Page 75 of Morning Glory Girl
“Great! I still don’t know if we can win, but we’re getting better. I think we’re a good team. And now Clara’s my best friend at tennisandsailing.” She shrugged, like it wasn’t a big deal she had a best friend.
A dopey grin spread on my face. “You still working on her backhand?”
She nodded. “She’s gotten a lot better. I have, too. But I think Rachel is still better than us at that.” Luna scowled.
“You can keep working on it. When is the tournament?”
“August.”
“You have plenty of time.” I met her eyes in the rearview mirror for a second. “I think all the hard work is going to pay off.”
When we got back, Luke pulled into the driveway next to us moments later.
Luna jumped out of the car the moment I put it in park. “Dad!”
“Hey, Luns.” A smile took over his face as she launched herself into his arms, caring nothing for the bag in his hand.
He embraced her and kissed her temple. “How was your day?” He ran a hand over the back of her shirt. “I see you didn’t capsize. Or you already changed.”
Luke made eye contact with me over Luna’s head and inclined his head toward the door—an invitation to follow them inside.
“Nope, didn’t capsize. Pretty much everyone else did though.”
He laughed as he put her back down in the walkway.
When we crossed the threshold he guided Luna by her shoulders to the staircase. “Go take your shower and you can watch Disney before dinner.” Luna jogged up the stairs.
“That’s some good negotiating. I often have to bribe her with a pre-shower snack,” I said.
He chuckled. “I take that as high praise. It doesn’t always work, but it’s usually worth a try.”
“I’ll add it to my arsenal.” We stood by the door, facing each other, no more than a foot apart. Neither of us moved farther into the house. The room fell silent, the air suddenly charged. I watched Luke’s chest rise and fall. Were his breaths shorter than usual?
Did that evening at the beach change everything for him, too?
I tilted my chin up, lifting my gaze back to his face. His brown eyes were waiting for me, and time stood still while we just…looked at each other, words eluding us equally, until the squeak of the shower being turned on upstairs broke our trance.
Luke cleared his throat. “Do you have plans tonight? I bought a bunch of steak tips to grill. Mimi can join us, too.”
“She has book club tonight. But I can stay.”
He smiled like that was the best news he’d heard all week, and my heart stumbled.“Great,” he said. “I need to respond to like three emails, then I’ll be down. Don’t go anywhere?”
I nodded, wondering if he knew how special he made me feel with that smile.
“Help yourself to whatever. You know where everything is,” he called over his shoulder as he bounded up the stairs.
I hadn’t seen Max since Sunday, and we hadn’t spoken much either. We had plans tomorrow night, and that was when I planned to break things off. He already felt like a stranger. I also had this odd grudge against him for using lines from books to woo me. I wasn’t sure why it bothered me so much, but it did. Even though it wasn’t malicious, it ruined something for me. I felt commoditized.
When Luke got back down, he poured himself a glass of water and joined me on the couch.
“Do you play tennis?” I asked.
“No, I didn’t have the forethought to stick Luna only in sports Iactually know how to play. Jeremiah is a great tennis player, though.”
“That’s perfect! Ask him if he can make time for a few extra sessions with Luna and Clara? Luna says they need to improve their backhand skills to beat Rachel and her partner in the tournament at the end of the summer.”
His brown eyes glittered, and I knew he was about to tease me. “Feeling a little competitive about girls’ eight-year-old tennis, Val?”
