Prodigal Son(8)

“Of course, sir. We have Macallan twelve-year-old and twenty-one-year-old, as well as several small production scotches from Bruichladdich. We have Oban, Laphroigh, and Balvenie Double Wood.”

I had never even heard of most of the scotches he mentioned, and I wasn’t a scotch girl, in any case. Luke ordered one of the scotches with a couple of ice cubes.

“I’ll have a glass of red wine, please,” I said to the bartender, hoping that he wasn’t going to ask me any complicated questions about the wine and embarrass me. I felt completely out of my element in the fancy bar that just oozed money.

“We have both a Cabernet and a Pinot Noir by the glass, ma’am,” the bartender told me.

That much I could handle. “Cabernet, please,” I said, relieved that I had managed without looking like an idiot.

The bartender walked away and Luke looked at me, as if he was studying something fascinating.

“What?” I asked.

“I was just thinking that I’m glad I walked into your bar this evening, that’s all.”

I looked back at Luke, unable to figure out if he was feeding me a line to get me into bed, or if he really meant what he’d said. Most of the guys I’d been with had just wanted a fuck, and to be honest, I wasn’t sure that I believed that there were any men who wanted anything else. I figured I’d just be careful. That was easier said than done, though, because Luke made me think of all sorts of things that were less than innocent.

“I’m glad you did, too,” I replied. “I sure wouldn’t be at the Ritz, otherwise.” I realized that I might sound like a gold digger, so I tried to change the subject. “So you’ve had a tough week?”

Luke looked up as the bartender brought us our drinks. “Thanks,” he said as the bartender set them down. After he walked away, Luke continued. “My parents both died a week ago. It was a car accident.”

“Oh, Luke, I’m so sorry. How awful.”

“Yeah, to be honest, I feel a little lost. They were really my only family, and we were pretty close.”

I put my hand on Luke’s arm, and even though I really was trying to be thoughtful, I couldn’t help but notice the hard muscles beneath his black shirt. “Only a week ago?”

“Yeah.” He stopped talking for a moment. “Are you sure you want to hear this? I might not be very good company tonight, now that I think about it.”

I took a sip of my wine. “The wine’s delicious, this bar is gorgeous, and I’m happy to listen. Sometimes it helps just to talk about things.”

“You’re very sweet.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “I sure don’t hear that very often.”

“Well, I think you are.”

“Go ahead, talk away, if you like,” I told Luke, taking another sip of my wine.

“Well, it was bad enough that my parents both died, but what happened next was the shocker. My parents adopted me when I was a baby, and they’d always told me that because it was a closed adoption, I had no way of locating my birth parents. A few days after they died, I met with their attorney — the one who’d drawn up their will, and he gave me a file.”

I was riveted. “What was in it?”

“My parents had hired a private investigator years ago to track down my birth parents. The file contains their names and their address at the time the investigation was done. My parents wanted me to be able to contact them so I wouldn’t be completely alone after my parents passed away.”

“Wow. That’s huge news.”

“I know. And I don’t know how to feel about it. Part of me wonders why my birth parents didn’t want me, and part of me can’t wait to meet them.”

I felt just awful for Luke. “So what are you going to do?”

“Well, they live in Denver, so I’m here to find them. I haven’t decided whether I want to talk to them or not, but I at least want to see where they live and try to get a look at them. I figure I’ll decide when I see them if I want to say anything.”

“Well, I’m sure they’ll want to meet you.” Given the dirtbags I’d spent time with, I couldn’t imagine parents not being proud of Luke. I’m sure my parents would be much happier if he had been their kid instead of me, in fact. Listening to Luke talk fondly about his parents who’d just passed away tugged at my heart a little as I remembered the huge fight we’d had over a year ago — the last time I’d talked to either of them.

“Maybe not, though.” Luke’s statement brought me pack to the present. “What if they have other kids and don’t want to have to explain that they gave up a child? What if they don’t want another complication in their lives?”