Romance Through the Ages

by Amy Harmon

  “It never came up.”

  “Really?” Luke arched one of his dark brown eyebrows. “Because I can think of several times in the past few weeks that it could have definitely come up.”

  Taycee removed the silverware from the drawer, avoiding eye contact. He was right. She could have easily told him before, but something had always stopped her. Maybe there was a bit of a devil inside her that hoped the longer it took for him to discover the truth, the sorrier he’d be for tormenting her when he finally did find out.

  But he didn’t look sorry. Only confused.

  Yeah, well, join the club. I can’t figure me out either. “I guess I was too mad at you for accusing me of wanting to date you,” she finally said, and then immediately wished the words back. Great. Now she sounded like a teenager coddling a grudge.

  Caleb laughed. “That’s my sister for you. You should know better than to get on her bad side. Don’t you remember that night we went spelunking without her? She didn’t talk to us for weeks.”

  If only Caleb’s memory could be as bad as Luke’s. “Yeah well, Luke doesn’t remember much of his former life, do you?” she said. When his eyebrows knit together, Taycee quickly turned away, opening the closest cupboard in search of who knew what. She’d said too much, and it had come out less light-hearted than she’d intended, possibly even accusatory.

  “Dinner’s all ready,” she said brightly, closing the cupboard with a loud bang. A really loud bang. She turned to find both Caleb and Luke staring and making her feel like she was a new species under a microscope. Taycee pointed to the door and side-stepped toward it. “Oh, I uh, just remembered something I need to do at the shop real quick. Go ahead and eat, and I’ll be back in a few minutes.” What she needed was a few minutes to herself—away from Luke. Taycee headed for the front door, only to be stopped by a hand on her wrist. Luke’s fingers curled around her sensitive skin, sending a jolt up her arm. Her heartbeat slowed to a loud thud as she met his gaze.

  “Whatever it is can wait ten minutes while you eat some dinner,” Luke said. “Caleb just got here. Don’t you want to catch up first?”

  Taycee glanced at Caleb, and then back to Luke again. She sighed. “You’re right. I’ll go after dinner.”

  With his hand still holding her captive, Luke smiled. “Good. It’ll be fun. Just like old times.”

  There it was again. Just like old times. If Taycee heard that expression one more time, she would scream. Why was Luke so determined to recreate the past anyway, especially when he didn’t even remember half of it? He’d been the first to leave. The first to dispense with the friendship they’d once shared as if it were a piece of lint on his clothes.

  Taycee pulled her arm free. “Let’s eat.”

  “About time,” Caleb said.

  Luke followed Taycee to the table, taking the seat next to her. “You got here just in time, Caleb. The videos of Taycee’s last two dates went live today.”

  Taycee’s foot connected with Luke’s shin under the table.

  “Ouch,” he said.

  “Tonight?” Caleb shot her a meaningful glance. “You said it was tomorrow.”

  “Oops. My bad.” Taycee glared at Luke. “The next time my brother invites you over, just say no, okay?”

  “I don’t think so. Being with you two is way more interesting than eating alone.” He grinned as he picked up his fork. “This really is just like old times isn’t it?”

  Taycee picked up her glass and chugged the water, drowning out the expletives threatening to spill out of her mouth.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Luke’s eyes followed Taycee as she walked out the front door. She said she needed to take care of something at her shop, but it sounded like an excuse—a way to avoid being around him and Caleb. Or was it just him?

  Luke frowned.

  Why couldn’t Taycee be more like her brother? All it took was a few minutes for Luke and Caleb to be back to the easy friendship they’d once had. But with Taycee, things were different. Harder. Why? From Luke’s perspective, their date had gone well and they were finally making some headway. But now things were back to stiff and uncomfortable, as though Taycee purposefully threw up walls to keep him out. It made Luke want to tear them all down and force his way back into her life, but he had no idea how to go about it.

  Luke missed the idolizing, relentless little tomboy with her braces and wild hair. The girl who’d been wide open and wall-less, demanding the same from anyone who wanted to be called her friend. What had happened to that girl?

  “So, you’re dating Tace, huh?” Caleb dropped down on the couch next to Luke. He picked up the remote and flipped on the TV. “Isn’t that sort of like dating your sister?”

  Luke only wished it was, and then maybe it wouldn’t bother him so much. But a brother wouldn’t miss his sister as soon as she walked out the door. He wouldn’t want to keep her from leaving, sit next to her, or touch her. And he especially wouldn’t want to kiss that impassive expression off her face.

  Argh, what was he thinking? This was Taycee Lynne they were talking about—his best friend’s younger sister. Luke needed to remember that. “Actually, it hasn’t been so bad. She’s… cool.” More than cool. She was funny, smart, and intriguing.

  “No way.” Caleb grinned. “You like her.”

  Luke grabbed the remote from him. “Of course I like her. I always have. She’s fun to hang out with.”

  “No,” said Caleb. “I mean you like her.”

  Luke shook his head. He was in no way ready to admit that out loud, especially not to her brother. “Wrong.”

  “I’m never wrong.”

  “You are about this.” Luke flipped through the stations, stopping on ESPN. “I’ve sworn off girls for a while, at least until I get my practice up and running. That’s why I like your sister. There’s no pressure with her.”

  Caleb laughed. “No pressure? Are you kidding me? You’re in a freaking dating contest with her. How can you call that no pressure?”

  “Please.” A push of the remote button and another show came on. “I’m only doing it because there’s a chance it could help Shelter, and I’m pretty sure Taycee feels the same way.”

  Caleb leaned back and propped his feet on the coffee table. “I’m actually glad she got suckered in to doing it. It’ll be good for her, and with any luck, she’ll even find someone to settle down with once and for all.” He paused. “Hey, you’ve met the other guys, right? What are they like? Anyone Taycee might go for?”

  “You’re seriously asking me that?”

  “Sure, why not?” Caleb grinned. “Unless of course, you’re hoping for that honor.”

  “Sorry, no.” Luke punched the remote button again, this time harder. “And I’m no matchmaker either, so don’t ever ask me that again. Besides, your sister is old enough to pick her own dates. How would you feel if she tried to hook you up with Jessa?” It was a defense tactic. A way to keep the subject away from Taycee and the fact that she could fall for one of the other guys, because for whatever reason, Luke didn’t like that idea at all.

  Caleb made a face. “I’d tell her I’ve already got me a girl.”

  “Who? An inflatable in your suitcase?”

  “Her name’s Jenny.” Caleb hesitated. “She’s actually uh… my fiancée. As of two nights ago.”

  Luke flipped off the TV and turned to face his friend. “Are you serious, man?”

  “Yep.”

  “Congrats! That’s awesome. Does Taycee know?”

  “Not exactly.” Caleb scratched his head, looking a little sheepish. “That’s the tricky part. Before I left for law school, I sort of promised I’d come back to Shelter one day and set up a practice here. Taycee’s never let me forget it, and I’ve never dared to correct her. I guess I thought she’d get used to me being gone and stop asking me about it, but she won’t. She’s got it in her head that I’ll be coming back as soon as I wrap up a few cases at work.”

  Luke nearly laughed at how ridiculous
that sounded. What did Caleb think she’d do? Make a voodoo doll, name it Caleb, and torture him the rest of his life? Actually, she might do exactly that if Caleb kept his engagement from her much longer. “Dude, you’ve got to tell her. She’s going to be ticked if you don’t.”

  “I know, I know. It’s one of the reasons I came here. But there hasn’t been a good time to bring it up. It’s a big deal, you know? To her anyway. She’s not going to take it well.”

  “Are we talking about the same person? Taycee’s lived on her own since she graduated from high school. She owns her own shop, makes her own food, and stars in her own internet show. I think you’re underestimating her. She’s pretty independent.”

  “I agree,” Caleb said. “She is independent. But you weren’t there after you left, or when my parents decided to move, or when I spilled the beans that I was headed to Arizona for law school. Total basket case. Why do you think she never left Shelter? She hates change.”

  “Wait—what did my leaving have to do with anything?” Luke said, suddenly very interested in the answer.

  Caleb shrugged. “She was miserable for weeks. I think she had a bit of a crush on you back then and took it pretty hard when you dropped off the planet. Then when your parents announced they were moving, she practically shut herself in her room for days.”

  Luke whistled and settled against the back of the couch. “I had no idea. I guess I’m not the type to stay in touch with people. I just moved on with my life and thought everyone else had too.” But if he’d known Taycee would take it that hard, he would have tried a little harder. Especially if he’d known he’d eventually wind up back here.

  Caleb made a grab for the remote, stealing it from Luke. The TV flipped back on. “Don’t beat yourself up about it. She eventually got over it. As did I—after years of therapy, that is.”

  Luke chucked a pillow at him. “Shut up.”

  “You shut up.” Caleb scanned the channels once again before turning off the TV. “Nothing’s on. I say we find Taycee’s laptop and watch the show before she comes back and makes us turn it off.”

  Luke pointed at the bookcase near the TV where a silver laptop sat on top. “You mean that laptop?”

  Caleb retrieved it and immediately pulled up the website. All the dates from the first two weeks were posted. Ten in all. Caleb rubbed his hands together gleefully. “Shall we begin? It’s been a long time since I had anything new to tease Taycee about.”

  “It probably doesn’t help that you live a state away.”

  Caleb clicked “play” on date number one, and they both settled back to watch. The filming was definitely low budget, with terrible lighting and not the best sound quality, but Luke hadn’t expected anything different when he saw the inexpensive camera equipment they used. The editing, on the other hand, was more impressive, highlighting the interesting stuff and jumping from scene to scene in a fluid way. Luke chuckled when Taycee refused Jason’s kiss, and then laughed when Sterling dove into the lake to save Missy Green.

  “She’s not worth saving,” he said to no one in particular, still bitter about what had happened at the diner.

  “You sure about that?” said Caleb. “According to Taycee you two looked pretty cozy.”

  “Please. Missy wanted her five minutes of fame, and I was just an innocent bystander.” But the fact that Taycee had brought it up to Caleb meant something, didn’t it? Luke picked at a nonexistent piece of lint on his shirt. “What else did Taycee say?”

  The look Caleb shot his way made Luke immediately wish the words back. “Holy crap, you do like her.”

  “Will you stop reading into things? I do not.”

  “Do too.”

  Luke ignored him and moved on to the next date. But when he saw Taycee laughing at something Jake said, a pit of jealousy formed in his stomach. Followed by the reluctant realization that he did like Taycee, probably more than he wanted to admit. He liked her enough to want to get to know her. To see if the girl who used to chase butterflies through meadows or challenge him to see who could leave their feet in the frigid spring runoff water the longest was still buried inside somewhere. He wanted to know if the spontaneous Taycee of the past had merged with the stunning Taycee of the present, because that would be some combination.

  It wasn’t until Luke watched Date #10—their date—that he realized something else. Around all the other bachelors, particularly Jake, there were moments when Taycee became that person Luke wanted her to be. She threw mud at Jake. She laughed and joked with Miles. Her sarcasm emerged with Alec and Gavin. Her kindness with Sterling.

  But on her final date with Luke, the walls came flying back up. Although she still laughed and joked, something changed. She acted stiffer. More on guard and less relaxed than any of the other dates. Why? It made him feel cheated somehow. Deprived. As though he’d drawn the short straw and now had to sit back and watch everyone else get to interact with the real Taycee Lynne.

  When the video clip ended, Luke pushed the laptop closed with a snap, more determined than ever to break down those walls.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The Results are In!

  A massive thanks to all of you who voted and donated to our cause! The people of Shelter Springs thank you for your support and enthusiasm for our show. Bless you all.

  Without further ado, the top five winners (in no particular order) are . . .

  Jake Sanford

  Greg Jones

  Miles Romney

  Sterling Montgomery

  Alec Jamison

  Now let’s see what our bachelorette has to say . . .

  Taycee stared at the list with mixed feelings. Jake, Greg, and Miles were all people she would have chosen if it had been up to her. But Alec? Really? Did the viewers not have the volume turned up when they watched that episode? Apparently not. As for Sterling, well, if going out with him and his overactive salivary glands saved her from seeing Gavin ever again, then she could deal with that.

  It was her reaction to not seeing Luke’s name that bothered her the most. It landed her back in the ice cream parlor that Luke and Caleb had taken her to years and years before. With over twenty flavors to choose from, her little ten-year-old mind thought she’d never be able to decide. But then she caught sight of a flavor that reminded her of her favorite rose, and she pointed to that one.

  “It’s sherbet,” Luke had said. “You’re not going to like it.” Taycee didn’t care. To her, it was now rose flavored ice cream and she wanted to taste it more than anything else in the world.

  Turned out it tasted like yucky orange sherbet—exactly like Luke said it would.

  Taycee felt much the same way now. She’d wanted Luke off the show so badly, and now that it had finally happened, it was like eating orange sherbet once again. It left a bad aftertaste in her mouth.

  She’d miss Luke and his shoeless drive-in style type dates. What would he have planned for round two? Most likely something fun. Something she would have filed away in the corner of her mind where only precious memories were kept—most of which had Luke’s name on them.

  * * *

  Luke walked out of the hardware store only to stop short, and then slowly take one step back. Followed by another. He nearly made it back inside the safety of the store when Missy looked up from the magazine she read on a nearby bench. Her eyes found his. Luke tensed. Should he make a run for it?

  Before he could decide what to do, Missy stood and walked toward him, her red stiletto sandals clacking against the sidewalk. “Hey, Luke. I’ve been waiting for you.”

  Luke’s gaze flickered past her to his truck. Only twenty feet away and yet so far. He should have called in the order and paid Chuck to deliver it. Avoided town until Missy left for good.

  “Oh relax.” Missy flashed a too bright smile. “I only wanted to say sorry—and to thank you for being such a good sport.”

  “A good sport?” Luke took another step back, running into the door of the hardware store. A customer tried to exit, so L
uke moved out of the way, side-stepping around Missy.

  She tapped him on the shoulder. “This bachelorette show is pretty popular, which is actually great for me since my face is now attached to it. My agent thanks you, and so do I.”

  An agent? Missy actually had an agent? Who in their right mind would agree to rep someone like her? “So glad my tanked reputation could help advance your career.”

  “Oh, don’t be such a crank,” said Missy. “It was more of a favor to an old friend. The fact that I benefitted from it was only a bonus.”

  “What are you talking about?” Luke side-stepped again, positioning himself so that she was no longer between him and his truck.

  Missy sidled up to him, her face inches from his. “Not he—she. Someone who wanted you voted off, obviously. I just did my part to help make it happen. But now that you’re free, if you want to continue where we left off, I’m all yours. At least until I head back to LA.” She looked up and down Main Street then back to him. “Not even someone as cute as you could make me stay in this backcountry town.”

  Luke studied her. Maybe she really could act because he couldn’t tell if she was being serious or not. “What do you mean someone wanted me off?”

  Her hand covered her mouth in mock embarrassment. “Oops. I promised not to say anything. My bad.” Her hand came to rest on his shoulder, and then trailed down to his bicep where she squeezed. “Oooh, someone’s been working out.” With a smile, she backed away from him. “Have a great day, Luke.”

  Then she was gone, the clack of her heels echoing back to where he stood. Luke watched her go with a mixture of confusion and relief. He pulled his keys from his pocket and headed for his truck, but a sign caught his eye. “Carl’s Feed and Seed.” He paused, re-reading the words.

  Maybe Missy’s words made him paranoid, but Luke now wondered about that load of manure. Had it really been a mistake? A coincidence that it was dropped off the same night as the opening event and happened to block his driveway completely? Come to think about it, Carl had seemed a bit on edge when Luke asked him about it.