She’d made a good decision with the duck. And the garlic, with its pungent and aromatic spiciness, was the perfect added touch to the leftovers of the dish. Elaine let out a sigh. The fiery kick from the bulbous onion on her breath knocked her back down on her pillow.
She checked her phone, but like the last two days, it was silent. He hadn’t texted, or called, or come by again. Elaine realized she was a hypocrite because she desperately wanted him to. The silence that resulted from Luke’s lack of presence in her life was driving her crazy.
Elaine used to crave the quiet when her parents fought. To tune them out while they went at it, she’d lose herself in a book. Most of the time, she got lost in a story where she already knew the ending, finding safety and security in the familiarity of the pages.
Right now, Elaine wanted to hear Luke’s voice. Even if he yelled, which he’d never done. She wanted to sit at dinner with him. Even if he hated her cooking, which her full belly and garlic coated tongue reminded her was excellent. She wanted him to come through the door. Even if he slammed it behind him, which he hadn’t done. He’d stepped back as she quietly closed the door in his face.
Because Luke wouldn’t do any of those things. From the very first moment, since she’d opened her eyes and found him sitting beside her in the hospital room, he’d listened to her. Even when he disagreed with her decisions, he still respected her wishes. He’d thought of her safety first, but her comfort had been paramount.
Except for the one time when he’d let her down for dinner.
But he’d come to her. He’d apologized to her. He’d wanted to make it right with her. She was the one who had turned him away.
It had to have been something big that had kept him away from their date. He’d looked tired when he’d come to her. Worn out. Weary. Like he hadn’t slept the night before.
He’d said that Paul had gotten hurt. Where had they been? What had happened to put those bags under his eyes? What could she do to take his stress away?
Elaine didn’t have the answers. And if her silent phone had anything to say about it, she wasn’t going to get the answers anytime soon. She’d shoved Luke out of her life, and like the considerate person he was, he was going to respect her wishes.
Elaine wanted to make another wish. But what would she wish for? That he’d come to her again last night? That he was perfect and wouldn’t make any mistakes in the future? That he had never hurt her?
It was an impossible feat. Relationships were messy. But Luke hadn’t made anywhere near a mess like her parents had.
Needing some sort of action in her indecision, Elaine got out of bed. The sun shone into her bedroom window, announcing a new day. She reached for the curtains, intent on closing out the happy star when she saw something on her porch.
Leaving the curtains wide open, Elaine raced down the stairs. She flung the door open and had to immediately throw her arms up over her face. The sun’s rays tackled her with their warmth, and her eyes weren’t ready for it.
It didn’t matter. When she managed to pull her hands away from shielding her eyes, she saw that he wasn’t there. What was there was her potted plant. The one he’d accidentally broken. It looked whole again.
Picking up the pot, she saw that it wasn’t entirely intact. There were still cracks in the ceramic. But he’d done his best to piece the broken parts back together. Inside the pot, the flower stood strong. It’s leaves outstretched as though it were offering her a hug. The bud was opened, showing its petals, offering its most vulnerable part to her, as though it had never realized it had been through a battle.
Elaine’s father would’ve replaced the pot. Her mother would’ve pretended it had never happened. Not Luke. He’d fixed it. Because that’s the kind of man he was. He fixed what was broken.
Elaine looked down to see that the fixed pot wasn’t the only thing Luke had left for her. A thick envelope lay on the welcome mat at her doorstep. By the heft and size of it, she knew there was a ream of paper inside.
Opening the package, she found the manuscript for Walker Skye’s third book.
Elaine put the pot down. She dusted the nonexistent specs of dirt from her hands. Then she lifted the title page and carefully turned to the next page.
She’d expected to see Chapter One. That wasn’t what was on the page. The Dedication made her heart stop, restart, and then fall.
For Elaine, it read, who is worth fighting for.
She stared at the words for a long time. Then she looked up. When she did, she could feel the hope in her eyes. But gazing up and down the streets, she saw that they were still empty.
Elaine had read hundreds of books. She’d gotten lost in countless stories. She’d imagined herself as dozens of heroines, even a few villains. This was the first time she was actually on a printed page.
Turning to the next page, she was immediately sucked into the story. By the end of the first page, she was well and truly hooked. By the end of the first act, she could no longer deny it.
Just like the heroine in the book, Elaine was truly, deeply in love with the commander of her heart. The second in command in the book had just put himself in the line of fire for the captain. The question was, were both the captain and Elaine brave enough to go into the battlefield to get the love they both wanted.
Elaine didn’t turn to the page to find out. She set the book down, without a bookmark, and headed out of the door.