My deep thoughts were interrupted by the coffeemaker alerting me it was time to start my day.

When I walked back into Lucy’s bedroom with a pair of steaming mugs, she was still sleeping. Her beautiful auburn hair was fanned on the pillow. I was a very lucky man to have her in my life. The more time we spent together and the more we talked, the more convinced I was that I had fallen in love with her.

She stirred in bed, and her entire body extended into a long stretch. She reached for the side of the bed I’d slept on, but when I wasn’t there, she jackknifed and sat up.

“I’m right here.” I walked into the room and sat next to her on the bed as I placed our mugs on the nightstand. “Good morning.”

“I thought you were gone. I had a horrible dream.” She put her arms around me and hugged me, burying her face in my chest.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No. You’re here, and everything is okay.”

“I got your paper. There isn’t a photo.”

Lucy placed her hand over her heart. “Thank God.”

“One more week, and you’re all mine. I can’t wait for you to meet Dane and spend time with the family.”

She looked over and her eyes brightened as she saw the mug of coffee that was waiting for her. After she picked up her cup and handed me mine, she took a deep whiff of the steam and moaned.

My body’s reaction to her was something I was getting used to, but the hardness in my pants had other ideas.

“Tell me about your brother,” she said before taking a tentative sip.

I chuckled. “He calls himself the black sheep of the family.”

“Why?”

“He’s the only one who left the area, and doesn’t really have a home because he travels so much. He just sublets as he goes. To be honest, I figured his reputation would get me into trouble. My darling little brother is quite the womanizer and has broken a lot of hearts.”

Lucy let out a little snort. “Have you seen your family? You all look like you could shatter a few hearts.”

I laughed. “I can’t say that hasn’t happened on occasion, but that was mainly my brothers. I was too much of a nerd.”

“Hmm, for some reason I don’t believe that.” She sipped her coffee and smiled.

All I could do was laugh since it was a bit of a white lie. I might have broken a heart or two. “I can tell you I’d never want to break yours.”

“That’s good to know.” She smiled and gave me a kiss. “Thank you for the coffee. It’s the best way to start my day.”

Not even close. I took our mugs and set them down, and then made love to my girl. That was the best way to start my day.

• • •

Ten days later, we were finally on our way to North Carolina. The days were getting warmer, and Lucy and I were getting closer. I’d never felt so comfortable and relaxed with a woman before. We’d only been seeing each other for six weeks, but I felt as if I’d known her my entire life.

We left early in the morning and were cruising along I-95 at a good pace. At this rate, we would be there in less than five hours. I clicked on satellite radio and “American Woman” came on. My thumbs tapped the steering wheel as I glanced at Lucy.

“I love this song.”

She smiled and nonchalantly said, “This is my stripper song.”

Not sure I’d heard her correctly, I said, “I’m sorry, your what?”

“What?”

“Did you say stripper song?”

When I glanced over at Lucy, she was doing her best to stifle a smile. She bit her bottom lip and her cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink.

“Um, yeah. I mean, I’m not a stripper nor have I ever been, but if I were one, this would be my song.”

The mere thought of her stripping onstage in front of horny men was an image I didn’t want in my head. On the other hand, I’d gladly let her strip for me.

“So, your parents’ house at the beach,” she said, deftly changing the subject. “Do we each get a room there? Is it big?”

“It has eight bedrooms.” Did she want her own room? “If you’re more comfortable not sharing, I understand.”

“Nope. I’m all about sharing and conservation.”

“Conservation? What are you conserving by sharing a room with me?”

“Water, space, and time, to name a few.”

“Okay, maybe I’m still trying to process the stripper comment, but how do you save water and time?” I knew where she was going with space.

“If we don’t sleep together, then another room will need to be prepared. Which means more linens to wash, and that uses water. Someone will need to do the work, and that takes time. So if we share a room, we conserve.”

She smiled at me and popped a Swedish Fish in her mouth from the package she’d brought with her.

“That’s some logic you’ve got there, but I’ll go with it.”

“That’s me, Ms. Logical.” She giggled.

This was an entirely different side of Lucy. She seemed relaxed, which was exactly what I wanted. I had big plans for this weekend.

I did everything I could not to tell her right now I was in love with her; I wanted to save it for this weekend. I’d reserved a private bungalow for Sunday night, and planned to have it all set up for the most romantic night a woman could dream of.

“We should be at the club soon.”

“So, does everyone in your family golf?”

“Not like Dane, but yes. Have you ever played?”

“I played miniature golf when I was younger, but that’s it.”

“Well, just remember that scoring is the opposite of other sports. Golfers want the lowest score, not the highest.”

“Yeah, that always confused me, but I think I get it. They need their ball in the hole in less strokes than the other guys.” Then she looked at me and batted her eyes. “How many strokes does it take for your ball to get in the hole?”

We both laughed for a moment, and I cleared my throat. “Okay, no more golf or stripper talk until we’re out of a moving vehicle.”

“Fine. What should we talk about?”

“We can talk about you.”

That was the end of the laughter, which made me very sorry I’d mentioned it. Luckily, we’d pulled up to the country club where Dane was participating in a charity event. It was the last day of the tournament and still early in the afternoon, so I just needed to find out what hole he was on. I parked the car and before we got out, Lucy placed her hand on my forearm.

“I do want to talk, but not in the car. It’s a really long story, and I just don’t want to start until I can finish it.”

The atmosphere in the car went from light and easy to thick and uncomfortable. It was as if a black cloud hung over us, and I didn’t like that feeling at all. When I slid out of the car, I went to her side to open the door but she beat me to it.

I gently tugged on her arm. “Always remember, I’m on your side. I’ll protect you from whatever or whomever bothers you.” I kissed the top of her head and tried to get that light and easy feel between us again. “Now, let’s go and see how my brother’s balls are doing.”

She smiled up at me. “Thank you.”

We walked toward the large white tent to pick up our passes and were informed that Dane had just made the turn, so we headed for the tenth hole.

“It’s so pretty here,” Lucy said as she scanned the course.

She was right. The grass was so green it looked artificial, and the shrubs were flawlessly manicured. The sky above us was a brilliant shade of blue, which made for a perfect day for golf.

As we approached the tenth hole, Dane was on the tee box.

I leaned over to Lucy and nodded toward him. “That’s Dane.” He had on black slacks and a gray golf shirt. His jet-black hair fanned from under his Titleist cap.

I laced my fingers with hers and maneuvered us so we could see his shot. The ping of a perfectly hit shot rang out, and we watched it sail down the middle of the fairway. When I looked at Lucy, she was squinting.

On her tiptoes, she craned her neck as she whispered, “Where did it go? Was it good?” Her nose crinkled as she shielded her eyes from the sun with her free hand.