to leave.

Of course, it was all conjecture, anyway. He had to stay at the B and B and run it for the term of his probation-no way out of that, Celeste or no Celeste.

THEIR ROMANTIC DINNER was everything Luc had hoped it would be. They put aside all discussion of anything more serious than the merits of the wine and food. They lingered over dessert, and afterward took a walk around the historic downtown area, holding hands and whispering to each other like besotted lovers.

When he took her home, they made love, and for the first time it was slow, leisurely-and in the dark. Luc found that darkness added a whole new dimension to the experience, allowing his other senses to become heightened. He could focus for minutes at a time on the exquisite texture of Loretta’s skin, the smell of her hair, the way her soft sighs reverberated along his nerve endings.

It was less sex than it was worship. And when she finally pleaded for him to leave so she could at least get a couple of hours’ sleep before she had to get up and bake, he did so with a smile on his face. Even with all of the future’s uncertainties, he felt happier than he could ever remember feeling, like there was a balloon inside his chest. But he couldn’t escape the niggling sensation that someone, somewhere, was standing by with a sharp pin.

LORETTA AWOKE with her alarm at four. Though she’d had less than three hours’ sleep, she had no trouble bouncing out of bed and into the shower. Her “first date” with Luc had gone pretty well, all things considered.

She’d made a couple of serious gaffes. The first had been to talk about love. Guys sometimes ran for the hills at the mere mention of the L-word, even in casual conversation. At least, that’s what she’d heard. She had no practical experience, because Jim had declared himself in love with her less than a week after meeting her. Still, she’d known better than to tread on that dangerous ground when her relationship with Luc was so tenuous.

His response-that love could be destructive-could have sent the evening on a downhill spiral. But somehow they’d salvaged it.

Then she’d made an even worse mistake by inviting him to move in with her. She had no idea where that had come from. The words had bypassed her brain completely. But the thought that his grandmother’s machinations might drive him away from Indigo earlier than anticipated had panicked her. She’d resigned herself to the fact that happily-ever-after was not even a remote possibility for herself and Luc, but she’d been counting on having him around at least a few months.

The thought of losing any of that time…well, she’d just spoken without thinking. At least she’d had the sense to withdraw the offer and laugh at herself, no matter how much she’d been shriveling inside.

Amazingly, she hadn’t ruined the evening. And her sense of optimism about the future hadn’t dimmed, no matter what reality dictated. She felt fantastic.

Everything she baked that morning turned out better than perfect-a little puffier, a little sweeter, as if her good mood had infused the dough with a pinch of magic. She included three extra cranberry muffins in Luc’s order.

He greeted her at the back door with a sleepy smile. And when she handed him his basket full of goodies, exchanging it for an empty one, he grabbed her and kissed her and threatened not to let her make the rest of her deliveries.

“I have to go,” she said for the third time.

“Come back when you’re done,” he said.

“Luc, I have a business to run. If I keep closing the bakery every time I want to see you-well, it might just stay closed.”

“Stop for ten minutes. Long enough for a cup of coffee. I need my Loretta fix.”

“Last night wasn’t enough?”

“Not near enough. A hundred last nights wouldn’t be enough.”

She stopped herself before she asked him just how many would be enough. That was her insecurity talking, and she had to banish those thoughts if she wanted this one-day-at-a-time plan to be a success.

“Ten minutes-for coffee,” she said, making sure he understood and would not tempt her.

After her rounds, she dropped off free samples to three more prospective customers. She had learned that samples worked better than any other advertising she could do. Then she headed for the B and B, her heart fluttering ridiculously at the prospect of seeing Luc, even if it were for only ten minutes.

She was crazy. Or maybe she was in love. The symptoms seemed right. She wouldn’t have chosen to fall for Luc Carter, knowing the eventual outcome would be painful. But there wasn’t much she could do about it except go with the flow. Enjoy it while she could. Following Luc’s advice to Zara last night, she refused to be sad until she had a reason to be sad.

He was watching for her as she approached the pretty cottage.

“I missed you,” he said the moment he opened the door.

“You saw me a couple of hours ago.”

“I know. Just tell me to shut up. I’m getting a little crazy.”

“If you’re crazy, I’m crazy, too.”

He kissed her, then poured her the coffee he’d promised. They’d just settled at the kitchen table when the front bell rang.