“Jolene.” There was that alluring drawl again. She wondered if her face gave away the way his voice made her insides melt. She swallowed. “I’ve only known you two days, but I can already see how amazing you are.” Luke’s finger came up to her face and skimmed the side of her cheek as it brushed away an errant curl. “You radiate joy and generosity. Seriously, who else would offer up half of their tree’s decorations?”
“It’s more like a quarter—”
Luke lifted his finger to shush her. “No talking yet, remember?” Jolene shrugged back but stopped her sentence from continuing. Luke paused, just staring at her for a moment. “You make a mean cup of coffee and an equally delicious hot cocoa, might I add. You’ve got some really great friends, even that old Mildred and her fourteen cats. The verdict’s still out on Hank,” he continued to say, laughing. “I’ve enjoyed spending time with you more than I can even tell you.” Their eyes locked, but Luke’s squinted like he was trying to work something out, trying to decipher his feelings even as he freely spoke them. “Gosh, you’re so beautiful. Like, really beautiful.” Though he sounded like a bashful schoolboy, Jolene still felt his words deep in her stomach. No man had told her she was beautiful in recent years. Hearing Luke say it did weird things to her breathing, her heart, her mind. “I think maybe I actually shouldn’t be telling you any of this…” His voice trailed off and a stunned look came over his features. He pressed his palms to his thighs and quickly pushed off to stand. “I’m sorry.”
He’d instructed her not to blink, but even if he hadn’t, she wouldn’t’ve been able to anyway. Her eyes remained saucers, stunned and round.
“I’ve said more than I should have.” Turning his back to her, he faced the tree and brought his hand up to the back of his neck and rubbed it. “Let’s get this finished up.”
Jolene stayed folded up on the couch, but managed to squeak out a small, “Thank you,” after a few moments of quiet between them.
Luke spun around. “What’s that?”
“I said thank you.” She uncurled her legs and walked over to the tree, which was now mostly decorated and shining brightly. “You said all I could say was thank you, so I’m saying it. And I mean it. Those were genuinely nice things to say about me.”
Luke’s mouth curved up on one side before he dropped down to dig into the box of remaining decorations. “Well, you’re most welcome. So tell me about this one?”
JOLENE WAS SHOCKED to hear the clock in the kitchen chime eleven. They’d finished the tree trimming just a little bit ago. At one point, Luke stopped inquiring about the ornaments and seemed to be done with the story telling. She was fine with that, as recounting all of her Christmas memories had taken more of an emotional toll than she was prepared to experience. She had planned to leave after they were done, but Luke flicked on the television without seeming to want to end their evening just yet. A holiday movie had already begun, but they easily picked up on the plot and sat together on the couch to watch, a second mug of cocoa in their hands.
It reminded Jolene of being on a date at the movies as a teenager. They both took up their own couch cushion and didn’t cross over into the other’s space. From the corner of her eye, she could see Luke’s upturned hand on the sofa and she wanted to reach for it, but she wasn’t bold in that way and, if anything, she was of the old fashioned mindset that the guy should make the first move. Maybe that’s what Luke had already done when he’d told her she was beautiful, but as far as things went physically, she would wait on him. If he was even planning to make a move. She’d jumped so far ahead with that thought that her head was spinning.
Neighbors. Just neighbors.
“What are your plans tomorrow?” Jolene asked during a commercial break that Luke had used the television remote to mute. Growing up, her dad always did the same thing and that made her smile. “Anything fun?”
“I’ve gotta try to make it to the grocery store, for starters.” Luke fiddled with the controller, turning it over in his hands.
“Betty still not working?”
“Bessie—and no, she’s not, but I do know what’s wrong with her, so that’s a plus. Fuel pump gone bad.”
“Sounds expensive.” Jolene had no clue if it really was, but she just assumed anything having to do with cars was pricey to fix.
“Not too bad. A few hundred. I need to check in town to see if I can get the things I need to fix it, but it shouldn’t be all that much. Could’ve been worse.”
Jolene leaned forward to set her mug onto the coffee table. “If you haven’t been to the grocery store yet, I take it you don’t have any breakfast food?”
“You’re right about that. All I have are the staples in the cupboards, but I’ll make do. I was thinking of mixing up a little sugar, garlic powder, and the croutons I saw in there for a hearty meal to start my day,” he joked. “Maybe sprinkle a few bacon bits over the top if I’m feeling special.”
“Breakfast of champions.” Jolene laughed. “Listen, how about you come over at ten and join us for brunch? Roger will be there and my good friend Cat and her family. My sister, too, although I don’t know if that’s more of a deterrent after our awkward run-in at The Rolling Pin.”
“What was awkward about it?”
“Oh, please.” Jolene rolled her eyes. “My sister has a really, really big mouth. She’s never been good at censoring.”
“I like it. No beating around the bush. No games. I think that’s a mighty fine way to be.”
Jolene blushed instantly. “So we’re not going to drop that, are we?”
Leaning in and bopping the pad of his index finger against her nose, Luke shook his head and said, “Nope. And since I admitted to thinking you’re beautiful, it’s only fitting that you find me mighty fine.”
“Only fitting?”
Luke nodded confidently. “Yep.”
“Okay, then it’s only fitting that—seeing as you have no real food to speak of in this house—you join us for brunch tomorrow morning. Ten o’clock.”
“I can handle that. I’d offer to bring something, but I don’t have much in the way of anything to offer at the moment.”
“Your presence will be enough. Perfect even.”
“So now you think I’m perfect, too, is that right?”
Jolene couldn’t catch a break and Luke knew it. He’d pounced on that opportunity right as the words came out.
“Ten o’clock. Sound good?”
“Ten o’clock.”
“I really should go. Thanks again for the lovely evening, Luke. I’ve had a great time.” Jolene rose from the couch and started to head toward the door. She could sense Luke’s imposing body following her as she padded across the room, his chest so close to her back that she could feel his warmth on her skin. She wanted to lean back into him, to feel his solid frame against her, but that would be a crazy thing to do. Absolutely crazy.
She had her hand on the door knob to go, but Luke’s palm lighted on her shoulder.
“Jolene?” She turned to look up at him, at his pale blue eyes and unsure but smiling mouth. “Thanks for coming by tonight. I know we talked a lot about your memories, but tonight it felt like we created one of our own, and I hope I’m not being too forward when I say that I’d like for it to be the beginning of many more.”
“I’d like that too, Luke,” Jolene said. “A lot.”
It surprised her that she truly meant every word.
10
Luke
HE HEARD THE telltale backing-up beep in his dream before it registered in reality. Sitting up, Luke shoved open the drawn bedroom curtains and saw his dear Bessie strapped and chained to the back of Hank the Ogre’s truck, both vehicles leaving the driveway and turning onto Spruce Lane as one large and awkward metal unit.
Luke blinked repeatedly. The clock on the nightstand read 9:40 in red block numbers, the kind that taunted during bouts of insomnia. Right now, it mocked him over how late he’d overslept. As much as he wanted to race out into the cold Decemb
er air and flag down Hank and his beloved Bessie, he couldn’t be late for Jolene’s invitation to brunch. He doubted Hank was up to anything questionable. In such a small town, Luke figured he’d catch wind of it if he was. He would deal with Bessie later, once he had a clearer head and a full belly.
He rinsed off quickly in the shower and threw on a pair of worn jeans and his favorite green and blue plaid flannel, which bore an embarrassing resemblance to the lake house’s living room couch. He wondered if Jolene would notice. If she did, she’d probably just rib him about it a little, which would be deserved after the way he’d teased her the night before. He didn’t know why he’d brought up what she had said about him at the café. Maybe it was his way of confirming his feelings weren’t one-sided. Though she was friendly and even at times flirty, Luke couldn’t tell if Jolene experienced the same connection that he felt between them. He worried he was reading into it all, seeing and feeling things that weren’t even there.
Scrubbing a toothbrush over his teeth, he looked himself squarely in the mirror.
“Handley, you’re not an awkward twelve-year-old boy. Grow up and just ask her out.”
He glanced over his shoulder at the reflection of the bedside clock which read 00:01 in backward numbers. Tossing his toothbrush to the counter, he left the bathroom and hurried down the hall, grabbing his jacket from the coat rack in the entryway on his way out the front door. Merrylark’s winter smacked him in the face like a slap from a cold, icy hand. The walk over was short and Luke only had one arm in his coat sleeve when Rose opened the front door to greet him.
“Morning Luke,” Rose said as she wrung her hands in a flour sack towel with an embroidered Santa Claus on it. “Glad you could make it. Come on in.” She shot out a free hand and wiggled her fingers. “Here, let me take your coat that you’re not even really wearing.”
“Thank you kindly, Rose.” Luke shrugged out of his half-on jacket.
“Is that Cool Handley Luke I hear?” a quivering voice hollered from behind Jolene’s sister. Roger Wilkins shuffled into the entryway, back rounded and head low. He had brown loafers on and a navy cardigan that was just a shade lighter than his slacks. “Thought so. How the heck are you, son?”
“Not half bad, Roger. Not half bad. Yourself?”
Roger took Luke’s hand into his grip for a firm shake. “Well, the good Lord gave me the blessing of another day, and for that, I can’t complain.”
“What’s the hold up in the hallway?” Jolene’s sing-song voice seized Luke’s attention instantly. “Oh.” She stopped in her tracks and a smile burst onto her face. She always looked half-surprised, half-delighted to see him. “Luke! I’m really glad you could make it.”
“Morning, Jolene.” Their eyes met and at that moment, it was only the two of them in the entryway. At least for Luke. Everyone else faded into the walls, the décor, the background noise that suddenly muted like last night’s commercials, leaving only Jolene’s words ringing in his ears. “Appreciate the invite.”
“So I hear you have a proper Christmas tree now, compliments of my baby-proofing.” A man about Luke’s age shoved his way into the hallway, congregating in the small space at the front of Jolene’s home. “I’m glad Ava’s obsession with grabbing everything within arm’s reach managed to benefit someone. Seems to only make our lives more difficult,” he said with a wink added on. “Hi there. I’m Patrick, Rose’s husband.”
“Luke Handley,” Luke introduced. “I do have to say, my tree certainly looks a lot better thanks to you.”
“He’s not lying,” Jolene agreed. “We should all take a trip on over to admire it after our brunch. Tonight’s tree for the town lighting has nothing on Luke’s masterpiece.”
“Buns are burning!” Someone suddenly called out from the kitchen in unison with the trill of a smoke detector that sounded like a train whistle in the confined space. “Jolene, your buns are burning!”
Jolene wrapped her fingers around Luke’s forearm. It was almost like he could feel each individual finger, his nerves right on the surface of his skin, alive and electric. “I should go deal with that. I’ll catch up with you in a few. Feel free to introduce yourself to those you don’t know yet.” She paused and flashed him another grin. “I’m really glad you could make it, Luke.”
Luke was about to offer his help when he was swept into the living room by Rose’s guiding hand on his elbow. “Cat, you met Luke Handley yet? Jojo’s neighbor for the week, staying at the O’Connell place?”
A woman with jet black hair and winged eyeliner sized Luke up with an appreciative, sweeping head-to-toe once over. “Don’t believe I have. Name’s Catherine but call me Cat or Kitty or anything you like, just don’t call me late for dinner. This is Tanner and that old lump over there watching the game is Vick.” Vick’s hand shot up in a wave over the back of the couch. “We own the only coffee truck in town. Might’ve seen it. Cat’s Coffee Cart? Ring a bell?”
Luke hadn’t ventured out enough to be able to properly recognize storefronts or vehicles and he felt a little bad about that. The truck was obviously Cat’s pride and joy.
“Got a big ol’ fat orange tabby painted on the side drinking out of a pink coffee mug? No?” Cat pressed a hand on Luke’s right shoulder. “Looks like I have a huge marketing fail on my hands.”
“In fairness, Luke just came into town a few days ago, Cat,” Rose offered.
“True, true. But we’ll be out at the tree lighting this evening, so if after tonight you still don’t recognize my big ol’ bus, I will most definitely be taking some offense to that. Especially considering the sizable down payment I had to make on it. And all the money on repairs I’ve recently sunk into it.”
Luke swallowed, uncertain how to read Cat’s assertiveness.
“I’m only kidding, Luke,” Cat cackled. A teenage boy who Luke assumed was her son came up beside her. He was holding a baby and Luke put two and two together to figure out it must’ve been Rose and Patrick’s daughter, Ava. Wasn’t too hard to decipher who was who in such a small town.
“Mom’s personality is just about as bold as her coffee,” Tanner offered as an explanation. He dodged Ava’s small hands that reached up to bat at his protruding ears. “Don’t take anything she says too seriously.”
“Oh, son.” Cat ruffled Tanner’s dark hair with her knuckles. “Mother knows best, right?”
“Sure, Mom,” Tanner relented with a laugh. “Whatever you say.”
While Jolene was open and honest, Cat was forward and direct, and Luke noticed the not-so-subtle difference. It was strange how the delivery of words—the way one’s body moved while saying them, the inflection and tone and volume—all worked together to create a personality. Luke liked Cat’s, but not in the same way he liked Jolene’s. It made him aware how uncommon it was to really click with someone so instantly, liking absolutely everything about them.
“You coming to the lighting tonight?” Cat asked, changing the subject as she sat down next to her husband on the couch.
“I wasn’t aware there was one, but it sounds like something I wouldn’t want to miss.”
“You’re so right about that.” The sound of Jolene’s voice at Luke’s back made him swivel on his heels so he could look at her. “The burnt bun catastrophe has officially been handled.”
“Good to hear,” Luke said. “So tell me about this tree lighting.”
“It’s pretty much the most amazing thing ever.”
“Well then, how could I miss it?”
Cat interjected, “You can’t. Mostly because I’ll need you to help Jojo and I work the coffee cart. I’m short again tonight. Scotty’s got appendicitis or ruptured gallbladder or some other organ that’s not at all cooperating with his body.”
Luke raised a brow toward Jolene.
“You don’t have to help, Luke. But I should. There’s no way Cat can manage on her own. No one likes to watch a tree lighting without a steaming hot beverage in their hands, so that means we’ll be serving them up
for most of the evening.”
“If that’s where you plan to be, then that’s where I’ll be.”
Cat rotated away from the conversation, but her waggling eyebrows hinted that she picked up on the obvious flirtation in Luke’s words. Whether or not Jolene caught on was a different story. Luke felt this sort of pressure to make his intentions known, the one-week timeline staring him down. He liked Jolene. It was that plain, that simple.
But at the same time, things never felt more complicated.
BRUNCH WAS DELICIOUS, even the burnt buns which Luke thought were just the right amount of crunchy and toasted. It was one of those shared meals where multiple conversations took place at once, like a radio dial picking up other signals, combining them all into one white-noise blur. Luke couldn’t zero in on any particular discussion, so rather than joining in, he busied himself with his utensils and the food on the plate in front of him. He raked at a glob of raspberry jelly with the fork tines and every few minutes he’d look up and catch Jolene’s eye from across the large, oval dining table and she’d smile sweetly at him while continuing in conversation with the person to her right or to her left. Those brief, little connections did something to Luke. Even though his stomach was full from a hearty breakfast, it felt light—hollow almost. It trembled with the flutter of nerves like he was a teenager on his first date with a girl he’d been pining after since kindergarten. He couldn’t marshal his reactions and in all honesty, that aggravated him a little.
“Mark would’ve loved this, Jolie. Absolutely loved it.” Though the conversations jumbled around him, Luke pulled out those distinct words without any trouble. Jolene’s sister angled her mimosa to her lips to pull in a swallow.
Jolene didn’t reply but her demeanor shifted like a sudden change in the wind. Gone was the jovial expression. Her eyes were now downcast, her brow worried and tight.
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