Island Affair (Keys to Love #1) - Priscilla Oliveras Page 0,8
a sorority social my sophomore year at Arizona State.”
After a stunned second, Luis threw back his head and laughed. The deep, throaty sound startled a white and gray pigeon pecking the ground nearby. The bird flew off, wings flapping as it soared over the cream stucco building.
A nervous giggle pushed up Sara’s throat. She pressed her fingers to her mouth as if that would stop the awkward sound from escaping. Luis’s laughter slowed to a deep chuckle. His dark eyes sparked with amusement. The crow’s-feet crinkling their corners merely added to his rugged charm.
“I’m sorry.” He knuckled the moisture from one of his eyes. “Really. I’m not laughing at you. I just did not expect you to say that.”
“Believe me, my highly respectable parents, one of whom is Chief Pediatric Surgeon on medical leave and the other Chief Cardiothoracic Surgeon, both at Phoenix General, did not find the pictures too amusing.”
Luis tucked his thumbs in his front pockets, one dark brow quirked at an angle she found oh, so sexy. “I’m betting you looked pretty hot in that outfit, though.”
“Damn straight. It won me best dressed at the party.”
His answering chuckle loosened the knot of stress tightening her chest. If all else failed, she could thank Luis for the momentary distraction that had quieted the negativity in her head.
Angling her body to the side, she stared off in the distance, past the parking garage in front of the tiny airport. Across an expansive grassy area, a small redbrick fortress lush with vegetation sat on the edge of the main road that butted up against the open ocean. A sailboat floated on the water, a lone figure standing near the mast. The white sail billowed in the breeze as the ocean wind pushed the boat farther away.
The idea of sailing off into the sunset, not facing her parents’ . . . really, her mom’s . . . disappointment and guilt held intense appeal. She was so tired of chasing her mother’s approval. Angry at the unhealthy decisions that chase had led her to make. And yet, the longing for that approval remained. Needing that validation was what had first driven her to start—
No!
Shaking her head, Sara halted thoughts of her disorder and the circumstances that led her to think those decisions were the answer. They no longer held sway over her. Sure, she may have backslid a little while her mom was going through chemo. Fear of losing her, of never having another chance to make her proud, had triggered the beginnings of a spiral. But no one other than Sara’s therapist knew about the slipup. She planned to keep it that way.
“So, your medically-inclined family is about to descend and your boyfriend—”
“Ex-boyfriend,” she emphasized, swiveling her head to face Luis again.
He met her gaze, his features set in that serious, calm expression she was coming to associate with him.
“Your ex-boyfriend”—he added the same emphasis she had—“is a no-show for the fun. Not sure I’m seeing the gravity of the situation. Sounds like the guy needed to be cut loose anyway.”
“That he did. Only, I’d been hoping he’d stick around until after this trip to appease my family. Assist with covering up a minor lie of omission I may, or may not, have slipped my mom.”
The sting of guilt had Sara making a quick sign of the cross. Her practice of the faith Mamá Alicia had instilled in her, another area that set her apart in the Vance scientifically minded household.
“The plot thickens,” Luis mused. “Tell me, are we still on the short version of your story, or have we moved into the longer one?”
Sara shot him a playful are you kidding me? glare.
The grin he flashed transformed his angular face from ruggedly handsome to boyishly charming.
Oooh, he was dangerous, this one. Far more attractive and appealing than she should be getting involved with right now. What she had in mind was temporary. A few days. Maybe a week, tops, if they didn’t pretend he had to leave early on business.
If anything, this mess with Ric was a sign she should sideline her dating life and focus on her career. A big change was around the corner if she could get everything to fall into place. And she would.
First, she needed to get through this week, without upsetting her mother, which would annoy Sara’s older sister, inevitably disappointing her father, and basically ruining everyone’s vacation. Making Sara feel like persona non grata within her family. Again.