"And the fact that you came here with me and met my parents and offered to help me with the house...it makes me love you even more." He kisses me. "Let's get out of here and see if we can talk to that lawyer. If he's not there we'll just start our trip. I'll try to call him later."
"Our trip? I thought we were staying here."
"Taylor, you know I wouldn't make you do that. We planned a trip together. We talked about it the whole drive here."
"Yeah, but that was before you talked to your dad. It sounds like you guys worked some stuff out but I think if we stayed, things would get even better between you two. And I wouldn't mind spending some time in San Diego. You can show me around. Show me all your favorite places. We'll make this our vacation."
"You'd really be okay with that?"
"Yeah, I think it'd be fun."
He hugs me. "God, I love you."
"So what should we do first?"
He lets me go. "Are you hungry? There's this sandwich place around the corner where Albert and I used to go. It's the first place he ever took me. It was the day we moved in. My parents were too busy to make dinner so Albert took me out."
He sounds excited just talking about it. He loved Albert so much and misses him more than anything. I thought it'd be hard for Luke to be back here, surrounded by memories, but he seems happy. Maybe that's because I'm with him, making those memories not so sad.
"Sounds great!" I say, matching his excitement. "Let's go. You want to invite your parents?"
"Not now. I want this to be just you and me. Maybe we'll go to dinner with them tonight."
The fact that he's open to having dinner with them is proof that Luke and his dad had a major breakthrough today. I think things will be a lot better between them now.
After lunch we head to the lawyer's office. We don't have an appointment so I'm sure the guy isn't going to meet with us but I don't tell Luke that. He's really happy right now and I don't want to say anything that might bring him down.
"We're here to see Mr. Pascall," Luke says to the receptionist.
"Do you have an appointment?" she asks.
"No, but he's been trying to reach me and every time I try to call him back he's on the phone or in a meeting. I stopped by to see if he could just give me a few minutes."
"What's your name?"
"Luke Sydel."
"I'll be right back."
A few moments later a man in a suit walks up to us. "Luke. Good timing. I've got about five minutes before my next client shows up. Come back to my office."
I follow them back there.
"And who are you?" the lawyer asks as I walk in his office.
"She's my girlfriend," Luke says.
The lawyer stares at me as he goes around his desk to sit down. "You look familiar. Have we met before?"
"No, but you might know me if you follow golf. My dad is Lou Tuckerman."
Mr. Pascall smiles. "One of my favorite players. Tell him I'm a huge fan."
"Taylor is also a golfer," Luke says. "She's on her college team. And her brother, Cal, played pro for awhile."
"Yes, I remember. It's a shame it didn't work out." He takes a folder from a stack. "I hear you're turning pro soon."
"That's the plan," Luke says. "Although it might be delayed. I need to get a job and save some money. Right now I don't even have enough to pay rent."
"That shouldn't be a problem going forward." He opens the folder and takes out a sheet of paper. "This is the change Albert made to his will. We had it on paper but it didn't get transferred to our computers because it happened when we were moving our offices. I apologize for the mistake." He sets the paper down in front of Luke and points to the second paragraph. "This states that the house transfers to you."
"And his kids know that I own it?"
"Yes, they've both been told."
"I'm surprised I haven't heard from them. I thought they might try to fight it."
"They could try, but they have no reason to. They have no use for that tiny run-down house. Neither one of them would ever live in it and it'd be a hassle for them to rent it out." He points to the last paragraph. "Albert also left you a sum of cash. The amount is listed here."
Luke looks at it, then leans down to get a closer look.
"That can't be right. Albert didn't have that kind of money, and if he did, he would've given it to his kids."
"They each got ten times that amount," Mr. Pascall says, then clears his throat. "I probably shouldn't have told you that."
"I don't understand. Albert really had that kind of money?"
"He did well in his career, invested well, and didn't spend much. He lived a simple life but that's how he wanted it. He didn't want a big house or fancy cars. And because of that, he was able to save a lot over the years."
Luke turns to me. "He left me a hundred thousand dollars."
My eyes widen. "A hundred thousand dollars? Are you serious?"
"That's what it says."
"And the house," the lawyer adds. "I can help transfer the deed to your name, if you'd like."
"Yeah, okay," Luke says, his voice distant, like he's still in shock.
I put my hand on his arm. "Luke, do you know what this means? You don't have to get a job! You can get an apartment and pay for your coach and focus on going pro."
"I can't believe he left me that much." Luke looks at the lawyer. "When did he do it? When did he change his will?"
"When you were a child, maybe eight or nine. But he stipulated that the money and house couldn't transfer to you until after you turned eighteen. He didn't want it going to your parents." Mr. Pascall stands up. "My other client is here. Sorry to rush you but I need to go."
"It's fine," Luke says as we get up from our chairs.
"I'll be in touch regarding getting the money to you. And I'll get the deed taken care of for the house."
"Okay, thanks."
We leave his office and the reception area and take the short flight of stairs to the main level. As we're walking out of the building, Luke says, "Did that really just happen?"
"Yeah." I smile and take his hand as we walk. "You have a hundred thousand dollars. And you own a house."
He stops suddenly. "Wow."
"What?"
He smiles. "I have money. I don't have to get a job. I can keep golfing."
"I know. It's great! It's just what Albert would've wanted."
He looks up at the sky. "It's exactly what he would've wanted." His eyes go back to mine. "You know what else he would've wanted?"
"What?"
"For me to be with you. That day I saw you on TV when I was ten, Albert knew you were the one for me. He saw that spark in my eye, the way I smiled when I saw you. How I couldn't look away. He knew you were it for me. And his passing led me to be with you. If Albert had lived, I never would've moved into your house. I would've stayed away from you because it's what you told me you wanted, and because I wouldn't have wanted to risk my friendship with Cal. But Albert had other plans. He wanted us to be together."
"So he died? That's kinda freaky."
"I'm just making this up. I have no idea if it's true. But I do feel like he intervened somehow to get us together. I also think he intervened to get me talking to my parents again." He pauses. "When I was a kid I told Albert he could never leave me, and he didn't. He's still here, helping me when I need it. Pushing me to do what's right. Leading me on the path I need to be on. Leading me to the girl that I love."
I wipe my eyes. "You're making me cry. Stop it. I don't even know Albert and I miss him."
"C'mon. Let's go." Luke takes my hand and we walk to the car. "You want to play golf?"
"We don't have our clubs."
"We'll rent some. I want to take you to the first course I ever played."
"Albert took you there?"
"Yeah, and then he took me for ice cream. It was one of the best days of my life."
Luke smiles, a big smile that shows off those dimples of his that caught my at
tention the first time I saw him. I still love those dimples. I love seeing him smile. Seeing him happy. When you really love someone, seeing them happy is one of the best feelings in the world.
I get it now. I get why my dad stopped fighting with me about Luke. It's because he saw how happy Luke makes me. When my dad kicked Luke out of the house I was devastated. I stayed in my room, not even going downstairs to eat. My dad tried to talk to me, assuring me Luke would be okay, but all it did was make me cry. Because Luke wasn't okay. He was struggling and I couldn't help him or be with him.
The next day I felt even worse. I met with my golf coach but couldn't pay attention so he sent me home. I wasn't hungry so I skipped dinner that night. I knew I'd find a way to be with Luke but in that time we were apart and I was missing him like I'd never missed anyone, my dad finally realized how much I love Luke. How happy he makes me. And that's when my dad went to see him.
He didn't know where to find him and just as he was about to call him, his phone rang. The call was from some guy my dad used to know. He told him where Luke was and asked him to come down there and talk to him.
The timing was almost eerie. How did that man know to call my dad at the exact time my dad was looking for Luke? Maybe Albert really is still with us, intervening when Luke needs him.
My dad never told me what he talked about with Luke that day. All I know is that Luke asked him if I could go on this trip and my dad agreed to it. He still doesn't approve of my relationship with Luke but he will eventually. I know he will. Because he loves me, and when you love someone, you want them to be happy.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
End of August
Taylor
"Can't you pack later?" Luke asks, pulling me back down on the bed.
"I could, but I really need to start now or I'll forget stuff."
"If you do I'll drive up there and drop it off. It'll be an excuse to see you."
"You don't need an excuse. You can come visit whenever you want."
It's the end of August and I'm leaving for school in a few days. I'm excited to go back but also sad because I'll miss Luke. But at least things are better for him now. A lot better. He has his own apartment that overlooks a golf course.
Getting his own place was good for our relationship. We finally have privacy and can do what we want without getting annoying looks from my dad or Cal. My dad still isn't thrilled I'm dating Luke and he gives us disapproving looks when he sees us holding hands. Cal is the same way. He accepts that I'm dating Luke but if we kiss when he's around he gets really annoyed and tells us to stop.
Luke's family has no problem with us dating. His mom loves me. I think his dad likes me but it's hard to tell because he doesn't say much. He's not much of a talker. He did make a comment that I'm a lot better than some of the other girls Luke dated. I asked Luke what his dad meant by that but he wouldn't tell me. He didn't want to talk about former girlfriends. He says that part of his life is over. Now he only wants me. He wants a future with me.
I'm not sure I can commit to that yet. I love Luke and could see us together in the future, but I'm worried that having a long distance relationship might change things between us. We'll talk on the phone and text but it won't be the same as seeing each other every day. And with our busy schedules it might be hard to find time to even talk on the phone. I'm worried we'll grow apart.
"What's wrong?" Luke asks as I lie on his chest. "You seem sad."
"I am sad. I don't want to leave you. I'm excited about going back to college but I'm sad that I won't see you anymore."
"Hmm." He kisses my head. "That is a problem, isn't it?"
I sit up. "You don't seem that upset over it."
"I don't?"
"No." I notice his lips turn up, which irritates me. I push on his shoulder. "Why are you smiling? You're supposed to be sad!"
He frowns. "Is that better?"
"No. Because you're just pretending. Why aren't you sad? Aren't you going to miss me?"
"For a couple weeks, yeah, I'll miss you like crazy."
"And then what? You won't miss me anymore?" I'm getting a little concerned. Is he just going to move on after I leave? Forget about me and find someone else?
"I won't need to miss you."
"You're not making any sense."
He sits up. "Did I tell you my coach is moving?"
I turn so that I'm facing him on the bed, folding my legs in front of me. "Your golf coach is moving? Like leaving town? But you love that guy."
"He's the best coach I've ever had. Improved my game a million percent. Well, maybe not a million but he's made a huge difference in how well I play. I actually feel like I could compete with the pros now."
"But he's leaving so what are you going to do?"
"Go with him."
"What?"
"I'm going to move. I can't give him up. He's the perfect coach for me. He knows my weaknesses. Knows my strengths. When you find the perfect match, you don't just let it go."
My heart sinks. Luke is moving? Now I'll never see him. I was counting on him being here when I came back on school breaks. But now he'll be somewhere else. Probably someplace even farther away, like Texas or Florida.
"Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"
"Because I wanted it to be a surprise."
"A surprise? That's a horrible surprise! Having you leave Arizona means I'll see you even less. You won't be here when I come home on breaks or at holidays or— "
He stops me with a kiss. "I'll be here for all of that. We'll come back here together."
"What do you mean?"
He takes my hand and holds it. "I'm moving to California."
"Back to San Diego?"
"No. To a small town in northern California. It's a college town. There's this girl who goes to school there. I'm totally in love with her and can't live a day without her so I really have no choice but to move there."
"You're moving?" I smile. "You're going with me to Camsburg?"
"I won't be going to school there but I'll be living in the town. In an apartment not too far from campus. I was kinda hoping you might live there too."
My eyes widen. "You're seriously moving there? You already have an apartment?"
"I found one. I haven't put a deposit down yet. I wanted to talk to you first. See if you were okay with me living there."
"Are you kidding?" I hug him. "Of course I want you there! I can't believe you didn't tell me this sooner!"
"I just decided it the other day. I kept thinking about how much I was going to miss you and wondering how I could go all that time without you and decided I just couldn't do it. It's like asking me not to golf for months. It's impossible. So I started thinking about how I could make this work. I can golf anywhere but leaving my golf coach was going to be hard. And then, by some miracle, my coach tells me he's moving to California in a month. He's been hired to do golf instruction at some private club just south of Napa. I'll have to drive an hour to meet with him but that's a lot closer than Phoenix."
"Albert did this," I say, smiling. "He totally got your coach that job."
"Could be. All Albert ever wanted was for me to be happy and he knows how happy you make me."
I stare at him, my mind still processing this. "So you're really moving? This is real? I'm not just imagining it?"
"It's real, but I'm still waiting for an answer. What do you think about living with me? I know your dad won't be happy about it but technically we've already lived together so maybe it won't be that big a deal."
"It will be. He'll be mad, but he'll get over it."
"So is that a yes? You'll move in with me?"
"Yes! I can't wait! I'll get to see you all the time, even more than I do now."
"I'll have to travel to some tournaments so I'll be gone for those, but other than that, we'll be together. Oh, and I have some other news."
"What is it?"
"I found someone to rent the house. My dad said the bathroom tile would be done this wee
k. My mom's going to clean the place and then it should be ready to move in."
Luke's dad lost his job in July, right after Luke and I were there. His dad needed money so Luke offered to pay him to fix up Albert's house. I didn't think his dad would agree to it but he did. So far he's replaced the kitchen cabinets and put in a new tile floor and backsplash. Now he's renovating the bathrooms. Luke's mom is helping too. She works full-time but at night she goes over to Albert's house and helps clean up the construction mess.
"Who's renting it?"
"An old lady. Her house was too big to take care of so she wanted something smaller."
"How'd you find her?"
"She answered the ad. When she called, she told me she'd been to the house before and that it was the perfect size. She said it was just what she was looking for."
"When was she at the house?"
"A few years ago. Apparently she and Albert used to date."
"Albert dated?"
"Oh, yeah, he was quite the ladies' man but he never dated anyone for very long."
"Did you ever meet the lady? Do you remember her?"
"I think this happened before I was living with him. He didn't bring many ladies over after I moved in. Anyway, she's not able to do the yard work so I'm going to ask my dad to do it, along with taking care of any maintenance issues that come up. In exchange, I'm going to give him the rent money. He's not going to find another job anytime soon and as long as he's helping me out I have no problem giving him the money."
"I think that's a great idea."
Luke and his dad aren't best buddies but they're getting along much better than they did before. And Luke's dad actually likes fixing up the house. He likes it better than his job at the shipyard. I think that's another reason he's being less of a jerk to Luke. He finally found something he likes doing that makes him happy. Maybe now he'll finally understand why Luke golfs.
My phone dings with a text.
"It's my mom," I say. "She asked if I'd be home for lunch. She's making pizza. You should come over. You could help me pack."
He kisses me. "We won't get much packing done, but yeah, I'll come over."
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