What was I thinking agreeing to go to lunch with him? I was in full blown panic mode. He called last night to confirm the details. Noon at Café Lily. It was a cute little place with Mediterranean food. I was surprised Harrison picked it. He was more of an American meat and potatoes kind of guy. Café Lily was more my kind of place. I supposed that’s why he chose it. I was dealing with a thoughtful ex-boyfriend. He had been my boyfriend, right? We never said, but I didn’t date anyone else when we were seeing each other and I was sure he hadn’t either. And the last time we were together we had that moment where we were almost planning a future together. It was cut short by his announcement, but I had wanted to explore a life with him in it.

I feared for the direction our conversation might go during lunch. How did I explain my terrible behavior toward him? I couldn’t believe that after what I had done to him, he didn’t hate me. Or maybe he did, and this lunch was payback time. No. He wasn’t that guy.

I paced around my office thinking of a good argument to plead my case to him.

My brother Grady barged in. “Are you plotting to take over the world or just trying to wear a hole in the carpet?”

“You got me.”

He took a seat on my desk and watched me pace. Even though he was one of the best civil litigation lawyers around, to me he would always just be my big brother.

“I see Alison is picking out your suits again.”

He chuckled and looked down at his well-fitting, dark suit with a red power tie to match. “I don’t know why she didn’t like the bold pinstripes.” He was a handsome guy who had become more so with age. He was nearing thirty-nine, almost eleven years older than me. We shared the same blonde hair, but he had intense green eyes. I had always been envious of those. But his fashion sense was terrible.

“A fashionista you are not.”

“What has you riled up? Are you still upset you totaled your car?”

“No, but it does involve the accident.” I stopped and looked at him from across my office. “Do you remember that guy I dated back in college, Harrison?”

“The guy who wanted to become a police officer?”

“The very one. He’s the one I ran into.”

Grady doubled over laughing. “I bet that was quite the reunion.”

“It’s not funny. I’m meeting him for lunch.”

Grady sat up, businesslike. “You aren’t considering getting back with him?”

“It’s not like that. He wants to catch up, but he also wants to know why I left him.”

“What are you going to tell him?”

“A version of the truth.”

“We’re attorneys. That’s what we do.”

“I don’t want to lie to him.”

“Then don’t, because you’re terrible at it.”

I really was. I was the weird kid that told on myself growing up if I didn’t get caught. “I can’t tell him the real reason why.”

“Why not?”

“Because what if he tries to change my mind?”

“You think he still has feelings for you?”

“I don’t think so.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Do you still have feelings for him?”

“This meeting has been adjourned.”

He jumped off the desk and pulled me to a chair. He took one next to me. “Spill your guts, baby sister.” His eyes were alight with boyish mischief.

“I don’t know. He’s a great guy.”

“You’re right. I don’t know, because you keep everything so private. Why didn’t you ever introduce us to this guy?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “I was scared. I was headed to law school and everyone warned me, including you, how grueling it was. I tried going in with no romantic attachments. Again, advice you and Mason gave me. And I knew if I opened up my heart to Harrison, even a little bit, he would have captured it. Inviting him into our world would have only opened that door. And then he threw a bombshell at me when he announced he was going to the police academy.”

“Maybe we were too tough on you back then.”

“It was good. You prepared me for those three rough years.”

“So, now they’re over. Maybe it’s time to start dating again.”

“I do date.”

“Who?”

I thought for a moment. It had been a while.

Grady laughed. “I rest my case.”

“Regardless, it can’t be Harrison.”

“I understand more than anyone why you would think that, but . . .”

“But what? What if he would have given it all up for me? Or what if he still has feelings for me and he convinced me to change my mind and then one day I get a knock on the door and his brothers in blue are standing there with tears in their eyes trying to explain that he’s never coming home again?” I wiped a tear from my eye.

Grady reached out and took my hands. “Hey, Kallie Rae, it’s just lunch.”

“I know, but once upon a time, I wanted it to be more. A lot more.”

Grady’s eyes widened. “For once, why don’t you see where things go. Don’t plan, speculate, or even calculate. Go have lunch with an old friend and try to enjoy yourself. You don’t have to save the world every day.”

“I’ll try.”

He kissed my cheek before he got up to leave. “Have fun. That’s an order.”

“Fun? What’s that?”

~*~

Harrison was waiting outside the café when I arrived, right on time. He looked nervous pacing back and forth in his jeans and button down gray shirt. I watched him check his phone and watch, all while handling the mixed bouquet of flowers he had in his hand. I thought he said friends, no strings attached. I never had a “friend” bring me flowers. But I was touched by the gesture. I couldn’t remember the last time someone had given me flowers. When he noticed me approach, he stood straighter and his eyes lit up.

I did my best not to think about how maybe this wasn’t a good idea—like I promised my brother—but I wasn’t a go-with-the-flow kind of person. I had to analyze and conjecture, it was in my nature. For instance, was I opening a door that I shouldn’t be?

“Kallie.” He had the sexiest smile. I had always thought so.

“Hi. Thanks for meeting me near my office.”

“I’m just glad you agreed to meet. And my apartment is only thirty minutes away.”

“Do you live downtown?”

He nodded and then it was like he had suddenly remembered he was holding flowers. He held them out. “These are for you.”

I took them and breathed in their delicious scent. “Thank you. You didn’t need to do that. I probably should have gotten you some since I caused the accident.”

“My patrol car fared a lot better than yours.”

“True. But really, you didn’t need to.”

“I wanted to. It’s been a long time.”

I tucked some hair behind my ear. “Yeah, it has.”

He stared at me for a second longer before clapping his hands together. “Are you hungry?”

“Always.”

He chuckled. “I’m glad that hasn’t changed.”

I breathed in the pink roses and carnations one more time before heading to the entrance. I couldn’t believe he remembered pink was my favorite color.

He opened the door for me.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

He followed me in and did a quick scan of the place. I remembered my dad doing the same thing. He always looked for each exit and scoped out the lay of the land, just in case. I guess it was something police officers were trained to do.

“Are you off duty today?”

He focused back on me. “Yes.” He grinned. “I’m at your disposal.”

I couldn’t help but smile back at him. “Some of us have to work.”

“Didn’t you say you worked for your grandfather’s firm?”

“I did. He’s a tough boss.”

“No nepotism?”

“Not a drop.”

“Too bad. I guess we better sit down and order then.”

Was he wishing to steal me away for an afternoon? That sounded heavenly. But it was a bad idea. I followed him to the hostess. He had made reservations, so we were seated right away. That was thoughtful. But it didn’t surprise me.

I laid the beautiful flowers across the table and admired them before I looked up and saw that I, too, was being admired.

He smiled. “Thanks for having lunch with me.”

“Thanks for the invitation.”

“So, what’s good here?”

“What makes you so sure I’ve been here?”

He looked around. “This place has you written all over it.”

It was a quaint little place with some pizazz. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“That’s how I meant it. So, tell me what’s good.”

I didn’t even need to look at the menu. “They have a Greek steak sandwich I think you would like.” I blushed that I remembered the kinds of things he liked. I don’t know why. That shouldn’t embarrass me, but being with him had this warm familiarity to it.

“Sounds up my alley. And what can I order for you?”

I always liked that he ordered for me whenever we used to go out, which wasn’t often. I don’t know why, but it kind of turned me on. “I’ll take the Mediterranean grilled cheese. Thank you. But please, let me pick up the tab. It’s the least I can do.”

He leaned in closer from across the table. “That’s a negative, counselor.”

“Dutch?”

He shook his head no.

“I thought this was a friend’s lunch.”

“I plan on being very friendly.”

How did I ever resist this guy? I felt some serious stirrings that had been dormant for far too long. I took a second to breathe before I responded. I needed someone to turn on the ceiling fan above us. “Friends are good.” That sounded so dumb, but I needed to set the expectation. All we could ever be is friends, even if I did want to reach across the table, grab his shirt, and pull him toward me for a rapturous kiss. I knew he had it in him, too.

He sat back, undeterred. “I can work with that.”

Please, someone bring me some ice water. “Tell me what you’ve been up to the last five years.” That came out breathy and high-pitched.

“Married twice, divorced once.” He wickedly grinned.

“Is that so?”

He laughed. “You didn’t even flinch.”

“You forget, I’m a lawyer. It takes a lot to shock me anymore. And I know you’re lying.”

“How do you know?”

“Besides that smile of yours, you’re not the kind of man that would buy a woman flowers if you were still married.”

His amused smile turned thoughtful. “You’re right. So, never married unless you count to my job. A few girlfriends here and there. I have a goldfish named Toby and I just applied for a promotion to be an investigator. That about sums it up.”

I didn’t get a chance to respond right away. Our waiter came and took our order from Harrison.

His eyes focused right back on me as soon as our server left. “What about you, Kallie?”

“About the same, except I don’t have a fish.”

He laughed. “I could get you one.”

“That’s okay. I would probably forget to feed the poor thing.”

“But seriously. What have you been up to? Where have you been?”

I rubbed the back of my neck. “I graduated from Tulane a couple of years ago, but stayed in New Orleans to give legal aid to domestic violence victims.”

“I’m not surprised. You were always heading up some crusade on campus. They still hold the annual toy drive you started.”

I blushed. “I know.”

“How long have you been back in the Atlanta area?”

“A couple of months.”

“And you’re practicing family law?”

I nodded. I kept waiting for him to grill me about why I left him without a word. I decided I better steer the conversation. “When will you hear about your promotion?”

“That’s a good question. It could take a few months.”

“That’s exciting. How’s your family?”

He cocked his head and narrowed his eyes.

“What?”

“I’m just surprised you asked. You never used to seem to want to discuss our families. I always wondered if you were some mob daughter or something.”

I shook my head at him. “You got me, but now I may have to kill you.” Guilt crept in from my past behavior. I had good reasons.

“I always liked that you had a sense of humor.”

“I’m being serious.” I gave him a little wink.

He laughed at me. “My family is great, by the way. My dad retired from the post office and my mom still teaches school. My sister just had her first baby—a little girl—so I’m an uncle now.”

“Congratulations. Do they still live in the area?”

“Same neighborhood I grew up in, in Alpharetta.” He reached across the table and his finger skimmed my hand. Goosebumps erupted. “Tell me about your family. You were raised by your grandparents, if I remember correctly?”

I told everyone that. It was true, but not until I was fourteen. It was easier that way. And I got tired of the looks of pity when I told the whole truth. The one where my dad was killed and my mom left us. “You met Mason yesterday. My grandmother Clara is perfection. She spends her days volunteering and her weekends trying to get me to eat more because she thinks I’m wasting away.”

He looked me over in my tight white skirt paired with a chiffon salmon colored blouse. “You look great to me.”

“Thank you. You look good, too.”

Our food arrived and it smelled as tantalizing as it looked.

Harrison picked up his goblet filled with lemonade. “Here’s to renewing old friendships.”

I clinked my water glass against his goblet. Yeah. Deep breaths.