Daniel's Gift Read Free Page A

when she could be drinking a daiquiri on a beach in Maui. No, thank you. She had no desire to recreate herself. Luke would just have to get past this fatherly urge of his. And he would. She would see to it.
    "Your mother said we could join them in Maui after Christmas if you like," Denise said persuasively, looking at Luke in the mirror.
    Luke pulled on a clean shirt. "I don't think so."
    "Maybe Aspen with the Willoughbys then. We'll talk about it later." Denise walked to the door. "Are you ready?"
    "I'll be down in a minute."
    "Luke, please."
    "Go, dammit!"
    Luke walked over to the window and looked out at the view, wondering why he felt compelled to stare into space every chance he got. From his hilltop vantage point, he could see the planes landing at the airport. The sight was peaceful, comforting. He had stood at these windows before, reassuring himself that everything he wanted was out there.
    Now, Luke wasn't sure. Maybe he was having an identity crisis. Coming home had triggered old feelings. As soon as he had driven down the Eucalyptus-lined street of El Camino Real and up the hills toward his parents' Spanish-tiled, three-story home, in the exclusive community of Hillsborough located on the San Francisco Peninsula, he had been swept back in time. He was no longer a confident, brash scientist with a keen mind and deep pockets; he was a young man with ideals, with romance in his soul, with thoughts of -- Jenny.
    Luke closed his eyes and sighed, envisioning her sweet face. Jenny, with the laughing brown eyes, and hair the color of dark chocolate. Jenny, with the tender hugs, the sexy smile, and legs that wrapped tightly around his waist. Jenny.
    The memories came back as if they had happened yesterday instead of thirteen years earlier.
    The lights from the airport in front of him grew hazy, turning into the orange flames of a fire, a bonfire on the beach. Through the flames he saw her.
    Jenny held a can of Diet Pepsi to her lips and laughed as the wind from the ocean whipped long strands of hair across her wide, generous mouth. She tried to pull her hair away from her soft, pink lips, but it was a futile struggle. Finally, she gathered her hair into a ponytail and tucked it into the back of her sweatshirt.
    Someone told a joke, and Jenny smiled. The man standing next to her, a guy named Frank, leaned down to kiss her. Jenny playfully pushed him away.
    Another laugh. Another smile.
    Jenny was magic, flitting around the group like a firefly, drawing people out, completing the circle with an effortlessness that made Luke feel a sharp pang of envy.
    He didn't belong here, not to this group, not to any group. They suffered his presence, because he was rich, smart, and drove around town in a Mercedes. Even his supposed girlfriend, Diane, was now snuggling under a blanket with Gary Burroughs, another of his supposed friends. Did they care that he was watching? No.
    Luke turned away.
    Jenny stood in front of him, a wispy, slender girl bathed in moonlight. He caught his breath. Up close, he could feel the magic.
    "Why aren't you singing?" she asked.
    For the first time it occurred to Luke that everyone was singing, off-key and half drunk.
    "I don't sing." He attempted to move past her.
    "Neither do I." Jenny fell into step alongside him.
    The sand was moist between his toes. Her arm brushed against his. Goose bumps teased his skin at the innocent motion. His heart began to pound.
    "Do you swim?' Jenny asked.
    Luke looked at the dark waves breaking against the shore. The ocean appeared more than a little dangerous. "I can swim." He raised an eyebrow as he turned to her. "You don't mean now, do you?"
    Jenny grinned, her lips curving delightfully. A dimple creased her cheek, her brown eyes lit with excitement. Luke felt an immediate response, a magnetic force that pulled him closer to her, even when he wanted to walk away.
    "Now," she whispered, taking his hand.
    Her hand felt small, warm, and soft, but he could feel a callous