The Damaged Heroes Collection [Box Set #1: The Damaged Heroes Collection] (BookStrand Publishing Mainstream) by James Sandy

Author:James, Sandy [James, Sandy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance
Published: 2014-02-01T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

The dining room at Gypsy was dark, and Lucas assumed all the employees were gone. He eased his truck into the empty back lot a little after midnight. Joy had been quiet on the ride from the Fairgrounds, and he knew something weighed on her mind. Trying to start a conversation had been fruitless.

Parking the truck, Lucas walked around to open the door for Joy and then followed her to the restaurant. She let them in through the kitchen door.

A short, dark-haired woman standing just inside the kitchen immediately let out a small squeal and hurried to Joy. Joy let out a similar happy shriek and threw herself into the woman’s open arms.

Lucas felt a bit awkward as he shoved his hands into his pockets, waiting patiently by the door as he watched Joy with the woman he realized had to be her mother. Joy was a carbon copy. Both were short but perfectly shaped. Touches of gray kissed her mother’s hair, and her hips were wider, although not as wide as Joy had led him to believe.

“Hianyol, Jozsa,” the older woman practically shouted even though her daughter was still in her embrace.

“I missed you too, Mama.” Joy continued to hug her mother. When Joy finally pulled away, she brushed away a tear with the back of her hand. Then she inclined her head toward Lucas. “Mama, this is Lucas Mitchell.”

The woman reached out to shake Lucas’s hand with a strong, forceful grip that surprised him. It was slowly dawning on him that everything about Joy and her family was passionate, downright voracious. From the way they ate to the way they hugged. Their actions screamed a joy of life. The envy was paralyzing. He wanted to know that kind of joy. He wanted to be a part of Joy’s life. Even if she deserved better.

“I’m Illona Kovacs, Lucas.” The woman had the same warm, dark eyes as her daughter. Turning back to Joy, she began to rattle off an enormous string of words in what was obviously their native language. Lucas didn’t understand a word of what they said, but he enjoyed listening to their sing-song words as the women’s tongues seemed to roll and trill every syllable. Seeing how much Joy had missed her parents and how happy she was they were there, he wasn’t even concerned Joy and Illona weren’t including him in their conversation

“Jozsa!” The shout came from across the kitchen. “Come hug your papa!”

Joy’s face glowed with her bright smile as she squealed and ran into her father’s arms. Lucas watched them, suddenly feeling a bit uneasy. The man was short but very sturdy. His round belly indicated he ate with as much enthusiasm as Joy. Thick black hair was liberally peppered with streaks of gray. His round face seemed very friendly, very wise. At least until Joy’s father glanced up and locked gazes with Lucas.

For a moment, Lucas was afraid he’d seen sparks fly from the old man’s eyes. He immediately knew her

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