Just a Kiss in the Moonlight: Georgia Moon Romance Book 2 (6 page)

L
uke glanced
at the clock of the hospital dining room. He only had thirty more minutes to go before the meet and greet was over. Reece leaned into his arm as she introduced him to the nurse over the hospital’s infection control.

While she made some joke about getting his flu shot, Luke’s gut tightened when Taylin walked into the room. Although he hated to admit it, he’d been looking for her all evening.

She was with another nurse he recognized from labor and delivery. The fact she wasn’t with her boyfriend shouldn’t make him so happy, but it did.

Earlier, Margaret showed him the bulletin board Taylin had completed. He’d been embarrassed, but very impressed by her creativity. She’d gone to a lot of work, adding little extras that reflected his hobbies and his home state of Montana. Thankfully, she hadn’t added anything about the movie
Frozen
, or his impromptu announcement about not dating co-workers.

Since his divorce, Luke realized the most likely place he’d meet a woman he wanted to date would be in the workplace or at church. It was logical, but not always practical in case things didn’t work out. So really his rule was to use discretion when deciding whether or not to date a co-worker.

With Reece discussing something work related with the infectious control director, Luke moved away from her. She’d been at his side the entire night. It was like they were a couple at a wedding reception instead of colleagues at a social reception for a new employee.

Taylin and her friend were seated at a table talking with some of the other employees from their floor. Zach, the anesthetist working today was also seated there. Luke headed in their direction. It wasn’t like he was singling Taylin out, since the people with her were his colleagues too.

“Hey, man,” Zach said. “Have a seat and I’ll buy you a drink.”

“Thanks.” Luke took a seat next to Zach. His eyes flickered to Taylin and she smiled.

“Y’all know Luke, right?” Zach asked as he reached over to the table next to him and snagged a bottle of Coke out of a clear bowl filled with ice and a variety of beverages.

“Not yet,” a woman said, sitting on his other side. “I’m Hayley.” She shook Luke’s hand. “I work nights in the NICU, but I’ve been on bed rest for a few weeks thanks to this little girl,” she said, patting her round stomach.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Did you see the shrine Taylin created about you?” Zach said wryly as he placed the bottle of Coke in front of Luke.

Everyone laughed, and Luke felt his face heat. He glanced at Taylin just as she threw a grape at Zach.

“Shut up, Zach,” she teased. “Margaret says you’re next.”

“Sweet.” He lifted his drink to his mouth. “I have the perfect picture you can use that shows off my awesome physique.”

More laughter followed his comment. Zach was a little overweight and liked to joke about it. From what Luke had gathered, Zach wasn’t as concerned about having a six-pack as much as he was about drinking one.

Luke met Taylin’s gaze. “That was a lot of work. Thank you.”

“Thanks.” Her lips curved up. “I’m into scrapbooking so it wasn’t hard.”

Two of the nurses dressed in scrubs got up from the table. “Breaks over, y’all. We gotta get back to work.”

“Me too,” Zach said. He scooted back from the table. “Y’all have a good night while we slave away.”

Luke felt a little guilty. Zach was covering his turn to be on call for tonight since the open house had been pushed back from last week. He’d volunteered to take call after the party, but Zach was saving up for a vacation and needed the extra money.

A woman who looked to be about his mom’s age asked Luke about his family and how he’d ended up in Georgia.

Shifting in his seat, Luke answered the best he could, leaving out the part about his ex, her boyfriend and their new baby. He summed it up as a need for change. A few times his eyes would connect with Taylin, and judging from the kindness he saw there, he wondered if she knew about his past. Although he wasn’t hiding anything, he didn’t exactly want to broadcast about his failed marriage.

After answering several questions about camping at Yellowstone and confirming that real bears actually live there, two more people left the table. Taylin’s friend also got up. “Hey, girl, Danny is meeting me for drinks at eight-thirty.” She pushed her chair in and glanced at Luke. “You’re on next week, right?”

“Yeah. I have call tomorrow and Sunday and then I’m working through Thursday.” Luke had traded his weekend call with Melissa, the other CRNA so he could move into his house. “Are there a lot on the books?”

“No. Unless we get slammed by walk-ins it should be a good week.” She smiled and started to walk around the table. “Y’all have a fun night.”

Laughter and conversation filled the room, but all Luke could hear was the pounding of his own heart. He and Taylin were alone at the table with only two chairs separating them. He hadn’t been this nervous around a girl since junior high.

“Did you mail Eliza’s dress?” Taylin asked him.

“Yeah.” He was surprised she remembered his niece’s name. “My sister said it fits perfectly, so thank you.”

“Sure. I’m glad I could help.”

“She just hopes Eliza doesn’t wear it out before Halloween.”

“I love Halloween.” Taylin fingered the miniature pumpkin that was part of the centerpiece on the table. “Especially when you’re little. You get to dress up like a princess and then run from house to house getting free candy.”

“Yeah, me too.” He laughed when her eyes widened. “I meant dressing up and getting free candy, just not as a princess.”

“Right.” She gave him a playful grin. “What did you like to dress up as, a hero or something scary?”

“Always something scary. My mom’s an artist and could do amazing special effects with make-up.”

“Really? What kind of artist?”

“She loves working with oils and teaches art at the high school, but she can do pretty much everything.” He picked up the other pumpkin from the centerpiece. “The pumpkins she carves each year are legendary in my hometown and folks will come from miles around just to see them.”

“That’s amazing.” She leaned forward and replaced the pumpkin to the centerpiece. “So did you happen to inherit any of your mama’s artistic abilities?”

“A little, I guess.” He shrugged. “I always got an A in art.”

“And what about carvin’ pumpkins?”

Luke smiled, loving the way her accent made simple words sound sexy. “I guess you’ll have to wait and see for yourself.”

“Please don’t tell me you’re entering the contest.”

“Why not?” He grinned. “Afraid I’ll win?”

“Not if I can help it.” Her blue eyes sparkled with laughter. “I’m fixin’ to win that spa trip, Luke McKay, so you better watch out.”

“There you are,” a silky voice said from behind Luke. It was Reece.

Luke’s muscles tensed when she put one hand on his shoulder and slid around, taking the seat closest to him. “I wondered where you’d disappeared to.”

Her fingers slowly skimmed down his bicep before she rested her hand on the table next to his. He stiffened and wanted to scoot away. He didn’t like how freely this woman touched him. It bordered on sexual harassment, especially in the workplace.

“What’re y’all talkin’ about?” Reece asked. “It looks serious.”

In the process, she’d somehow managed to press her thigh against his. And while Taylin’s Southern drawl was sexy, Reece’s husky voice did nothing but make him uncomfortable.

“Nothing too serious,” Taylin said. She regarded Luke with a curious look, like she wanted to know if he welcomed the close proximity of the HR director. “We were just talkin’ about art.”

“I see,” Reece said, her voice tinged with jealousy.

Luke needed to do something about Reece, he just wasn’t sure what that was. He didn’t want her as his enemy, but he didn’t want her to think he was okay with her overtures either.

“Well,” Taylin said, scooting her chair back. “If y’all will excuse me, I’m gonna head on home.”

She waved, and Luke watched her leave, wishing he could go after her and explain himself.

“Where does she work again?” Reece asked. This time she sounded annoyed.

“In the nursery.” Not caring if he offended her, Luke scooted his chair back and stood up. “Well, things are slowing down so I think I’ll make the rounds and say good night.”

She started to rise from her chair, so Luke took a step away. “Enjoy the rest of your evening.”

He crossed the floor and was relieved when the CEO stopped him to introduce his wife to Luke. The conversation kept him away from Reece, but he could swear he felt her eyes on him. Finally, the evening came to a close, and Luke escaped before Reece could corner him again.

His phone buzzed in his pocket as he climbed into his SUV. He glanced at the screen and saw Dave Matthews was calling him. He started his car and answered with the Bluetooth.

“Hey, Dave. What’s up?”

“Just wanted to tell you thank you for my supper.”

Luke clicked on his seatbelt, and laughed. “You liked the fish, huh?” Luke’s fishing trip had been successful, but since he was still at the hotel and didn’t have a freezer to store his catch, he’d offered his haul to Dave and his wife.

“Mmm-hmm. Of course, anything my wife makes is amazing.”

“You’re a lucky man,” Luke said, meaning every word.

Dave and Rachel were the epitome of what lovesick newlyweds were supposed to be like. Luke and Vivian had been the kind of newlyweds that argued, only without the making up part afterward.

“Yeah,” Dave said. “She was worth the wait.”

Luke could hear Rachel in the background. Dave chuckled. “Rach said to tell you that if you too would like a nice meal cooked by a loving wife, she has the perfect girl to set you up with.”

For the first time, Luke was tempted to say yes. When he’d dropped off his cache of fish to Rachel, she’d questioned him about knowing Taylin Nichols. She’d more than hinted that if he ever wanted a date with Taylin, she would be more than happy to set them up.

When Luke mentioned Taylin had a boyfriend, Rachel had rolled her eyes and said, “Taylin isn’t in love with Jared. She just needs a good incentive to finally dump the guy.”

“Tell her I’ll think about it,” Luke said.

Rachel cheered loudly after Dave relayed the message. When he came on the phone, he gave a low whistle. “It’s a good thing you like fishin’ because you just opened a big can of worms.”

Luke laughed as he pulled out onto the road and made his way toward the hotel.

“Speaking of fishin’,” Dave said. “How would you feel about letting a group of kids from the youth center come fishing on your property?”

“That sounds great. What day did you have in mind?”

“Well, here’s the deal. The kids are all out of school next Friday for a teacher prep day. I know that’s the day we’re planning on moving you into your house, so I thought maybe the kids could come help us before we take them fishin’.”

Luke welcomed any help he could get, and he’d love to share his passion for fishing with kids who likely spent most of their time playing video games or texting.

“I think that’s sounds great, but I only have one boat.”

“Jackson McCall has a boat he said we can use and then some of the other kids can fish off of the dock while we take turns out on the lake. Of course, there’s always gonna be a few who just want to hang out and not fish.”

“About how many kids are you thinking will come?” Luke asked.

“Our census has been pretty low this year, but usually we end up with about twenty kids between the ages of fourteen to eighteen. We can probably count on half that number to actually show up.”

Dave went on to explain that in addition to the kids, he had several regular volunteers who would be helping, and that Rachel planned on organizing a potluck for after.

Immediately, Luke wondered if Taylin would be one of the volunteers. He resisted the urge to ask Dave.

“If it’s okay with you,” Dave continued, “maybe we could have a camp fire and roast marshmallows? My wife wants to introduce the kids to S’mores. A lot of them have never been camping, let alone roasted a marshmallow over a campfire.”

Fishing, campfires and S’mores were familiar to Luke, bringing on mixed emotions of both comfort and nostalgia. He and his family went camping on a regular basis. Some of these kids might not ever get that opportunity.

“Sure, I think that would be fun.” Luke approached an intersection and tapped on the brakes until he came to a stop to wait his turn. “I was thinking that if you could round up enough tents, some of the kids might want to stay overnight. I know that might be a little more complicated, but I wouldn’t mind.”

“You know, that isn’t a bad idea. The weekend retreat we’d planned at the end of August was canceled because of a hurricane. Let me do some calling around and I’ll let you know.”

“Sounds good.”

Dave thanked him and ended the call. The rest of the drive to the hotel, Luke mentally started a list of equipment he’d need Dave to round up, like fishing poles and life jackets. They didn’t have much time to prepare, and with Luke working four days, plus moving into his house, it could be difficult to pull it off.

Still, spending the weekend fishing and camping would be a lot of fun. And if a certain blonde happened to show up, then it could prove to be even better.

T
aylin finished giving
report to the oncoming nurse and hurried to change out of her scrubs before heading home. She had ambiguous feelings about this evening’s activities taking place at Luke’s new house. While she’d been unable to get off work to help out with the moving party, she’d gotten off a couple of hours early so she could help with dinner, the campfire activities and then tenting it on his property as a chaperone.

Seeing him again, especially outside of work, would be interesting. Ever since finding out more about him from her bulletin board assignment, and then talking with him about his family at the open house the week before, she’d found herself thinking about him more and more. He was hard to read. One minute he was gruff and unapproachable and the next friendly and open.

While he’d declared he didn’t date co-workers, he and the HR director had seemed pretty chummy. But when she and Rachel had talked a few days ago about the upcoming activity at his house, Rachel mentioned how uncomfortable Luke was with the HR director hitting on him at work.

As Taylin pondered that information, she realized Luke hadn’t been that excited when Reece had taken a seat at their table. In fact, she could almost swear he’d been as disappointed as she’d been by the interruption.

Her phone buzzed, and since she was stuck at a light, she quickly read the text from her sister.

Are you almost home? I’m dying for you to see your new clothes.

An hour earlier, Ashlee had texted her that she’d gone shopping today and found the perfect outfit for Taylin to wear tonight. Getting Taylin together with Luke had become her twin’s new mission in life.

Taylin quickly replied she’d be home in ten minutes. She could hardly wait to see what Ashlee had put together. It would either be fabulous or completely inappropriate for camping.

Fifteen minutes later, she pulled into the driveway. Ashlee was waiting for her by the door. “I thought you’d never get here.” She pulled on her hand. “We have to hurry up if you want to make it in time to go out on the boat with Luke.”

“How do you know his schedule?”

“I’ve been texting Rachel. They’ll come in as soon as the sun sets.”

Taylin followed her sister upstairs. “Ashlee, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but he may not be interested in me.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. He won’t be able to resist you.”

She wished she had her sister’s confidence, but hers had been shaken a little after she’d officially broken up with Jared and he hadn’t put up much of a fight. While it had stung a little, she’d also been relieved.

Ashlee pushed Taylin into the bathroom. “Take a quick shower, but don’t get your hair wet. I’ve got some incredible new dry shampoo that works amazingly.”

Taylin obeyed her sister and five minutes later she knocked on Ashlee’s bedroom door.

The door flung open, and Taylin noticed right away her sister had cleaned her room and even made her bed. “Isn’t it adorable?” Ashlee said, pointing to the sage colored shirt lying on top of the duvet. Next to it was a lightweight, black puffy vest.

“Very cute,” Taylin said. She crossed the floor as her sister held up a pair of dark wash skinny jeans. “Aren’t those your favorite jeans?” she asked.

Ashlee nodded her head. “Yes, but I think you look better in them.”

“I doubt that.”

Ashlee giggled as she picked up a shoebox. “You’re gonna just die when you see the shoes I found.”

Taylin loved new shoes as much as Ashlee loved borrowing them. It was kind of fun that her sister was the one to purchase the shoes this time.

Ashlee lifted the lid off and tossed it on the bed. The minute Taylin saw the shoes, she wished she’d been the one to buy them. The suede ankle boots were camel colored and looked like hiking boots only with a five inch spiked heel. Not entirely appropriate for camping, but since it was for one day and took place at a residential home she could get away with wearing them.

“So cute,” Taylin said.

“I know, right.” Ashlee held up one of the boots. “I FaceTimed Addie, and she wants a pair.”

Taylin took off her robe, pulled the black camisole over her underthings, and then slipped into the jeans. Ashlee took over from there, handing her the shirt, followed by the vest.

Before putting the boots on, Taylin sat down in front of the mirror while Ashlee fixed her hair. Her sister was a beauty school dropout. Literally. Ashlee had attended long enough to gain some pretty good skills, but in the end couldn’t deal with touching less than desirable clients’ hair.

Taylin relaxed as Ashlee expertly twisted her hair along the base of her neck until she gathered the rest of the hair into a side ponytail. She left a few wavy strands to frame her face and then finished off by taking a section of hair from the ponytail and wrapped it around the hairband to cover it.

Her sister then proceeded to touch up Taylin’s makeup, enhancing her natural glow from their Hawaii trip without looking like she’d used any makeup.

“You look gorgeous,” Ashlee said, hugging Taylin from behind. “I wish I could be there to see the look on Luke’s face.”

“Thank you.” She met her sister’s eyes in the mirror and smiled. “I’ll text you if he notices me.”

Ashlee laughed. “Taylin, he’s already noticed you, we just need him to take the bait.”

Trying not to smile too wide, Taylin turned around and laced up the boots. Apparently, while everyone else would be fishing for fish, she was more interested in catching Luke’s attention.

Twenty minutes later, Taylin drove down the long driveway to Luke’s house. There were half a dozen cars already parked and she pulled alongside Rachel’s car.

Before getting out of her car, she took a minute to admire the beautiful two-story brick home. Patterned after the colonial style, she admired the many windows, flanked by black plantation shutters.

Taylin climbed the wide porch steps. She could hear music, laughter, and the hum of voices as she walked around the porch to the back of the house. A large covered deck sprawled out along the length of the house. Another set of porch stairs led to a path to a private dock that extended over the shores of Plantation Lake. She noticed a few kids fishing from the dock.

Glancing around, she spied Rachel sitting next to a patio table laden with a variety of plates and dishes. She was busy chatting with two other volunteers, but looked up as Taylin made her way across the deck.

“Taylin, you made it!” She popped up out of her chair. “And you look absolutely adorable.”

“Thanks, so do you.” Rachel wore a denim jacket over a white graphic tee. She also had on hiking boots, but they were the kind you actually went hiking in.

“I love the shoes. Ashlee sent me a picture of them, and I’ve been dying to see what they’d look like on you.”

“My sister has many talents and finding cute shoes is one of them. It’s just usually I’m the one buying them.”

Rachel laughed. “She also seems to have a knack for matchmaking. She told me you broke up with Jared.”

“Yeah, it was time.”

“Does this mean I can help Ashlee set you up with Luke?”

Taylin bit at her lip. Rachel could prove to be a good ally, but if things didn’t work out, would that put a strain on their friendship?

“I promise to be discreet,” Rachel said. “And if I get any vibes from either of you that you’re uncomfortable then I’ll back off.”

“Okay, but I don’t want it to ruin your friendship with Luke or with me.”

Rachel stuck out her hand. “Deal.”

Taylin laughed as she shook hands. “Deal.” She glanced around. “So, where is everyone?”

Aside from the three kids on the dock, there were only two girls sitting at a smaller table painting their fingernails.

“Out on the lake fishing. Luke has two boys in his boat and Quincy Jamison volunteered to go along and help him. Jackson McCall is driving his boat and Dave is with him along with three other boys.”

“The girls don’t want to fish?”

Rachel pointed to the dock. “Those three are waiting to go out on the next boat.” She pointed to the girls painting their nails. “Courtney and Felicia don’t want to get dirty, or catch gross fish.” She made quotation marks with her fingers.

June and Becca, the two other volunteers, stood up and moved to the table of food. They waved at Taylin, commenting on her shoes.

“If I tried walking on heels that high I’d fall and break my hip,” June teased. She was a widow in her late sixties. Her two boys were in the military. Neither one of them were married, so June acted as the surrogate grandmother of the group.

Taylin and Rachel walked across the deck as Becca peeked inside a crockpot.

“Luke said they’d be back around five to take the last group out on the lake.” Becca replaced the lid. “I reckon those boys’ll be hungry so we should probably set aside food for the men.”

“Good idea,” Rachel said.

While the women busied themselves checking the temperature of the food and dishing up plates for the men, Taylin made her way to Courtney and Felicia. She could hear them discussing how hot a boy named Matt was.

“Hey, girls,” Taylin said.

Courtney and Felicia both looked up and smiled, their eyes lighting with admiration. “Hey, Miss Taylin. You look amazing,” Courtney said.

“You always do,” Felicia said on a sigh.

“Thanks. Y’all look pretty cute yourselves.”

The two fourteen year old girls frequently asked Taylin for advice on clothes, hair, and makeup, and followed her every word. Maybe she could get them to go fishing. It would be good for them to do something other than talk about boys.

“How come y’all didn’t go fishin’?”

“Because it’s disgusting,” Courtney said.

“Yeah, and most girls don’t fish.” Felicia wrinkled her nose and glanced at the three girls fishing from the dock.

Although Taylin and Rachel encouraged all of the girls to branch out and get to know each other, Courtney and Felicia remained aloof from the other girls who were more athletic.

“Who says girls don’t fish?”

“You fish, Miss Taylin?” Courtney asked with disbelief.

“I haven’t been for a few years, but I love to fish. I used to even bait my own hook.” Up until Taylin’s final years in high school, she frequently fished with her brother and daddy. Although she didn’t like it much, she knew how to clean a crappie, fillet it and fry it up as good as her mama.

Courtney glanced over at Felicia, and they shared some kind of silent communication. “I reckon we’ll go if you come with us,” Courtney said.

“Absolutely. Why do y’all think I got off work so early?”

The girls asked Taylin all about her job, and she told them about the sweet little baby boy she’d cared for this past week. He was going through drug withdrawals. Taylin used it as a teaching moment to help dissuade the girls from ever experimenting with drugs or alcohol.

She asked them about school and naturally the girls talked about the boys they liked. Taylin remembered how hard junior high was and how dramatic she and Ashlee were if a boy didn’t like them back.

Soon the first boat returned to the dock. Taylin recognized Jackson’s boat. “Let me go talk to Jackson and Pastor Dave to see how many can go out at a time. We might have to go out on the other boat.”

She tried not to sound too hopeful or excited, but the chance she might get to go out on the lake with Luke made her heart pound.

Adept at wearing heels, she navigated the path to the dock at a quick pace. She could see Luke’s boat approaching and she wanted to get things settled before he returned.

Pastor Dave hopped out on the dock and grabbed the rope to secure the boat. “You girls ready to go?”

“Yeah, fishin’ from the dock sucks,” one of them answered.

He laughed and noticed Taylin. “Hey, glad you could make it.”

“Thanks. Sorry I missed all the work.”

“We missed you, but the kids were great and Luke is officially moved in.”

Taylin’s eyes flickered over the water. Luke had slowed his speed to keep the wake down and would probably dock in two minutes.

“Hey, listen, I talked Courtney and Felecia into going fishin’. Is there room for everyone to go, including me?”

Dave wrinkled his brow. “I think we better split the group up. Y’all can ride with Jackson and—” He stopped in the middle of the sentence and then grinned mischievously. “Actually, since these girls have been waitin’ so long, they can come with us, and you, Courtney and Felicia can ride with Luke.”

Evidently, Rachel had already roped her husband into the matchmaking game. Taylin hoped their efforts weren’t in vain.

Jackson appeared portside. “We done here, Dave?”

Dave winked at Taylin before addressing Jackson. “Looks like we’ve got another group to go out. You okay if we take these girls and then Taylin can take the other two girls out with Luke.”

Jackson grinned at Taylin. “Hey, squirt. You still know how to bait your own hook?”

“I sure do.” She smiled. “I can still out fish you too.”

“One time, squirt. You caught more fish than Chase and me one time.”

“Y’all never let me come with the two of you again, so I guess we’ll never know.”

“I do believe she just challenged us to a fish off.” Jackson looked over at the three girls who were taking the life vests from the boys exiting the vessel. “You girls in?”

“Heck yeah,” one of them answered enthusiastically.

“Get on board, ladies. We have a fishing contest to win,” Jackson said.

“Hey, how is Sydney?” Taylin asked when Jackson looked back down at her.

“She’s doin’ great.” Jackson grinned. “It’s like living with Noah, though. She’s buying everything two by two.”

Taylin laughed. Jackson waved before turning to help the girls climb aboard.

A minute later, Luke cut the engine to his boat, and he and Quincy both worked to ease it against the dock. Taylin waited for him to acknowledge her, but he kept his head down, busying himself with securing the boat.

Quincy jumped on to the dock and said hello as he tied the rope around the cleat. The two passengers also jumped off, holding up their impressive cache of fish.

Dave complimented the boys on their catch and Luke still didn’t look up at Taylin. Disappointment settled around her as the realization sunk in that he really wasn’t interested in her. She wanted to back out of her commitment to go fishing with Courtney and Felicia, but they were already crossing the dock toward the boat.