“Well Sutton, honey, your time does seem to be awfully occupied lately.” My mom had a huge smile on her face. She was never a hard ass. I knew her real motive was to get the scoop about Luke and me.
“Well actually, I do have something I want to tell you guys.” My mom’s smile grew into a full-on grin. I think she at least had a little bit of an idea of what I was about to say. “I’m actually seeing someone.” My heart fluttered and I laughed obnoxiously out loud. “Why did I say it like that sounded so weird.”
Gia’s 8 year old mind did a 180 and completely forgot she was mad at me. “It’s that boy!” She stuttered. “The one from the boardwalk who ran you over!” I laughed again.
“His name is Luke and he’s actually really great.”
“I’m happy for you sweetie.” My mom said. I saw a little bit of hurt in her eyes. It probably opened up her old wounds with Lawrence. “Well back on topic I think it would be nice if you hung out with Gia here and there too. You know I’m super busy during the day.”
“With me!” I heard Aunt Helen chime in from the living room where she was watching Wheel of Fortune and shoveling her dinner in her mouth.
“I wanna hang out with Luke!” Gia said with excitement.
“I’d like to meet him too, Sutton.”
“Me three!” Aunt Helen chimed in again between bites.
“Okay, guys. I’ll talk to him. I was actually about to leave to meet him, maybe he can come to dinner this week, and then maybe you can hang out with him.” My mom and Gia both had the same devilish smiles on their faces and although I couldn’t see her from where I was standing I was sureAunt Helen’s matched theirs too. I chuckled and rolled my eyes then headed out the door to stroll down to the boardwalk.
When I approached the counter Luke was sitting back in a chair. He stood up gently kissed me and listened intently as I explained what had just unfolded at my house just a little while ago.
“So they really want to meet me?” Luke questioned me with one elbow on the counter at the Pizza Shack, the other arm tossing peanuts up to catch in his mouth. I stood at the counter in front of him.
“I mean are you okay with that? I know we’ve practically just started dating.” I felt my cheeks turn a rosy red again. Luke rubbed his chin with his hand and munched on the peanuts he had in his mouth.
“Actually we’ve been dating for three days and three hours and of course I’d love to meet them, Sutton. If they’re related to you, I’m sure they’re pretty great.” He said with a grin.
“Dinner tomorrow night at my house?” I asked nervously.
“Sounds great to me,” Luke said, lifting my hand up to kiss it.
..
Gia stood up on her tippy toes and attempted to peer out my bedroom window, asking if Luke was here for the third time in the past five minutes. I proceeded to check my phone for the second time in the past 30 seconds. It was still 6:50.
“10 minutes G. Chill.” For some reason, I was super nervous.
“I think I’ll go change into my sparkly dress. Oh yeah and I forgot my lip gloss!” Gia scurried out of my room into her bedroom. She seemed to think she was the one dating Luke. The vibration of my phone shook me. Luke’s name popped up on the screen.
Be there in 5.
I took a deep breath, sprayed myself with five more spritz of perfume, and found my way down the stairs. “Aunt Helen you’re going to join us at the table tonight, right?”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” She shouted in a half sarcastic- half-serious voice. “Sutton Rae, come help me record Wheel of Fortune please.” My mom giggled and rolled her eyes. I walked into the living room and took the remote from my aunt. I hit record and placed the remote onto the snack tray to my right. Just then, the doorbell rang. I gulped and heard Gia stumbling down the stairs in her sparkly dress and Cinderella high heels.
“I got it!” She screeched with excitement. I raced to the door hoping to get there before Gia. She beat me by a second. I stood behind her as she swung the door open.
“Hiya there!” Luke was wearing khaki pants and a slightly wrinkled blue short-sleeved button up. He pulled one hand out from behind his back, and was holding four beautiful roses. He bent down and handed one to Gia.
“This one’s for you Gia.” She had a smile on her face wider than the sun. He stood back up, kissed my cheek and handed me the biggest rose in the bunch. “I take you as a sunflower kinda gal but wanted to be a little classy tonight.” He said to me with a wink.
“Mommy! Luke is here and he brought flowers!” Gia squealed running into the kitchen.
“Oh my gosh, Luke that’s so sweet. It’s so nice to meet you.” My mom started towards him, arms open ready for a hug. “I hope you like lasagna!” She said happily and we all wandered into the kitchen.
We each found a seat around the kitchen table and my mom brought over a steaming hot tray. “It smells amazing Mrs. Greys,” Luke said genuinely.
“Oh, sweetie, call me Lynn.” My mom said eyeing the living room. She must’ve caught Aunt Helen’s eye because just then she came barreling into the kitchen.
“Hello there Mr. Luke! Oh my goodness, are you Roger Mellows nephew? I know those eyes anywhere.” Luke coughed and looked a little nervous.
“I am, actually. You know him?”
“Oh, yes. Oh, yes. I went to school with your Grandpa Frank! I remember when you were in diapers running around the pizza shop. Still have that curly head of hair.” Luke blushed.
“Wow! Yeah, I wish I got to know Grandpa Frank a little better. He passed away when I was really little.”
“Roger’s still running the pizza shop, huh? Good for him.”
“Yeah. His uh - his back’s been pretty bad lately, though. So he’s there when he can be, ya’ know.” Luke replied, as I passed him the lasagna. My Aunt Helen nodded and licked her lips and Luke passed the tray over to her.
Aunt Helen talked Luke’s ear off the entirety of the meal. I swore I had heard her speak more then than I had since the day we got here. She went on about her adventures in Coopersville. Some included Luke's grandfather others didn’t but boy did she go on and on. Luke just listened politely and had a look of genuine interest on his face. When we were all finished, he began gathering plates and headed to the sink. “Luke! You’re a guest! You don’t need to clear plates.” My mom stood up ready to grab them from his grasp.
“You cooked, well clean!” I said to my mom with a smile.
“Aw, aren’t you two the sweetest peas in the pod.” Aunt Helen swooned.
“Luke wanna watch a movie?” Gia said jumping up and down.
“Uh. Yeah, sure Gia. I don’t have any plans.”
“So you guys go pick out a movie and well do the dishes.” I replied.
I washed. Luke dried. I forgot why I was so nervous earlier. Luke was just such a great guy and my family was pretty awesome, too. It was almost as if Luke had read my mind.
“Your family is great Sutton. I could get used to coming over here.” He said with that cheesy grin.
“That’s great to hear.” I replied.
The savory smell of buttered popcorn filled the air and Luke, Gia and I were cuddled up on the couch. My mom sat in the recliner and Aunt Helen sat beside her in her wheelchair. We decided to watch “The Parent Trap” for the hundredth time. It was Gia’s favorite movie, lately. Luke wrapped one arm around me and Gia sat on his other side. By the time the ending credits rolled on the screen Gia was passed out leaning her head on Luke’s shoulder.
“Alright, time for bed!” Aunt Helen said wheeling herself towards her bedroom. My mom stood up to follow behind.
“It was so nice to meet you Luke. I’ll be back to take Gia to bed in a few minutes.”
“I’ll carry her to bed, Lynn. I don’t mind at all.” Luke said, already gently sliding Gia’s head off his shoulder and scooping her into his arms.
“Thank you so much Luke.” My mom replied, scurrying to Aunt Helen’s room.
I le
d Luke down the hallway to the room that Gia shared with my mom. She had wrapped her arms around his neck. He gently placed her onto the bed and covered her up with a fluffy white blanket. Then he looked up at me. I found myself just gazing at him. How could a guy this amazing have come into my life?
“I should probably get going.” Luke whispered in my ear. His warm breath sent tingles down my spine. “Will you walk me out?” I smiled and nodded.
Luke and I stood under the flickering spotlight on the front step. We whispered even though the only thing surrounding us was the dark, silent night sky. “I had a great time tonight.” He told me, grabbing my hands and biting his lip.
“I’m so glad you did. My family really are the most important people in my life. I’m starting to think you could be a part of that list too.” I blurted out. I had no idea why I said that. I didn’t even know Luke that well but there was just something between us I had never felt before.
“I’m with you Sutton. I don’t want to scare you off but I just have this overwhelming feeling towards you. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great feeling but it’s just something I’ve never felt before.” Luke put his hands on my cheeks and pulled me in for a kiss. “Hey, let me take you on a real date; like a classy one, you know?” My heart skipped a beat.
“Sounds perfect.” Luke kissed my lips one last time and started walking backwards towards his bike.
“I’ll get out early Friday. Pick you up at 6:30 sharp.” He said with a grin.
..
Friday came quick. I opened up my front door and the scent of the salty boardwalk air hit me. I peered to the left and there he was. Luke had on a black suit with a red tie and was holding a bouquet of sunflowers. He was leaning up against a very old red truck that was in perfect condition with that signature grin on his face.
“Your chariot awaits, my dear.” Luke grabbed the polished door handle and opened up the passenger side for me. He then handed the bouquet of sunflowers to me and gently shut the door, then sliding over the hood of the truck and swinging the driver’s side door open, finding his seat next to me.
He leaned in and pecked me on the lips. The aroma of sweet mint and cologne surrounded me. “Wow Luke. You didn’t have to do all this.” I pleaded.
“Pshhht,” he replied. “Looks like a lot huh? Got this suit at the thrift store downtown, twenty bucks. This truck is my Uncle’s and it just sits in our garage, only took a little bit of convincing to let me take it out for a spin. The sunflowers are a secret for now but you’ll find out about those later and my slick moves opening doors for you and sliding across the hood of the truck - priceless,” he said with a smirk.
We drove for about 15 minutes leaving Coopersville behind us. We pulled up to a nice looking restaurant called “Bella Italiano”. Luke hopped out of the car and pulled the door open for me once again. We walked inside and were seated at a small table by a picture window. A man dressed in a full tuxedo with a handlebar mustache came and filled our glasses with iced water and took our orders. This wasn’t just an ordinary dinner; it was a five course meal. First came soup, salad, then bruschetta, our main courses: chicken parmesan with linguine, and cannolis for dessert.
For the entirety of the dinner Luke and I just talked. I had never experienced conversation flowing so easily with anyone before. When we finished eating we found our way back to the truck. It had just started to get dark. We sat in silence for a few seconds.
“Thank you so much for this Luke. Honestly, this was the best night I could have ever asked for. I am so lucky that I met you.”
Luke grabbed my hand and kissed it. “It’s not over yet.”
He started up the truck and we went down the road back towards Coopersville. We were right on the edge of town when we pulled up to a dirt parking lot. Luke shut off his headlights before we pulled in. He parked the truck but left it running.
“You told me you liked sunflowers during one of our random conversations on the boardwalk. You told me you liked them because they make you think of summer, warmth and happiness and it’s funny, that’s why you like them so much. I like you because all of those things remind me of you. I don’t think I’ve ever felt as happy as I have since I met you and I know you are going to make this the best Summer I have ever had. So this is for you my sunflower queen.” Luke flicked on his head lights and in front of us was a huge field of sunflowers. I grabbed him and embraced him. “You wanna go explore?”
Luke and I ran out of the truck, hand in hand, straight into the sunflower field. The sunflowers were taller than we were. We ran straight into the middle of the field and Luke grabbed my cheeks and kissed me. He kissed me so gently but at the same time, so deeply. He ran his hands through my hair and I wrapped my arms around him. We stopped kissing and I rested my head on his chest and he just held me. My head on his chest was the closest feeling to home I’ve ever felt.
We strolled back to the truck and Luke opened up the door and reached inside. He pulled out two enormous down blankets and pillows. He led me over to the bed of the truck and set the blankets up inside. He pushed the top blanket aside and invited me in. I hopped in the truck and laid down. Luke cuddled up next to me.
“Let’s play a game,” I said, “to get to know each other better.”
Luke grabbed my hand and said “Let’s do it.”
“Okay so we take turns asking each other questions. We start out simple and get more complex as we go.”
I found out a lot of things about Luke in the next half hour. His favorite color was red. His favorite food was pizza, of course. He had been working at the pizza shop since he was 12. He had hung out with a few girls around Coopersville but nothing was ever serious. One of those girls was Bianca. She had just moved to Coopersville permanently at the end of April. She graduated early in hopes of getting to Coopersville before prom season ended. Luke really didn’t even want to go to prom but everyone encouraged him to invite Bianca so he went along with it. They had gone to prom together “as friends”. She tried to kiss him that night and he rejected her. She still hadn't given up. He kept to himself a lot and he liked it that way. His dream had always been to be a paramedic, but it was expected that he would take over the family business.
“Okay are you ready for a more serious question?” I asked. Luke gulped.
“How about I just tell you a few things so you don’t have to ask.”
“Okay Luke. You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to.” I said caressing his arm.
Luke sighed. “So. I’ve lived here in Coopersville my whole life. My grandpa Frank opened the pizza shop when he was really young. He met my grandma at 20, they fell madly in love and got married and had two kids; my Uncle Roger and my mom, Jenny. They grew up here. My mom met my dad, Michael, while he was on vacation here one summer right after they graduated high school.” I saw tears welling up in his eyes. My heart started to break for him and I was nervous for what was coming next.
“My mom and dad fell in love that summer. Just about when it was time for my dad to go home, my mom found out she was pregnant with me. My dad vowed he would never leave her. When he told his parents they disowned him. He stayed in Coopersville with my Grandpa Frank and Grandma Cindy. I was born and they were one big happy family. My dad got me a shirt that said “Will you marry my mommy?” and my mom said, yes.” Tears started falling down his face. I just held his arm as tight as I could.
“They got married right here in this field. They set up their own little ceremony. My mom held a sunflower as her bouquet. I was dressed in a cute little suit. After the little makeshift wedding they were going on a little road trip for their honeymoon but they didn’t even make it out of town. They lost control of their car crossing over a bridge and their car flipped. My mom died instantly. My dad was in a coma for two whole years. I was so young but I swear I have memories of him in the hospital bed hooked up to all of those machines.There was one point where he even woke up. He talked to my grandpa and told him stories of seeing my mom wh
ile he was asleep. He had memories with her on their honeymoon and they hadn’t even made it there. They didn’t have the heart to tell him she passed away. One day he went to sleep and didn’t wake up. They assumed it was complications from the accident and two weeks later my grandpa Frank died of a heart attack. Then my grandma started showing signs of dementia and ended up in a facility. I’ve been with my Uncle Roger ever since.”
“I am so sorry Luke. You clearly have been through a lot.” I wasn’t sure what else to say. I wiped the tears from his cheeks.
“I bet you can’t beat that.” He said smiling through his tears. “Any other questions?” He added. “We might as well get the tough stuff over with now.”
“This is backtracking a little bit, but why don’t you just tell your Uncle you want to be a paramedic? Won’t he understand?”
Luke gulped again. “You’re really asking the good questions.” He said. “So, obviously both my uncle and grandma are super important to me. If it was up to me, my grandma wouldn’t even be in a home. She just needs around the clock care that’s impossible to provide. Anyway, when I was 16, my uncle fell, fixing the roof of the shop after a hurricane hit. He hurt his back pretty bad and it’s never been the same. He was prescribed pain killers and believe me his back is messed up, but he has been abusing them ever since. He took care of me my whole life. Now I just feel like it’s my turn to take care of him, you know?” I just nodded.
“Any more questions before we hit the road?” Luke looked me straight in the eyes.
“When can I meet them?” Luke did that same nervous cough he did when my grandma talked to him about his Uncle Roger.
“You sure you want to get yourself into that?” He asked.
I smiled. “ It would be an honor to meet the people who made you who you are.”
“I have one question for you before we go,” Luke said, rubbing my arm.
“I know I might be getting ahead of myself here but what happens at the end of the summer?”
My heart sank and we sat in silence for a minute before I forced myself to respond. “I don't know but I’m here now,” I whispered and kissed Luke’s soft lips.
Know Him Page 4