Page 65 of Morning Glory Girl
2 x 5.5
Luke
See you around 1:30.
I shook my head. Of course he wouldvolunteer to do it himself. I should have thought of that. I texted Mimi to let her know and got out of the car to go into the gym.
The gravel in the driveway crunched under Luke’s truck tires at 1:20. He wore his usual uniform: jeans, boots, a ball cap, and a Karas Construction T-shirt. At least on days he didn’t have client meetings. On those days, it was golf pants, a collared shirt, and a cleaner pair of boots. I liked knowing what he wore every day. I felt like I had some inside scoop that other people didn’t have.
Instead of knocking on the door, he stopped in front of the steps. He examined them with a flashlight and tested each one by lifting them forcibly with his hand and then walking up and down them with heavy steps. I watched from the front window before opening the door.
“Luna’s right,” he said in greeting, “Mimi’s flowers are better than mine.”
“You should see the back,” I teased.
“I don’t know if I want to!”
“Do you need any help? I can…hold tools, or something.”
“Nah, I’m good, but thank you.” He walked over to his truck, dropped the tailgate, and pulled out his massive toolbox, arm muscles flexing. I stood in the threshold, watching.
When he turned and saw me standing there, his mouth quirked up. “Seriously, I got it. Go write, you.”
I smiled. I loved it when he said things like that. “Okay. Come inside if you need anything.”
He gave me a little salute before crouching down and opening his toolbox at the foot of the stairs. It was blazing hot, not a cloud in the sky, the sun beating down like it had a vendetta. I shut the front door and retreated to the safety of the air-conditioned living room.
Four hundred words flowed from my brain to my keyboard with an ease that resembled breathing. I was writing from the SEC investigator’s point of view—a man I’d begun to picture with thick dark hair, brown eyes deep enough to get lost in, and a chiseled jawline that spoke of authority. In this chapter he finally admits tohimself that he can’t stop thinking about my main character after the case closes. It made me wonder if Luke ever thought about me when we were apart. Not that I should be pondering things like that. I double-checked that my document was saved, and next thing I knew, I was standing in front of the window.
Several boards were now missing from the stairs and a saw was set up on the tailgate. Sweat dripped down Luke’s temples and pooled around the collar of his light blue T-shirt. He tossed the pencil he’d held between his teeth into his toolbox and lifted the hem of his shirt up to wipe the sweat from his face, revealing a tan, toned stomach. Dark hair dusted his chest before narrowing and traveling downward to his belt buckle.
“That’s the best view I’ve seen out these windows in a while.”
I jumped.
Mimi stood over my left shoulder, watching Luke, too.
“How long have you been standing there?”
She shrugged one shoulder and smirked unabashedly. “About as long as you have.”
I huffed and shook my head. “Think he knows we’re watching?”
As the words left my mouth, Luke took off the ball cap, removed the T-shirt entirely, and put the cap back on, backward.Damn.
“Yep,” Mimi replied. “I think he likes you.”
“He’s just a good guy, Mimi. He’d do this for any neighbor or friend. And look at him.” I gestured toward the window. “He could probably have any woman he wants.” I often wondered why he wasn’t dating anyone already. There had to be a number of single women on the island that would love to date him…
Mimi turned to face me, lifting my chin with her hand. “Look atyou, my dear. You are astonishingly beautiful. Always have been.” She smiled and gazed off, like her mind was traveling elsewhere for a moment. “Even when you were in middle school, you didn’t have an awkward phase. You looked so darn cute in braces.”
I laughed. I definitely had an awkwardphase. “Thanks, Mimi.”
“And the best part about you is your beauty isn’t just on the outside.” Warmth bubbled through me. Mimi had known me my whole life, so I should believe her, right? At a loss for words, I pulled her in for a hug.
After a moment of embracing her fragile frame, I said, “I had beautiful role models.”
She pulled back and smiled at me. Then she tossed my hair, twirled it over my shoulder, and pinched both of my cheeks. “Now, go bring that man a glass of ice water.”
