though he had suggested they ju

k with you?"

s the in

apartment above Vale Studio. Lucas Hart was not the kind of man women like Am

ed her lose the

that's a good i

saw Mercer

I don't k

ke a reason to

her. Lucas looked al

he said, though

as a privat

y like somewhere you tak

ally take wo

brow. "I'm not sure

n't mea

ration, his bluntness was strangely appealing. He did not pretend he had missed her humili

elia said. "The

dded. "O

ards who straightened when they saw him. Amelia noticed how

mps pushed back the winter cold, and lanterns flic

eared almost

ne?" Luc

thank

in

so

drink anything that doesn't co

eld hers.

urse y

d y

ling w

the railing. Lucas studie

ly morning, and I already made o

to Julia

shoes that have no res

efly to her feet. "Y

to pitch for the Merc

turned y

obse

as wr

carefully. "You haven

bout square footage and revenue. You talked about the original tilew

heard

s nea

were w

liste

r drinks. Amelia curled her f

that buildings have

like somethin

On weekends, he took me around the city and told me who built them,

led you in

restoration. Des

focuses on

ything that gives a place another life witho

pause so they could talk about themselves. Luca

sounds se

sounds e

is exactly what I woul

something takes more ef

say things like that after kno

ually speak

I feel h

en't d

her water to h

. She reached for it at the same moment Luca

en them suddenl

hand, and Lucas s

asked. "Did you always

artwell Tower, rising a

wanting has nothing to

unds exh

t

y do you

whiskey. "Becaus

the same as

N

rom the headlines was ruthless and impossible to impress

had spent years carrying a weight h

meone else carry it some

napped bac

ng so personal. Then he said, "People usua

voice changed som

a said. "But that does

yo

mething

es

, underfunded studio to restore a community bu

curved. "I'll k

s jok

kno

r suggested he

miliar melody. Couples moved across the marble floo

nt and cold. Instead, he asked why she

friend," she explained. "Its cracked brick wa

turning an abandoned florist shop into a bakery for a woman

watched her with an intensit

" she

ry broken thing

"I believe some thing

to his whiskey. "

east someo

city glittered beneath the dark sky

rse, she had lost track of why sh

ation made

houl

ose imm

drink, and I

ad sparkl

chnically

escaped him, a

the scent of whiskey and c

nyone I've ever

uld have soun

did

one hand to

e kiss