“Sure, Luna. Be right back.” The waiter, who was also a student, knew Luna from his teenage years in foster care. She was aces as far as he was concerned.
Gaines was casually leaning into the back of the chair, scratching Wiley’s ears. Both of them were people-watching. Gaines was also good at reading body language. He had to be to do his job, which also added to Luna’s nervousness. She was extremely conscious of her gestures when she was around him. At least in the beginning. And tonight. But tonight was different. It was not related to work. It was personal. And she was elated.
Luna filled the vase with water, cut an inch off the stems, and arranged the bouquet. “These are beautiful. Thank you again.” She set the vase in the middle of the counter between the coffeemaker and the boxes of tea. Perfect.
“I’m so glad you could make it.” She pulled up the chair next to him as the waiter brought two glasses of cabernet sauvignon.
“It’s the good stuff. Ellie went all out for this shindig.” Luna raised her glass, as did Gaines. “So what brings you to Asheville?” She was hoping he was going to say “You” as she gazed at the sunflowers.
“I know someone who knows someone who was opening a shop in an art center.”
Luna almost spit out her wine while trying to keep it from spewing out of her nose. She regrouped quickly. “No, seriously. Are you on a case?”
“No, seriously. I. Am. Not.” Gaines’s eyes went soft. “I really wanted to see you, as well as this massive project the whole state is talking about.” Gaines swirled the wine in the glass.
“Is there time for you to give me a tour?” Gaines looked up.
“The plan is to shut down at ten.”
Gaines looked at his watch. “Doesn’t give us much time, does it?”
Luna hoped this was not going to be the end of his visit. “Not really, but I’ll gladly show you my brother’s space next door.”
“What about tomorrow?” Gaines asked pointedly.
“What about it?” Luna was puzzled. Would he make the two-hour drive back if he wasn’t in town for work?
“I’m scouting out the Village Hotel at Biltmore for a retreat for some of the marshals.”
“Ooohh, fancy. Is this where our tax dollars go?” Luna gave him a sideways look.
Gaines chuckled. “No. It’s a grant, and it’s only eight of us. Kind of like a think tank. And we’ll be bunking two per room. Fun times.”
“Well, I’m glad you were able to fit in a visit here to the art center.”
“So what about tomorrow?” Gaines repeated his question.
“Uh. Sure!” Luna remained cool despite her excitement. “Come on. Let’s go see what Cullen is up to.” Luna needed another person in the room with her and Gaines. How many times had they been together? Four? Five? She knew she should be over the willies by now. She tried to convince herself it was all in her head. The attraction. The pull. The energy. There was no denying something was reverberating between them. She could feel his body heat. Wiley followed happily behind.
Cullen strode over to them as they walked into his showroom. “Marshal Gaines! Good to see you, man. What brings you here?”
“Doing a little scouting. Decided to mix business with pleasure.”
Pleasure? That was almost fainting words. Luna got goose bumps. What kind of pleasure did he mean? She certainly wasn’t going to ask him. She tried the Jedi mind trick from the Star Wars series, beaming thoughts to Cullen. Ask him. Ask him.
Cullen gave her a strange look. Luna opened her eyes as wide as her lids would stretch, hoping Cullen could read what was inside her head.
Cullen crossed his arms and leaned against a newly restored farmhouse table. “Which is which?”
“Which is what?” Gaines looked a little puzzled.
“Which is business? We’re not under surveillance, are we?” Cullen joked. Good save, bro, Luna thought.
Gaines laughed. “I’m scouting for a site for a weekend retreat”—he turned to look at Luna—“and your sister sent an invitation to the opening.”
Cullen smiled and nodded. “Glad you could make it.”
“That’s a nice-looking table.” Gaines tilted his head toward the piece on which Cullen was resting his butt.
Cullen immediately jumped away and grabbed one of the decorative towels Luna had placed on a baker’s rack and began rubbing the area where he had squatted. Luna couldn’t help but giggle. Then she thought about butt prints instead of fingerprints and started laughing harder. Both men stared at her as she got more hysterical, pointing to the table. She finally caught her breath. “I guess you could substitute them for fingerprints!” By that time, she was howling. Of course, most of her reaction was nerves. Her mind swiftly went into I’m such an idiot mode.
Gaines let out a guffaw. “I’ll keep that in mind. Imagine if we still had to use ink pads?” Luna and Cullen were almost doubled over. For well over a decade, prints were taken electronically with a scanner. “Although I don’t think the scanners they’re using now could capture a whole lot of data.”
“Here’s an idea.” Luna snickered. “You put people on a conveyor belt like they do at the grocery stores!”
Everyone was having a good, hearty laugh. Wiley lay on the floor and put his paws over his face. That brought on more hilarity.
It took several minutes for the group to regain some degree of poise. The air was electric with delight. Luna could feel it. As did Cullen and Gaines. Cullen squeezed his jaw tenderly. “My face hurts.” Gaines blinked back tears. That moment created a bond among the three of them. Luna recalled a famous line from Victor Borge: Laughter is the shortest distance between two people. Even three.
“As I was saying,” Gaines snorted, “that’s a fine-looking table. I like the whitewashed finish. Maple?”
“Yes. I wanted to give it a bit of an updated look. Anyone can find a maple farm table anywhere. I put my own spin on things.”
“I can see that.” Gaines noticed the barn door that led to the back room. “Workshop?”
“It is. Wanna take a look?” Cullen was happy to share and discuss his work. Especially with a dude.
They moved through the showroom, Gaines stopping to admire a few other pieces. “I like to tinker. Well, I used to, but work takes up a whole lot of time.”
As the two men started to talk man-tool-speak, she felt like the little sister tagging along. Maybe that wasn’t so bad. It took some of the pressure off her. She tried to read Gaines’s body language. All she could decipher was a man of confidence without arrogance. Open. Honest. At least that’s what his body language was telling her. She wondered what her body language was telling him. She quivered at the thought.
When they entered the workshop area, Luna was once again pulled toward the mysterious table.
Cullen followed her. “Here is something that came in earlier today. Pretty sad-looking. Needs a lot of work.”
“How old do you reckon it is?” Gaines peered at the drooping trim.
“Great Depression. Mass-produced. Veneer over plywood.”
Gaines stood up straight. “What are your plans for it?”
Luna suddenly felt protective of her new inanimate friend.
“I think I might adopt it,” she broke in.
Cullen gave her a curious look. “But didn’t you say you—”
Luna interrupted him. “I said I had a ‘feeling’ about it. That’s all.” She folded her arms across her chest and immediately unfolded them. She didn’t want to appear defensive. Relax, she told herself. Even if Gaines wanted that piece, it would be months before Cullen would get to it.
Cullen continued. “It has that greenish tone that I want to recover. I’ll strip it down, fix the wood, prime, stain, wax. Not sure until I get started.”
“Well, if Luna decides to pass on it, let me know. I bought a house and it needs furniture. After my divorce, I moved into a furnished apartment until we got past the legal stuff.”
Luna was about to blurt out, “More!
” but she didn’t. She appreciated Gaines’s not wanting to air his laundry, dirty or otherwise, in public.
“It’s not a big place. Two bedrooms, den, kitchen, two baths. The usual post–World War II ranch. It needs some work, too. Actually, it needs a lot of work. I figured it can be something my son and I work on together. Granted, he’s only ten, but he could be a good helper, and it’s an opportunity for him to learn how to use tools safely.” Gaines smiled, thinking about his son, Carter.
Luna appreciated the affection Gaines had for his son. There was something soft under that masculine skin.
“So, Luna, are we going to have a bidding war over this?” Gaines joked.
“TBD. To Be Determined,” she said, with a sassy tilt of her head.
“What are your plans for the rest of the evening?” Cullen asked Gaines. Luna thought that perhaps her Jedi mind tricks were working.
“I was about to ask you the same thing,” Gaines said.
OK, this is getting a little freaky, Luna thought.
“Even though there was plenty of food, I didn’t have a chance to eat,” Cullen said. “Or have a drink.”
“Your lovely sister was able to wangle a glass of wine for me, but food would be good. I haven’t eaten since lunch. I think. The day has been a bit of a blur.” He checked his watch. A little after ten. “Is there someplace that’s still serving food?”
“Three Brothers Pizza is open until eleven. I’ll let them know we’re coming. Let me go lock up. I’ll be right back.”
Luna snapped her fingers, and Wiley stood waiting for Luna’s next move.
Luna was feeling a sense of relief. She was tickled pink that Gaines had showed up, and even more tickled that he seemed genuinely interested in her. Normally, as whimsical as Luna might behave, she had it together in a kooky sort of way. She was rarely intimidated and decided to take her own advice. Go with the flow. What will be will be. And be yourself.
Luna checked the lights and plugs, making sure nothing was left on except the alarm system.
Cullen and Gaines were back in the showroom area. Cullen turned to Luna. “Since we each have a car, how about we follow you to your place so you can drop Wiley off? I’ll bring you back home later.”
“Sounds good to me.” Luna was already trying to figure out how to get Gaines to bring her home instead. Maybe another Jedi mind trick? She laughed to herself.
They exited through the back door of Cullen’s shop and drove to Luna’s house. Gaines suggested she ride with him so there wouldn’t be three cars heading to the same place. Dropping her back wouldn’t be an issue since it was on his way to the hotel. Well, not exactly, but close enough to make it an acceptable alternative.
Gaines opened the passenger door for her, and she slid into the seat of the Jeep Cherokee. Gaines did a little jog to the other side of the vehicle and hopped into the driver’s seat. He started the engine and turned down the music that he had been listening to earlier.
“The Dales?” Luna asked, but she knew the answer. Gaines looked surprised. He wasn’t the only one with a good memory.
“Yes, it is.”
The title track “Easy Times” was wafting from the speakers. The new band had just been starting out and was reminiscent of early Crosby, Stills & Nash. Luna commented on their sound. “It’s something about the harmonics—the overtones created when their three particular voices mix.” She listened again. “It’s interesting.”
“What?” Gaines asked.
“Vibrations.” Luna wasn’t sure how much further she wanted to take that conversation. Vibes. Energy. Woo-woo.
“The Law of Perpetual Transmutation of Energy?” Gaines glanced at her, waiting for a reaction.
Luna thought she was going to pee her pants. “Let’s throw in the law of electromagnetism, shall we?” She was cackling. “How about the laws of karma?”
“Which one?” Gaines kept his eyes on the road.
“How about the law of force?” Luna suggested.
“Seriously? Do you really want to have such a heady conversation? Now?” He looked in her direction.
She snorted. “No, not really. But thanks for asking. Maybe some other time.”
“Good, because I was grasping at straws!” He howled.
“Oh! You!” She gave him a little smack on the side of his arm. Just like she did with her brother. Except her feelings for Gaines were not at all fraternal.
“Ouch!” Gaines faked being hurt.
“Such a baby,” Luna fired back. She was genuinely enjoying their repartee. Go with the flow, girl.
Gaines seemed quite relaxed and talked about his new house and all the work he had to do on it. Luna was happy to listen to his smooth, even voice, with the sweet-sounding music playing in the background. It was a nice blend.
“Well, if you need any restoration tips, Cullen is your man.”
“I most definitely got that impression. He’s quite talented.”
“He is indeed. It runs in the family.” Luna smirked.
“That I have no doubt about.” He turned to smile at her.
That smile. Yikes. Luna had to catch her breath.
Luna continued to give him directions as they headed to Three Brothers. When they arrived, Luna was greeted by Louie, one of the brothers. “Luna! Nice to see you!” He nodded to Gaines. “Good evening.”
Luna introduced them. “This is Christopher Gaines.” She hesitated with any other information. Luna wasn’t sure if Gaines wanted his profession known.
Gaines nodded in return. “Smells fantastic.”
“Follow me.” Louie escorted them to the table where Cullen was sitting.
Gaines moved swiftly to be sure he pulled out Luna’s chair before Louie had the chance. Chivalry was not dead. Maybe a little pale but not dead. Louie handed them the plastic-coated menus.
“Don’t let the ambience fool you.” Luna was referring to the pizzeria décor of red-and-white-checkered tablecloths, straw-covered Chianti bottles with melted candles, which served as centerpieces although they were never lit. From where they were sitting, they could see into the kitchen, which was still bustling at that time of night.
Gaines looked around. “They’re pretty busy for this hour.”
“It’s a favorite stop after the early movie,” Luna advised him.
“So what do you recommend?” Gaines was perusing the menu.
“Their eggplant rollatini is fab,” Luna suggested. “But if you are in the mood for pizza, I have to say this is probably the best pizza you’re going to get outside of the New York metropolitan area.” She chuckled.
“I could go for a slice. Maybe three.”
“I’m with you on that,” Cullen added. “We should order a large pie. Do you like anything on it?”
“Anything but bell peppers.”
Luna clicked her tongue. “I want a slice or two myself. But I like spinach on mine.” She looked at both men.
“OK with me,” Gaines said.
“And an antipasto,” Luna added. “I’m hungry!”
Louie came back to the table, and they placed their order. As Louie was about to turn away, Cullen said, “Don’t forget the garlic rolls with the antipasto!”
Luna thought to herself, Garlic rolls. Great. I love them, but my breath! Ugh. Then she reminded herself to go with the flow.
There was a lot of conversation about Cullen’s work and Gaines’s dilapidated house. Luna was enjoying the banter between what were becoming her two favorite men.
As the meal was winding down, Gaines admitted that it was a great-tasting pizza. He then ordered spumoni and coffee for dessert. “I don’t remember the last time I had spumoni.” He leaned back against the chair, looking very satisfied.
“So what’s your plan for tomorrow?” Cullen asked innocently.
“Your sister is going to give me a tour of the art center.”
Cullen seemed a little surprised. “Is she now?” He felt Luna kick him under the table and tried not to wince.
“Yes, since I arrived so late, there wasn’t much time. I’ve heard a lot about the place and want to see it for myself.”
“I wouldn’t have figured you for an artsy kind of guy,” Cullen joked.
“There are a lot of interesting things I want to see. The glassblowing, and the dude who makes art out of beer cans, and a few others. Ellie Stillwell set the state on their asses with this project. Just goes to show you what can be done when someone puts their mind to it.”
“Yeah, too bad it always has to come from the private sector,” Luna retorted. “No offense, you being a government employee.”
“No offense taken. Believe me, I have my frustrations with the bureaucracy. But for the most part, I do my job, and people generally leave me alone,” he explained. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t get aggravated when things don’t move fast enough.”
Luna was enjoying getting to know Gaines on a more personal level. He had ethics and was extremely conscientious.
“I can only imagine. I have a lot of tolerance, but patience is a virtue I have a very hard time cultivating,” Luna replied.
“When have you ever tried to cultivate it?” Cullen teased. “This woman is one of the most impatient people I know.”
Luna couldn’t help but give him a playful slap on the arm. “Don’t believe a word he says.”
“Yeah, right. When Luna wants something done, she wants it done now.”
“Not true.” She smirked. “OK, once in a while, but it’s usually important,” Luna defended herself.
“I’ve seen you in action. You do have a way of taking control of a situation if it’s not moving fast enough for you,” Gaines commented. “I remember our first encounter. You wanted to go to that grove right away.”
“And I was right, wasn’t I?” she taunted.
Gaines nodded in agreement. “You certainly were. And who knows how long it would have taken us to get to that grove?” He smiled at her.
Luna cocked her head toward her brother. “See? Sometimes it’s important. And I’m usually right.” She folded her arms across her chest, then quickly unfolded them. She had to keep reminding herself of her own body language.
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