Luke's #1 Rule

by Cynthia Harrison

  Words tumbled from her mouth. Where she’d been slow, now she tripped over them. “My pains came on super strong, right away. I knew something wasn’t right. It wasn’t that way with Josh. I timed them and they were only a few minutes apart. I called Spence around five o’clock in the morning. Still out partying. Spence finally answered after the third call to his cell. He said to have my mom take me to the hospital and watch Josh.”

  Luke kept the motor running, pulled the shoulder closest to her away and up. Was she blaming Spence for the break-up of the marriage? Hadn’t it been her decision? Didn’t they have marriage counselors downstate? Everyone knew it took two people to make a marriage and two people to split it up.

  “Spence said he’d be there when he could. He missed the birth. He missed the first day of Tommy’s life. He came into the hospital at regular visiting hours that night, stinking of beer. And the first thing he said, before he even asked how I was, before he even saw the baby, was that he’d had a hell of a day and he hoped I wasn’t about to bust his balls.”

  Okay. Horrible story and despite his determination to break things off now, while it could still be done relatively painlessly, he imagined how it must have been for her. “What did he say when you told him you wanted a divorce?”

  “At first, we tried counseling. I thought that by the end of therapy, I’d be able to somehow solve my problem, live with an addict. He went to one session and then said I had the problem so I should be the one to go to a shrink. It turned out that I did have a problem. A big one named Spence.”

  She’d stopped loving him. Luke would not say this, but the thought came through despite his best intentions to leave her and her long sad story alone.

  “I didn’t love him anymore. He’d killed that with his drinking and drugging. He got fired from his job a month before he told me. We almost lost our house. My mom had to bail us out. He’d had addiction problems in the past, but he’d been to rehab and supposedly fixed. Again. Except he wasn’t. One day Tommy came out of Spence’s office with a vial of white powder clutched in his little hand. That was it. The end. I took my kids to my mom’s that day and never looked back.”

  “So the guy had to work hard. So he sometimes had a bad day. Addicts relapse all the time. But then they get clean again. And their family stands beside them. Life is not all hearts and flowers and romance.” Luke purposely came up with every reason not to love her, not to beg her to stay. He’d been a dumb ass and broken his rule, and now he was paying the price. He needed it to stop now.

  “My therapist said Spence was an emotional abuser.”

  He wanted to say he was sorry she’d chosen the wrong man. But “Have a good life” came out instead. He reached over across her lap and opened the passenger door. He gunned the engine for good measure.

  She sat there, taking no hints. “So this is it? We’re over? You won’t even consider my offer? You said you loved me. I love you. That’s the important part. That’s what matters.”

  “I told you why I won’t move.” He had to get her out of his truck, and then he had to go home and have a beer in his empty living room. “We should have never happened. Would have never happened had I known you were moving to Seattle. When? Tomorrow? The next day?” He didn’t have to fake the venom in his voice. He wanted to hit something. Maybe that wall in his kitchen that needed taking down anyway.

  He didn’t look when he heard her scoot off the seat and lower herself to the ground. With most of his mind, he thought about where he’d last seen his crowbar. A tiny part watched her walk past the stand of pines over to Blue Heaven before he backed out of the lot and headed back into town. Home.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chloe carefully wove through the stand of pines that divided the park from Blue Heaven. Luke hadn’t even mentioned love. Not once. When she got to the bonfire, the kids were with Spence and Bettina. Her mom must have let Spence take them. They were so happy to see their dad. Chloe’s heart broke for the second time in ten minutes. Her smile wobbled as she called for bedtime.

  “The sofa in Kiwi cottage turns into a bed! Daddy says we can sleep on it.” The words toppled out of Josh.

  “Please,” Tommy begged.

  “Only if your mom says it’s okay.” Bettina, always the voice of reason and the only reason Chloe said yes. It gave her an excuse to go into her room right now and be alone with her misery.

  She kissed her boys goodnight and headed for her room in the bungalow, but sleep didn’t come easy that night. She grabbed a few fitful hours, then gave in and got up. She put a pot of coffee on the stove and went out to the porch to watch the sun come up.

  Spence wandered out of Kiwi early. He carried his own mug of coffee and sat down uninvited in the deck chair next to hers. They didn’t speak, as if neither was willing to start. Finally, Spence began his familiar tale: he’d stay clean and sober this time, he had returned to work, he would pay her back, turn his life around, blah, blah, blah.

  Chloe tuned out briefly, until he began to talk about moving to Blue Lake. “I put our house on the market yesterday, and it sold to the first guy who walked through the door this morning.”

  She sat up straighter and peered into her coffee mug. Empty. She still didn’t feel like talking, so she held up her index finger and gestured with her coffee cup.

  Spence followed her into the kitchen. “This is nice. We’d like something along these lines up here. Obviously, not on the lake. Out of our price range.”

  “So glad I could help you get your future together.” She couldn’t resist the dig, him basically using her money to create a new life.

  Spence went on as if he had not heard her.

  “Did you know there’s an empty real estate office right next to Sanchez’s? It seems too good to be true.” He held out his cup and she filled it. “This could work for all of us, Chloe.”

  “I already have a plan. A plan that does not include living in Michigan. You signed off on me taking the kids out of state.”

  “I know.” They stood, not really looking at each other, unwilling to share the small table that had a window out to the lake. “I was wrong. I should not have done that. As you know, under the influence at the time.”

  “We’re leaving in a few days. There’s nothing you can do about it.”

  “Well, there is, but let’s not fight. Can’t you see? This place is perfect for starting over. Housing, especially those old cottages like your mom’s that aren’t on the lake, is super cheap here. People are buying again. When our house sold, I realized there’s a housing shortage and a historic low on mortgage rates.”

  “But, Spence, what about Bettina’s career?”

  “What about it? She wants to stay home with the baby.”

  Of course she did. Chloe thought with a twinge about how lovely it had been this past month being there for her boys every day. Not having to rush off to work or chain herself to her laptop on weekends. All that was about to change. Spence talked on.

  “People start over every day. I know I screwed up our marriage and wasn’t there for you and the kids. But I’ve really learned my lesson. I can do it right this time.”

  How often had she heard that tune? A click alerted Chloe to Wanda’s entry into the registration office. She checked the clock. Already eight. Wanda of course smelled the coffee and gave a quick knock.

  “Come on in,” Chloe said, wondering if Luke had told Wanda about Seattle and her domestic distress.

  Another key turned in a lock, and Wanda stood in the kitchen, her mouth opening and closing when she noted Spence.

  “Hi,” Spence said, cheery as Chloe was glum.

  “Kiwi? Right?”

  “Yep.”

  “Where are the little ones, Chloe?”

  “This is their dad. Spence, Wanda. Wanda, Spence. They spent the night in Kiwi.”

  Wanda stared hard at Chloe. That woman did not miss a trick. She must know some of what had gone on yesterday, if not all. Nobody knew Luke had broken up with her. Not y
et. Spence’s voice penetrated again.

  “Love your town.” He spoke to Wanda with enthusiasm she remembered from the young, sober Spence. “My wife and I, and our new baby, are moving here permanently. Trying to talk Chloe here out of going to Seattle with my boys. She should stay here, too. That’s the proper way to blend a family.”

  Cripes. As if he knew the first thing about it. Wanda had yet to utter a word, her mouth opening again to form an O as her head swept from Chloe to Spence.

  “Well,” she finally said, “you’re right about this town. It’s a great place to raise kids. We look out for each other here.”

  Noise built from the cottagers who craved Wanda’s freshly baked muffins. Wanda transferred the coffee Chloe had made into a large carafe, started a new pot, and went out to say hi and situate the coffee pot and muffins upstairs.

  “See? Even she thinks it’s a good idea.”

  “Spence.” Bettina came in, a boy holding each of her hands.

  “Hi, baby.” He set down his cup and went over to hug his wife. The hug lasted a long time. The boys came to Chloe and began talking over each other about how cool it had been to stay in Kiwi cottage.

  “When are we going to the beach?”

  “Right now.” Chloe figured the very pregnant Bettina would not follow them there. Plus they were house-hunting. And Spence had to check on his new office space.

  Spence’s cell phone rang. He answered and gave short answers. Chloe worried he’d get an injunction to keep her in state. He’d hinted at it, and she knew he could play dirty when he wanted to. God, she hated him.

  Spence slipped his cell into his shorts pocket. “That was Ursula.” His eyes shone with excitement. “She told me she put in a good word with the guy who owns the bank.”

  Why did he have to say that in front of the kids? Curious guests gathered at the pocket door, currently wide open, that separated living quarters from work space. Wanda bustled in and unplugged the larger pot to carry it upstairs. Spence insisted he carry it. Too heavy for her, he said. As if Wanda didn’t do this very job every day. Bettina followed Spence out into the public area, and Wanda firmly locked the family space from prying eyes, several of which had been children the boys’ ages.

  “Okay,” Chloe said. “Eat your cereal, and we’ll go to the beach.”

  “Are you going to pack sandwiches and juice boxes?”

  “Of course. But you still have to eat your cereal.”

  “You buy the most boringest cereal. Dad had chocolate cereal in his cottage.”

  Figures. The sober Spence had a serious sweet tooth.

  The boys quickly shoveled down the boring cereal and went to put on their bathing suits. Wanda knocked and Chloe told her to come in.

  She sat at the kitchen table while Chloe cleared the cereal bowls, still sloshing with milk.

  ****

  Luke had escaped from Chloe and all her baggage with his heart intact. He didn’t give his love away easily, and now he knew for certain why he shouldn’t break the only rule he had when he came to letting a woman into his life.

  He’d done the day’s work on autopilot, and his house was dark when he got there. Chloe had never seen it, a good thing. He turned on the hall light and looked around the empty spaces. This he knew. This he was used to. He went into his living room, turned on the ball game. This room had one chair, one table, and one television. It met his needs. Tigers were losing, batting zero to six in the last inning.

  She’s just like Abby. He went to the kitchen, opened the fridge, pulled out a beer. Why did he have to fall in love with her? Sure, it had been great hanging with her and the boys. But that wasn’t love. He hadn’t really known her then. Now he did.

  The Tigers struck out, Don-O hit a pop up way out in the field, ending the inning and the game. He clicked off the television and sat drinking his beer. This gloomy and quiet house seemed unnatural after spending so much time with two talkative little boys. He might have misjudged Chloe, but her kids were all right. Hell, he had enjoyed the times he’d spent with them. Josh, always so serious, except when joy rose in his eyes and his little body hopped with excitement. Tommy, a bundle of live wires, always sparking off happy vibes. He’d miss them.

  He finished his beer and took the bottle into the kitchen. He kept the empty case right next to the fridge. Not very stylish but convenient. Chloe would have tried to fix things up around here. Women were famous for that. He rinsed the bottle out at the sink before stacking it into the case.

  The newspaper folded onto the sports section on the table where he’d left it this morning. He didn’t want another beer. It would work with his mood to bring him down farther than he wanted to go. He sat to read the paper, but couldn’t concentrate. He kept thinking about what Chloe had said. The whole “unfulfilled” woman bullshit. Any woman who would take her kids so far away from everyone who loved them and everything they knew, was not the kind of woman for him. Better to learn that now. End of story.

  He pulled the sports section out of the paper and went back into the living room. He’d find another game somewhere on cable. But he clicked through the channels without seeing anything of interest. He’d thought for sure Chloe had been falling under the spell of Blue Lake. He’d seen it happen time after time. People came for vacation and then found a way to stay.

  His heart hammered in his chest. She had asked him to move to Seattle with them. Had she meant it? It didn’t matter. Any woman who would break up a home, deprive her children of a father for purely selfish reasons, not a woman for him. He resolutely put Chloe and her children out of his mind.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Two days went by, and Chloe didn’t hear a word from Luke. Not that she expected to. Her mother didn’t mention him, Eva didn’t mention him, the boys didn’t mention him more than a million times.

  It was as if she’d made it all up. Or as if he was just another guy out for a good time, not thinking of what happens next but only what happens now.

  The Seattle job waited. She really had no choice. She had to do the best thing she could for her kids. To stay here would just be to hope and hang around waiting for Luke to say he loved her. That would not happen.

  She sat on the beach as the boys built castles in the sand. That’s what dreaming of a life with Luke was like—a castle made of sand. When she got to Seattle, everything would be clear again. She’d be working like a machine again, she’d be in control, she’d have money and a house and a nanny for her boys. Her life would line itself right back up again.

  That night, the boys begged to stay up late at the fire. Her mom showed up with a fresh bag of marshmallows. Spence and Bettina were there. Eva sat down next to Chloe when Tommy got up to run to his grandmother.

  “How are you?” Eva asked.

  “Fine.” Chloe hoped Eva wouldn’t bring up Luke. She’d been thinking about what he’d said the past few days. Doubting herself. Was it wrong to take her kids away from their father? Their grandmother? “Where’s Daniel tonight?”

  She tried to distract herself by asking about Eva’s husband. She’d have plenty of time for the boys. There would be nobody else, after all. Just work. And them. Every move she made was for them. So they’d have stability, insurance, a college fund.

  “He’s working on a project.” Eva stopped speaking for a minute, touched Chloe’s hand. “You’ve been so quiet the last couple of days.”

  Chloe nodded. “I’m okay. It’s just—”

  “What?”

  “Luke and I had a fight.”

  Before she could say anything more, the boys crowded around her with their s’more sticks and freshly roasted marshmallows.

  Eva got up so Tommy could have his seat back. “I won’t see you tomorrow. Daniel and I are going to Traverse City for a long weekend. So have a safe trip. Email when you get to Seattle.”

  “I will,” Chloe said. Then she finished making her boys their final s’mores.

  The next day, Josh didn’t want to collect treasure on th
e beach with Chloe and Tommy, so she let him stay in the bungalow for an hour with his handheld video game. Josh was a good kid, a responsible boy, and Wanda was on the property, taking care of the daily chores.

  Tommy was such a happy child. Any little piece of smooth rock or glass thrilled him, and he reverently placed it into his yellow pail.

  “Mommy?” Tommy had his head down, searching the sand.

  He bent down to dig and then let the waves wash his latest find, a bottle cap. Just another treasure to Tommy.

  “Why doesn’t Josh want to move to Seattle?”

  Chloe’s skin turned to gooseflesh even though the sun beat down.

  “Is it because it’s so far away? From Daddy? I’ll miss my daddy too, but he can come on weekends, right? And Grandma. We can still spend the night with her sometimes, right? Josh says we can’t. He says it’s too far. But it’s not too far, right, Mommy? Right?”

  Chloe took Tommy’s hand and led him over to the shore, away from the water. They sat down together.

  “It actually is a little too far, honey. Josh is right.”

  Tommy’s hurt expression was like she’d slapped him.

  “But Mommy, I’m going to have a new brother. Or it might be a sister, it’s a surprise. But I have to be the big brother now. And big brothers have to be there. You know that!”

  Chloe sighed.

  “Let’s go see how Josh is doing, and then we can all talk about this together.”

  Tommy still seemed upset, but he followed Chloe when she got up and led the way toward the bungalow.

  Back at the house, no sign on Josh. Chloe noticed that Dumpster, cage and all, was also missing. Oh-oh.

  “Wanda, have you seen Josh?” Chloe found Wanda in the laundry room, folding sheets.

  “He said he was taking that rabbit for a walk,” Wanda said. “I just figured you’d meet him on the beach.”