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

by Cecelia Dowdy

  “I honestly didn’t know if the baby was mine. Salina didn’t have a good reputation. When my mom was offered a job in Starrick County, over two hours away, she took it. I told her about Salina. My mom’s always felt guilty about my not having a father. She met Salina and liked her. She knew that Salina was going to be turned out of her foster home when she turned eighteen, and my mom was all about doing the right thing. Salina came with us when we moved, but, my mom told me that it was best if I ceased contact with you. I’d already hurt you enough and she wanted me to see if I could grow to love Salina, given time.”

  “What happened after that?”

  “When Lisa was born we had a paternity test done and it was proven that she was mine. Being with Salina during her pregnancy, she told me about her life, we spent time together and I grew to respect her. That respect grew into love. In due time, I did learn to love Salina and contacting you just didn’t seem right. Looking back now, I probably should not have followed my mom’s advice and reached out to you anyway. I probably should have at least let you know what happened and why I’d made that decision.”

  She nodded. “Thanks for telling me, and for being honest.”

  “Kim, I like you, I like you a lot. I’m falling for you hard and I want you to give me a chance. I promise to always be honest with you. I rely on the Lord so much now. I’ve changed so much since we were teenagers.”

  She didn’t say anything, just continued staring out the window, at the Christmas lights winking across the street. He’d give almost anything to know what she was thinking. Kim had always gotten this deep, pensive look whenever she was thinking hard about something.

  “Luke, I’d like to date you, too. As you know, I’ve changed, and I think we need to give each other another chance.”

  She’d said yes! “I promise I’ll do my best not to hurt you.” He pulled Kim into his arms and kissed her.

  Chapter 9

  Kim grinned, admiring the skaters through the glassed wall of the Bethlehem Ice Skating Rink. Luke sat beside her, holding her hand. Shrieks and laughter floated around them as people skidded by and Lisa skated past, decently balanced on her rented ice skates.

  The rink was decorated with red and green blinking Christmas lights. A giant snowman had been posted at the front of the rink. Sighing, full of content, she leaned into Luke’s arms. Empty Styrofoam cups and dirty paper plates littered their table. They’d already feasted on a lunch of hot chocolate and greasy cheeseburgers. After eating, Lisa had been eager to go back onto the ice, but, Luke had made her wait for a half hour to give her food time to digest. Once he’d said it was okay for her to go back on the ice, the child had literally flown out the door and onto the ice with her skates.

  She stared at Lisa as she whizzed on the ice. “It’s amazing that Lisa has such good balance on her skates.” Kim had fallen twice, and had not been too eager about going back onto the rink.

  Snuggling in Luke’s arms, she watched the skaters, enjoying their time together. “Salina took Lisa ice skating a lot. Lisa’s been bugging me to bring her all month, but, I haven’t had time.”

  Since they’d decided to start dating, Kim had enjoyed the time she’d spent with Luke over the last week. Luke came to the cookie bakery every afternoon and they had lunch together. He called her every morning before he headed out to work. When he came to pick up Lisa from the bakery, Kim would leave with them, and they spent time together every evening. She cooked dinner every night and Lisa had confided how nice it was to have home-cooked meals that were not burned to a crisp.

  In spite of her father’s silent protests, she got closer to Luke each day. She could tell by the way her dad scrutinized Luke, silently finding fault with him, that he didn’t care for their budding relationship. As a matter of fact, she felt that her dad would have more openly objected to her relationship with Luke. However, she felt that he didn’t want to rock the boat since she was now getting along with him since they’d had their talk about Tina.

  Weird, she knew how strange it was, but, she really was falling in love with Luke Barnes and she didn’t know what to do about it. She loved the way he cared for his daughter. She loved the way he cared about her. She loved to hear his smooth, deep voice and when he looked at her with his mesmerizing dark brown eyes, she literally swooned. She loved the way he furrowed his cute brow when he was concentrating on a Calculus problem.

  She also loved the way he worshipped the Lord. They talked about scriptures, God, and life in general. At times, she felt she could just sit and talk to Luke Barnes forever.

  She thought about him all the time and she’d even burned a pan of cookies the other day, day dreaming about Luke. She’d forgotten to set her oven timer, and that’s when she knew she’d fallen helplessly in love with Luke Barnes. She honestly had no idea if he felt the same way.

  They’d only been seriously dating for one week, which made her deep feelings even scarier. Was it possible to fall in love in such a short period of time, or was she just infatuated? Was she confused? Should she trust her feelings, ignoring her logic?

  Luke touched her face. “What are you thinking about? You look serious.”

  If he only knew what she’d been thinking about, she didn’t know how he’d react. She smiled, forcing herself to look utterly happy. There was no way she wanted to admit that she’d been wondering if Luke was in love with her. “How did you do on your final exam?”

  Grinning, Luke pulled out his cell phone. “Our grades were posted this morning.” He accessed the site where the professor posted their grades and showed her the display. Kim shrieked.

  “You got an A!”

  He nodded, slipping his phone back into his pocket. “Since I got an A on the final exam, and I got lower grades on the mid-term and quizzes, my final grade for the class is a B.” He grinned, pulling her into his arms. “I couldn’t have done it without you.” Kim didn’t know about that. After all, Luke had studied hard for his exam. Sure, she’d tutored him, but, he’d done a lot of work studying for his test. “School is out for the winter break and Lisa doesn’t have school for a couple of weeks either. I want us to have the best Christmas ever.”

  Luke leaned toward her, kissing her. She closed her eyes, enjoying the sweet nectar of his kiss. Their table rattled, disturbing their kiss. Kim glanced at Lisa, who’d toddled to the table on her skates. “You two are kissing! Does this mean you’re going to get married?”

  *

  Luke pushed the door open to John’s Sandwich Shop. Kim had mentioned that her dad often ate dinner here with his elderly friends. He spotted James Taylor, Kim’s father, sitting at a table, playing checkers. The TV was turned onto CNN and the murmur of male voices filled the place. James was not expecting him, and he didn’t want to make him mad by interrupting his game.

  James happened to look up, spotted Luke at the door. Luke nodded at Kim’s dad. James scowled, as if he were angry that Luke was invading his game time with his friends. He might as well get this over with. He approached the table. “Hi, Mr. Taylor.” Luke offered his hand for a handshake, but, James ignored his outstretched hand. Kim’s dad was not happy to see him. “Can I talk to you?”

  James took a battered newspaper from the table, mumbled an apology to his checker partner. “We can finish later.”

  Luke found a table in the corner, away from the rest of the small crowd. He eyed the menu which was scrawled across a chalkboard in front of the bar area. “Have you eaten?” He figured if he offered to buy her dad a sandwich, it might put him in a better mood.

  “I already ate.” James’s gaze was steady, and he looked at Luke as if he were up to no good.

  Luke scratched the back of his head, cleared his throat. Looked like this was going to be harder than he thought. But, if he stood a chance of things working out between him and Kim, then he wanted her dad to accept him. His palms became sweaty, so, he wiped them on his faded Levis. His palms always sweated when he was nervous or upset. He wiggled his toes, glanced down at h
is feet. He’d worn his hiking boots and his old sweatshirt. Maybe he should’ve dressed better so that he looked more respectable.

  “I know you didn’t come over here to sit and stare at your clothes.” James’s gruff authoritative voice interrupted the silence at their table.

  Luke cleared his throat again. He wasn’t particularly afraid of Kim’s dad, but, he was leery about his non-acceptance of him into his daughter’s life. He was falling in love with Kim, and James’s frosty attitude towards him did little to allow their relationship to move forward. In spite of her dad explaining his reasons for favoring Tina, Luke still figured Kim’s relationship with her dad was somewhat tenuous. He figured if he bonded with James, and James accepted him, it might help solidify Luke’s relationship with Kim and Kim’s relationship with her dad. It wouldn’t hurt to try. “Mr. Taylor, I wanted to thank you.”

  “Thank me for what? Allowing you to try to take advantage of my daughter?” He narrowed his dark eyes, his mouth set in a tense line.

  That was uncalled for, but, it wouldn’t help for him to get defensive against Kim’s dad now. “I’m talking about Lisa.” James’s dark face softened and he smiled just a bit. “Lisa likes working with Kim. She’s been happier since she’s been in your bakery.” He paused, figuring he needed to tell Mr. Taylor everything. “I think she still misses her mom.”

  James Taylor’s frosty attitude melted as soon as he heard about Lisa’s mother. “Where’s her mom? Did she leave you?”

  He shook his head. “No, sir. She was hit by a drunk driver. She died.”

  James seemed speechless. He finally seemed to find his voice as he called out to the man behind the bar, ordered two sodas and some chips and dip. After they’d been served, he finally spoke. “Sorry about your wife. Was she the girl you got pregnant back in high school?”

  Luke nodded, surprised that the people in Bethlehem still remembered that. “We had a good marriage while it lasted.”

  “Look, I like having your kid around the bakery, but, that doesn’t mean I want you kissing my daughter. You hurt her pretty bad and I haven’t forgotten about that.”

  Luke popped open his can of soda, poured it into the glass filled with ice, gathering his thoughts. “Sorry, but that happened a long time ago and I’ve changed.” He took a deep breath, took a sip from his soda. “I’m a parent now, and I understand why you didn’t want me dating Kim in high school.” Heck, if a man had treated Lisa the way he’d treated Kim, he probably wouldn’t want his daughter around that man ever again. “If someone treated Lisa that way, I’d feel the same as you.” He ate a few chips before he continued speaking. “I’m a Christian now, Mr. Taylor. I’m honest and when something bothers me, I go to the Lord.”

  “Lots of folks say they’re Christian, but, that doesn’t mean they’re truthful.”

  “No, sir, it doesn’t. But, I’m not accountable for people who don’t do their best to be faithful to Jesus. Jesus is my number one priority, my next priority is providing for my daughter.”

  Since James didn’t speak, Luke took that as a signal to tell James all he needed to know about his life. He told James his regrets about leaving Bethlehem without saying good-bye to Kim. He then told of Salina’s untimely death.

  “I’m trying to raise my daughter, provide a better life for her. I need to get my college degree to do that. Kim really helped me to pass my Calculus class.” He took a deep breath. “It’s hard raising Lisa without a mom. I don’t know what I’m going to do when she’s a teenager. Being around Kim seems to help Lisa. Spending time with Kim has made her happier.” Luke finally told him about his salvation and how Jesus had been guiding him since before Salina’s death. “Mr. Taylor, I was mad at God after my wife died. I didn’t go to church for six months, but, I figured I shouldn’t let my daughter see me be so bitter. She was suffering, too, and we found a bit of peace by going back to church, worshipping the Lord.” He’d been talking for over two hours. John had brought over more sodas and chips, and Luke’s throat felt dry from talking so much. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d talked for so long without stopping. Surprisingly, James had listened, not interrupting him.

  The sandwich shop was closing down and Luke figured it was time to leave. When he exited the shop with James Taylor, he breathed a sigh of relief when James now shook his offered hand. “Mr. Taylor, I love your daughter. I’m not trying to take advantage of her.”

  “See that you treat her with respect and you won’t have a problem from me,” James warned.

  Chapter 10

  Luke clutched the package that the clerk had wrapped at the store. It was three days before Christmas and with Lisa’s help, he’d purchased a special gift for Kim. He hoped she liked it. He was taking her out to a fancy restaurant for dinner. He’d gotten his neighbor to babysit Lisa just so that he could go on a special Christmas date with Kim. He knocked on Kim’s door and she opened it, looking classy. She wore a red, fancy dress and high-heeled shoes. She looked nice and he could imagine just standing here, looking at her forever. She shivered, so he stepped inside, gave her the wrapped package. “Merry Christmas.”

  She grinned, accepting his gift, placing it under the tree. “Thank you.”

  She removed a decorated package from underneath the tree, handed it to him. “Merry Christmas.” He accepted the package, placing it back underneath the tree.

  “I’ll leave it here for now. I’ll get it to take home with me when I drop you off after dinner.”

  “Sounds good.” She found her coat and he held it for her as she slipped her slim arms into the sleeves. After she’d buttoned her coat, they went out onto the porch and she locked the door. They held hands as they walked to his car and he opened her door for her. She got in and he turned on some Christmas music. The tune of Nat King Cole’s A Christmas Song resonated in his car.

  Luke swallowed, wiped his sweaty hands on his pants. As he drove toward The Italian Cottage, the fanciest restaurant in Bethlehem, Kim’s lovely voice floated above the festive Christmas music. “What’s going on between you and my dad?”

  He resisted the urge to smile, not wanting to spoil his surprise. “What do you mean?”

  She playfully shoved his arm, grinning. “You know what I mean.”

  Kim still didn’t know about the private visit he’d recently had with her father. They’d cleared the air, and now, when he came to fetch Lisa at the bakery, instead of greeting him with a cool, wordless nod, Kim’s dad met him at the door with a smile and a handshake. Her dad asked him questions about his job, and they’d even watched a football game on TV. They’d gotten pretty friendly and he’d seen Kim looking puzzled over the change in his relationship with her dad. This was the first time she’d openly asked him about it.

  “Aren’t you glad that I’m getting along with your father now?”

  She shrugged, still looking pensive. “Yeah, but, I still think something’s up. My dad doesn’t warm up to people that he doesn’t like too easily.”

  “Oh, your dad didn’t like me very much?” He couldn’t resist the teasing tone to his voice.

  “Oh, you know what I mean. Why are you two so friendly?”

  He shrugged. “Why not?”

  They’d arrived at the restaurant and he parked. After they’d entered, Kim smiled, eyeing the twinkling festive Christmas lights strung around the fancy restaurant. Soft, classical Christmas music filled the air as they made their way to their table. The waiter gave them their menus and as they glanced at the selections, Luke decided he simply couldn’t wait any longer. He wiped his sweaty hands on his pants before focusing on Kim. “Kim, we need to talk.”

  Her dark eyes appeared weary as she set her menu down. “Okay. Is everything all right?”

  Everything would be perfectly fine if her answer was yes. He pressed the box into her hand. “Will you marry me?”

  Her mouth dropped open and her fingers shook as she opened the velvet box, studying the diamond solitaire ring nestled within the confines of
the box. When she remained silent, his heart filled with dread. Why wasn’t she saying yes? “Luke, this ring is so pretty.”

  That’s all she had to say? “Kim, I love you. I want to marry you.” He paused, gathered his thoughts. “Lisa loves you, too. She wants you to be her mom.”

  She closed the box, hesitating. She didn’t want to marry him. He could tell. Spending time with Kim, over the past month, had been some of the best days of his life. He knew he wanted to see her as soon as he woke up every morning, and he wanted her to be the last person he saw before he went to bed every night. He wanted to hold her, love her and spend his entire life with her.

  But, he didn’t tell her any of these things. He just couldn’t. From her strange reaction, it appeared that she didn’t want to hear about all of the things he loved about her. It would sound like he was begging for her to say yes if he suddenly started telling her how much he craved to see her each day. He balled his nervous hands into fists, struggled to remain calm. He’d been so sure that she’d say yes. Maybe she didn’t love him after all.

  “I love you, too, Luke.”

  This was a shocking surprise. “But, you don’t want to marry me.”

  “I didn’t say that.” She closed the box, slid it over to his side of the table. “It’s just that…” Her dark eyes appeared pensive and sad as she gazed at the couples dining at the other tables. The festive lights strung around the room and the Christmas music crooning from the speakers gave the room a mystic, holiday feel.

  He needed to put her at ease. He took her hand, squeezed her fingers. “Honey, tell me what you’re thinking about.” The waiter approached their table to take their order, interrupting the tense moment. They ordered and while they feasted on pasta carbonara and herbed focaccia, he listened to Kim’s smooth, pretty voice as she told of what happened to her almost one year ago.

  “I fell in love with a lawyer named Bill. The accounting firm where I worked had commissioned him for a case. Through our day jobs, we crossed paths and I fell in love with him. It happened so quickly, my mind was spinning. At the time, I honestly couldn’t recall feeling happier. When he proposed, I accepted.” She stopped eating, her pretty dark eyes looking dejected. “I was anxious to bring him home to Bethlehem. For once, I wanted to prove to my dad that I was capable of finding a good, educated, well-to-do man like my sister Tina. For once, I thought my dad would finally be proud of me.”