Page 118 of Code Word
“Thanks, Mom,” I said. I glanced out toward the pool but couldn’t see Luke or Becca. They must be taking a walk. “I’m selling the house in Malibu,” I announced. “And Luke will probably sell this one. We want something smaller.”
Mom gave me a curious look. “Are you having money troubles, dear?”
I barked out a laugh. “Uh, no, Mom. It’s not the money.” Lord knows we had enough to live on forever. Hell, we made enough from ongoing royalties to never have to worry. “We just want something smaller, just for us. And a holiday house somewhere, probably. We don’t know yet.”
“Buying a house together,” Mrs. Dougherty said. “Quite a big step.”
I put my coffee down and met her gaze, needing her to know how serious I was. “I love Luke. It took me this long to figure myself out, to figure us out, and I have no intention of letting him go. I’ll do whatever I can to make him happy. For the rest of his life, if he’ll let me.”
“What are we talking about?” Luke was standing behind me, eyes wide, looking at me, then his mother. “The rest of whose life, if he’ll let you do what?”
I snorted, only slightly embarrassed. “I was just telling your mom that my intentions are pure.”
Bec came over and stole my coffee, taking it for herself and sitting on the single sofa. “Thanks.”
“No worries,” I said flatly. Guess I probably deserved that. I smiled at Luke. “Want me to make you a coffee?”
“Sure.”
I gave his arm a squeeze on my way to the kitchen, letting him take the baton for a bit. Luke sat with them, and they chatted about general stuff, and it was so nice that we could do this.
As much as I’d have preferred we not be interrupted before, I was glad we’d done this. It was a huge relief to have our moms on our sides, that I’d gotten the opportunity to apologize to Mrs. Dougherty and that Luke and Bec could chat. And that I got to hug her and thank her. She’d been a star in our story, and I really hoped we could stay close.
“No, we were going shopping,” Bec said, giving Luke a hard glare. “For my new place.”
I must have missed the first part of the conversation...
“I said I wanted to go furniture shopping,” Bec said. “And Mom said she’d like to come, then we should invite Mrs. Acosta, and now we’re all going.”
She looked as pleased with this shopping trip as she would if she were going to a dentist appointment.
But that reminded me . . .
“Oh, Bec,” I said. “I’m selling the place in Malibu, so if there’s anything you want out of there—furniture, kitchen stuff, whatever—you can have it.”
Everyone stared at me, Luke included. “You don’t want any of it?” Mom asked me.
I shook my head. “None of it. I didn’t pick any of it. Some interior decorator did, and I never lived there. I lived here.” Then I smiled at Luke. “I thought we could buy new stuff. You know, just for us. In our new place.”
His eyes softened, as did his smile.
“Are you sure, Blake?” Becca asked. “The dining table, sideboard. The orange sofa in the sunroom?”
I shrugged. “Yours if you want them.”
“That means we don’t have to go shopping today,” she said, elated. But then she clapped her hands together. “You know, you two should definitely take your moms with you when you go shopping for new furniture. How fun for you.”
Luke and I both stared at her. She grinned.
Okay, I see how it is . . .
“How long are we gonna do this?” Luke mumbled.
Becca laughed. “I’m just kidding.” She totally wasn’t. Then she stood up and checked the time on her phone. “We should get going though. Leave you guys to... finish what we interrupted.”
Oh, dear god.
Luke turned to his mother. “Mom, if you don’t have to go shopping, you should make Becca take you to that tearoom place you wanted to check out. With all those fancy little cakes and stuff. She told me last week she thought it sounded fun.”
