Something Lovely

by Brooke St. James

  Luke sat on the edge of the couch, looking at my dad with an earnest expression. "That would be amazing," Luke said. "Would you really think of doing that?"

  "Would you enter?" Dad asked.

  "Definitely," Luke said. "Could you enter more than one design?"

  "I don't see why not," Dad said, smiling at his enthusiasm. "We were thinking we'd judge it blind—you know, so it'd be fair."

  "Of course," Luke said.

  "How many do you think you'd enter?"

  Luke shook his head. "Is there a limit?"

  That question caused my dad to laugh. "Well, there's no contest yet, but I guess there wouldn't be a limit—especially since we wouldn’t know who did what. There's still a lot to figure out. We'd have to provide the same templates for everyone."

  "Maybe you could scribble your initials in the corner since you know the family now," Derek said. We all looked at him, and he smiled and winked at Luke.

  "I wouldn't want any favors," Luke said. "I'm about to win this thing fair and square."

  Derek laughed at that—not in a demeaning way, but more in an appreciative way. As a competitor, he could completely understand Luke's drive, and I could tell by the way he smiled at Luke that he liked him.

  "Do you ride?" Ginger's question was directed to Derek, but I pretended to think she was talking to me. I was so psyched about Luke's love for motorcycles that I couldn’t help myself. I wanted his parents to appreciate how cool they were.

  "Yes ma'am, I've been riding since I was little. I got my first bike before my first car."

  "I don't," Derek said, knowing she'd been talking to him. "I mean, I could. I'm sure I know how to do it. I rode a little when I was younger, but I don't anymore. I know it sounds silly, but it's in my contract that I can't."

  "Oh, you mean for safety?" Ginger asked.

  Derek nodded. "No motorcycles, no skydiving… I have a few things that are off limits. My trainers don't even like me playing backyard ball."

  "That makes sense," Ben said.

  We were still talking about baseball and motorcycles a few minutes later when Britney pulled into the driveway.

  Chapter 5

  Britney knocked a couple of times, but she could see us all sitting in the living room, so she just walked right in without anyone getting up to answer the door. She came in wearing a huge, charismatic smile as usual.

  Wes and Jolene both stood up to greet her, and Jolene's family followed suit. "Who's this?" Britney asked after she hugged Wes.

  "This is my brother, Luke," Jolene said. "And my parents, Ben and Ginger."

  "I didn't know you were bringing your brother," Britney said.

  She stepped closer to Luke. He held out his hand to shake hers, and she denied him with a smile, going for the hug instead. "Cool sweatshirt," she said, pinching at it.

  "Thanks," he said.

  She moved on down the line, offering quick but sincere Southern-style hugs to everyone else in line, first Ginger and then Ben. My parents, along with Derek and me remained in our seats.

  "These are my parents, Jesse and Rose," I said, messing with her.

  She bowed to them. "I'm pleased to make your acquaintance," she said, smirking. "Ivy said we're having Mama Carlotta's for dinner," she added as she plopped onto the couch.

  This made everyone laugh.

  "I called Kade on my way over here," she said. "He said he's delivering it. He should be here in just a minute. He had one other stop to make."

  "I thought Kade was in Nashville," I said.

  Britney shook her head. "He came back early. He picked up a shift tonight because somebody was sick. He said he tried to call you earlier."

  I nodded absentmindedly, thinking about seeing Kade's name in my missed calls. "You know how I am with my phone," I said. "I saw that he called, but I forgot."

  Kade was another one of my good friends. I wasn't as tight with him as I was with Britney, obviously, but we were really close friends and had been for years. We all went to high school and then to college together. He had been raised going to my granddad's church, so we went way back. Also, he was majoring in biology, so we had some classes together in college. He was a smart guy who was working his way through college by delivering pizzas at Mama Carlotta's.

  He was also a good person. In fact, his recent trip to Nashville was for a retreat with the church youth group. Everyone told me over the years that Kade was hopelessly in love with me, but I just didn't see it. It wasn't like that with us. We were good friends and that was all. He had never even mentioned having feelings for me, and I certainly didn't have any for him—at least not the romantic kind.

  "Kade's a friend of Ivy's," Mom said, explaining our conversation to the Wrights. "He's a real sweet guy. They've been friends a long time."

  "Speak of the d, d, dickens…" Britney said, looking out the window.

  Kade had just pulled into the driveway, and Britney was about to say speak of the devil, but she caught herself, and knowing that my mom wouldn't want her to refer to Kade as 'the devil', she changed her statement at the last second.

  "Speak of the dickens?" Wes asked, looking confused, and giving Britney a hard time. "What's that mean?"

  "Speak of the angel," Dad said, teasing Mom.

  No one else really understood what was being said, but they didn't have to—no one cared or was even listening. Mom stood up, and everyone began to follow her lead, getting up to go to the kitchen or otherwise prepare to eat dinner.

  My dad went to answer the door while Derek and I went to the kitchen along with most of the others. He stayed close to me, touching me in some way at all times—either holding my hand or simply standing close enough for our shoulders to touch.

  Dad and Kade walked into the kitchen together, and Kade's eyes widened. "I knew you had company by how many pies you ordered," he said. "I thought maybe Daniel and Owen would be here."

  "It's the other brother," Wes said, coming into the kitchen.

  "Kade turned, regarding Wes with an excited smile. "When'd you get here?" he asked.

  "A little while ago," Wes said.

  Kade reached out to give him a sideways hug. "Welcome home," he said. "Are these the in-laws?"

  Wes nodded. "You met Jolene, didn't you?"

  "We did, the last time you were here," Kade said, shaking Jolene's hand.

  Kade and Dad had already set the thermal pizza bags on the counter, and my mom was helping herself to everything that was inside. I went over there to help her as Wes continued introducing Kade to Jolene's family.

  "Are you going to eat with us?" Mom asked Kade during a break in their conversation.

  "No ma'am. Thank you, but I already ate," Kade said. "I'll stay and hang out for a few minutes, though."

  He leaned against the counter in a spot nearby Derek, and I watched out of the corner of my eye as they made a little small talk. Mom and I were busy opening pizza boxes and setting everything out while everyone else stood around the kitchen and talked amongst themselves, all making an effort to stay out of the way.

  Britney cozied up next to Luke. I noticed it right when she went over there. She was a little bit of a flirt, and I was used to that. Usually, it didn't bother me, but for some reason, I wanted to take up for the girl in the picture in spite of the fact that I really didn't like her in the first place. I wanted to announce to Britney, right there in front of everyone, that Luke had a girlfriend and thus was off-limits. I kept cutting my eyes at them, but they didn't even notice me.

  "Britney, here's your favorite," I announced, opening a box that contained a Tuscan Chicken pizza. I was trying to distract them, but it didn't really work.

  Kade had to be getting back to work, so he only stayed a few minutes. The rest of us hung out at the house for the next hour or so, eating and talking about everything under the sun from music, to baseball, to motorcycles, to art, to math. Sometimes we would talk to the person next to us, and other times a conversation would take over the whole room.

&n
bsp; Toward the end of dinner, the conversation turned to knife throwing. My dad announced to everyone that I had been practicing quite a bit, and they all wanted to see me show my skills. I declined, saying that it was too cold outside and that Derek and I already had plans and needed to be going. I promised I would do it sometime soon, but I kind of hoped it didn't get brought up again—at least not while Jolene's family was still visiting. I had gotten a lot better at it since I'd been practicing, but I knew they were all good at it, so I wasn't in a hurry to stand there and try it in front of all of them.

  "We're gonna go," I said once we were done with dinner. Everyone was in the living room, but I had just gone into the kitchen with Mom and Wes.

  "Why are you running off?" Wes asked.

  I shrugged. "Derek and I had plans to hang out."

  "You can hang out here," Wes said, drawing a smile from our mom.

  "You and Jo are gonna be going to your place, anyway," I said.

  Wes shook his head. "Not right this second."

  "She likes to go to Derek's house," Mom said. She rolled her eyes. "He's got a hot tub."

  "You don't need to be in a hot tub with that dude," Wes said.

  I glanced into the living room just to make sure Derek hadn't overheard, but he was nowhere in sight. He had gone to the restroom and hadn't come back yet.

  I smirked at Wes. "Says the guy who went gallivanting around London for seven years."

  "I still don't want my little sister in a hot tub with that dude. I see how he looks at you, Ivy."

  "He looks at me like I'm his girlfriend. And stop calling him dude. His name is Derek, Wes. You know him. I thought you'd be happy for me that I finally found a guy I really like."

  "I don't really know him, though. And I can't tell if I like him. You just think he's all that because he's famous. Have Owen and Daniel met him? Do they like him?"

  "Why are you being so crabby?" I asked. My serious expression broke into an overly patient, fake grin. "Is it that no one's good enough for your little sister?"

  "No, it's just that he's not good enough."

  I glanced into the living room. Derek had just come out of the bathroom and was standing there smiling and making pleasant conversation with my dad. I pointed at him with a completely confused expression aimed at my brother. "I have no idea what you're talking about," I said. "He's really nice."

  "He's just protective of you," Mom said, standing next to Wes and rubbing his back as if she was taking up for him.

  I turned my confused expression to her. "I don't need to be protected. I happen to be dating the most eligible bachelor in Memphis. And he's sweet. He's a nice guy. Your trippin', Wes."

  Wes shook his head and gave me a shrug that looked somewhat frustrated. "Whatever, Ivy. Just please be careful."

  "I will. And I love you. Welcome home."

  I glanced toward the living room to find that Derek was now walking toward me wearing a smile.

  "I love you, too," Wes said. He had been sitting on a stool, and he sighed as he stood up.

  "You ready?" Derek asked, still smiling at me.

  I nodded.

  Wes headed into the living room, looking like he was going to trade places with Derek. They were standing only a few feet from me when they crossed paths, and I watched them smile and shake hands cordially.

  "It was nice seeing you again," Wes said.

  "Same here," Derek said. "I know Ivy's glad you moved home. We'll have to get together sometime before I head to Arizona."

  Wes nodded. "Sounds good."

  Within minutes, I had gathered my things and told everyone goodbye.

  Britney was sitting on the couch. It appeared as if she was planning on staying in spite of my departure. I had to literally ask her if she was coming when we headed out. She took her time getting her shoes on at the door, so Derek walked out ahead of us, saying that he was going to get the truck warmed up.

  "I feel bad for Luke," Britney whispered as she put on her shoes. I knew she was thinking about Luke, and I felt a wave of annoyance and cynicism about it.

  "Why?" I asked.

  "Because he doesn't have anybody to hang out with. He's just got to sit here and hang out with your parents and his parents."

  I gave her a disbelieving expression as I gestured toward the living room. "Wes and Jolene are here," I said. "Luke's fine."

  She snickered. "You can say that again."

  "What?" I asked, feeling confused.

  "You said 'Luke's fine', and I said 'you can say that again'. He's fine. He looks good. Get it?"

  She was being playful and lighthearted, and I just felt annoyed.

  "He's got a girlfriend," I said.

  "Yeah, but she's all the way over in London."

  "What's that supposed to mean? You want him to cheat on her just because you're here and she's not?"

  Britney made a cautious face at me as if I was a bomb that was about to explode. "Noooo," she said like I was way overreacting. "It means that he doesn’t have anyone to hang out with, that's all."

  "He's got his sister, and Wes, and our families. He's fine."

  She smiled. "I'm not going to take the bait and joke about how fine he is again, because I see how worked up you are over it." She gestured by waving her hand in my general direction as if to imply that I was really shaken up.

  "I'm not worked up," I said.

  "So, you can admit that he's hot."

  "I don't need to admit that. There's no point."

  "You can at least appreciate a hot guy when you see one, can't you?"

  She was smiling at me and being her usual happy-go-lucky self, and I realized that it was kind of ludicrous for me to be so upset with her.

  "He's cute," I said with a sigh as I grabbed her purse.

  "He's not cute," she said. "You don't call a six-foot-three guy 'cute', Ivy. He's got facial hair and muscles. He's a man."

  "Handsome, then," I whispered. "He's handsome, hot, fine, whatever you want to call it. He looks good. There, I said it."

  Luke Wright had a girlfriend, and I was ashamed of Britney for even thinking of him like that, and even more for making me agree with her. I smiled, though, because I knew it was out of character of me to be uptight.

  "Come on," I said, putting my arm through hers. "Derek's waiting."

  Chapter 6

  It was past midnight when I got home.

  Derek had a couple of his friends over, and they ended up staying while we watched a movie. He didn't feel like getting out to take me home, and he begged me to stay the night at his house. I could have chosen to do so, but I told him I wanted to go home.

  My parents wouldn't have even asked where I was if I had decided to stay. I had been living on my own for the last two years, so they had grown accustomed to not asking where I had been or when I was coming or going. I just couldn't let myself stay the night with him. I knew what that would lead to.

  Derek dropped me off in the driveway.

  He kissed me, but he was a little irritated about having to get out in the cold to give me a ride home. I couldn’t really blame him. It was late, and he was tired. He had to get up early to train the next day. I knew it would have been much easier for me to crash at his place. I thanked him again for the ride and told him I'd talk to him tomorrow.

  The house was quiet when I went inside.

  I assumed everyone was sleeping, and I went straight to my room. I wasn't trying to spy on Luke or anything, but I did glance into his bedroom. The room where he was staying was right across the hall from mine, and I couldn’t help but notice that his door was slightly open. The lamp was on, so I could clearly see that the room was empty.

  "Hello?" I called quietly.

  The bed was still made with throw pillows lined up in a neat row. It was apparent that he had never even gotten into it. I peered around the corner and glanced at the right side of the room, thinking that maybe he was sitting at Wes's old desk.

  No one.

  "Hello?" I repeated
. "Luke?"

  Nothing.

  I decided not to worry about it. Maybe he was in his parents' room, or maybe he had gone out. It wasn't really any of my business.

  I took a hot bath and bundled up in my flannel pajamas. I had a pair of slippers that were lined with fleece and kept my feet nice and toasty. I stepped into them and headed to the kitchen to get a glass of water before bed.

  I glanced into Luke's room again on my way. It was so weird that he wasn't in there. I thought about the time difference in London, and all the traveling he had done that day, and I knew that he should've been really tired. It crossed my mind that Britney could've come back by the house and asked him if he wanted to go somewhere. It bothered me that he wasn't in his room sleeping, and I rolled my eyes at myself for even caring.

  I was standing in the kitchen, drinking a glass of water when I figured out where Luke was. Movement coming from the backyard caught my eye, and I walked toward the window only to find that he was out there, throwing knives at my dad's target. He had on a winter coat with a thick beanie and gloves, and I stood at the window and watched as he calmly and casually threw knives at the target in a no-spin, overhand technique. He tossed slowly and softly, gently lobbing them through the air. He was standing at the ten-foot line, and all of the knives he tossed hit their mark, falling within the center target.

  Once he had used the whole set, he walked over to the target and began pulling out the knives one by one. I silently jogged to the hall closet where I retrieved some cold weather gear. I put on a jacket, hat, gloves and scarf, not even caring if any of it matched.

  Luke looked at me when I opened the back door. He smiled. "I hope I didn't wake you up," he said.

  I shook my head. "I just got home," I said. "I didn't even hear you."

  "I just got back, too," he said. "Your parents left the back door open for me, and the security lights came on when I was coming in. I saw the target, and I couldn't resist."

  "Where'd you get the knives?" I asked, thinking maybe they were his and he had traveled with them.

  "The mud room," he said. "Your dad showed them to me earlier. We threw a little bit. He said I could use them anytime."