Annie and Jen heaved the crib box out to Jen’s jeep. With the backseat down, they managed to wedge it in. Unfortunately, this left Annie without a seat. She crammed herself on the floor between the box and the back of my chair. “This is just like us,” she huffed, trying to get comfortable without being squashed by the heavy box. “We just always have to do everything the classy way.”
Back at home, the girls once again struggled with the box, panting as they heaved it up the front steps and into the house. I stood by and made helpful suggestions, mostly about how stupid they looked.
When they finally got it into the house, they both collapsed on the couch and demanded lemonade. I brought us each a glass and we sat together, staring at the giant box, which now took up half the living room.
“Um,” Annie started. “Do either of you actually have any idea how to put this thing together?”
Jen and I were silent for a moment. “I’m sure we can figure it out,” she said finally. “We’re three college-educated, smart women.”
“Who don’t own any tools,” Annie muttered under her breath.
We sat down in front of the box, pulling out various pieces and trying to match them to the pictures in the directions. We determined that we would, in fact, need tools, so Annie ran next door to see what she could borrow from our neighbors.
It took us four hours. Four hours and a bottle and a half of wine. Not for me, unfortunately, but Annie and Jen had started drinking shortly after we failed, for the third time, to properly attach bracket C to leg brace F.
“Why do they have to make this so hard?” Jen demanded. “It’s ridiculous! If three college-educated, smart, successful women can’t figure it out, who can?” The more she drank, the more adjectives she added to her description of us. Annie, on the other hand, became more and more cheerful as her wine flowed. Neither was very helpful.
Somehow we managed to get it together. I could only hope we did it right. “Crib falling apart around baby” was a new anxiety dream I was sure I would be adding to my repertoire that night.
“We did it!” Jen enthused proudly, putting her arm around me.
“Yeah,” Annie agreed, hiccupping. “And we don’t even have any pieces left over!”
Chapter Twenty-one
After that first dinner with Luke, my anxiety about hanging out with him outside of work faded pretty fast. It would have to, as I was now seeing him after work just about every day. He would even show up to meet me after my shift when he wasn’t on the schedule.
Some nights we would go and get coffee together, sitting and talking about books and films for hours. Other times we went for dinner or to catch an early movie. So far, all of our outings were still tied to work—he had never called me at home or asked to see me on a night I wasn’t already at the shop. But slowly, very slowly, I could feel us getting closer.
He was so easy to talk to, and we had a ton in common. We both loved books, craft beers, and international food. We had the same taste in movies—and as an avid movie-lover, this was very important to me. I could never do with a man who liked blow-up action crap. Our upbringings were vastly different, but we both had the distinct honor of being disappointments to our parents.
“What I had really wanted to do was to go to culinary school,” Luke admitted one evening over cheesecake. We had both worked a double shift, staying at the store long past closing as we tried to complete the inventory. Luke had ordered in dinner for us from the diner down the street, and we ate sitting cross-legged on the floor in the middle of the shelves.
“Really?” I asked.
“Don’t sound so shocked,” he laughed. “I’m a really good cook!”
“Then why didn’t you go?” I asked.
Luke sighed. “My parents didn’t approve,” he said. “My dad wanted me to take over the store someday. He said if he was paying for my education, I was going to major in business.”
“That sucks,” I said. “Didn’t he think being a chef was a worthwhile option?”
He laughed, sounding bitter. “No, not at all. He told me cooking was fine for a hobby, but not something to make a living out of.”
“I’m sorry, Luke,” I said, knowing full well how horrible it was when your parents brushed aside your feelings.
He shrugged. “It wasn’t too bad. I liked school, even though I thought the business classes were boring as hell.” He smiled at me. “But I got a good job when I graduated—well, not an enjoyable one, but one that made me some pretty good money.”
“That’s always a good thing,” I replied, thinking it was out of character for him to care much about money when it came to describing a job as “good.”
“It was a good thing,” he replied. “Because I got to save a ton. I had the perfect plan: I was going to save as much as possible until I could afford to go on a tour of Europe. If my dad wasn’t willing to pay for me to learn cooking, I was going to get out and learn it myself, in the real world.”
“That sounds amazing,” I breathed. “God, I’ve always wanted to travel, especially to Europe. I’ve never been anywhere.”
“Me either,” he said, and the bitterness was very pronounced in his voice now. “I was a few months from having enough cash when my dad had his heart attack.”
“Oh, God,” I muttered. “Oh, Luke, that’s horrible. I’m so sorry.”
He didn’t meet my eyes. “So instead I ended up here, running my dad’s store in the same town I grew up in, spending half my day trying to deal with numbers and invoices…” He exhaled deeply, clenching his fist.
I felt so bad for him. He was stuck here out of duty, and it was the last place in the world he wanted to be. Instinctively, I reached out and grabbed his hand.
Luke looked up at me in surprise, then smiled. “Well, it could be worse,” he said. “It’s good to have a job, right?”
I nodded.
“And at least my dad owned a business I could stand. I love books. What if he had owned a plumbing store or something?”
I laughed. “Yeah, that would have been worse.”
“Besides,” he said, his voice growing slightly husky as he squeezed my hand gently. “It’s been a lot more bearable at the store lately.”
I felt my heart start to beat more quickly, and I couldn’t help but grin at him.
“So,” I said, trying to bring the conversation back to safer ground, “what kind of stuff do you like to cook?”
“My specialty is Asian fusion,” he said, his voice quickly becoming intense. “But I like to make all different kinds of food. So long as it’s real food, not pretentious, flouncy stuff.”
I laughed. “That sounds like my kind of meal,”
“Maybe I could cook for you sometime,” he said, somewhat shyly, looking down at his lap. I felt a familiar warmth in my cheeks.
“I would really like that,” I said softly. He looked up and our eyes met. He held my gaze for a beat longer than was completely comfortable, and I felt the heat in my cheeks increase.
“Good,” he said, smiling at me. “How about this weekend?”
I gulped. I wasn’t scheduled at the store this weekend. If I was going to see him, it would be completely independent of work. I swallowed again, wondering if that was a step I wanted to take. Who was I kidding? Of course I wanted to take it, but I wondered if it was smart to do so. I tried to picture what Jen would say, but Luke was still looking at me, waiting for an answer, his eyes intense and fixed on my face. It was very hard to be rational, or even form coherent thought, when he was looking at me like that.
“Sounds perfect,” I murmured.
* * *
We arranged to meet at Luke’s apartment that Saturday at seven. I felt nervous all day, my stomach a fluttery mess. The baby joined in on the party, moving around like crazy and adding to my discomfort.
I took special care getting ready. I didn’t have many outfits that could minimize my bump anymore, but I did have a few things that emphasized my cleavage. After much trying on and
hemming and hawing, I decided to go for it. I tried to keep my make-up minimal, but I couldn’t help getting into the mood: it had been so long since I had dressed up for a guy. I wanted to feel, and look, pretty.
It was all worth it when I saw Luke’s face. He very obviously appreciated the effort I had put in to my appearance. It was a look that I had once known well, the look of a guy who was thinking that I looked great. Before Josh (who I was not going to think about that night), it was a look I saw all the time. Hell, Josh himself looked at me like that practically every day—but no, I wasn’t thinking about that. I was with Luke tonight, and that was where my attention was going to stay.
Luke’s apartment was great. It took up most of the second floor of a brownstone in the downtown area of Rochester, very close to the store. His furniture was very eclectic, and I figured it was a mix of hand-me-downs and cheap stuff, probably Ikea. Unsurprisingly, the walls were crowded with bookshelves. He had hung several framed maps of different European countries around the room. I liked it immediately—it was the type of apartment that just felt like its owner.
He ushered me into the kitchen and sat me down at the small table with a glass of water. “Luke,” I said, practically moaning. “It smells amazing in here!”
“And you had the gall to doubt me!” he chided.
“I’m sorry. Clearly, I was way mistaken.”
“Well, you haven’t tasted it yet,” he said. “Maybe you’ll actually think I suck.”
I laughed. “I doubt that. Nothing that sucks could smell this good. What are you making, anyhow?”
“Paella,” he said proudly. “I’ve been slaving away half the day.”
“Oh my God.” I did moan this time. “I love paella!”
“Good!” Luke turned back to the stove, removing a lid from the pan there and stirring. “It should be almost done. I didn’t use seafood, just sausage and chicken. I wasn’t sure if seafood was good for you, or for the baby.”
I was touched. My doctor had told me most seafood was fine in moderation, but it was still a nice gesture.
“You know what I think is kind of amazing?” I asked impulsively. “You never seem weirded out by this.”
“Weirded out by what?”
“The whole pregnancy thing,” I said. “You don’t ignore it, but it’s like it doesn’t faze you or something.”
Luke shrugged. “I guess that’s because it doesn’t,” he replied. “Faze me, that is. Maybe it would have been different if I’d known you before, but I didn’t. You’ve been pregnant since we met so I guess it just seems like part of you.”
I laughed. “I wish it felt that normal to me.”
Luke put the top back on the pan and came and sat down across from me. “Does it still seem strange to you?” he asked.
I shrugged. “Sometimes. This is definitely not what I thought I would be doing, you know?”
“Sometimes those unexpected things are the best part,” he said. “I mean, if you would have asked either of us a year ago, I bet neither one of us would have imagined we’d be working at the store. And then we never would have met. We wouldn’t be here together now.”
At his words, I had a sudden vision of myself a year ago. A year ago, I was with Josh, and very much in love. I felt a pang at the thought, a deep pain in my chest. I tried to push it away.
Luke reached out and took my hand, staring intently into my eyes. “I’m glad I’m here with you,” he said softly.
I tried to smile. “Me too,” I said. And I meant it. Mostly.
* * *
It was a wonderful meal. I managed to get Josh out of my head eventually, and I was so glad I did because Luke was great. He made me laugh and he made me feel beautiful. And the food was delicious.
At the end of the evening, he walked me to the door and pulled me in for a hug. “I had a really good time,” he murmured into my hair.
“Me too,” I said, as he pulled back. “Thank you so much for dinner.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. I shivered at his touch. He really was a gorgeous man. “Can I see you tomorrow?”
“Sure,” I breathed. He was standing very close to me, and the largeness of him, the maleness of him, overwhelmed me. He smelled good—a mixture of the Spanish spices he had cooked with and some kind of musky body wash. His hand, which lingered on my face, felt strong.
Then he was leaning down, his face coming closer, and closer. I wanted to feel his lips on mine, I craved it with my entire body. But at the last minute, I turned my head, causing his lips to brush my cheek instead. I’m not sure why.
He pulled back, looking slightly surprised. But then he smiled at me. “Drive safe,” he said. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow at one, okay?”
“Perfect,” I said, smiling at him briefly before turning to go.
Chapter Twenty-two
Just as promised, Luke was at the house the next day at one. Annie and Jen had camped out at the window to catch sight of him when he pulled up.
“The two of you are ridiculous,” I informed them as I scurried around, gathering my things.
“It’s your own fault,” Annie said. “You told us this was the hottest guy you’ve ever seen. Did you honestly think we weren’t going to want to check him out?”
I couldn’t deny she had a point. “Where the hell are my shoes?” I moaned, rifling through the front closet. “This is silly, I just had them…”
“Ooh, I think he’s here!” Jen squealed.
“Shit!” I said, standing up quickly. “I’m not ready!”
“I guess he’ll just have to come in,” Annie said smugly. “And you owe me a dollar.”
I groaned. “Alright, listen, you two,” I said firmly as I heard Luke’s car door slam outside. “If you do anything to embarrass me, I will kill you. Seriously.”
Annie snorted but was prevented from replying by a knock on the door.
“We’ll be good, I promise,” Jen said, smiling at me as she went to let Luke in.
She opened the front door and I heard her draw in her breath sharply. “Hi,” she said breathily. “I’m Jen, Ginny’s roommate. Come on in.”
“Hi, Jen, I’m Luke,” he responded from the porch. She stepped aside and Luke entered the room.
I couldn’t blame Jen for being flustered. Luke looked great today, even better than normal. He was wearing jeans and a blue sweater over a white dress shirt. The white of the shirt stood out markedly against his tan skin, and the sweater made his eyes look particularly blue. It wasn’t just that Luke was attractive, it was his entire demeanor. I don’t know how to describe it except to say that he was very, very male. He towered over the three of us, and I could practically feel the girls go all fluttery next to me.
“Hey, Luke,” I said, trying to keep my voice light.
He beamed at me. “Hi, Ginny. You look great.”
I blushed and looked down. For God’s sake, why did I have to constantly act like a twelve-year-old girl around him?
Across the room, I heard Annie clear her throat infinitesimally. “Oh, Luke, this is Annie, my other roommate.”
“Hi,” she practically purred, sliding up next to him. “I’ve heard a lot about you.” I glared at her, but Luke just smiled.
“I’ve heard a lot about you guys, too,” he said pleasantly.
“So where are you two off to?” she asked, moving slightly closer to him. God, she could be irritating.
“I thought we’d go to the zoo today,” Luke addressed me, raising his eyebrows as if to ask me what I thought.
“I haven’t been to the zoo in forever!” I said, excited. The Detroit Zoo was located in Royal Oak, right down the road from us, but I hadn’t gone since I was a kid.
“It’s supposed to actually feel a little like spring today,” he said. “I thought it would be nice to be outside.”
“That sounds perfect,” I said. “Let me just grab a jacket.” I hurried up to my room, praying that Annie wouldn’t do anything t
oo embarrassing in my absence. I found the pair of shoes I had been looking for, laid out neatly at the end of my bed, exactly where I had put them in anticipation of getting ready. Figures. Glancing one last time in the mirror, I fluffed my hair and headed out of the room to meet my date.
* * *
Luke had gotten it right: the weather was beautiful, our first nice day of the season. The zoo wasn’t very crowded but there was a pleasant vibe in the air.
“I love Michigan in the spring,” Luke said, taking my hand as we walked through the main concourse area. “The minute we get some fifty degree weather everyone stumbles outside like they’ve never seen the sun before.”
Luke had a point. It was a tradition around here. The sun would finally show itself, however so dimly, and suddenly you’d see people in shorts wherever you looked, and the windows of every car you passed would be rolled down.
Since I hadn’t been to the zoo in so long, I wanted to see everything. I remembered that when I was a kid, the chimps were my favorite, so we started there. As we walked from exhibit to exhibit, Luke held my hand and we chatted about animals we had known. I discovered that Luke’s family had always kept dogs, and he wished he could get one of his own. My parents had never allowed me to have a pet and I told him how jealous I used to get of Annie and her family’s two cats when we were little.
We rode on the train, ate ice cream, and spent a good half-hour sitting comfortably in the butterfly house as the colorful wings flapped around us, making us laugh when they landed on our arms and hands. It was one of the nicest afternoons I’d had in a long time.
As he had been there more recently, Luke led the way around the animal exhibits. “They’re all really active today,” he told me as we stood in front of the tiger den. “It’s actually better to come to the zoo when it’s still kind of cold out because most of the animals move around more. In the summer, they get lazy and they’re harder to see.”
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