I smirked at her irritation. Perversely, I found getting a rise out of her was kind of enjoyable. I turned back around and took a couple steps across the living room. “Mr. Cooper! It’s Luke!”
A garbled noise came from somewhere in the apartment. I froze. A second later, I heard my name coming from the kitchen.
With a leap, I was across the living room and through the doorway. There, in the minuscule kitchen, lay Mr. Cooper. He was dressed in his bathrobe and flat on his back. His eyelids fluttered when he saw me and he raised his hands slightly. He was obviously weak and had trouble moving.
“Luke,” he rasped.
I dropped to my knees next to him. “Mr. Cooper, what happened?”
“I fell.” His voice was so weak I could barely understand the words.
“Can you move? Does it hurt anywhere?”
“My-my hip. Water. I need water.”
Standing quickly, I whipped open a couple cabinets and found the glasses before filling one with tap water. Aunt Gingerly, I lifted Mr. Cooper’s head and gave him a few sips.
“Don’t try to move anymore,” I told him. “I’m going to call an ambulance.”
He mumbled something I couldn’t make out.
“Grace,” I called over my shoulder. “Call 911 and ask for an ambulance. Tell them an elderly man has fallen down and is injured.”
Grace appeared in the doorway, her eyes going wide when she saw Mr. Cooper.
“Oh my God,” she gasped, pulling her phone from her pocket. “What happened?”
“He fell. Now please call for an ambulance.”
She dialed and turned away to speak into the phone. “Hello, I need an ambulance. We’re at 144 Kingsley, Apartment 12.”
I’d have to tell her later how impressed I was with her memory.
“The paramedics will be here soon,” I told Mr. Cooper. “Just rest.”
The ambulance arrived in a few minutes, and the paramedics came in with a stretcher. I moved into the living room with Grace so they could do their job. The two of us watched silently. When the stretcher came through, Grace took a step back, her bare arm brushing mine. I glanced down at her. Her face was pale, her mouth drawn into a thin line.
“How long do you think he was there?” she whispered.
I gulped. “I don’t know,” I whispered back. “He could barely speak. I think he’s pretty dehydrated.”
My stomach clenched, and I fought the urge to hurl.
The paramedics got Mr. Cooper to the ambulance, and I followed, going up to one of them to confirm the hospital he was headed for.
The siren came on, and they peeled away, going across the parking lot and out onto the road. A few neighbors had gathered outside their apartments, and they watched with curiosity, turning their heads to us as if we might shout out the answer.
“What now?” Grace asked at my elbow, making me jump.
I blew out a heavy breath and looked at the open door behind us. “We still need to finish the drop offs, but we can’t just leave Mr. Cooper hanging. The hospital staff will need someone there to give information on him and he’ll need some support.”
I gnawed at the inside of my cheek. I would have to call Ricardo and see if there was any chance he could come in and finish the drop offs while I went to the hospital. Mondays could be iffy with him since he was in school full-time.
“I’ll do it,” Grace said. “I’ll finish the drop-offs.”
I stared at her. “By yourself?”
She looked annoyed. “Yes. By myself. I can read and I can drive.”
“All right,” I conceded. “Let me find Mr. Cooper’s house keys and lock up, then you can drop me off at the hospital.”
Luckily, Mr. Cooper was extremely organized. His keys hung on a hook by the front door. I took the box of non-perishables inside and set them on the kitchen table, although it was hard to say just when Mr. Cooper would be returning home. The paramedics hadn’t given any hints as to what was wrong with him, but my guess was he’d fallen and broken something.
When I came back out, Grace was attempting to put the screen back on the window, which essentially meant she was trying to stuff it in the hole, expecting it to stay by itself. I stifled a laugh and went over to help.
“Here,” I said, taking it from her hands. She stepped back and let me put it on. “All right. I’m ready.”
I handed her my keys, and we climbed into the car. I waited while she adjusted the seat and mirrors.
“I’m going to take your word that you’re a good driver,” I told her.
“I didn’t promise you that I am.”
Despite the depressing circumstances, that one made me laugh a little. Grace navigated the car out of the driveway, doing a good job of not hitting or killing anything.
I gave her the directions to the hospital. Once there, she pulled up to the front doors via the circular driveway to drop me off.
“Luke,” she said.
My hand paused on the door. “Yeah?”
She licked her lips. “I hope he’s okay. I’m sorry.”
I clenched my teeth. “Thanks. If he’s not all right, it will be my fault.”
She shook her head. “Wait. What?”
My hand tightened on the door. “I knew how alone he was, and I didn’t do anything. He could have been there for days…” I trailed off. Talking about it made a lump rise in my throat, and I didn’t have enough confidence to go on.
“Are you serious? It’s not your fault.”
“Call me when you’re done.” I didn’t look at her. Instead, I focused my attention on hurrying from the car and through the sliding doors. I heard my familiar engine rumble away right before the doors closed behind me.
Grace was just being nice. Also, she didn’t know just how much I was responsible for Mr. Cooper’s well-being. I had known the man didn’t have anyone to count on regularly. And still I’d turned my head, opting to just drop off a box of food occasionally and pay him a random visit a few times a month.
I’d dedicated my life to helping Mr. Cooper and others in similar situations.
And, if that morning was any indication, I’d also failed.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Grace
I wiped sweat from my brow and climbed into Luke’s SUV. The first experience of being alone in his car, unfortunately, didn’t give me the thrill I’d hoped for. Under any other circumstances, I’d be rooting through his glove compartment, trying to glean some clues about the kind of girl he liked based on the brand of mints he chose or what receipts were stashed there.
I’d already gone over my scheduled hours at the pantry, thanks to GPS getting me lost twice. I’d called Bethany Roessler and explained what was happening before promising to show up the next day to walk her terrier. She’d seemed pretty understanding and told me she’d try and find one of the usual neighborhood kids to take Mr. Jingles out.
I was a smelly mess, no doubt with streaked mascara around my eyes and sweat stains on my shirt. But at least I’d completed the drop off list. One of the reasons it had taken so long was because all of the box recipients had wanted to know where Luke was. So I’d gotten stuck at each and every house for twice as long, caught up in detailing the morning’s events.
By the time I climbed into the SUV at the last house, it was one o’clock, and I still hadn’t heard from Luke. Taking my phone out, I pulled up his number. I’d gotten it on my first day, along with a list of all the pantry volunteers numbers.
Luke’s number was the only one I’d put into my phone immediately though. Right before I could hit the call button my phone rang, signaling a call from the man himself.
“I was just about to call you,” I told him. “I just finished.”
“Good. I’m still at the hospital.”
“Is everything okay? What did the doctors say?”
“Well, it’s not as bad as it could have been, I guess. He’s got a fractured hip.”
“That’ll heal… right?”
“
Yeah,” he sullenly replied.
“What?”
“He told the doctors he was on the floor for two days.” Luke said the words as if they tasted bitter.
“Oh no.”
Luke sighed. “I’m such an idiot.”
My heart contracted. I’d only just met Luke Anderson, and I may not have known everything about him, but I knew for a fact that he was anything but stupid.
“That’s not true,” I told him. “Don’t say that.”
“Can you come pick me up?”
“Yeah. I’m on my way.”
He waited in front of the doors where I’d dropped him off, his arms crossed and his face tense. When I stopped the car, he climbed in without a word, and I took off, surprised at my own ability to figure out just where we were in town.
“You can go to your house,” he said after a minute. “The pantry is already closed for the day.”
“Oh. Okay.”
I glanced at him. He saw me looking and turned to face me.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For everything you did today,” he replied.
“You’re welcome… are you really blaming yourself for what happened?”
“Yes,” he replied, not a single beat skipped.
I laughed, then caught myself and shut my mouth. Instead of chastising me, Luke only looked down into his lap.
“He needs to go into some kind of care facility,” he said to his legs. “He’s too old to be living on his own. I’m going to call some places today and find somewhere nice. As soon as Mr. Cooper’s out of the hospital, he’ll need a place.”
“I just don’t get why you’re blaming yourself. You were helping him out, for God’s sake. And just look at today. You might have saved his life!”
Luke shook his head. “I should have done more.”
“Well, you’re not a saint, so there you go.”
He laughed lightly.
“What?”
His mouth twisted. “Nothing.”
We entered downtown, and I stopped at the crosswalk near the courthouse to let a group of teenagers go across. When I hit the gas again, I went slower than before, not eager to get home and end my time with Luke. As crazy as the day had been, my desire to be around him hadn’t been dampened in the slightest.
“Is there anything you need?” I asked him, too self-conscious to look at him full on.
“What do you mean?”
I shrugged. “Do you need me to run out and get you anything? I know you’re probably tired from everything that’s happened.”
“Thank you. No, I don’t think I need anything. Actually, you’re the one who’s probably exhausted. I should be thanking you.”
“No worries.”
“Why don’t you come in for lunch?”
I licked my lips, loving and hating just how excited his offer made me. The more I fell for Luke, the more I saw just how much I had to lose. And I didn’t mean when it came to money.
The need to get myself in a good marriage was still there, of course. From the second I’d come up with the plan, it had been my main objective. But now there was so much else going on when it came to pursuing Luke.
I’d been crazy into Eli for a time, and there had been a couple guys in the past I would have considered myself head over heels for. But with Luke, the experience was something entirely new. The way I felt about him…
The way I felt about him was too scary to even put into words.
“Lunch sounds nice,” I replied with a thick tongue.
My heart hammered the rest of the way to his house. When we pulled into the driveway, and I put his SUV into park, my hand shook. I willed it to still itself and hoped Luke hadn’t noticed it jerking around.
“Your bike,” he suddenly said.
“Huh?”
“Your bike is still at the pantry.”
I waved my hand dismissively. “It’s fine.”
He smirked. “I’ll go pick it up later and drop it off at your house. Come on. I’m not much of a cook, but I can make you a decent sandwich.”
“That sounds great,” I honestly said.
Luke let us into his house, flipping on the switch to illuminate the living room. Although the space was large, it was surprisingly sparse. Only a few pieces of furniture sat in there, and the walls were depressingly bare.
My curiosity was again piqued. What was Luke doing in such a large house all by himself? From the looks of it, he hardly spent time in the place. There were no books, knick knacks or gadgets laying around; no cups or glasses left over from a drink enjoyed in front of the TV.
“The bathroom is down that hall,” he said, pointing across the room. “In case you need it. Kitchen is this way.”
I followed him across the room and into a massive kitchen. The long black counters, enough to set out a buffet for a hundred people, were also predictably bare, save for a toaster and blender.
“Do you actually live here?” I asked, unable to help myself.
“Not really.” He went to the fridge and opened it, then gestured to the stools pushed up against the island. “Have a seat.”
I took the offered stool. The second my butt hit it, all the muscles in my body practically collapsed, relieved to have a break at last.
“I spend a lot of time at the pantry,” Luke explained, pulling cold cuts and lettuce from the fridge. “Or out.”
“Like bars?” I asked, trying to sound casual, but wondering if he was the kind of guy who went out regularly with the intent of picking up women.
“Sometimes. Bars aren’t really my scene, but sometimes my friend Mark and I go to Pit Stop. You been there yet?”
“No.” I shook my head. “I haven’t even thought about going out at night. I didn’t think Crystal Brook had a night life.”
“Just a couple of bars. Is ham and cheese okay?”
“Yeah, that’s good. Thanks.”
“Any special requests?”
“Just no mayo.”
I wound my fingers together and set them on the counter top. The other end of Luke’s kitchen had a sliding glass door leading out to a large deck. Just past it, I could see a swimming pool.
“It’s weird that you claim you don’t really live here,” I said. “If my aunt and uncle had a pool, I would never leave their house.”
Luke grabbed a cutting board and knife and set them on the island right across from me. “Did you have a pool in L.A?”
“Yeah. I love swimming.”
I swallowed the last word slightly, hesitant to talk about life back in Cali. When Luke had last asked me about my father’s company going under, I’d avoided giving him a direct answer. I didn’t want to mention anything that might remind him of that strained conversation.
If he’d wanted to know, of course, all he had to do was a simple Google search. It was how I’d found out most of what Iknew about him.
Maybe he’d already done just that, and maybe that was why he hadn’t brought the topic up again. Perhaps Luke figured he already knew everything he needed to about me.
I started playing with the little silver ring on my right hand. There was still so much damage control I needed to do in our relationship, and I didn’t really know where to start.
Luke went to the fridge and pulled out a tomato. The sight of it reminded me of Tracey.
“Hey,” I said. “Why is there that rule at Community First about people only being able to pick up once a month?”
He started slicing the tomato, sparing a second to look up at me. “It’s so that we can make sure to get supplies to everyone on our list.”
“If you run out, can’t you just get more? From the food bank?”
Or can’t you just buy more food yourself?
Luke nodded, his hands continuing their deft work on the cutting board. “We can get more, yes. But it’s better to know what we’re working with. As the need increases, so does the amount of food we need to bring in. Things run smoother if we have time to pla
n ahead, but if people need more than one pick-up a month, we make exceptions.”
He took his tomato slices and went to a cabinet to get a loaf of bread. “Why do you ask?”
I quickly prepared an answer. Not knowing just how badly I had broken protocol, if at all, by helping Tracey out, I decided it best to only reveal part of the story.
“A woman came in the other day wanting to pick up more food a day after she’d gotten some. Brie told her it just wasn’t possible.”
“She was back just one day later? That’s odd.”
“Yeah.” I tapped my index finger against the counter top. Luke’s eyes fell on it. A few seconds passed, and he looked up at me. I stopped tapping.
He knew there was more to the story. I could see it in his eyes.
“And then what happened?”
I shrugged. “Brie gave her some addresses, I guess ones of soup kitchens, and she left.”
“Do you know this woman’s name?”
“Um… yeah. Tracey… something.”
Luke got busy again with the sandwiches, going and getting two plates before putting all the layers together. “I’ll look into her file. If she needs help, I’d certainly like to give it.”
“I think she’ll be fine,” I said, remembering how embarrassed Tracey had seemed to even ask for help.
Luke pressed his palms against the counter top and leaned into them, the sandwiches finished. “You didn’t make it sound like that. If she’s coming in looking for another box just twenty-four hours after she got the first one, then something is up. So there’s a part of the story you’re not telling me.”
My mouth fell open. I was literally speechless. For not the first time since we’d met, Luke somehow saw right through me.
“I’m not going to force you to tell me the whole story,” he continued. “But I’m curious.”
I gazed back at him, unsure. “I don’t know if I should…”
“I’ll try my best not to get mad.”
“What if…” I exhaled, wondering if I should just take a chance and go for it. Maybe Luke would have to ban me from Community First by breaking some kind of rule by helping Tracey. Such a case would blow my last chance at winning him over. But what if Tracey ended up needing help again? Luke had just offered to give that to her. Suppose I wasn’t around the next time she got in a bind and needed a helping hand?
Wrecked (Crystal Book Billionaires) Page 14
