Awakening (9 page)

"Tessa James. Luke's ex-girlfriend."

Great, a disgruntled ex-girlfriend, probably another of his bimbos. Just what I needed.

Thanks again, universe!

I wasn't sure why I felt a surge of anger towards Luke, he didn't owe me anything. We weren't together, but still, he
did bring me here, and then he kissed me and left with some other girl. I was insulted. I picked up my Appletini and finished the entire thing in one gulp.

"I need a d
rink," I said to no one in particular.

I looked for the creepy guy and noticed he wasn't seated at the bar anymore, so I headed that way. I sat down on a bar stool as the bartender walked over and put down a napkin in front of me. She was a pretty girl, but she looked tired, like she'd been working too many long shifts
. Her name tag said AMANDA.

"What can I get ya?"

"Something strong," I said.

"Coming right up."

She put a shot glass down on the bar and quickly filled it with some sort of brown liquid. I picked it up and poured it down my throat. My eyes started watering as I sucked in a mouth full of air and slammed the shot glass back down on the bar.

"Another," I demanded.

She poured another shot in my glass and set the bottle down on the bar.

"Look, I know it's none of my business, but don't worry about Tessa."

"I'm not worried about her. It's just another kink in the chain."

"Look, I know everyone around here." Amanda smiled. "Luke's a good guy, he just got tangled up with the wrong girl. A few years back when Luke first came to town, he and Tessa used to get around together. She was serious about him, but he was just having a good time. One night she came in and Luke was talking to a pretty young girl at the bar. She flipped out on him."

"What happened?" I asked, really not sure why I cared.

"Well, it turned out the girl was his little sister, in town for a visit. Tessa made a huge scene before Luke could calm her down enough to explain. He was so angry with her that he called it quits right then and there."

"Yeah, good for him."

"I shouldn't be saying anything, but I heard talk that she told him she was pregnant. He wasn't happy about it, but he was gonna marry her because he's a gentleman and it was the right thing to do in his mind. He was really smart about it though because he made her go to the doctor before he put the ring on her finger, and it turned out she was lying. Ever since then he's wanted absolutely nothing to do with her, but she still pines for him and chases him around every chance she gets. It's really pathetic."

I emptied my shot glass again.

"Does she act like that every time he comes in here with a girl?"

Amanda looked at me with a mile wide grin.

"Well honey, you're the
first girl he's brought in here since his sister. Luke doesn't get around a whole lot anymore. I think Tessa taught him a lesson about keeping it in his pants, especially in a town as small as this one."

I blanched at her abrasiveness, and was just about to ask her another question when Eva came over to get me.

"Come on Caroline, let's get out of here. Nick said he'll take you back to the house."

I stood up and looked around the bar, which was packed. How long had we been her
e? Suddenly everything started to spin, and I grabbed Eva by the shoulders. She was helping me back to the table, when strong arms wrapped around me, easily taking my weight.

"What happened to you?" Luke asked me.

"Nothing, I just had a couple drinks while you were gone." I smiled at him lazily. "You sure are sexy."

Luke grinned at me, shaking his head.

"I'd say you had more than a couple. Let's get you home."

I woke to the morning sun streaming through my window. I had to squint my eyes to control the dull throbbing in my head.
I am such a lightweight!
I fumbled for my phone on the nightstand and checked the time. 8:37 am. I moaned and rolled over on my back, noticing that neither Anne Marie nor Eva were in their bed.

After
slipping on a t-shirt and shorts, I dragged myself to the bathroom and as I was brushing the fuzz off my teeth I heard hysterical laughter coming down the hallway. I put down the toothbrush and rinsed out my mouth, as I went to see what was going on.

The door at the end of the hallway was slightly ajar and I could hear muffled voices, followed by more laughter.
As I walked to the door and pushed it open, I could see both my parents sitting on the floor in front of a photo album laughing so hard they were both crying.

"Hey honey! Come in, come in. How was your night?" My dad asked as I seated myself on the floor beside him.

"Ugh, don't ask. What time did I get home?"

"It's was about 9:30. Luke brought you home and I helped you get in the bed," my mother provided.

"Where are Eva and Anne Marie?"

"We're really not sure. Luke said Nick was going to bring them home, but they haven't come back yet."

I smiled at my dad, hearing the words he wasn't saying. My friends had spent the night out with two men they barely knew, and he was glad I was here, instead of doing Lord knows what.

"So, what's so funny then?" I asked, changing the subject.

"We were just looking at some old pictures of Jillian and me when we were kids. Your father and I were reminiscing about the good old days, when the three of us were connected at the hip," my mother smiled nostalgically.

That's when it dawned on me that we were seated in my mother's and Jillian's childhood room. I looked around at the hand drawn pictures on the walls, faded and yellowing from years of sunrises. There was an old tin carousel toy next to a stack of children's books, and a doll that had seen better days.

"Look at this picture Caroline," my mother said. "This is Jillian, and that's me." She pointed to a young girl with long blonde hair. My resemblance to her was unreal. I hadn't seen many pictures of my mother when she was young.

"Wow, I look so much like you."

"Well, you are my daughter, aren't you?"

My mom leaned forward to pick up another picture and Jillian's locket fell forward and dangled around her neck. I heard my father gasp.

"Where did you find that?" He asked, searching my mother's face.

"Caroline found it in the desk downstairs on the first day we were here. I don't know how it ended up here. Jillian never took it off."

"I sent it back," my father admitted.

"Why Jack?" My mother sounded hurt, as if my father had been keeping something from her.

"It was time, Allison."

"I'm going to go see if I can find some water," I said, sensing my parents needed to have a private conversation.

~~~~

It was Saturday and the house was quiet without any workers painting, or putting up wainscoting and crown molding. I did have to admit, the place was coming back to life nicely, and it had only been one full day of work.

As I entered the kitchen and pulled a bottled water from the fridge, I scanned the room for my purse. Finding it slung over one of the chairs, I dug in the bottom for some Ibuprofen, popping two in my mouth and taking a long swig of water. I walked over to the back door and peered out the window at the river. It was so peaceful. I opened the door and stepped out onto the back deck.

"Morning
, Savannah," a deep voice said.

"Holy shit!" I screamed and jumped at least a foot, splashing cold water on my shirt. "Damn."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," Luke said, sheepishly.

"Luke, what are you doing here?"

He stood and walked over to me, placing his hands on my upper arms. Warmth radiated through me and I
couldn't look away from his gaze.

"I'm sorry about last night. Tes
sa is an old girlfriend. Things didn't end incredibly well with her and I didn't want you to be the target of her jealousy."

"I can take care of myself, you know." This was true, although, it was endearing for him to want to try and protect me.

"I have no doubt," he agreed. "Nonetheless, I apologize."

"It's fine."

"You had a pretty rough night, huh?"

"Yeah, alcohol and I aren't friends," I admitted.

"Let me make it up to you?"

"That's not necessary," I told him. "No harm, no foul."

"Caroline, come with me. I want to show you something."

I looked at him and could see the pleading in his eyes. It was Saturday after all. My parents were in their own little world, and I had no idea where my best friends were.
And, let's face it. I wanted nothing more than to spend time with him.

"Okay," I acquiesced. "But I need to shower and change my clothes. My hair smells like cigarettes and I feel like I'm excreting alcohol from all my pores."

Luke's eyes sparkled as he laughed. "How about you meet me over at my place when you're ready?"

"Sounds great."

Luke smiled and stepped off the deck.  As he rounded the side of the house he called back to me, "Bring a swimsuit if you have one!"

I turned to go back inside and clean up.

~~~~

About forty-five minutes later, I pulled up to Luke's in my mom's Explorer. I didn't bring a whole lot of clothes with me, so again, I was wearing a pair of running shorts, with a tank top this time. I put on some bike shorts underneath and my sports bra, since I didn't have a bathing suit with me. I
also grabbed a towel and put on some sunscreen and a hat, so I felt minimally prepared for whatever Luke had in store.

As I walked up to his door, it opened. Luke's dashing smile made my heart skip a beat as I walked past him into the entry way. The house was very similar to my grandmother's, but had an entirely different feel. Where hers was
old and outdated, his was sleek and modern. The dark mahogany floor boards ran throughout the downstairs. He had torn down some interior walls to allow for a more open floor plan, which made it possible to see clear through the house to the river out back.

"Come on in," he invited. "I've just about got everything ready."

I followed him into the living room, noticing the high ceilings and pot lights. The nautical decor was very tasteful, and calming. Light gray walls, highlighted by bright white trim and crown molding. Deep couches covered with neutral fabric and accented with pops of navy and cerulean. It really was fabulous. The fireplace was framed by floor to ceiling book shelves, which held many books on sailing and knot tying, and twice as many about architecture.  As I wandered past the bookshelves I could hear Luke banging around in the kitchen.

There was faint jazz music coming from the room just off living area. I peeked through the slightly open pocket doors to see his home office. Curiously, I opened the doors further and stuck my head inside. A drafting table stood in one corner, littered with several sheets of paper. As I walked toward it, I was able to make out pictures of houses and buildings, small details sketched with precision. He really did have an excellent eye. On the walls were several sketches of houses and buildings
, framed next to pictures of the finished product. Each one more beautiful than the next.

An overly large wooden desk took up the rest of the space in the room. I picked up one of the frames on his desk, turning it over to see
Martha Johnson, Luke's mother, and his sister Emily. Martha was strikingly beautiful, with creamy skin and sparkling green eyes just like Luke's, and Emily had the same skin, but her hair color was a lighter brown and her eyes were more golden. Mark's eyes. The family resemblance was uncanny. I put that picture down and picked up the next one. My heart slammed against my chest as I stared at a picture of Luke and his father with Mark.

Tears welled in my eyes as I looked at their faces, se
emingly caught mid laugh. Luke Senior had salt and pepper hair and the same golden eyes as Mark and Emily. Seeing Mark and Luke side by side, it was easy to tell which was which. I noticed that Luke's jaw was stronger, his nose straighter. He had the same dimple as Mark, but his smile was a little crooked. His lips were more full than Mark's. They had the same eye shape, but where Mark's were golden, Luke's were green, like the depths of the ocean. The three of them looked so happy in that moment.

"That was a few weeks before he died," Luke said from the doorway.

I hastily wiped my hands across my cheeks and eyes, trying to dry the tears. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snoop."

"It's fine. Nothing to hide," he assured me, crossing the room
and sliding one arm around my waist. He took the photo from my hand. "We were in Atlanta visiting Emily. She was finishing up her freshman year at Emory, and we decided to surprise her for her birthday. It was the last time we were all together as a family, but it was a great visit." He put the picture back on the desk.

Drying the last of my tears, I nodded my head.

"Ready to go?" He asked, stepping back and offering his hand.

"Yes, let's go," I said, linking my
fingers through his like we always did when we were younger.

~~~~

We drove about 20 minutes north and turned onto a tree lined dirt road. It was bumpy, but someone had been trying to maintain it by filling in the holes with gravel. After about two miles we emerged from the woods onto a causeway.

"The river snakes around through here. In spring when the tides are really high, the water will cover the road for hours," Luke told me.

We kept going for another mile or so until we re-entered the trees. Then we pulled up to a small cabin and parked the truck.

"This is my family's land. It was my great-grandfather's before he passed it to my father. I've spent a lot of time out here
, fishing from the dock and watching the sun rise." He climbed out of the truck and walked around to open my door and help me down. "Go on in, I'll be there in second, I just want to grab the cooler and bag I brought."

I walked to the door of the cabin and opened it. Inside there was a rough plumbed sink with a mini fridge, an old rickety table with mismatched chairs and a cot. Nets, buoys and fenders hung from the walls. There was an oval braided rug in front of the brick fireplace and a small worn out loveseat. To the right of the fireplace was a door. I opened it to find a bathroom that was more like a closet. There was a tiny toilet and another sink, which both looked
to have seen better days, but they seemed clean and functional.

To the left of the fireplace was another door. This one led to a small screened porch with two old wicker rockers. Beyond the porch I could see a dock with a boat.

"Hey, there you are," said Luke, sliding his arms around my waist and pulling my back into his chest. "Ready for some fun?"

I
leaned into him and nodded my head. He opened the screen door and I stepped onto the cinderblock steps and to the ground. We walked in silence down the dock. The river was calm as the tide was going out; the smell of marsh grass filling my nose. Luke jumped onto the boat with ease, putting his cooler and bag down in the corner, and turned to help me on.

"I always wanted a boat like this. It was the first thing I bought once I could afford it," he told me, smiling fondly and running his hand over the center console.

"It's really nice to have, considering how close you live to the water. How come you don't dock it at your house? Wouldn't that be easier?"

"I suppose it would, but I'd need a dock then wouldn't I?" He grinned, sending butterflies to flight in my stomach.

"You should build one!" I laughed.

"I should. I bet we'd use it a lot." He smiled.

My breath caught. Did he mean he and I would use it a lot?

As he started the outboard motor, I helped him untie the ropes holding us to the dock, and pushed off. We cruised around for about an hour, Luke showing me the sights, and pointing out wildlife. We even saw a pod of porpoises breaching the surface. Once the tide reached dead low, Luke slowed the boat and pulled up on a sandbar, anchoring there.

He jumped out of the boat and held his hand up for me to follow. "Come on, you have to see this," he said with school boy excitement.

I took his hand and climbed down from the boat. A breeze had begun to blow, and I noticed how Luke's sheer white button up clung to his chest, revealing toned abs. I found myself thinking about running my hands under his shirt and feeling his warm skin against mine. He chose just that moment to turn and look at me
and my face flamed. He slowed down, drawing me towards him and against his chest. "I really have missed you," he confessed.

"
I've missed you too Luke," I said as I inhaled his scent.

"Look!"
He said, excitedly.