Just a Little Series (Parts 1 - 4) (13 page)

“No,” he winced and held his chest with one
hand. A moment passed, and he dropped his arms to his side and
shook them as if to let go of the pain. “Now,” he said quietly.
“Let’s try that again.”

He turned to me, took me in his arms, and
pulled me gently toward him. I closed my eyes as I rested against
his shoulder, admiring the way it felt inside his embrace. His hug
didn’t last long, but just the gentle reminder that he hadn’t
forgotten me was all the reassurance I needed.

As silent minutes passed, everyone started
going about their evening and enjoying the party. Luke crossed his
arms in front of his chest and stared off into the night after
ending our hug. At that point, the vast majority of the crowd had
already migrated to the front of the house to hear Detective
Bruno’s encore (and tone deaf) performance of
Monster Mash
,
leaving me alone with Luke to listen to the crackle of the burning
embers. Neither of us said much, but it was comforting all the
same; Luke was standing next to me, alive and strong, and really, I
couldn’t ask for anything more.

As the smoke wafted up and blanketed the
dark autumn sky, I took in a deep breath and filled my lungs with
the ashy smell of burnt hickory. Nighttime was finally upon us,
bringing with it a sudden onset of cool air. Luke’s arm fell gently
across my shoulders as I stood near the fire, enjoying the warmth
of the flames against my cheeks. He pulled me close to his side,
encompassing my body with a flood of heat even the fire couldn’t
compete with. He lowered his head to mine and pressed his lips to
my temple.

“Brace yourself,” he said with a bit of
intrigue in his eyes.

“For what?”

“A compliment,” he whispered, tickling my
earlobe with the soft grace of his lips. “You look beautiful.”

I turned to meet his crooked smile.

“How very unlike you,” I prayed my cheeks
weren’t as red as they felt. I watched his brown eyes trace the
features of my face, and then my gaze fell on his lips. “I’ve
missed you.”

“You were just at the hospital yesterday,
kid,” he pressed another kiss to my head. He looked over his
shoulder and back to me; it didn’t take a detective to conclude
that Luke was worried that our closeness might draw unwanted
attention from the other partygoers.

Since the night of the shooting, Luke and I
hadn’t shared many intimate moments. There was an occasional hug
here and there, rarely a peck on the cheek, and then there was that
unspoken agreement that neither of us would mention the kiss we
shared as he fought for what we could only assume were his last
breaths. Still, I’d remained by Luke’s side through thick and thin,
day and night, as much as I could without raising suspicion.
Nothing could’ve stopped me from being right where I needed to
be.

Needless to say, Luke’s openness tonight was
odd. It wasn’t like him, even this new and improved version of
himself, to play his cards so far from the chest. He seemed a
little vulnerable, a little comfortable, and a little
normal
for a change.

“How was your first day out of the
hospital?” I asked, letting my fingers brush against his.

“Uneventful,” he assured me. “I tried
settling in at home, but I was too restless. So, I stopped by the
station. I tried sneaking in the back, but not with much luck;
Charlie wouldn’t let me two steps in the door before throwing me
out.”

“You know you’re not allowed back on
duty—”

“I’m out of the hospital,” he said, his
scarred lip curving into a smile. “I’m good as new.”

“Not necessarily,” I ran my thumb across
his. “I thought you were gonna cry when I hugged you earlier.”

He scoffed and looked away, but it was clear
even Luke knew he was pushing his recovery. Not wanting to get any
closer to the possibility of discussing his vulnerabilities, Luke
stood a little straighter and turned his gaze on me.

“Charlie mentioned that you finally made it
to the cemetery this morning,” he squeezed my fingers. “Good for
you, kid. You needed to take that time with your parents—”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I met his
gaze. “It didn’t go well.”

“It was your first visit since the burial,”
he said, holding tighter. “It gets easier with time.”

Footsteps rounded the corner, and Luke
pulled away putting a foot of distance between our bodies. I looked
over my shoulder to find Derek coming closer, wearing a smile.

“Wow, Julie,” he took my hand and twirled me
in a circle. “You’re absolutely stunning.”

“Why, thank you, my prince,” I curtsied.

Derek’s strawberry-blonde hair whipped in
the wind. He adjusted his silver-rimmed glasses and smiled at me,
leaving me flustered by his undeniable charm. His dark suit blended
with the night sky, and it was clear that he hadn’t had to work too
hard to transform himself into the perfect Prince Charming. He wore
his heroic costume like a pro.

“Seriously?” Luke looked between us. He
shook his head and scoffed. “You two dressed to match?”

“FYI, Officer Reibeck,” I turned back to
Luke, “I know you got the message, but in case you forgot, this is
a costume party. And Charlie is handing out prizes—
one
being
for the best dressed couple. And since
some
people are too
stubborn to participate, Derek willingly accepted my invitation to
couple-up for the evening.”

“Of course he did,” Luke muttered. The two
of them stared at the other with mutual distaste. While they still
hadn’t found a way to get along, I wasn’t about to let their
dislike for one another interfere with the relationship I had with
each of them. I owed them both so much.

Three weeks earlier, after Luke had been
whisked off to the hospital for immediate surgery, Derek, Hannah,
and I were taken straight to the police station for questioning.
Since Hannah was in no hurry to deny her position in the shooting,
and mine and Derek’s stories corroborated her involvement, the case
was practically open and shut. I felt as though it was safe to say
that my biggest reason for worry was securely behind bars, since
she was being held without bond.

While part of me wanted to hate Derek for
the secrets he’d kept in the beginning—being the son of the man
who’d murdered my parents—I couldn’t, not after everything we’d
been through. Derek stayed by my side through my darkest hours. He
let his sister take the fall, never once considering her feelings
over mine. He made me a priority.

“I’m going to run up to the house and grab
something to drink,” Derek said. “Save me a dance later?”

I nodded my head and smiled,
“Definitely.”

He nodded at us and then turned back to the
house.

“Funny,” Luke reached up to straighten my
tiara. He looked up and let his eyes watch as my friend disappeared
into the darkness. Letting his gaze fall back to me, a simple smile
curved on his lips. “I’m surprised he actually came dressed to
match.”

“Why wouldn’t he?” I asked. “I asked him to,
he agreed. I don’t think he’d lie—”

“No,” Luke shook his head. “I assumed he’d
come dressed as a frog.”

“And why is that?” I detected a hint of
resentment in his voice. “Because he’s slimy, green with jealousy
because he knows I’m crazy about you? Or
maybe
because—”

“Every frog wants to kiss their princess,”
Luke fought a smile.

“Maybe
you
should’ve come as a
frog.”

“Maybe,” he whispered, and his nose was only
inches away from brushing mine. “For what it’s worth, Your
Highness, I didn’t know if I’d be out of the hospital in time to
come tonight. I wanted to see you, but I wasn’t about to make a
promise I couldn’t keep. In case
you
forgot, I was
shot.”

“Oh, right,” I rolled my eyes. “How silly of
me to forget.”

A hint of a smile crossed his lips.

He dropped his head a little lower and
watched me with saddened eyes. “You’re still not going to listen to
me, then?” he asked. “After everything that’s happened, you still
trust him?”

“Luke,” I said, my voice fading into a
whisper. I’d had the argument with Matt a hundred times already, so
I was fully prepared to keep defending my friend at every chance I
got. “You can’t hate Derek for what happened. If you’re going to be
angry at someone, direct it at Hannah.”

“I’m not angry,” he brushed a stray hair
from my face. “Far from it, kid. I mean, getting hurt—taking a shot
or two—I’m okay with all of that. It’s a risk that comes with the
job.”

“Being a policeman?”

“No,” he said, his nose finally brushing
against mine. “Protecting someone you care about.”

And just as his lips were a moment away from
mine, Luke’s cell phone rang. He dropped his head, closed his eyes
for a moment, and finally stepped back to pull the phone from his
pocket.

He stared at the screen in disbelief.

“Bruno,” he muttered, rolling his eyes. He
looked up at the front yard to see Detective Bruno waving his phone
in the air. Luke accepted the call and the two men simultaneously
brought their phones to their ears.

“What?” he asked with an edge in his voice.
He listened to Bruno on the other end, all the while watching him
from across the yard. He kept his head low and lips covered, so I
couldn’t interpret what the Detective was saying on the other end.
And without another word to me or the other man on the line, Luke
hung up the phone and shoved it in his pocket.

“I’ve gotta hit the road, Julie,” he looked
beyond my shoulder so as not to meet my stare. “Have fun tonight,
and good luck with the contest.”

“Whoa, wait,” I said, taking his arm as he
started away. “What’s going on? You just got here.”

“Duty calls—”

“You’re not on duty,” I said, “and you won’t
be for the next month—”

“Julie,” he shook his arm free from my
grasp, “good night.”

As he walked away, farther and farther from
the fire, my heart fell from my chest.

After all we’d been through, Luke was still
running.

CHAPTER TWO

Wednesday, October 31

“What in God’s name do you think you’re
doing?” Matt ripped a frozen pizza from my hands and tossed it in
the trash.

“Matt,” I whined. “I’m starving—”

“Then I’ll make you something to eat,” he
said. “You can’t put that garbage in your body—”

“That
garbage
is what I lived off of
for sixteen years before coming to this house,” I said. “It hasn’t
killed me—”

“Yet.”

I rolled my eyes and sank onto the barstool
at the center island. I watched as Matt made his way through the
kitchen, stopping at the refrigerator to retrieve a celery stalk
and carrots before opening the cupboard for a simmering pan, two
pots, and a handful of utensils.

Much to the surprise of everyone who knew
him, Matt jumped right back into his normal routine after the
Oakland PD carted Hannah, his unofficial girlfriend, off to jail.
I, more than anyone, expected him to go into shock, break down, and
completely exclude himself. But he didn’t; Matt only spent a day or
two in the dumps. In no time at all, he’d picked himself up,
brushed it all off, and moved on as though nothing had ever
happened.

“Just a heads up,” Matt took a deep breath.
“I’m not gonna be able to make it to school Friday night.”

“Matt, if you bail on me—”

“Sorry, Julie,” he said, dicing carrots.
“I’m scheduled for a shift at the bistro. I can’t call off.”

“Why did you sign up for the decorating
committee if you knew you couldn’t do it?” I asked, disappointed
that he was the third person in a week to cancel. “Your bailing
leaves me with only two helpers to assemble the Fall Ball—”

“Sorry,” he said again. “I wish there was
something I could do, but my hands are tied. You’ll figure it out;
you always do. I’m sure someone will step up and volunteer.”

“Like who?”

“Ask Derek.”

“I’m not asking Derek.”

“Why not?” he asked. “He’s the perfect guy
for the job. You say jump, he’ll jump.”

“Don’t be a jerk, Matt.”

“I’m not being a jerk, just stating the
obvious.” Matt tossed the diced vegetables into the pan. He watched
in silence as they simmered, but he finally looked up to me long
enough to shake his head. “Honestly, I still can’t understand why
you’d want to be friends with the guy. You remember what he did,
don’t you?”

Remember
? How could I forget? He
risked his life against his own flesh and blood to put me out of
harm’s way. He leaned over Luke’s lifeless body and did everything
he could think to do to help him, despite the fact that we’d given
up hope that he’d pull through. He did all the things an amazing
friend would do, and I was eternally grateful, despite what Matt,
Charlie,
and
Luke thought about him.

I couldn’t help but smile as I remembered
the sigh of relief Derek let out when the doctors came into the
waiting room to deliver news on Luke’s surgery. He’d wrapped his
arms around me, hugged me tight, and promised me that everything
would be okay.

“Yeah, Matt,” I slid off the stool. “I
remember perfectly well what Derek did. I’ll never forget; he was
there for me when I needed a shoulder. He was being a friend. He
was doing
your
job.”

Without giving Matt a chance to defend
himself, I stormed out of the kitchen. I walked through the house
and out the front door, chancing the autumn breeze without a
sweater or jacket. My bare arms tightened against the cool air as I
walked to the house next door and rang the bell.

“Hey,” Derek opened the door wide enough to
let me in. “Aren’t you freezing?”

“I’m okay,” I said, my teeth chattering as I
stepped inside and closed the door. He stepped back and pulled a
quilt off the couch and wrapped it around my arms. He came in
closer, draped his arms around my body, and held me for a few long
seconds.