by Claire Adams
“He is a very nice young man.” I could hear the smile in her voice. Of course he was a nice young man. He had the potential to make a lot of money, and that was all she cared about.
“He is, yes.” I didn't want to answer her.
“We will have dinner soon. I know the perfect place.”
“I don't have time right now.”
“You should make time. I am your mother, and you are going to be in town a few days every week. I’m sure you can work me into your schedule.”
“We will figure it out, but not this week.”
“Very well. I will talk to you later.” She hung up without a goodbye, kiss my ass, love you, or anything. I knew her game, and I wasn't going to play it.
***
“Hey, Punkin.” Mimi greeted me as I walked in the door. I kissed her cheek and walked into the living room where Granddad was sitting in a chair, reading.
“You look comfy,” I said as I walked over and kissed the top of his head.
“Don't let him fool you. He purposely went and changed his clothes before you got here. He has been out in the yard all day,” Mimi ratted on him.
“You would think the woman who holds my heart would also not tell my secrets.” He grinned up at me.
“You aren't supposed to be doing that stuff,” I scolded.
“There is no sense in me paying someone to do it when I am home most days. I have a riding lawnmower. It really isn't that much work.”
“Just go easy, okay?” I walked over and plopped on the couch.
“You get a lot done today?” he asked.
“Yeah, we should be caught up on a few jobs by end of this week and can send the crews over to finish the big job at Salston. Then, we’ll have a clean slate for July.”
“Wonderful.” He winked at me. “I knew you were a keeper.”
We sat on the couch watching Wheel of Fortune. I always got a good laugh at them fussing over the puzzles. When the yawns began, I stood and made my way to my room.
“Love you. I probably won't be back tomorrow. I am going to head home after work,” I told them.
“Okay, we love you too. You drive safe tomorrow,” Mimi said as I pulled the door closed behind me.
I settling into bed when my phone dinged.
You up?
Luke
I hit his contact and called him.
“Hey, there.” His rich deep voice came through the line.
“Hi.” I snuggled into bed, happy to hear his voice.
“Busy day?”
“Yeah, I got a lot of paperwork done and several jobs lined up for the end of June and July.”
“That's great. I got the chairs done for Mr. Simpson. I just have to load them up and drive them over.”
“Send me a picture when you get a minute. I would love to see them. The design on the backs was amazing.” I smiled thinking about him and his large hands wrapped around the tiny instruments he used to shave away the wood into the curling design.
“I have one right here, hang on.” I heard some rustling as he moved around.
“You in bed? It's awful early, or do you save your two am working hours for when I'm there?”
“Only for you baby,” he joked.
My heart clenched at his word of endearment. My phone vibrated when his text came through. I pushed on the text message and saw the beautiful chairs.
“Wow.” It was all I could say. “Those are absolutely breathtaking. I'm going to need a few of these chairs. Can I get rushed delivery since I know people who know people?”
His deep laugh made me flush.
“You can get whatever you want. All you have to do is ask.”
“I want four of those chairs and a table made out of the stump in the meadow,” I said matter of factly.
“Consider it done.”
“I'll be home tomorrow. Can we have dinner?”
“Absolutely. What time? I promised Ryan I’d help out at the lumber yard since I’m going to be in town.”
“Six-thirty-ish?”
“Okay. I'll have some dinner ready. I can't wait to see you.”
“Ditto. I'll talk to you then.”
“Goodnight, beautiful.”
“Night, Luke.” I hit the end button and dropped my phone on my bed.
***
“I don't understand what happened?” I stood, looking at Chris who was standing in the doorway to my office trying to explain.
“Someone will have to get a panel from the other job. This one is already a week behind, and we can't wait to get another one made.”
“I'll go.” I said grabbing my keys from the desk.
“I’ll ride with you.” He offered. “Might need someone to throw a little muscle around with the foreman. He can be kinda stubborn.”
“I sent John a text. He’s going to head over to assess the damage. We’ll meet him there,” I told Chris.
It was almost four, and I knew that meant I wasn't going to be home in time for dinner, so I shot Luke a text letting him know that I would see him Sunday.
Can't make dinner had a disaster, I’m so sorry. :(
Emerson
Everything Okay?
Luke
Afraid not. It’s a mess. I have to figure this out
and shuffle some work around to get a job completed
that was due last week. I'm am not a happy camper right now.
Emerson
Raincheck for Sunday then. We should be back around 3.
Luke
Perfect. I am so sorry. Miss you <3
Emerson.
Miss you too. Be safe. I’ll call you later.
Luke
I dropped my phone in the cup holder just as Chris closed the door to the truck.
“You have plans for tonight?”
“I was planning on having dinner with Luke, and they are leaving tomorrow for a competition, so I won't see him until Sunday.” I huffed out a breath making my displeasure known.
“They going up to Rocky Top?”
“I guess. I don't have their schedule with me.”
“I already qualified, so I can skip that one and stay here and help you get all of this under control.”
“It's okay if you need to go. All we need is to get this panel, and then I can head home and you can compete.” I looked over my shoulder to back out of the parking space.
“I can help you do whatever needs to be done. Work comes first.”
I felt his hand cover my knee and instinctively hit the brakes and looked down at his hand. He removed it quickly and placed it in his lap.
“Thank you,” I said. He thought I meant for the help, but it was more for removing his hand from my knee. We picked up the panel from another project and drove it to the job site. Once we had done some damage control, we both realized that the situation was worse than we thought.
“When the bracket broke, the panel slid down the roof and took two others with it. I thought they were fine, but the electrical is busted and is going to need to be replaced. We can dismount two from Salston, but the other is going to have to be shipped from Oklahoma. I didn't realize it was this bad.” John looked worried, but it wasn't his fault. It's better for these things to happen and delay a job then wait until after it’s complete and cause more problems.
“It's fine. We’ll get it figured out.” I patted John on the shoulder and moved around to inspect the back panels to see how much damage was done for myself.
“They should be repairable.” Chris said from just a little too close behind me. I moved and walked over to John.
“We should be able to get a rush on the panel from Oklahoma,” John assured me. “I’ll get on the phone with them now and see if we can at least get it here by Saturday.”
“That sounds great,” I said. “Thanks.”
We stayed and helped get the panel from Salston in place. The owner of the house was very understanding and didn't seem upset at all.
“We should grab some food. It's after nin
e,” Chris suggested as we walked back to the truck.
“Sure. John, you want to join?” I agreed because I was hungry and exhausted.
“Yes, I'm starved,” John exclaimed.
We’d just ordered a pizza at the restaurant down the street from the office when my phone rang. It was Luke.
“Hey you!” I smiled as I answered.
“You get everything handled?”
“For now. We just sat down to eat.”
“Who is we?”
“John and Chris. It's been a super long day, and we had lunch early because we had a conference call. So, I'm tired and hungry,” I complained.
“That sounds like a disastrous combo,” he laughed. “Is it as bad as a no sleep, no coffee combo?” he joked.
“It really is. I don't know how they stand me.” I lifted my water from the table and took a sip. Chris and John both had their faces in their phones, so I continued to talk.
“You get everything packed for tomorrow?” I asked.
“Yeah. I just wish I could have seen you before we left.”
“Me too,” I frowned even though he couldn’t see me.
“You'll be home Sunday, right?”
“Yes. I'm am going to stay on through Sunday morning and make sure this goes smoothly. Plus, I can get some other work done. That way, I only have to come up for one day next week.”
“I can't wait to see you." I heard his sigh through the phone and knew that he missed me as much as I missed him.
***
I spent all day Friday and Saturday fixing the mess from the broken panel. My mother had called me seven times in the past two days trying to set up a dinner between the two of us. I avoided her calls, but finally agreed to have dinner with her Saturday before heading back Sunday morning.
Once I finished my work on Saturday, I headed toward Granddad and Mimi's to change clothes and meet my mother for dinner. I sent a text message to Luke to see how he was doing. I wasn't sure what time his competition ended on Saturday, but figured it would be late since it was only for one day.
When I arrived at the restaurant, Chris was standing in the lobby. "What are you doing here?" I asked.
“I was told dinner was at seven.” He smiled at me.
"Is that right?” I mumbled, irritated. “Well, have you seen her yet?" I looked over my shoulder for my mother, but I didn't see her. No sooner had the words come from my mouth, my phone started to ring.
"Hello."
"I'm so sorry, honey, I'm not gonna be able to make it to dinner, I have a terrible headache."
“That's too bad,” I sighed loudly.
“Just have dinner with Chris. He should be there,” she said.
“He is, and thanks for telling me you had invited someone else,” I tried to say where Chris wouldn’t hear.
“We have dinner once a month, so I figured I’d just kill two birds.”
“Yeah, but now you aren't here, Mother,” I snapped.
“I know, and I'm sorry.”
“Bye, Mom.” I hung up and turned to leave the restaurant.
“Where are you going? You might as well stay and eat. My treat.”
“Chris, I shouldn't.”
“We’re just friends. Are you not allowed to have friends?”
Friends wasn’t the issue. I wasn't so sure I would want Luke to eat with another woman, but I’d known Chris forever, and it wasn't like I was ever interested in him nor ever dated him.
“Fine.” I followed the hostess when she called out Chris’ name. The table for three was close to the street, and I watched as cars drove by. It was a little chilly for it to be so close to summer, but such is life in the pacific northwest.
“Are you just going to ignore me all night?” Chris said.
“Sorry. I'm just ready to be home and in my own bed.” I shrugged and lifted my iced tea to my lips.
“Are there apartments out there?”
“Maybe, but I live in an old farmhouse that Luke and Ryan converted into a duplex. Ryan moved into the town, and I’m renting his half. I live quite a ways out. But it's quiet, and it's near the woods, so it works for me.”
“Oh, I didn't realize you lived that close.”
“I can practically walk out my back door and into the woods. There is this amazing meadow that I love and work in often. Technology has come such a long way. It great that I can carry my battery source out there with my phone as a hot spot and work for hours.”
“Aren't there bears and stuff?”
“I've seen a few scratchings, but I haven't seen a bear. Ryan always kids and says well they’ve seen you.”
“I'm sure they have. Do you carry something with you?”
“Yes, I have spray, and I carry my Glock, if needed.”
When the waitress arrived, she took our order and then disappeared. The rest of dinner was all business oriented. Every time he would ask a personal question, I would steer the conversation back to work.
“Thanks for dinner,” I said as I pushed the door open.
“No problem. It was fun. I like getting to hang out with you outside of work, even though you insisted on talking about work.”
“I'm just glad it’s all been resolved. I was worried Granddad was going to have a stroke if we didn't get it fixed.”
“We got this. Imagine where we can take this company in the future.”
I smiled and started toward my truck, which was parked across the road.
“When will you be back in town?” he asked.
“I'm coming in for the day on Wednesday. I have grant work that I need to get done before I come back.”
“Okay, see you then.” He waved and disappeared around the corner.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Luke
I heard her truck when it came rumbling down the driveway. I had talked to her briefly last night, but both of us were exhausted and honestly every time I spoke to her Chris came up. I was trying not to be a jealous asshole. I knew she had to work with the guy, but he’d laid down the gauntlet, and I wasn't playing his game.
I watched as she parked the car and opened the door. I didn't want to be that guy, but I pushed open my screen door and waited. I smiled when she looked up and smiled back. She rolled her eyes and pointed toward the phone. I grabbed her bags and carried them in the house.
“Mom, I'm home. Can we talk later? Luke is here, and I haven't seen him for a week.” She took the phone from her ear putting it on speaker. Her mom was talking about everything and nothing at the same time. She walked toward me, wrapped her arms around me, and kissed me softly. I pulled her against my chest and kissed her again.
“I missed you,” I whispered.
“I missed you more.”
“What did you say?” her mom's voice echoed through the room.
“Mom, I really need to go.”
“Oh, I meant to ask how your dinner with Chris went last night?” I felt her stiffen in my arms and then look up at me. She had dinner with him last night. I stepped out of her arms and walked toward the door.
“Luke, wait!” she said as I pushed open the screen door. “Mom, I have to go. We’ll discuss the mess you created later.” She hit the end button and came after me.
“You didn’t tell me you had dinner with Chris last night? I thought you were going with your mom,” I barked. I wasn't going to do this again.
“I was supposed to have dinner with my mom, and she didn't show. She sent Chris in her place, and I didn't want to be rude.” She stood there, hands on her hips.
“You had dinner with another man...” I walked away and into my house. She followed me.
“Luke, are you being serious right now?”
“Yeah, I guess I am. What if it was me? What if I went to dinner with some chick?”
“Chris and I have known each other forever. It isn't like that and never has been. He's a nice guy, and we work together.”
“If you want to believe he's a nice guy then you’re a better person than I am.”
“What do you mean if I believe? He's never been anything but nice to me. He's worked for my grandfather for years and does a good job, so I don't understand what you mean. You want me to just not to talk to him? Do you want me to be rude to him because you have some competition grudge? I don't understand what you want me to do.”
“I just want you to think about my feelings.”
“Luke, seriously. I like you. Only you. I don't know why you would think otherwise.”
I could see where this was heading. He made a ton more money than me, he was close to where she would live one day, and this was turning into a competition I didn't want. I wasn't going to be cheated on again, and I wasn't going to stand there and let her downplay what had happened.
“I don't think this is a good idea.” I turned toward her. “I think you need to leave.”
I watched her expression fall. And as much as I wanted to go to her, kiss her, make it all go away... I knew I couldn't. I knew I was being an ass, but this was about self-preservation. I was already more invested than I should have been, and there were so many reasons why this never should have started and so many reasons why it would never work. I had no intentions of ever moving to Portland, and she was going to be there sooner or later. Hell, she was there more than half the time now. I missed seeing her every day. I missed having lunch and dinner with her at random times. That would only get worse if I didn’t stop it.
“Luke, please.” A tear trickled down her cheek, but I just looked at the floor and then she walked away. I heard the sound of my screen door slam and then hers echoed. I punched my wall and yelled in frustration, leaving a hole I’d have to repair later. I knew she probably heard me, but I didn't care. I was so angry that she didn't think dinner with him was a bad idea. As far as I knew, she’d been with Chris all week. I understood that he worked there, but when she started meeting him for dinner and lunch, that was getting a little too much for me.
***
I watched her through my front window as she had left that morning after being home for two days, but when we saw each other, I would ignore her smile and grunt and walk away. The last thing I was going to do was put myself through another heartache when I could clearly see it coming. And when Ryan asked me what the deal was, I told him just that.
