Deserving of Luke by Tracy Wolff Read Free Book Online

stick around here.”
    â€œPenny—”
    â€œNo, I mean it. If it’s best for you and Luke, I want you to go back to California. As soon as possible.”
    The thought had appeal. Definite appeal. And yet— “I don’t know if that’s going to work. It might already be too late.”
    â€œHow can it be too late? You just saw the man an hour ago.”
    Penny was right, Paige knew she was. But the doubts at the base of her spine told her she was already in too deep. That if she ran now, it would destroy any chance she had of dealing with Logan in a mature, low-key manner. “It just is. Trust me.” She reached for a box of cereal. “Where do you want me to put this?”
    â€œIn my hand.” Penny all but ripped it away from her and shooed her toward the back door. “Why don’t you get out of here? You’ve had a rough day. I insist you relax for a few minutes while I finish putting this stuff away.”
    â€œI don’t want to go relax. I’m so wound up that I might be able to orbit the planet under my own power.”
    â€œAll the more reason to get out of here. A walkon the beach will help you clear your head. Then we can make dinner together, before I challenge you to a virtual tennis match.”
    This time Paige’s laugh was real. “We’ve been here less than two days and you’re already as addicted to that Wii as Luke is.”
    â€œThat’s because it’s all kinds of awesome. Now go.”
    Paige headed out the door, but stopped on the threshold. “You know, Mike was a fool.”
    â€œYou won’t get an argument from me. Waiting until I sank all my money into this place to make our dream come true before taking off. He deserves whatever bad karma he gets—and I hope it’s a boatload. But I refuse to spend any more time being miserable over his disappearance. Not when it brought you back to me.”
    Unsure of how to deal with the naked emotion in her sister’s eyes—honest, adult communication had never been one of her strong suits—Paige cleared her throat. “Maybe I will go for that walk after all.”
    Penny grinned. “You better take a sweater. It might be June, but it still gets pretty cold when the breeze rolls in from the ocean.” She tossed one toward Paige. “And don’t come back for at least an hour. You need a break before I put you to work painting.”
    She left the large, decrepit beach house her sister had gotten stuck with when her fiancé had walkedout, and wondered what exactly she was supposed to do for the next little while as she had, for all intents and purposes, been banished from the house. If Penny seemed to think Paige needed a walk, maybe a walk was exactly what she would have. It wasn’t as though she didn’t like the ocean, after all. In Los Angeles they lived only a few blocks from the water and she made a point of taking Luke to the beach at least once a week.
    But the water in L.A. was different than the water here. Calmer, warmer. And less laden with memories.
    She wasn’t going to let those memories bother her, though, she reminded herself as she descended the short flight of stairs from her sister’s yard to the rocky, isolated beach. She’d promised that to herself when she’d made the decision to come to help Penny get the house ready for guests, had promised herself that she wouldn’t let herself get caught up in the past.
    Besides nine years was long enough to change her from the scared, insecure girl who had looked for affection in all the wrong places into a woman who knew what she wanted and how to get it.
    The trick was to avoid getting so bogged down in what used to be that she forgot what was.
    With that thought foremost in her mind, Paige slipped her shoes off and walked where the watermet the sand. Though the dark blue water was cold—nearly frigid, really—she enjoyed the feel of it