Loving Luke: (Cookies and Kisses) (A Christmas Novella)

by Cecelia Dowdy

  “Oh, the cute kid who’s been helping you in the bakery?”

  “Yes. They’ve only been in town for a few months.” She went on to explain how she’d offered to help Luke with calculus and had offered to fix dinner, too.

  “Humph. Well, looks like you’re getting a little too comfortable with him, Little Girl, making dinner for him and all.” She swallowed, stopping her food preparations. Her dad used to call her Little Girl when she was a kid, usually, he said this when he was worried or upset about something. “Look, I know you’ve been sad since your mom died. Spending time with Lisa might make you feel better, but, I don’t want that boy to hurt you like he did the first time.” He glanced at the crock pot before looking at her again, his mocha-colored face scrunched with worry. “You need to find yourself a nice, stable man. Find an educated man, someone who’s like Anthony.” Anthony was Tina’s husband.

  Kim gritted her teeth, resisting the urge to tell her father that she’d been engaged to a stable educated man who’d cheated on her. She’d mentioned Bill to her father, but, she’d never told her dad about her brief engagement to Bill. Since she’d moved back home, she’d wanted to tell her dad about her breakup, and about how she couldn’t seem to get over how Bill had broken her trust. But, if she told him about that, he’d probably say that she’d been too naïve and trusting to see her boyfriend’s faults. He patted her back before he left to go to the sandwich shop.

  Her conversation with her father played through her mind as she loaded up the car and drove over to Luke’s house. She knocked on his door and Lisa opened it. “Good, you’re here! I’m hungry, and Dad told me that you were fixing dinner tonight!” Kim hugged Lisa, kissing her cheek. In just a few days’ time, she’d grown fond of Luke’s child.

  Luke joined them in the living room. He looked wonderful. The exotic, manly scent of his aftershave was like a breath of fresh air. He wore a tee shirt and blue jeans. She caught herself staring at his brown, muscular arms. He hadn’t been this muscular in high school, so, she imagined that he’d started working out sometime after he left Bethlehem. With longing, she realized she wanted Luke to hug her again, but, he approached her, took her hand and squeezed it. His dark eyes full of sincerity. “Thanks for coming.”

  “You’re welcome.” She gestured toward his front door. “The food’s in the car if you want to help me bring it in.”

  “Sure.”

  They went out into the frigid night and Luke carried the crock pot while Kim carried the cornbread. Hopefully, he had the fixings for a salad. She’d meant to bring salad, too, but the conversation with her dad had thrown her a bit off-kilter, made her forget. They feasted on cornbread, chili, and cucumber and tomato salad. After they were finished with dinner, Kim told Luke that he could keep the leftovers to eat tomorrow.

  Luke made sure Lisa was occupied with her favorite movie and a bowl of popcorn in the living room while they settled down to study in the kitchen. As Kim had requested, Luke had made a list of all of the concepts he did not understand. They’d gotten one third of the way through the list, working out problems, while Kim attempted to explain the concept in a way that Luke would understand. Two hours later, Lisa announced she was tired. Luke sent her upstairs to get ready for bed.

  He yawned. “I’m beat. We covered a lot in the last two hours.”

  She nodded, the conversation she’d had with her dad had hovered in the back of her mind while she’d been working with Luke. Truth be told, she was attracted to him, and deep down, she probably would be open to the idea of dating him again. She’d not been able to admit this to herself until her dad pointed it out to her. Was she being too forward, offering to help Luke, making dinner for him? Did Luke see her as some poor woman who was desperate for a man? She certainly hoped not.

  He touched her face, and she jerked back, liking his gentle touch a little too much. “Hey, calm down. I’d just said something to you and you didn’t respond. What’s wrong?”

  She shook her head. “Nothing’s wrong, not really.”

  “Kim, you haven’t changed a bit. As soon as you got here, I could see that something was bothering you. When you’re upset, you don’t always pay attention to what people are saying, almost like you’re in a world of your own.”

  “Just something my dad said before I came here. Made me a little upset.”

  “Did it have anything to do with your sister, Tina?”

  She glanced at him, surprised he’d remembered how much she disliked that her sister was the favored sibling in the Taylor household. “He did mention Tina.” But, she just couldn’t tell him what her dad said about her getting too comfortable with Luke. If she told him that, she figured that Luke might think it was true and that was the last thing she needed. “Could we talk about something else?”

  He shrugged. “Sure.” He gestured toward the books. “Did you want to take a break?”

  “Yes.” She studied Luke as he got up from the table and poured himself a glass of water. He was just so….different than what she remembered. He was so nice, kind, and polite. It was like, he was the same, but, different, if that made any sense. His devotion toward his daughter seemed to soften him a bit, making him not so rough around the edges. He returned to the table, caught her staring at him. She swallowed, slightly embarrassed that he’d caught her ogling him. She cleared her throat. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure. But before you do that, I want to thank you again. You don’t know how much it means to me that you’ve taken time to study with me tonight.”

  “Did it help?”

  “Yes, but…”

  “I know. We didn’t get through all of the points that you wanted to go over.”

  He nodded. “I’m going to need your help. I could pay you if you want.”

  Paying for her tutoring services? It just sounded a bit weird. “No, you don’t have to pay me. If I ever need a favor, I’ll keep you in mind, okay?”

  He smiled. “Okay. Now, what did you want to ask me?”

  “I know you’d mentioned that Salina had died, but I was wondering what happened?” She paused. “My mom died of cancer not too long ago. That’s one of the reasons why I came home.”

  He sighed, leaned back into his chair. “I know about your mom. I read the obituary online. I was sorry to hear about her passing. I prayed for you and your dad when I found out.”

  This was a surprise. “You were looking up my mom online?”

  He told her how he’d happened to Google her. His only intent was to see if she’d changed since high school. “I told you that I go overboard where Lisa is concerned. She’s going to a slumber party next Saturday. I’ve already gone to the house and met the parents, asked them questions. I know they probably think I’m weird, but, I’m concerned about who spends time with my daughter. Besides, she’s never spent the night away from home.”

  Lisa had never spent the night away from home? That was so strange.

  “Anyway, about Salina, she was killed in a car accident a year ago.”

  She touched his hand. “I’m sorry.”

  He barely nodded, accepting her apology. “I was living near my cousins, and they curse, drink a lot, some of them do drugs. I didn’t want Lisa exposed to that. They were always coming to my house, and it just got too complicated. I figured it was time for me to move away from them. I wanted a wholesome environment for my daughter so I recalled how Bethlehem was a small, nice town. I found a job in the area and Lisa and I relocated here.”

  He continued telling her about what his life had been like after he’d left Bethlehem. “When I first left Bethlehem, my mom had been unemployed and she’d found a job a few hours away.” He took a sip from his water glass. “When we’d decided to move, my mom agreed to take Salina with us. She’d just turned eighteen and she was in foster care. Her foster parents weren’t going to let her stay since they were no longer going to get paid for her care since she was eighteen. My mom felt responsible for her because she was pregnant with her grandchi
ld.”

  She’d forgotten that Salina was a foster kid. She still wondered why he’d chosen to be with Salina instead of her, why he’d cheated on her with Salina. She also wondered why he’d left without saying good-bye. Her dad’s conversation still hovered in her mind and she didn’t think it was wise to tell Luke how much he’d hurt her when he’d left all those years ago.

  He told of dropping out of high school, getting his GED, marrying Salina, staying close to his extended family since they often offered emotional and financial support.

  “What about your mom? Did you stay close to her?”

  He shook his head. “My mom eventually remarried and she lives with her new husband in Florida. Anyway, about a year before Salina’s car accident, we started going to church. Both of us joined a church, and accepted Christ. You know, things aren’t always perfect, but, telling God about my problems makes me feel a heck of a lot better.”

  Kim nodded, blessed by Luke’s faith journey. She glanced at the clock, startled that it was midnight! They’d been talking for three hours! She yawned. “Well, I’d better be heading home. My dad will wonder where I’ve been.” It was still kind of hard for her to get used to living with her dad. He still treated her like she was in high school, and she could imagine him waiting up for her, getting ready to give her the third degree because she’d been out so late. Why couldn’t her dad treat her like a grown woman, instead of a wild teenager who’d stayed out late past her curfew? Luke touched her face, the warmth from his fingers skittered across her skin. She resisted the urge to take his hand, find solace from his gentle touch. “Are you okay? You looked upset.”

  “Just thinking about my dad.”

  Luke frowned, but, didn’t comment as he got her coat, helped her put it on. When they stepped outside, Kim giggled when she spotted freshly-fallen snow. Several houses had Christmas lights winking in the inky darkness. “Luke, it’s so beautiful out here,” she breathed, raising her face to the sky, feeling the cold flakes of snow on her skin. Rarely did they see snow during the Christmas season in Bethlehem. As she stepped down onto the sidewalk, her foot hit an icy patch and she slipped. Luke caught her in his arms and when his warm lips lightly pressed against her mouth, her heart skipped a beat.

  “Kim I couldn’t resist. This snow is not nearly as beautiful as you are.” Speechless, Kim didn’t know what to say. He walked her to her car, opened the door for her. “Call me when you get home so that I know you arrived safely.”

  She mutely nodded, starting the ignition.

  Chapter 5

  The echo of sleigh bells, Christmas music and partying filled the air as Kim opened the door of her cookie shop. She grinned as the Christmas parade with the fire engine carrying Santa Claus headed down Main Street. Watching the Christmas parade had been something she’d enjoyed doing with her mother every year. This was the first year that she’d watched the festivities without her mom and a sudden sinking, bittersweet feeling settled into her gut. As the high school marching band strutted by, the majorettes twirled their batons into the air, and their white boots clattered against the frigid street, as they performed their routine. Kim’s euphoria evaporated and she sighed.

  Since her mom had passed, she’d found that she could get sad at any moment. Puffs of white air escaped from her mouth into the cold air, and she took another deep breath, fisting her hands. Tears rushed to her eyes and she blinked, unable to keep the moisture from spilling from her eyes. Her mom had loved watching the marching bands in the parade. A musician, her mom had grown up playing the flute and had been in the marching band when she’d been in high school. She had also played with the church praise and worship band until she’d been too sick to participate.

  Lisa tugged her hand, pulling her out of her reverie. “What’s the matter Ms. Kim?”

  Kim glanced down at Lisa, her heart tugging with pride. Lisa had proven to be a huge asset to their bakery, and she loved helping serve the customers. Although today was Saturday, Luke had asked if it was okay if Kim stayed the entire day at the cookie shop since he was meeting with some of his friends from the college for an all-day study session. He’d initially wanted to leave Lisa with a sitter, but, Lisa had begged him to let her work with Kim for the entire day.

  She pulled the girl into a hug, breathing in her refreshing little-girl scent of soap and lotion. “I’m just missing my mom.” She released Lisa, looked into the child’s intelligent, dark-brown eyes.

  “Dad told me that your mom’s dead, too.” The child paused, bit her lower lip. Right now, she looked so much like her father that it tugged at Kim’s heart. When she’d initially spotted Lisa, two weeks ago, at the Career Day event, she had not noticed the resemblance between Luke and his daughter. However, now, she did see some resemblance between them. “I miss my mom, too. Sometimes, I cry when I miss her a lot.”

  Kim hugged Lisa again, unsure of what to tell the child to make the pain better. Sure, she could mention that both of their mothers were in heaven, but, that did little to minimize the daily pain felt from losing a parent. Kim rubbed her eyes, figuring young Lisa had it rougher than she did. Lisa was just a little girl, and every little girl needed a mom.

  The parade ended and confetti scattered the road as the last float made the trek down the street. Kim tugged Lisa into the warm cookie shop, the scents of vanilla and peppermint floated through the air. During Christmas, they always made their special peppermint cookies. Kim had made a batch that morning, before Lisa had arrived. Kim’s father had been complaining about a sore throat that morning, so, he wasn’t working in the cookie shop that day. She’d gotten him some cold medicine and, last she’d checked, he’d been sleeping soundly.

  As customers strolled into the shop, she thought about all that had happened over the last week. Since Luke had kissed her during the snowfall one week ago, things had been weird and stilted between them. She’d immediately texted her friends, Heather, Carly and Anna, as soon as she’d arrived home from last Saturday’s study session, telling them about kissing Luke. She’d even met her friend Heather for coffee. Heather had advised Kim to take things slow, one day at a time. She’d also told Kim that she needed to get to know Luke again since it’d been eight years since he’d left Bethlehem.

  Heather had also been discussing their annual cookie sleepover that happened every Christmas. Every year, since they were kids, Kim, Heather, Anna, and Carly had gotten together for a sleepover every Christmas, and they’d also brought cookies to exchange. Due to scheduling conflicts, they’d decided to have the cookie sleepover on the day after Christmas at Kim’s house.

  All of these thoughts tumbled through her mind. She went into the back of the kitchen and placed a pan of her famous vanilla cookies into the oven and set the timer. As she prepared more cookie dough, the acrid scent of smoke filled the kitchen. Lisa rushed into the kitchen. “Ms. Kim, what’s wrong?” Kim coughed, pulling the burned pan of cookies from the oven. She checked the timer, confused. These cookies still had four minutes left to bake, and they’d burned to a crisp! Her precious cookies looked like black hockey pucks!

  She dumped the cookies into the garbage can, turned the oven off, before rushing to the front of the shop. Customers were covering their noses, coughing. “Sorry. My oven is broken.” Only a few cookies were left in the display case. It looked like she’d be closing early.

  *

  Luke slammed his Calculus book shut. His study group had left the library and he was the only one left behind. They were going out for pizza, and Luke’s stomach growled. He’d wanted to join them, but, figured his time would be better spent going over everything they’d discussed during their day-long study session. Derivatives, integrals, equations, graphs…all of this was balled up into his mind like a massive tangled mass. He’d been in deep trouble in Calculus before Kim had started tutoring him. Although he wasn’t totally up to par on his Calculus, he was in a somewhat better position than he was before Kim had started helping him.

  He swallowed, lo
wered his head into the crook of his arms as he leaned across the desk. He breathed deeply. He really needed to calm himself down. Over the past week, whenever he felt anxious about his math class, he’d stop, and think about the amazing kiss he’d shared with Kim. When their lips had touched, long dormant feelings had slammed into him like the speed of a freight truck. Memories of being with Kim, laughing with her, eating warm cookies and milk…arguing. They’d argued a lot when they were dating in high school, but, both of them had been young, immature, and they’d had their share of problems. He’d wondered what would happen if he asked Kim if they could date, like a couple. Would she agree?

  Since they’d kissed, she’d been wary, almost as if she’d been sorry that they’d kissed on that cold, snowy night. She continued tutoring him, and he could tell that she struggled to stay on the subject of math. Something was bothering her, and he’d asked what was wrong, but, she’d said that everything was fine. It’d been on the tip of his tongue to tell her that he was sorry he kissed her, but, frankly, he wasn’t sorry.

  It was against his beliefs to lie, so, he wasn’t going to apologize for kissing her. The kiss had been wonderful, and he’d enjoyed it. He’d enjoyed it so much that he wanted to do it again. “Lord, what can I do?” He glanced around the group study section of the community college library. A few students sat at the tables, poring over books, some had their laptops open, typing.

  He needed to pass this class. He needed a degree so that he could provide a better life for Lisa. He didn’t want to just rent his home, he wanted to own his own home one day, making the salary that he wanted. From his research, the only way to make the amount of money he needed in his profession was to get his bachelor’s degree. Getting his Associates’ degree from Bethlehem Community College was just the first step to a better way of life.