Chapter 11 #2
She loved that he knew her so well already. ‘A lot of people will assume I’m only with you for your money.’
‘I know. Natalia has already told me that you’re a gold digger and she heard you plotting to get my money.’
‘What?’ Flick was outraged.
‘Well, it was quite obvious she wasn’t going to politely take a step back when she has been so relentless in her pursuit of me. She was obviously going to try devious means to get me to dump you and go out with her instead.’
‘Why are you so blasé about this?’
‘I know it’s hurtful, but people will think what they want to think and there isn’t a lot we can do about that. Sadly, most people will see us together and assume the only reason you’re with me is because of my money rather than because of any of my qualities.’
Her heart broke for him. She could live with people thinking she was a gold digger, if that was what they wanted to believe.
At least she knew the truth. But for Luke it was worse, another dent in his confidence.
Because if they believed that, it meant they didn’t believe that Luke would be able to get a woman without his cash.
And she wondered if that would make him start to believe that too and doubt what they had.
‘I’m not with you for your money.’
‘I know.’
‘I don’t know how to prove that to you but I’m not.’
‘I know.’
‘I mean, how could I have been plotting to get your money? I didn’t know you were rich. How would I have known? Millionaires normally live in fancy houses with swimming pools and flashy cars, you live in a tiny two-bedroom flat with my nan.’
‘I don’t need or want those things. Being rich means I can spend my days wood carving which I love instead of commuting to a job I hate, it means I never have to worry about paying a bill or where my next meal is coming from.
That’s all I need to be content in my life.
And I’m living with your nan because she needed the rent money and because she was lonely.
We got on well, she makes the best chicken pie in the world, it seemed like the obvious solution. ’
She smiled. ‘You moved in with my nan because of her chicken pie?’ There was something so sweet and endearing about that.
‘Have you tried her chicken pie?’
‘I can’t say I have.’
‘When you’ve eaten her pie, then you’ll understand.’
She wasn’t sure any pie would be that good someone would prefer to live in a small two-bedroom flat with a flatmate over living in a luxury house, but Luke had clearly moved in for her nan, not for him and she loved him a little bit more for that.
‘And I know you’re not with me for my money.’
She paused. ‘How do you know?’
He stopped and turned to face her, stroking a hair off her cheek.
‘Because whenever something goes wrong for the people of Lovegrove Bay, a broken-down car, a broken roof, a school that needs a new nursery, everyone looks to me expecting to me to pay out, which I do, and not one of them has ever offered to pay me back like you did. You didn’t even know about my money until this morning and your reaction to finding out was real, I could tell that.
And because you’re the kindest, loveliest, most genuine person I’ve ever met and I trust you not to be some scheming little minx.
But most importantly I could see it in your eyes when we made love, you looked at me like I was somebody special, like I meant something to you.
It’s been a long time since anyone looked at me like that.
I know what we have is something real, that you like me for me, not how much I have in my bank. ’
She smiled with relief. It didn’t matter what anyone thought as long as they both knew the truth. She looped her arms around his neck and kissed him. ‘I like you very much, for many, many reasons but mainly because you really are a god of sex.’
Luke laughed loudly.
She stroked his face. ‘This is real for me too. I know this is very new for us and you’re moving to Scotland and I’m starting a life here and I have no idea what will happen in a few weeks – I suppose you might be bored of me by then.
But right now, being with you is absolutely my favourite way to spend my time. ’
He smiled. ‘For me too. So can we please stop worrying about what other people think? If we’re happy that’s all that matters.’
‘I agree.’
‘Good, now let’s go. If we carry on down the coast a little way we’ll come to Minack Theatre which has always reminded me of Lothlorien in Lord of the Rings .’
She smiled. She loved his geekiness. In fact there was a lot she loved about Luke Donnelly.
Luke was lying on the sofa that night with Flick cuddled up on top of his chest as they watched the first film in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He loved that he could do this with her, not one of his girlfriends had ever been interested in Lord of the Rings or any of the fantasy books he loved.
They’d just got to the part where Arwen gives Aragorn the Evenstar necklace as a symbol of her enduring love and her commitment to give up her immortality to be with him.
‘I love this part of the films,’ Flick said. ‘It wasn’t really mentioned in the books but my romantic heart adores their love story in the films. This line here where she says that she would rather live one life with him than live forever without him is just beautiful.’
‘It’s a big romantic gesture. I’m not sure any woman would ever love me that much.’
‘Not too many women are immortal sadly.’
He laughed. ‘No, I mean that epic, “I would die for you” kind of love. Do you think love is ever really like that? That big, fill-your-heart-to-the-top, last-forever kind of love?’
‘I hope so. Isn’t that what any love story should have? If you’re going to marry someone, stand up in front of a room full of people and say this is the person you want to spend the rest of your life with, it has to be a big kind of love.’
‘Ever had it?’ Luke asked, stroking her hair.
She looked up at him, resting her chin on his chest as she stared at him and it filled him with hope. Was she thinking that she felt that way for him?
‘No,’ she said as if choosing her words carefully. ‘I don’t think any past relationship has ever given me that. I thought I was in love a few times, but looking back I don’t think it was ever that all-consuming, can’t-eat, can’t-sleep, can’t-breathe kind of love.’
‘Me neither. I loved Sophie but it wasn’t an everlasting type of love. And with Martine I think it was an infatuation not love. I could never see marriage and a happy ever after with either of them.’
Flick was still studying him as if seeing something she hadn’t expected. ‘Maybe one day we’ll find that. ’
He stroked her hair. ‘I hope one day you do, you deserve someone incredible.’
She smiled at him. ‘Oh Luke, I hope one day when you fall in love, you find someone who realises how utterly amazing you are.’
He kissed her on the forehead and turned his attention back to the film.
His feelings for her were growing deeper every day; he didn’t think it would be long before he was head over heels in love with her, no matter how hard he tried to hold himself back.
He only hoped that when he got there, she felt the same way too.
He couldn’t help thinking what she’d said that morning when they were making love, when she’d inadvertently said she loved him.
She said she loved him like a friend, before she quickly back-pedalled away from that.
If he fell in love with her and she told him she only saw him as a friend, just like Sophie had, that would destroy him.