Mr. Imperfect

chapter 24



Once they got back to Luke’s place, everyone seemed content to scatter. Rori wasn’t sure about anyone else’s motives but she needed some time to think.

It wasn’t going to work. No matter how she looked at the situation, she came to that same conclusion. The whole thing with Luke and her was doomed for as long as Kris was in the picture.

And Kris would always be in the picture.

How the two of them had stayed away from each other as long as they had was beyond Rori. Apparently they had Mike to thank for that. But if Rori was reading Mike’s signals correctly, he didn’t intend to stand in their way much longer.

Rori had no doubt that Kris knew what she wanted with Luke. Luke was the only one who seemed confused—as if his mind was stuck in a place of considering Kris a sister even though he was completely in love with her.

Someone needed to tell Luke that he wasn’t Kris’s brother. Someone needed to give him permission to do what he’d probably wanted to do for half his life. And if no one else planned on doing it, it might as well be Rori. After the day she’d had, there was no point in pretending that things would get better rather than steadily worse between her and Luke.

Luke belonged with Kris, and Rori belonged in New York. She had put off her arrival there three days so she could come home with Luke and learn if they had a future. Well, she’d gotten her answer. Now she just needed to let Luke know her decision…as soon as she finished up with the airline.

“Okay, Miss Townsend, it looks like we can move your flight up to this evening’s red eye. You will arrive in New York at 7:30 a.m. local time, and we can keep you in business class.”

“Perfect,” Rori said. “I’ll take it.”

“Excellent, and would you like me to check you in for the flight while we are on the phone?”

“Yes. And assign me a bulkhead seat if one is available.”

“Window or aisle?”

Rori thought of Luke and smiled. It would be night, so it didn’t really matter. Still, she said, “Window.”

“Okay. You’re all set then, Miss Townsend. Anything else I can do for you?”

“Nothing at all. Thank you.”

After they hung up, Rori went through the guest room again to make sure she wasn’t leaving anything behind. The place was just as she found it.

“Just one more thing to do,” she muttered to herself and headed down the stairs and left her suitcase just inside the front door.

She wasn’t quite sure what she would say yet. She’d never had a conversation quite like this before, where she would be telling the man she was dating to date someone else. It felt right, and in the end she was sure it was the right move, but that wouldn’t make the conversation any less awkward.

Still, best not to think about it too hard. When it came to things like this it was best to just get the ball rolling and let things unfold organically.

Rori took in the quaint little neighborhood one last time from Luke’s front porch. After today she would never see it again. She should have taken the time to sketch it. That was her last thought before she opened Luke’s front door and nearly ran into Mike. They both flinched back, clearly not expecting to see each other.

“Sorry,” she said noting his overnight bag and computer case.

“Didn’t hear you,” he said, looking a little guilty.

“Same here.” She gave his bags a pointed look. “You headed somewhere?”

“Just for the night.”

Oh. Of course. His date with Sydney. How stupid could she be? “Have fun.” Did she seriously just say that? “Do you know where Luke is?”

She could have sworn she saw panic in Mike’s eyes. “I, ah, well, he’s downstairs. With Kris. They’re kind of talking, I think. I dunno. I’m staying out of it.”

Rori mustered up a smile and started past him.

“Where are you going?” he asked, grabbing her arm.

“Downstairs,” she said, not pulling out of his grip but sending him a warning look even as her heart picked up its pace. The traitor. “To Luke.”

“I, uh, well, he’s not the best multi-tasker. Maybe if you just wait for him up here you’ll have better results.”

This time Rori did pull out of his grip and started for the top of the stairs. “Mike, while I appreciate your attempt to think for me, I’m pretty sure I can handle this all by myself.”

He fell in step behind her. “I didn’t mean to… I mean, I’m just saying that the vibe was wonky when they went down there. Sometimes it’s best not to step in the middle of that.”

“And sometimes it’s exactly for the best,” she said, starting down with Mike no more than a step behind.