Page 33 of Making the Call
Damien eyes me suspiciously as he crosses the room and reaches out his hand to greet Luke officially. “Sorry about that. It’s not every day I react that way. I’m Damien. It’s nice to meet you.”
What the hell?Why is Damien shaking his hand repeatedly as if he’s starstruck or something?
“Luke,” he says in return. Watching their interaction goes beyond strange. They act like strangers, but clearly Damien knows him.
“Would somebody tell me what the fuck is going on?” I pipe in when neither of them says anything.
“I should be asking you the same question,” Damien accuses. Then he darts an overprotective glance at Luke. Oh, geez. What the hell’s he doing now? I’m the older sister. I don’t need Dame going all alpha male, protective brother on me. I’m no longer in high school, and my virtue isn’t in danger here.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I scoff. Why would he be asking me what’s going on. Obviously, I just greeted a guy I’m seeing. What’s weird is Damien calling him by both his first and last name.
Damien smirks in only the way a brother can. “Just how long have you been seeing each other?”
I gasp in horrified shock. “What business is it of yours?” I spit out like a petulant teenager, but my brother’s being a dick, and Luke doesn’t deserve it.
Luke places a hand on my shoulder and against my will, my body instantly calms.How the hell does he do that to me?“It’s okay, Dani.” He steps around me because somehow during all this, I wound up between the two of them.
Damien raises an expectant eyebrow. I roll my eyes. He has some nerve.
“It’s still new,” Luke offers to Damien. “I had the afternoon off and decided to surprise Dani with a visit. Sorry if I’ve interrupted anything.”
“You haven’t interrupted anything,” I blurt out. I love that he surprised me. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about him since he left. Obviously, my traitorous body feels the same. I can’t believe I attacked him in front of my brother though. I’ll never hear the end of this.
“Nah, man. We’re just hanging out. I have to admit, I’m a little surprised to see you myself. I had no idea you knew Dani. Shouldn’t you be busy gearing up for the season though?”
“Like I told Dani, I just have the afternoon off. I’ll be back at it tomorrow,” Luke explains.
This is so strange. Why is Damien concerned about Luke’s job? Is that where they know each other? I know Damien was doing an internship for part of the summer, but I didn’t think it was in Tacoma. Before I can question it, the room fills with the rest of my family. Derek and Davis are in mid-conversation as they come in from the back deck, followed by my parents who are laughing about something.
When they spot Luke, everyone goes silent. My brothers and dad stare in disbelief. Fuck, it’s not like I’ve never brought a guy home with me. What the hell’s wrong with my family? Can theynotact like I’m the hermit that never ventures out of her writing cave?
Thankfully, my mom’s oblivious to their odd reactions, and she’s her normal self. “Oh, I didn’t realize we had company.” When she gets to Luke, she reaches out her hand. “I’m Daisy.”
“I’m Luke.” Luke’s lips turn into a sexy smile, and my heart races. I can tell my mom isn’t immune to him, either. The way her eyes light up at his greeting.
Davis and Derek exchange shocked expressions. Holy shit.Can they act normal?For fuck’s sake, this is beyond ridiculous. It’s like we’ve never had company before. Each of their eyes pivot to Luke, and their jaws drop as their eyes continue to bulge.
I’m about to introduce them to Luke when Derek finally finds actual words to come out of his mouth. Maybe there’s hope for some form of normalcy yet. But sadly. I’m mistaken.
“Holy shit. What’s Luke Leighton doing here?”
“What the hell?” I chastise, but suddenly it seems like I’m the only one who doesn’t know Luke. I look to him, and he sheepishly glances at the floor for a split second before locking eyes with me.Oh, shit. What isn’t he telling me?
“Wh… Why does everyone in my family seem to know you?” I whisper.
Suddenly, Luke’s eyes tighten, and his posture stiffens. Luke’s voice is filled with concern and a hint of regret. “Dani… I…”
“Who wouldn’t recognize the youngest head coach in the league? You’d have to be living under a rock not to know Luke Leighton’s going to lead the Rainier Renegades to victory this season. He’s making league history,” Derek announces to the room. “The bigger question is what’s he doing inourliving room?”
