Jules pouts as we gather our things and get in the car, headed to the movies where I can lose myself in someone else’s story for a few hours and spend time with the one person in this world that I trust completely.

Chapter Ten

It’s late when Jules and I get home.

The high-paced action-adventure film we caught - with Vin Diesel no less –was exactly what I needed to escape reality for a few hours. And I ended up giving in to Jules to go shopping afterwards. How can I, Natalie Conner, pass up new shoes? They are my vice.

“Those red Louboutin’s you found are to die for,” Jules and I are pulling bags out of the back of my Lexus.

“I know. I love them. I don’t know when I’ll get to wear them, but I couldn’t resist them.” I reach for the bag of shoes and we head for the front door.

We stop abruptly when we see what’s waiting on our doorstep. Dozens of bouquets of roses, in all different shapes, sizes and colors, are covering the porch, the front steps, every surface possible. The aroma is amazing. There must be fifty dozen roses here, minimum.

“Oh, Natalie.” Jules eyes are wide, and her face gets all gooey, taking it all in.

I can’t help but get just a little gooey with her.

“Wow.” It’s all I can say, and I’m just so relieved. Maybe it’s not over?

We walk up the steps, careful not to knock anything over, and I see an envelope taped to the door with my name written on it.

“Here!” Jules pulls it off and hands it to me. It’s too dark to see well, so we step inside and drop our bags. Jules starts hauling bouquets in.

“Where should I put these?”

“Um… I don’t know. Just put them throughout the house.” Her smile is huge.

“He gets mad props for this, girl.”

“Yeah, he does.” I feel my own wide smile and stare down at the envelope and then carefully rip it open.

Dear Natalie, There is a rose here for every time I thought of you today. I wish you would talk to me and let me explain why I didn’t tell you who I am, and I’m so deeply sorry that you had to find out from your friend. I have a lot of explaining to do, and I hope you give me a chance to make it up to you.

Please call me when you’re ready to talk.

Yours, Luke Oh yes, he’s charming. I tuck the note in my pocket and help Jules bring all of the flowers inside, scattering them all over the house. It looks like there’s either going to be a funeral or a wedding in my living room in the morning, and it makes me giggle.

“See?” Jules smirks. “I told you he’s crazy about you.”

“Or just crazy,” I reply laughing.

“You’d better call him and thank him.”

“Yes, mom.” I roll my eyes at her.

We lock up after the final bouquet has been brought in and fussed over. “Here, take some of these up to your room.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice!” Jules tucks a bouquet under each arm and heads upstairs with her shopping conquests.

I grab my phone, which has stayed turned off all day, my new shoes and a gorgeous arrangement of perfect long stemmed red roses with pearls tucked into the petals and go up to my room. I kick my sandals off, set the vase on my bedside table, and put the new shoes in their new home in the closet. Going back to the flowers, I can’t help but fuss over them and bury my nose in a soft, fragrant bloom. I notice another note, tucked in the stems and pull it out, sitting on the bed as I read.

These reminded me of your gorgeous long legs and delicious red lips. And one day, I’d love to see you dressed in nothing but pearls.

Oh my. Is this what it feels like to be romanced? I wouldn’t know, but I think I like it. And it occurs to me that he’s been romancing me all along; the delicious dinner at his house, cuddling on his deck watching the sunset, our amazing picnic lunch yesterday. He was right when he said that he’d made love to me last night. Sex has never been that intimate for me.

But he did lie, even if it was by omission, and that’s a deal breaker for me.

I decide to give him a chance to explain. I’ll go to his house tomorrow and hear him out. I already miss him; his touch, his smile, his belly laugh, the feel of that soft blond hair in my fingers. I desperately want something good to happen with this man, and maybe that’s what scares me most of all, even more than his celebrity status and the fact that he could have any skinny little glamorous woman on the planet.

If things go too much further, he could hurt me.

But the thought of not seeing him again makes my chest ache.

I pull my phone and the front door letter out of my pocket. I fire up the phone and impatiently wait for it to wake up.

Three missed calls, two voice mail and two texts. Nothing from Luke.

Both voice mails are from clients, so I save those and remind myself to call them and the four from this morning back tomorrow.

I scroll down to Luke’s number and hit ‘call’”.

He answers on the first ring.

“Hi,” he says, softly.

“Hi,” I murmur, my eyes closing at the sound of his voice. “Thank you for the beautiful flowers.”

“Do you like them?” I hear his smile.

“They are amazing. And bountiful.” I can’t help but chuckle.

“I thought of you a lot today.”

“Apparently so.”

“Natalie, I’m so sorry…”

“No, Luke,” I interrupt him, the agony in his voice is my undoing. “I’m sorry too. I may have overreacted just a bit.”

“No, I understand. I should have said something yesterday.”

“Yeah, you should have.” I sigh. “I don’t want to talk about this over the phone. Are you busy tomorrow morning?”

“You want to see me tomorrow?” I hear the excitement in his voice and I melt even more.

“Well, I was thinking I could come over to your place and we could talk.”

“Yes. Come now.”

I laugh and turn on my side on the bed, feeling my stomach start to settle for the first time since this morning.

“I’m tired and don’t think I’m up for a long conversation tonight.”

“What did you do today?” he asks.

“Jules and I did some shopping.”

Should I tell him about the movie?

“What did you buy?” God, I love his sexy voice.

“Shoes.”

“You like shoes?”

“I’m a woman. I am desperately, irrevocably in love with shoes.”