Page 43 of The Clause in Christmas
“True.” Reed chuckled. “I wouldn’t want to put any kids at risk by having one of us give it a try.”
“Speaking of taking risks…” Jack waggled his thick eyebrows at Luke. “Have you asked Cassie out yet?”
“Right…” Reed matched Jack’s impish grin. “How’s that going? Should I be renting my tux yet?”
“Are yousureyou guys want to give me a hard time about this?” Luke turned the drill back on for a menacing effect.
Jack held up his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. Calm down, Sprinkles.”
Heat shot up Luke’s neck. “How did you—”
“Eliza told me. You know she can’t keep a secret to save her life.” Jack’s blue eyes twinkled playfully. “And before you turn your drill of death on me, I think it’s great. You know what they say. First comes the nickname…”
“Then they take your last name!” Reed finished in a singsong voice.
Luke rolled his eyes. “What are you, five?”
His friends grinned like clowns. No, notlikeclowns. Theywereclowns. Who just so happened to be the best friends a guy could ask for—mostof the time.
“In all seriousness, though.” Jack finally composed himself. “How’s it going with Cassie?”
Luke hesitated, one hand poised on his safety goggles, ready to resume work. But the truth was, he wouldn’t mind a bit of advice. “It’s going well. Great, actually. I’m learning a lot about her. In some ways, it feels like we’ve known each other forever.”
Luke caught a quick glance between Jack and Reed and narrowed his eyes. “Whatever juvenile comment is stirring in your blockhead brains, save it. I’m being serious.”
“We know you are,” Jack said solemnly. “We weren’t going to make fun of you. Truth is, we’re jealous.”
Caught off guard, Luke blinked. “Really?”
“Darn straight!” Reed told him. “We’ve all been hopeless bachelors for years. Now you’ve found Cassie and—”
“We’ve never seen you happier,” Jack finished.
“And we’re happy for you, you twitterpated traitor.” Reed slugged Luke in the arm, but his dark eyes were warm and affable.
Luke’s chest swelled with appreciation for his well-meaning, if somewhat maddening, friends. “Thanks, guys. But it’s not exactly a done deal. Cassie could still leave at the end of the month.”
“So, what’s your plan?” Jack asked.
Luke paused. Whatwashis plan exactly? “She has a lot on her mind at the moment. But eventually I plan to tell her how I feel and see if she feels the same away.”
“‘Eventually’?” Jack and Reed said in unison, each raising their eyebrows in question.
“I’d tell her sooner rather than later,” Jack said.
Reed nodded his agreement. “Yeah, why wait?”
The question hung in the air between them, and Luke twisted the toe of his boot into the concrete.
Luke had known Cassie for little more than a week.
Was it too soon to admit he was falling in love with her?
And that, maybe, he’d already fallen?
Chapter 15
Cassie coiled a strand of hair around her finger as she read the day’s entry in the Christmas Calendar.
