Page 60 of When I'm Gone
“Okay.” She gathered the pile of clothes into her arms. They looked very masculine next to her pink and black pajama pants and the frill around the neckline of her shirt. “Hey, Luke?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you for telling me your story.”
Luke closed his eyes, a new emotion pushing against his mind. Maybe it was regret. Or was it relief?
“You’re welcome,” he said simply. Without waiting to hear her response, he checked the door to make sure it was closed all the way before turning the dead bolt. When the lock clicked into place, he did the same with the lock on the knob and then on the door to the garage. He may not have been able to keep his mother safe from his father or Natalie safe from cancer, but he was sure as hell going to keep Annie safe under his own roof. Rechecking the lock one last time, Luke continued on his way upstairs.
Quickly closing his bedroom door, he rushed over to the tall dresser at the foot of his bed. Sliding the top drawer open, he shuffled through the piles of shirts and underwear until he found a stack of old receipts and business cards. On the top was the plain white card he’d gotten in the mail a few weeks ago:
Dennis Bormet, Tanglewood Securities.
CHAPTER 24
Luke woke with a start. The sun was already shining high enough through his bedroom window to make him check the time. Ten thirty a.m. Great. The events of the past twenty-four hours flooded back to him, and he shot up in bed. Annie was probably awake downstairs, wondering where he was. He threw back the thin blue blanket and searched the room for his robe. It had been a long time since he’d made the effort to put it on, but this seemed like a robe moment. Just as he spotted the fuzzy blue fabric peeking out from behind a pile of clean folded towels he’d been meaning to put away for the past two weeks, the doorbell rang.
The first name that came to his mind was Brian. How did he know Annie was here? Maybe he didn’t. Maybe he was searching for her. If that was the case, then Luke should be the one to open the door, avoid any kind of contact between Annie and Brian. He freed the robe with one hard yank, toppling the tower of clean towels in the process, and forced his arms in the sleeves. When he opened his bedroom door, a familiar voice echoed up toward him. Not Brian—Felicity.
“Hi, I’m looking for Luke Richardson. I’m sorry; maybe I have the wrong house.” Felicity’s voice was unmistakable.
“No, you’re in the right place,” Annie chirped back as Luke rounded the corner. Through the oak banister he could see Annie, drowning in the gray T-shirt and green plaid pants he’d given to her last night. She held the front door open wide, welcoming Felicity in.
“Uh, thank you.” Felicity’s voice turned up at the end, full of questions. “I’m sorry, I missed your name.”
“I’m Annie,” she responded.
“Oh. Annie ...” Felicity said, slowly like she had finally remembered the answer to a difficult exam question.
Luke cleared his throat as his bare feet landed on the floor, the wood planks warmed by the sun shining in through the front door.
“Hey there, sleepyhead.” Annie laughed. Even after surviving the terror of last night and sleeping on his couch, she looked brighter this morning. He’d never seen her without makeup, but her skin had a creamy texture that made him wonder why she ever took the time to put on makeup. Even the scratches on her face looked like they’d been applied by a paintbrush. “He honestly just got up,” Annie was explaining.
Felicity didn’t seem to find the situation funny. She held her phone in one hand and played with the broken corner of the cover nervously, hair up in a tight ponytail, wearing a pair of khaki shorts and a white transparent shirt flowing over a long tank top of the same color. Luke knew what this looked like. Damn it.
“Sorry, I guess I was tired.”
“Long night?” Felicity asked pointedly, glancing between Annie and Luke and their unintentionally matching shirts. “I’m sorry I woke you. I was worried when you didn’t respond to any of my texts, so I thought I’d come over and make sure theemergency”—she stressed the word, shifting her gaze to Annie—“went all right. You both seem fine, so I think I’ll go.”
“Oh ...Oh!You are Felicity. Will’s guidance counselor.” Annie raised her eyebrows at Luke.
“Yes, she is. Felicity, this is Annie. She watches Clayton while the kids are at school.”
“Natalie’s best friend,” Annie said, extending a hand. Felicity shook it briefly. “This is not what it looks like.”
“No, not at all,” Luke reinforced, glad Annie finally caught on. Felicity crossed her right leg behind her. For the first time since Luke had met her, she wasn’t wearing heels. Seeing her in a pair of drugstore flip-flops seemed so foreign and made her look more vulnerable.
“A pipe burst in my house, and everything flooded. My husband”—Annie lingered on the word—“is a police officer and couldn’t get home to help me, so I called Luke. I’m so sorry if I interrupted something.” Annie slapped Luke’s arm. “Hey, next time tell me you are out on a date.”
He wasn’t sure the playful touching was the best choice at the moment. At least the tone of the conversation changed dramatically. Felicity took another long look at Annie as though she was using her finely honed tools for uncovering deception in teenagers on the two of them.
“Hey, it’s none of my business.” She pressed her phone back into the purse resting on her hip and took out a set of keys, not buying it. “I’d better get going. Enjoy your breakfast; the bacon smells delicious.” Luke had been too distracted by the confrontation to notice the mouthwatering scent hanging in the air. Felicity turned and headed down the front path toward the green Nissan in the driveway.
“Go after her,” Annie urged, gesturing with her eyes. “Go.”
Luke pulled back his shoulders, unsure if he wanted to follow. He didn’t want to hurt Felicity, and he definitely didn’t want things to be awkward between them during the next school year. At the same time, he still wasn’t sure he wanted to define a relationship with her. Annie poked his shoulder and pointed her head out the door.
“Fine.” Luke rushed out of the house, calling after Felicity. She stopped but didn’t turn around.
