Page 8 of Luke

“Like this?” She shakes the smoothie glass.

“Yup.”

“When you put it that way, it doesn’t sound like a list of demands.” She takes a small sip. “Wow, that’s good. I can’t even taste the green stuff.”

“What did I tell you?” I grin. Alice looks up at me, her eyes clear and bright.

“I’m glad to have you around again, Luke. Marie is going to need a friend like you.”

“I’m glad I’m here, too.”

Chapter Five

Marie

Luke comes over every morning to make smoothies for us. With each passing day, it gets both harder and easier to be around him. We’re falling into our old rhythm but I want him so much I can hardly think straight.

On Wednesdays, he brings more produce from Laurel Horace. It’s my mother’s favorite day of the week now. She loves to declare how much she hates something only to listen to Luke work his verbal magic and convince her to try it. It’s like a little game between them.

That’s not the only area in which Luke made improvements. The leak in the roof mysteriously vanished. Our gutters are spotless. Our lawn is neatly mowed, though my mother likes having a ‘wild lawn’, as she puts it. The trash bins are always put out on time, too.

I don’t know what he said to my mom, but I haven’t had a problem getting her to take her meds. When I drive her to her treatment, she plays pump up music, and acts like she’s about to get into a boxing match. I don’t get it but I sure as hell not going to complain about it.Her hair is starting to fall out, but she doesn’t mind it as much as I thought she would. My mother has always been a little vain, but I don’t blame her. She’s a pretty woman. She’s compact and pixie-like, exactly the opposite of me. I take after my dad, but I haven’t seen him since I was twelve. He’s got a new family somewhere else. I have no desire to know them.

“Knock, knock!” Luke calls as he enters the house at nine o’clock on the dot. Even my mother’s cats, Edmund and Lucy, run to the front room when Luke arrives.

“Morning!” I call from the kitchen.

He hasn’t brought up graduation, my abrupt departure, or anything difficult since the day he brought the blender. I’m eternally grateful to him for it, but I know I have to talk about it eventually. I need to come up with a way to do so without having to admit the feelings I had for him. We’re just starting to get our friendship back. I don’t want to ruin it. When he enters the kitchen, his smile lights up the whole room. Butterflies erupt in my stomach. I can’t help but smile back.

“Are you ready for another gourmet smoothie courtesy of Laurel Horace?” He asks as he sets down a wooden crate overflowing with fruit and veggies on the kitchen counter. “Do you think I can sneak carrots in without Alice figuring it out?”

“Definitely not.”

“Where is she?” He looks into the living room, which is empty except for the cats.

“She’s tired,” I say. “I’m letting her sleep.”

“The treatments are starting to take their toll?”

“Yeah,” I nod. “That and all the travel time. Driving, even being a passenger, is more exhausting than it sounds.”

“I believe it,” he says. “When I used to do patrols, those were my most exhausting days.”

“When did you decide to become a ranger?” I ask.

“About a year after high school graduation,” I say. “Sherriff Cormick offered me a spot in the training program. I had to get a few certifications first.”

“I thought you were going to get a Criminal Justice degree from that school in Texas,” I say. “What happened to that?”

“I didn’t feel right about leaving my mom,” he answers. “I don’t regret staying at all. Because of the ranger program, I’ve met some of the best guys ever. Rhodes and Max are like brothers to me.”

“That’s great,” I smile, though it doesn’t feel entirely genuine. I can’t be angry he’s found people to replace me with. It’s not fair. “I’m glad you’ve found your place.”

“What about you?” He asks. “Have you found yours?”

I want to say yes, but I hesitate.

“Don’t lie to me,” he says with a sly grin. “Honest answers only.”

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