Josie Day Is Coming Home (25 page)

Even if he couldn’t stick around to see her succeed, he
wanted to make sure she did. Josie deserved it.

With a nod for Luanne, Luke tossed down a five and headed
for another pay phone. It was time to take serious action.

“Come on, TJ. Come down here. I won’t bite.”

Peering upstairs toward the carriage house apartment, Josie
waited. After all the hullabaloo with her father, TJ had made himself scarce.
She didn’t blame him. Family arguments were no fun for anybody—least of all
Josie, the family black sheep. But despite her puffy eyes and tear-smudged
cheeks, she still wanted answers. There was no time like the present to get
them.

Mustering up an encouraging singsong, she tried again.
“Yoo-hoo! TJ! I’ve got Pop-Tarts.”

Gently, she shook the box. At the familiar rustle of the
wrapped pastries, TJ’s shaggy-haired head popped into view.

“Pop-Tarts? Why didn’t you say so?”

He rambled down the stairs, pausing at the bottom to look
around. Seeing nothing but Josie’s Chevy, motorcycle parts, and the usual
mechanic’s accoutrements, he shrugged. He accepted the Wild Berry frosted
pastry she held out.

Josie had snared her informant. “So, tell me. What’s
Luke got planned for the future?”

“Wow. You don’t waste time.”

“Not today, I don’t.” Heck, she’d already
annihilated her relationship with her father
and
outed her sister’s
familial insecurities. Although she’d meant well in both instances, she figured
she had nothing to lose by jumping in with both feet now. “Well?”

“I’m not supposed to tell you.” TJ took a bite of
Pop-Tart. His expression turned from cautious to blissful. “Luke doesn’t
want anybody to know until it’s a done deal.”

“Until what’s a done deal?”

TJ remained mum. He shook his head.

So Luke
was
hiding something. “Why the
secrecy?”

A shrug. “If it was anybody else, I’d say he didn’t
want people to know what he was up to in case he screwed up.” TJ poked at
his Pop-Tart, pushing in some of the jam-like filling. He licked his thumb.
“But Luke never screws up. Not when it counts. With him…I think he just
wants to be left alone.”

“Alone? Why?”

“I dunno. Because he’s a solitary kind of guy?”

“Seriously, TJ. Be straight with me.”

He gave her a contemplative look. Then he sighed. “When
Luke left L.A., he was pretty pissed. He’d had it. A lot had happened,
and….” TJ stopped. “Nah, I shouldn’t talk about it.”

But it was just starting to get good! Perkily, Josie lifted
the snack box. “I’ve got more Pop-Tarts,” she coaxed.

He looked hurt. “I can be bribed, but I can’t be
bought.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s cool.”

“It’s just that I care about Luke, okay? I do. I didn’t
want to, but it happened, and now it’s too late. So I want a little information.
I want to know about him.”

To her dismay, tears filled her eyes. Damn it. Angrily,
Josie swiped them away. After all she’d been through today, something as
innocuous as TJ’s reluctance to talk couldn’t possibly be the one thing that
pushed her over the edge.

“I just”—she sucked in a gulp of air, determined
to continue—“want”—another gulp—“to know”—gulp—“if we
have a future together.”

TJ looked concerned. Awkwardly, he patted her shoulder.

“Because—Luke said—he doesn’t talk”—huge
gulp—“about the future. Ever.”

Ever
emerged in one long wail, despite her best
efforts.

“Oh, come on, now. Don’t do that,” TJ pleaded.
“Don’t cry. I didn’t mean…you know. I’m not trying to be an asshole
about this. It’s Luke’s no-talk rule, not mine.”

“I know.” She sniffed. Blinked up at him.
“It’s not your fault. It’s just so frustrating!”

He nodded.

“It’s worse than wearing these clothes!”

He looked surprised.

“Worse than running out of Ding Dongs!”

He looked impressed. Reluctantly, he patted her again.

“Maybe I can tell you a little bit. Luke doesn’t have
to know you heard it from me, right?”

She brightened. “Right! I won’t tell him, I
swear.”

Josie crossed her heart. The gesture seemed to convince TJ
of her sincerity, because he finally dished.

“He wants to open a motorcycle mechanic’s shop. Kind of
like this one.” TJ swept his arm sideways, indicating the renovated
carriage house. “Only bigger and mondo-successful. So he can show his
dad.”

That made sense. Luke
did
love working on
motorcycles.

“Does his dad like motorcycles, too?” she asked.

“Nah, he pretty much thinks they’re the scum of the
open road. To Luke’s dad, nothing beats a big rig loaded up to hit the
highway.”

He must be a truck driver, Josie decided. Tough,
no-nonsense, all-American. But woefully misguided when it came to his son. How
else to explain his resistance to Luke’s idea?

“Hey, motorcycles aren’t so bad.” She felt
indignant on Luke’s behalf. And protective of his dream, now that she knew he
had one. “They’re fun. They’re easy to park. And you can personalize them
with custom paint jobs, just like a manicure.”

TJ nodded, giving her a
what can you do
? face.
“You can’t tell that to Bob Donovan, that’s for sure.”

They shared a moment, linked in their disapproval of a
father who looked down on his own son’s dream.

“I know about stubborn fathers, believe me,” Josie
said. “But I still don’t get why Luke’s plan is supposed to be such a big
secret. People open mechanic’s shops all the time.”

TJ pretended not to hear her. Very deliberately, he grabbed
another Pop-Tart. He tore into it like a man belting down one last tequila shot
for courage.

“Why are Luke’s plans such a big secret, TJ? What am I
missing here?”

Nada. She kept going.

“And why does Luke need to be super-successful to show
up his dad? What’s the deal with that? Do they have some kind of rivalry going
on?”

“Rivalry?” He scoffed.

“You’re right. Men probably outgrow that kind of
stuff.”

“No, I’d say ‘rivalry’ is putting it lightly. Those two
totally butt heads all the time.”

Just like her and her dad. Josie’s empathy for Luke grew.

“Luke doesn’t fit in with his family. He never
has,” TJ said. “His relationship with his dad makes yours with
your
dad look like a walk in the park.”

“Geez, do they fire bazookas at each other, or
something?”

“Just about.” He dropped Wild Berry crumbs on his
T-shirt. Noticing, he gave a halfhearted sweep. “It gets pretty bad. I’ve
been there for a couple of the arguments, including the last one.” He
whistled. “It was a biggie.”

“What was it about?”

“Can’t say.”

“Who was right?”

He seemed taken aback by the question. “You know, a
month or two ago, I’d have said Luke was. But by now I’m not so sure. Luke
kinda shoots
himself
in the foot with a bazooka sometimes, if you know
what I mean.”

Josie did. In the past, the same had been said about her.

“No wonder Luke got all bent out of shape when I
started talking about his job at Blue Moon being almost over with.” She
frowned, remembering their conversation. “He probably hasn’t saved up
enough money for his mechanic’s shop yet. So he doesn’t
want
his job to
be over with.”

“He definitely needs cashola,” TJ agreed.

“And there I was, practically rubbing his face in the
fact that he’s running out of time.” It was so obvious. Josie couldn’t
believe she hadn’t realized it before. “No wonder he didn’t want to talk
about it.”

TJ gave a noncommittal sound.

His lack of enthusiasm for her theory didn’t bother Josie.
Things were finally clicking together. Luke. Blue Moon. His hopes for the
future, which were endangered by her being there—endangered by her dance
school.

It was a mess, all right.

“I’m surprised Tallulah didn’t make some kind of
accommodations for Luke to keep working here indefinitely. I mean, he
is
the handyman. It’s not his fault Tallulah decided to give the place away.”

“Yeah. Anyway, I should probably get back to fixing
your Chevy. That starter’s a little tricky.”

“Do you think he’d take a job from me? I probably can’t
match Tallulah’s salary, but I do have some money saved up—”

“No!
Don’t
offer Luke a job.” TJ looked
uncomfortable, probably at having revealed any part of his friend’s secret. He
shot a longing look toward her ailing car. “Men have, you know, pride.
Luke won’t want pity.”

“It’s not pity, it’s practicality. He needs money.
Before you know it, my dance school will be bringing in plenty.”

“Yeah. Right. Still…. Don’t say anything to Luke,
okay? He’s, uh, sensitive about the situation with his dad. And he wouldn’t
want you to know about his motorcycle mechanic’s shop plans. I shouldn’t have
said anything.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll tell him I charmed it out of
you.”

“No! Don’t tell him anything!”

“I’m kidding.” She gave TJ a teasing arm punch,
feeling warmhearted toward him. In his own uncouth way, he’d tried to cheer her
up—tried to help her. She appreciated that. “I won’t say anything. Luke’s
secret is safe with me.”

Especially now that Josie knew the rest of the story—knew
that pursuing her future had accidentally endangered his. She felt bad about
that. It wasn’t something she’d seen coming, but now she could start fixing
things. By contacting Tallulah, for instance, and finding out if she had
another estate for Luke to work on. Or networking in town to see if the
Donovan’s Corner Garage had any openings for mechanics. It could work.

Sure. It
had
to work. Because there was no way Josie
could be happy if achieving her own dreams torpedoed Luke’s.

She glanced at TJ. He’d edged closer to her Chevy’s ailing
engine, socket wrench in hand, looking as if he regretted their whole
conversation. Thanks to him, though, Luke’s reluctance to confide his future
plans felt entirely different to her now.

“You know, it’s kind of sweet, actually,” she
mused. “You guys all think you have to be so tough for us, like Luke with
his secret mechanic’s shop plans. When really, women don’t mind a little
vulnerability. A little trust. A little faith.”

TJ shook his head. “Sure. You say that now. But it
never turns out that way.”

“Of course it does.”

“Uh-uh,” TJ disagreed. “Women
say
they
want all that crap. But then if we guys let our guard down for a minute—wham!
You’re bailing out on us for a thick-necked jerk named Spike who bench-presses
Buicks and smashes beer cans on his forehead.”

Josie laughed. “I think my friend Parker dated that
guy.”

TJ looked vindicated. “See? Proves my point.”

“But she figured he was a fixer-upper. By the time
Parker finished with him, Spike was picking out Chardonnay and wearing
turtlenecks.”

“Whoa. That’s uncool.”

“Come on. Spike
likes
getting his eyebrows waxed
now.”

“Hey.” He shot her a warning look. “Don’t
make me regret telling you about Luke. I only did it because I thought you’d be
good
for him.”

“I will be,” Josie said seriously. “I
promise.”

Then she gave TJ a hug and headed out the carriage house
doors, ready to make her future and Luke’s merge—in the best way possible.

Chapter Fifteen

Over the next several days, Luke found himself busier than
ever. First, with motorcycles. Second, with Ambrose. And third with Josie.

Word had gotten around about his carriage house
“garage,” especially his expertise with vintage motorcycles, so he
had all the repair work he could handle. His efforts to contact his aunt’s
attorney continued, but his phone calls and e-mails went unanswered. And on top
of everything else, he found every excuse to drive Josie to town on his Harley.

Doing so was an extra effort—and not strictly necessary,
since TJ had already fixed the starter on her heap of a convertible—but it was
worth it. Worth it for the feel of her plastered against him, hugging him from
behind as they took the mountain curves. Worth it for her squeals of delight as
he revved the engine. Worth it for the trust she gave him every time she
climbed on his motorcycle.

Trust wasn’t something Luke took lightly. Not after what had
happened with his father.

Josie’s mission to turn herself into Donovan’s Corner’s most
respectable showgirl transplant wasn’t something she took lightly, either.
Every day she climbed off his motorcycle and handed him his spare helmet. Every
day she slicked back her hair—usually in a prim bun—and adjusted her baggy,
buttoned-up clothes. Every day she told Luke she’d be fine.

“You don’t have to hang around. I can handle it.”

But every day, Luke stayed by her side anyway.

He was always glad he did. Because no matter what reputable
activity she had planned—a charity drive, a networking lunch, or ordinary
grocery shopping—some numbskull in town always felt compelled to badmouth her.
That meant Luke needed to run interference….so his list of
“injuries” grew. It wasn’t the best diversion, but it was all he had.

“I swear, Parker,” he heard Josie saying on her
cell phone to her showgirl friend from Las Vegas, “it’s as if Luke’s gone
klutzy or something. First that toe cramp at Hannah’s kindergarten, then a
sprained thumb at the bank. And a pulled muscle after church, too. I don’t know
what’s going on.”

Luke grinned. If he was lucky, she never would. If he was
really
lucky, people in town would quit dissing Josie before he was forced to
dislocate a shoulder.

Unfortunately, though, her campaign wasn’t that successful
yet. Her dance school’s official debut loomed closer all the time, but the
uptight residents of Donovan’s Corner didn’t seem ready to see Josie as
anything but a scandal in the making.