Bidding Wars (Love Strikes) Read online

For the rest of the evening, she told Sandy that the topic of Luke was off limits. In return, it caused the evening to end earlier than usual. Which Sandy didn’t complain about too much. She had to be at work early the next day. She’d be off right after lunch, and Molly was working the late afternoon shift into the evening.

  She hugged her friend bye. Molly then checked Tigger’s bowl and filled it up before bed. The cat thanked her by rubbing along her legs.

  She wasn’t tired, but she also didn’t feel like watching much more TV. She tidied up the living room and then grabbed her tablet and decided to read for a while in bed. That was one thing that always wore her out.

  After she was undressed down to an undershirt and panties, she climbed into bed. Tigger wasn’t far behind, plopping herself right on Molly’s feet.

  “Good night,” she said to the cat, who was busy bathing herself.

  A green flash caught the corner of her eye. Her cell phone had been plugged in charging all evening. Picking it up, she checked to make sure it hadn’t been work. She wasn’t on shift to be the twenty-four hour nurse on call, but you never knew.

  She had a new message. It was from Luke.

  I’ve been thinking about you. How about dinner tomorrow?

  Molly thought for a moment that it sounded wonderful, but with her work schedule, it was going to make it impossible.

  Sorry, working the late shift.

  Laying the phone down, she then went back to her tablet to find a book to read. She had just finished a romantic suspense by a new-to-her author and loved it. She browsed through the eBook store to see if they had any other titles.

  Her phone dinged. Molly picked it up.

  You’ve got to eat sometime.

  She giggled. You’re right. But tomorrow is probably sandwiches in the break room.

  She placed the phone in her lap as she waited for a response. Reading wasn’t going to happen right now, so as she waited, she opened up one of her social networking apps to see what her friends were up to until Luke finally responded.

  What time? I have plenty of left over potato salad. It makes a great sandwich.

  He wasn’t going to give up. What the hell? If they were in the employee break room, it meant they had to be on their best behavior.

  4:30, before things get busy.

  He responded right away. See you then. Good night.

  She thought about responding, but instead laid her phone down on the nightstand. Fluffing her pillow, she then stared up at the ceiling. The talk with Luke was going to have to happen soon. Things were getting more serious by the day. Not only were her feelings growing, but so were the complications. It was easy to pretend they didn’t exist, but when it came down to it, they were always there. She couldn’t give him another child, and he was most likely going to get the house.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Next week I need you on the morning shift training the new nurse I hired.” Dr. Hancock was checking his call log as he spoke to Molly.

  The morning shift was the worst shift. They were always slow. “OK.”

  “So tell me, are you seeing that man who came by the other day?”

  She was taken aback. He usually wasn’t one to pry in everyone’s life.

  “It’s a little complicated.”

  “It doesn’t have to be. You’re young and I know you’ve been hurt, but it’s time to move on. He seems like a nice young man. Take it from an old man: I know.” He set the papers down and glanced at her.

  “I’m glad he has your approval.”

  The doctor chuckled. “You don’t need my approval. I just think there could be something there. So, whatever the complication is, forget it and move forward with him.”

  “I wish it was that easy.”

  “What’s not easy?”

  A big list of things. “There is a house involved.”

  “I thought you were under contract. Did it fall through?”

  Molly told Dr. Hancock about the whole charade; after all, he was taking an interest and they were dead this afternoon. Once she completed the story, he stood there looking at her with a face she didn’t see often. In fact, she really wasn’t sure what he was thinking, but she could tell he was about to tell her.

  “My goodness, you have a messy situation on your hands. But you’ve made this mess yourself. He backed out. And I think it was for you. Why in the world are you trying to give him his gift back? That’s like a slap in the face to a man.”

  “I know I made this mess, but how can I move into the house and be happy knowing he wanted it too.”

  “Because he obviously wanted you to have the house. For some reason—unknown to me at the moment—he met you and decided you deserved it more than him.” He shook his head. “He must be a catch to still be around.”

  She laughed. “I never said I was an easy person to put up with.”

  The doctor sighed and looked at the clock. “Dr. Fisher will be in around six, I think. It’s almost your break. Do you need to leave early and get something to eat? I think I can handle it.”

  “Luke is actually bringing me dinner. Hope that’s OK.”

  “What’s he bringing?”

  “Potato salad sandwiches and I’m not sure what else.”

  “Hmm, maybe he brought me one as well. I like potato salad.”

  Dr. Hancock wasn’t an old man. He was in his late fifties, but every day he got more and more interesting. He would be a funny old man for sure.

  Once her boss started to return the phone calls that had come in, Molly escaped to the restroom to freshen up a bit. She pulled her hair down from its ponytail and attempted to make it look nice down, but unfortunately she had the hair band line, so it wasn’t working. So, up her hair went again. She grabbed her powder compact from her pocket and then put a fresh layer on to cover any shiny spots. Other than that, there wasn’t a whole lot she could do about her appearance.

  She headed up front to see if he had come yet. Kim was giggling away with someone and Molly had a pretty good idea he was here. As she came around the corner, she saw him in uniform. She never imagined herself to be one of those women who had a thing for men in uniform, but seeing Luke in his, she had been converted. God, he was sexy all right.

  “Hey.” Molly smoothed her ponytail.

  Kim looked at her and smiled. “He’s funny and I like him. He even brought me a snack.” Kim held up a brown paper sack.

  “I think he’s just sucking up.” Molly giggled.

  “Innocent until proven guilty.” Luke held his arms up, and Kim began to laugh again.

  “Enjoy your snack, Kim. I’m off to enjoy one as well, with that beautiful lady.” Luke opened the door that lead to the back. In his hand she noticed three more paper bags.

  “I hope one of those is for the doctor. I told him what it was and apparently it’s his favorite.”

  “Me too.” Dr. Hancock rounded the corner.

  Luke held out a bag to him. “It sure is.”

  “You’re a fine young man. And I’ll go eat with Kim while you two enjoy the break room.”

  Molly rolled her eyes and then motioned for Luke to follow her. She felt like a teenager and her parents were giving their approval for her to go on a date. Once in the break room, she shut the door. Kim and the doctor weren’t the gossipers on the staff, but she still wanted some privacy from their prying eye and ears.

  She grabbed two sodas from the fridge and offered one to him. He took it, and then they sat down. He handed her a bag.

  “I’m starving. I usually keep a snack in one of my pockets, but I was running late today and forgot it on the counter.”

  “I’m glad I packed you a meal that will hopefully stick to your ribs for the evening.”

  “I hope. About seven tonight, we should get busy.”

  Opening her bag, she pulled out the sandwich, along with a bag of chips, a yogurt, and leftover dessert from the other night. She smiled at his effort. This would definitely keep her satisfied through the rush.
r />   “How has your week been?” She opened her yogurt.

  “I’ve had better, but it’s getting better now that I’m here with you.”

  “Rough day at work?”

  “Work is fine. Stuff with Leslie and Sammy.”

  She pulled the spoon from her mouth and swallowed the creamy strawberry-flavored yogurt. “What’s going on?”

  “I met with my lawyer yesterday and didn’t get the news I had hoped for. Then to top it off, Leslie is retaliating and wouldn’t answer the phone last night when I called to tell Sammy good night. One of the officers called and said they saw her at her boyfriend’s workplace, but Sammy wasn’t there. I hope like hell she had a babysitter there with my son.”

  “I’m sure she did.”

  “You never know with her. She may have waited until he was asleep and left. This isn’t the first time I’ve called and not gotten an answer. I sometimes wonder if she’s ignoring me because she’s out and she’d left him alone.”

  “Luke, stop. She loves Sammy. She might not be the best parent to have him full time, but I can’t see how a mother would do that.” If she had a child, she’d never leave it…ever. She couldn’t fathom a mother leaving a five-year-old at home alone.

  He shrugged and looked as though he wanted to talk about anything else. It was a touchy subject, and she for one had no experience as a mother, so she couldn’t say for sure what a mom would or should do. She just knew that she’d never leave her child alone.

  “Any word yet with the house?” He took a bite of his sandwich.

  “Not yet. I feel awful about this. Maybe I should back out and give you the house so you can get your son.”

  “Molly, no. The lawyer said if I own a home or not, it’s not going to help the case. Honestly, I think I’ll stay where I am at. The rent is cheap and I’ve been there since Leslie and I split, unlike her. She moves every year, without fail.”

  “But it would be a permanent place for you and Sammy. How can it not help?” If he didn’t want the house, was she driving herself crazy for nothing?

  He let out a frustrated sigh. “Can we not talk about the house? I know I brought it up, but whenever we talk about it, I feel like it pulls us apart. I don’t want that. I wish we could just forget about the house all together.”

  She was taken aback by his tone. His week wasn’t going well and she wasn’t helping. And he was right, they didn’t see eye to eye about the place. “Yeah, that’s fine. What do you want to talk about?”

  “I had a great time the other night with you. I want to have more times like that. I really like you, and I want to put everything behind us and make a relationship between us.”

  She now let out the sigh. “I like you too, and a relationship has been on my mind lately…”

  “But—”

  “But, can there be a future between us if I can’t have kids? Do you want more? Have you thought about that?”

  Luke was silent. He had probably been expecting a funny dinner date with her, and it wasn’t going that way at all. Instead, they were talking about everything that was tough between them. Maybe she should have left it alone and concentrated on cheering him up. But that would lead things to getting more serious and, before they could move ahead, they had to talk about this—even if it was a tough subject.

  He took a sip of his soda and then put the can down on the table. “I do want more kids, but they don’t have to be mine. I’m happy with adopting. Are you?”

  “Yes, I think so.”

  “Look at me.” He waited until she was staring into his eyes. “You don’t have to carry a child inside of you for nine months to be a mother. You’re one of the kindest and most generous-hearted women I know. You would be a fantastic mother, I have no doubt. Don’t give up.”

  She didn’t know what to say, so instead she nodded in agreement and went back to her dinner. Luke wanted more kids, but would settle for adoption. Other than the house, there weren’t any other complications. She wanted to find out if he was still going to put in an offer if the seller agreed, but at this point, the topic was off limits and she didn’t want to push the subject anyway. Was this how it was supposed to be happening? The house was meant to be hers? She had to stop thinking about it and concentrate on the hunk in front of her. He had come here to eat with her, knowing he only had thirty minutes with her. Her heart fluttered, and a warmth spread throughout her chest.

  “I think I’ll save dessert for later tonight when I need a sugar rush.” She folded up her paper bag and stood to put it in the fridge. When she turned around, he was close. Inhaling, she could smell the scent of his aftershave. She looked up and saw his eyes were locked on hers.

  “I need to kiss you, Molly.” It came out in an almost whisper.

  She could see the passion in his eyes. She wanted to kiss him as well, but it seemed too easy, and things were never easy.

  “Stop thinking.” He leaned down and took her lips.

  The moment his mouth claimed hers, she lost all train of thought. Moaning, she wrapped both her arms around his neck. He lifted her up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He pressed her back onto the cool refrigerator door as he deepened the kiss. God, this was hot; if they weren’t in the break room at her work, she’d be praying his hands would begin to slide under her top.

  His lips tasted good. As they kissed her, he gripped her tightly with one arm as the other lightly caressed her neck at her hairline. She ran her hands through his hair, gently tugging on the ends as she probed deeper into his mouth with her tongue.

  The kiss wasn’t greedy; it was sweet and sensual. It couldn’t go anywhere, but that didn’t mean her insides weren’t yelling at her to rip his clothes off and ride him like a stallion.

  He was the first to break away. “God, I want you. Are you sure you have to work late?”

  She smiled. “Sick kids need me.”

  He pressed his lips to her neck and trailed down to her collarbone. She moaned in delight.

  “I love the noises you make.” He looked back at her.

  “I can’t help it. You do it to me.” She kissed his cheek.

  “I want to do a whole lot more to you.”

  She unwrapped her legs from around him, and he let her drop back down. “I need to get back to work. Dr. Hancock is set to leave soon. I’d much rather spend this time with you, but duty calls. Any plans this evening?”

  “Dreaming about you.”

  She walked around him and laughed. “Oh, stop.”

  “What? It’s true.”

  “Get out of here.” She opened the door. “I’m not a lovesick thirteen-year-old. That line isn’t going to work on me.”

  He smirked. “When can I see you again?”

  “I don’t know. Soon, hopefully.”

  Just as he was about to speak, Dr. Hancock walked in and cornered him, asking him about his potato salad. She smirked at him, gave a small wave, and strutted out of the room. Luke was a big boy—he’d figure a way out of there without giving away his secret ingredient.

  * * *

  Luke pulled up to Leslie’s house. After leaving his dinner with Molly, he wanted to check in and see how Sammy was. Even though it had only been twenty-four hours since he’d talked to his son, it was twenty-four hours too long.

  Leslie’s old sedan wasn’t in the driveway. He’d called first, but once again hadn’t gotten an answer. He’d called an officer in the area near where her boyfriend worked, and he confirmed that Leslie was there and Sammy wasn’t. It was now time to see if his suspicions were true. Was his son here alone?

  He knocked on the door and waited. He heard a dog inside barking, and then a voice, but no one answered. So he knocked again and then called out his son’s name. He then heard the clicking of the lock, and the door cracked open. A girl who didn’t look to be much older than sixteen peeked through, with Sammy behind her.

  “Dad!”

  The girl opened the door to let Luke in. Closing it behind him, he turned to the girl. “
I’m Luke Logan, Sammy’s father. Who are you?”

  “I’m Stacy. I’m their neighbor and babysitter.” She twirled a strand of her blonde hair.

  “Do you babysit a lot?”

  The young girl nodded. “Yeah, lately I have. And since I failed a class at school, my mom’s making me do it for free, which totally sucks since I’m here all the time.”

  Of course Leslie was taking advantage of that. Free childcare meant she could go out as many nights as she pleased.

  “Are you able to get any schoolwork done, being over here with my son?”

  “A little.” Stacy gazed down at her feet. He figured that meant she wasn’t getting any done. He knew how demanding his son could be.

  “Do you know what time his mother will be home?” Luke felt like he was playing twenty questions.

  “She usually gets back here about ten.”

  Ten! This young girl had school the next day. Seeing that it was only five thirty now, how was this girl getting any schoolwork done or getting enough sleep? This was ridiculous.

  Sammy was engrossed in a TV show that was on, though he stood there holding his dad’s hand the whole time.

  “By any chance do you have the number to Leslie’s work?”

  “Yeah, it’s on a piece of paper on the fridge.”

  He bent down to his son’s level. “I’m going to call mommy really quick. I’ll be right back.” He then looked at Stacy. “Keep him entertained for a bit. I’m going to take this call outside.”

  She persuaded Sammy to go with her and play in his room. Luke grabbed the number off the fridge and then went back out front and walked as far away from the house as he could. This wasn’t going to be a pretty call. A babysitter every now and then was fine, but he had a feeling this was a regular thing. And when she couldn’t get the babysitter, she dragged Sammy with her. Thank God she was smart enough not to leave Sammy alone. Whoever this boyfriend of the month was, he was more important than his son—and Luke wasn’t having it.

  “Jay’s Diner, how can I help you?”

  “Yes. I am looking for a customer, Leslie Logan.”

  “Leslie, yes. Hold on and I’ll get her.”