Light the Lamp by Catherine Gayle Page B

flashed over to meet mine for just a moment before he focused on the road ahead of him.
    “ Why do you think I’m good luck?” I asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence.
    “ I scored as many goals tonight as I have since Liv died. The only thing that changed for me is you.”
    He let the words lay between us, and they trickled into my soul just like his warmth had worked itself into my body. He made it sound so simple, as though it was merely a fact that I should accept. But I didn’t have a whole lot of faith in things like luck and chance. I was more inclined to put my stock in things like hard work and doing the right thing. I’d had nothing to do with him scoring in the game.
    We didn’t talk the rest of the way to his condo. When we got there, he started unloading things from the refrigerator. “Hungry?” he asked.
    “ Starving.” I really needed to pay more attention during the day tomorrow and eat at a normal hour. I’d had the sandwich he’d made for me in the car on our way to the game, and I’d snacked from the buffet in the owner’s box while we were there, but I still hadn’t gotten to where I felt like I’d caught up with my hunger.
    That was something I’d learned early on in my days of living out of my car. No matter how many other things I had to give up, I had to make sure I kept enough money that I could scrounge up a meal here and there. Hunger and I didn’t get along well. Clothes and other possessions? They weren’t so important. Not important enough to let the gnawing ache of an empty belly gain any traction.
    Liam grinned and set to work making us some turkey sandwiches. I took out a bag of baby spinach and a few other things and started putting together a salad. It only took us a few minutes. Then he carried everything over to the table, and we sat down to eat.
    He loaded some salad into a bowl and put a sandwich on his plate. “Tomorrow, I have to go to practice in the morning, and I’ve got an appointment at three in the afternoon. Can I take you out to lunch, and then we’ll go get you a cell phone? I should have time before my meeting.”
    I still didn’t think it made sense for him to provide me with a phone, but after how worried he’d been this afternoon, I decided not to argue. I didn’t want to make him worry unnecessarily. I nodded. “I might go for a walk in the morning, but I promise not to go too far and I’ll be back in time for lunch.”
    “ And you’ll wear shoes?”
    I met his gaze. His dark brown eyes were smiling at me, and I couldn’t stop myself from smiling in return. “And I’ll wear shoes.”
    “ Good.” He took a bite and chewed, but his eyes never left me, and his smile wouldn’t go away. I liked seeing him smile. He was a handsome man even when he was brooding, but when he was happy it was like a piece of his soul was shining through his eyes and piercing me with his goodness.
    “ Are you telling everyone I’m your girlfriend?” I asked. His eyebrows shot up in question, and I immediately regretted asking. “It’s just that some of the players’ wives seem to think I’m your girlfriend. They all knew who I was already, and I just wondered if they were drawing their own conclusions or if there’s a reason they thought that.”
    “ I haven’t told anyone that you’re my girlfriend.”
    “ Okay.” I picked up my sandwich to busy myself so hopefully I wouldn’t put my foot in my mouth again.
    “ I’m not sure I’m ready to have a girlfriend,” Liam said, as though he needed to explain things further. “If I was ready, I’d want her to be you…but I don’t know if I’m the right man for you.”
    “ Why wouldn’t you be the right man for me?” I asked before I could stop myself.
    “ Because I’m scared that if you spend too much time with me, I’ll dim your light.”
    Liam worked his jaw, and his Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat, and I wanted to do anything I could to alleviate the anguish so evident in