by Harlow Layne
Biting my lower lip for feeling so silly, I nibbled on it before asking. “How many hours difference is there?”
“From LA it’s eight, and New York five hours.”
“Wow.” My mouth formed an ‘O’ as I thought about the time difference. “I can’t imagine trying to get used to that. I have no problem adapting to LA’s time change from my own when I get there, but for some reason it’s much harder once I get home. Maybe I’m not meant to live in the Central time zone.”
Glancing over with curiosity, Luke asked. “Where would you live?”
“I don’t know. I love California and the people, but there’s something about Florida and its beaches. I haven’t traveled much out of the country, or in the country for that matter, so I’m sure there are plenty beaches that are much better than Florida’s, but for some reason I’ve always felt a kinship when I’ve been there. I think it’s the pretty color of the Gulf and its warm water. Plus, right now my best friend lives in Florida and I miss her like crazy. If she hadn’t been on vacation, I think I probably would’ve ended up there this weekend.”
“Then I’m glad that she was on vacation otherwise I wouldn’t have gotten to meet you.”
Could he be for real?
“Me, too,” I murmured not believing my luck.
Luke chuckled from beside me. “What was that look for?”
Had I made a look? Obviously, I had and now I was getting called out on it. Shaking my head in disbelief, I answered. “This,” I indicated the car, and the both of us. “It’s all surreal and I don’t know how I ended up in your car with you taking me to the airport. Why you want to get to know me and seem to be happy to have met me this weekend?”
“I wouldn’t use the word surreal. I’d say…” Luke hummed in the back of his throat as he thought of the word he wanted to use and then muttered something that I couldn’t understand.
“Um,” I laughed. “I have no idea what you just said.”
“Sometimes I can’t find a good English word for what I want to say.”
“Is it hard to speak English? What language are your thoughts in?”
In my limited upbringing, I’d never met anyone who spoke another language fluently.
“It’s not hard. I’ve been speaking English since I was young, but I think in Swedish.”
“Are you constantly interpreting what needs to be said from Swedish to English?”
“No,” he shook his head. “But that may be because I’ve been doing it for so long. I do remember when I came here as a child I struggled to speak English correctly.”
“Do you speak any other languages?”
Please say no. Please say no. Please say no.
“Italian and Spanish.”
My shoulders slumped. “Are you fucking kidding me?” I felt like a huge failure only knowing one language.
Luke let out a booming laugh that echoed through the car. “It’s common to learn multiple languages where I come from. Most of Europe knows how to speak at least two languages.”
“You must think I’m dumb only knowing English and a little bit of Spanish and that’s after taking it all through high school.”
“American schools have different priorities, but you shouldn’t feel bad. Plus, it’s never too late to learn if you really want to learn another language or two.”
“Two?” I squawked out. There was no way in hell that was ever going to happen. I didn’t have the time or the brain capacity.
“Or not. Regardless, I don’t think you’re dumb.”
“Do you use the other languages very often?” I asked getting off the subject of my intelligence.
“Not really. Sometimes when I travel for work or vacation, I get to use them, but if you don’t know their language then typically they know English.”
“So, I’m good. I only need to know English.”
“You’re good,” Luke agreed with a smile.
The airport was on the horizon and we were both quiet as Luke’s car inched its way toward dropping me off.
Clearing his throat, Luke spoke. “So, I guess I should warn you now that I don’t really text much. If I’m on a computer, then I’ll iMessage or email, but if it’s just me and my phone I go without.”
“Okay,” I drawled out the word. Never had I had anyone tell me that they didn’t text. “May I ask why?”
He shrugged from his broad shoulders. “I constantly hit the wrong keys which frustrates me.”
“Understandable. Have you tried voice-to-text?”
Luke let out a bitter laugh. “Yes, and for some reason it doesn’t like me. My damn phone hardly gets one word right.”
“It’s probably the accent.”
This seemed like the brush off. Hey, guess what? I can’t text you and don’t have time to talk on the phone.
“I just wanted to let you know because when I get back to New York I’ll be busy and if you send me a text, I might not answer back in a timely fashion. Unless it’s something I can answer with a simple yes or no.”
“You don’t have to explain yourself to me. I get it. Don’t worry.”
“What do you get? Because from over here it seems like you don’t.”
Exasperated, I huffed out. “I get that this is the blow off. You’re done with me and have come to your senses.”
“Alex,” Luke sighed, keeping his eyes on the road. “I know you said your ex-husband was an asshole and it seems like he did a real number on you. But listen, I’m telling you the truth, and it's fine if you don’t believe me right now, but I’m going to prove it to you. You’ll have to wait and see.”
“I guess we’ll see who’s right.”
“How about we make a bet?”
My eyes narrowed as I took in the smirk that slowly grew on his face. “On if you’ll call, or text me, or whatever? Sure, why not?” Inwardly I rolled my eyes.
What did I have to lose?
“Yes, if I call you within the next few days - and the few days of allowance are because I’m leaving for New York tomorrow and have to get some sleep before I’m back on set and the first day back is always busy- then you have to come visit me in New York sometime while I’m filming.” Luke had a devilish smile on his face and his eyes gleamed knowingly. “Don’t worry about airfare or your hotel room. I’ll take care of all of it.”
Luke’s reasoning wasn’t very solid with this bet. “That sounds like what I’d get if I won a bet, but okay. What do you win if you don’t call? Me out of your life? If you don’t call, there’s really no point in a bet. Are you going to make me send you money or something?”
“Or something, but it doesn’t matter because I am going to call.”
“Your bet seems backwards. I win if you do what you say you’re going to do. I’m not following your logic, but whatever floats your boat.”
Clearing his throat nervously, Luke asked. “Do you want to come see me in New York?”
I gave him a soft smile before I could even answer. From what I knew of Luke he was unlike any man I’d ever met. He seemed perfect with his tall frame, muscular body, and gorgeous face, but that was on the outside. On the inside, Luke was a sweet and funny guy, and I wanted to get to know him more. I wanted to know everything about him and if I got the opportunity to run my tongue all over his body, well, that was just icing on the cake. But truthfully, I wasn't sure if I'd get the chance.
Narrowing my eyes at him, I lifted my chin. “I do, so you better call.”
“I promise,” Luke answered before crossing his heart like I’d done as a child. Cross my heart and hope to die.
Pulling his car up to the curb, Luke jumped out and grabbed my luggage out of the back.
Grabbing my suitcase once Luke sat it on the sidewalk, I fiddled with the handle. “If I don't ever see you again, I wanted to tell you that your car is awesome, and it was nice meeting you.”
His face softened at my words before his lips tipped up at the ends. “The pleasure was all mine and I'm glad you approve. I got her th
e last time I was in LA and haven't driven her all that much.”
Men and their cars.
Although it really was a hot car. It had an all-black matte finish and was the sexiest thing I'd ever sat my ass in. The only thing I knew was that it was an Audi, because it had the little circles on the steering wheel and hood.
“Her?” At his proud nod, I asked her name.
“No name. Not yet.” Luke smiled with his cute lop-sided smile.
“Sir.” A big, burly man with a belly almost as big as he was tall came striding toward us. “You've got to move on. This is a loading and unloading area only.”
“You've got to go,” I said as I pushed him toward his car and started for the door. “I hope I get that phone call.”
“Alex,” Luke called.
Looking back over my shoulder, he was striding toward me with purpose and a serious look on his face.
Once we were toe-to-toe, I started to ask if everything was okay, but instead Luke dipped down until his lips brushed mine in a feather like a caress. Pulling back to look me in the eye, he whispered. “I'll talk to you soon.”
A loud throat being cleared broke us apart. A stern look from the same man who’d already told him to move had Luke jogging back to his car and slipping inside.
Instead of walking inside, I stood as still as a statue while I watched Luke's car disappear. Only after I couldn't see his taillights did I move with a smile on my face that I couldn't contain, my fingertips touching my lips as I remembered the soft brush of his mouth against mine.
4
Working on an update for a client's website, I was startled when my doorbell rang. Everyone knew to always let me know when or if they were going to drop by. The only person who was rude enough to not let me know was my ex-husband. I wasn’t in the mood for his bullshit today or any day for that matter, but today was definitely not a good day.
For starters, I was PMSing so bad that I was scared of myself. Mason had woken up with a raging cold and had been beyond cranky all day. He’d been taking a nap, but I was sure the doorbell had woken him up. Also, it had been three days since I had been home from LA and I hadn't gotten one phone call or text from Luke. He’d gotten my hopes up and now I wanted to kick him in the shin for making me believe that he could’ve possibly been interested.
Instead of finding my ex-husband at the door, I found Prue, my next-door neighbor. A much better option – if I had to deal with his bullshit today, I probably would have ended up in jail for assault and battery.
I swung my front door open. “Hey, Prue.”
“Hi, Alex.” Prue's eyes darted over to her house and then back again.
“Is everything alright? You seem a little nervous.”
Normally when I saw Prue, she exuded calmness. It was strange because she never seemed what I would call happy, but I always got a strange sense of calm from her. She’d lived in her house all her life and was the first person I met when we moved in.
“I need to run to the pharmacy to pick up some medicine for my dad and I was wondering if you could come over to make sure he's okay while I'm gone.” Her eyes once again darted back to her house and then to me.
We didn't get to talk much because I was always working or with Mason, but I did know that Prue's father had cancer and she was taking care of him. I knew she wouldn't be asking if she didn't really need to make a run to the pharmacy.
A deep sigh escaped me as I looked over my shoulder and back into my house. I didn't want to leave Mason here by himself especially when he was sick, but there was no way I was going to take him over to Prue’s house and risk either of them catching his cold.
“Mason's home sick right now. Let me go and check on him really quick to make sure he’s okay. He was taking a nap and I wouldn't feel comfortable taking him over to your house. I'd hate it if you or your dad got sick,” I explained.
“Oh,” she said peering over my shoulder. “Maybe I can find someone else. I don't want Mason to be left alone.”
“I know you wouldn't be here if you didn't need to, so let me go check on him and I'll be right back. You can come in if you want, but I understand if you don't.” I wrinkled my nose at her and my germy house.
Mason was still sound asleep when I went to check on him, so I followed Prue over to her house, sat on her old green couch as I waited for her return. Prue had promised it would only be ten to fifteen minutes maximum. The prescription was ready, and the pharmacy was only a mile and a half away from our houses, but we both knew that it could be awhile waiting in line.
My knee bounced as I sat there nervously, afraid that Mason would wake up and go looking for me. I had a monitor so that I could hear him, but I didn’t want to leave Prue’s house until she arrived home. If it had been anyone but Prue, I wouldn't have left. She never asked for help; we were a lot alike in that way.
I could hear her car as she passed my house and turned into her driveway. I stood and watched as she jumped out of her little beat-up old car with her purse and the white pharmacy bag in her hand. I think we both held a face of relief as we looked in each other's eyes and realized neither of our worlds had burned down and we could go on as normal.
“Thank you so much, Alex. I won't forget this. If you ever need anything just ask.” Prue rushed into the kitchen to fill up a glass with water from the fridge and shook out a couple of pills from their bottles.
“I'm always right next door if you need me. Even if it's just to talk or drink a beer, a glass of wine, or whatever, you know where to find me. I'd better get back before Mason wakes up and wonders where I'm at,” I replied as I walked to her front door.
“Thank you again.”
A light buzzing sound escaped my hand causing me to look down. I hadn’t realized my phone was in my hand instead of the back pocket of my jeans. Turning it over, I checked to see who it was, afraid it might be Mason. To my surprise it was Luke's name that flashed on my screen.
“You better get that.” I could hear the humor in Prue's voice, but I didn't look up from my phone. Instead I waved at her over my shoulder as I stepped outside.
“Hello?”
Yeah, I was acting as if I didn't know who was on the other end of the line because I was mad that I’d got my hopes up and that I had let Luke not calling get to me.
“Alex.” My name was said in a caress. It was smooth with his slight accent, and it evaporated every bad thought I’d had since I last saw him at the airport.
“Luke.”
His chuckle traveled through the phone and straight to my toes. I had to stop walking across my yard for a moment to let the feeling settle in.
“It's good to hear your voice. I've been counting down the minutes until I could talk to you. Did you give up on me?”
“Maybe,” I answered, but I was sure he could hear the smile in my voice all the way across the country.
“I promised I'd call and I don't break my promises.” The conviction was easy to hear in his voice and it seemed important to him that I knew he’d never break a promise. My eyes closed as I took in his words and let them settle deep down in my soul. Time would tell, but I had a feeling Luke was a man of his word.
My eyes stung as I said, “Thank you.” Those two words were all I could get out.
“What have you been up to?” he asked, as I heard a rustling in the background.
“Working and taking care of Mason. He got home yesterday from his trip with his dad and grandparents and woke up sick today. Not the way I wanted to spend time with him, but it's better than nothing.”
“You're a good mom.”
“How do you know?”
“I knew from the moment you sat back down at our table after talking to him.”
“Thank you.” I smiled. It made me happy to know that he could see my love for Mason so clearly. Not that it was hard to tell because I was a crazy, overprotective momma bear with anything that had to do with Mason.
“When are you coming to New York?” Luke asked with humor, but I
sensed he also really wanted to know.
“Mama,” Mason cried from his room. It was a sad and sickly cry that broke my heart to hear.
“Luke, I'm sorry, but I've got to go. Mason needs me. Can I talk to you later?” My feet sped down the hall toward Mason's room while I held the phone to my ear.
“Yeah, I'm sorry it took me so long to call. I'll try to find some sort of schedule and email it to you, so you have some sort of idea how little free time I have and when I can talk.” The disappointment was evident in his voice, but I couldn't help it. I needed to be with Mason.
“I'm sorry I have to go. I hope you understand.”
“I do. I'll keep my laptop with me, so we can message when you get a chance. Bye, Alex. It was good to hear your voice.”
“Bye, Luke.” I'd only known Luke a few days, but even with Mason sick and needing me, I was sad that I had to get off the phone with him. I only hoped it wouldn't take a few more days before we got to talk again.
10:28 p.m. Alex: Hey! You around?
02:59 a.m. Luke: Sorry I’m just now getting back to you. It was a long day on set. Are you awake?
03:00 a.m. Luke: Shit, I probably woke you up. I’ll try you tomorrow.
12:47 p.m. Luke: Please tell me you’re available. I have a whole twenty minutes until I have to be back on set.
12:50 p.m. Alex: You’re in luck. I’m sitting at my desk working. You weren’t kidding when you said you’re a busy man.
12:51 p.m. Luke: I love my job but it makes it hard to have friends or a girlfriend.
12:52 p.m. Alex: When was the last time you had a girlfriend?
12:55 p.m. Luke: Almost a year and a half ago. How long have you been divorced?
12:57 p.m. Alex: Almost 2 years.
12:57 p.m. Alex: Did you love her?