Mimi cleared her throat. Cat and Luke looked up at her.
“I’ve been meaning to talk to you two … I know Cat’s parents wouldn’t approve of her dating anyone right now,” Mimi hesitated as though she wasn’t sure how to continue.
“We’re not like that Mimi,” Luke answered quickly. “Cat’s become like a sister to me.” With that, he playfully punched her arm.
Cat was completely confused. Was it common to make out with your sister in rural Appalachia? She knew she was in the boonies, but seriously!
Luke gave her a look to silence her from asking questions as they walked Mimi inside with the bags.
“Well, that’s a relief,” she sighed. “I hate to run back out kids, but I’m actually having dinner with … someone tonight,” Mimi said quickly.
Luke and Cat exchanged glances.
“Mimi, do you have a hot date or something?” Cat joked.
“Well …” Mimi hesitated.
“Ah!” Cat shrieked. “That’s awesome! I’m so excited for you! Who is it?”
“Well, it’s Pop’s old fishin’ buddy, Jim Buchanan,” Mimi smiled. “I’ve known him as long as I knew your Pop. We were all in school together. But his wife, Mary Sue, passed two years ago from cancer. So, we have both been there for each other.”
“Yay!” Cat jumped up and down like a little girl, taking Mimi’s hands and causing her to bounce along. The kitchen erupted with laughter as Cat continued, “This is great! You’re still so young. I think this is wonderful.”
Mimi blushed brightly and turned to put the groceries in the cupboard.
“Just get home by midnight!” Luke laughed.
“Now, y’all stop!” Mimi laughed. “Oh, Lordy, will you look at me! I’m just a mess. I better hop in the shower and wash up if I want to look half decent for dinner.”
Scurrying around the kitchen to put her things away, she hurried down the hall to her bedroom to get ready.
Cat waited until she was well out of ear shot before she rounded on Luke.
“Since when do you kiss your sister like that?” she narrowed her eyes at him.
“Cat, I had to say that! Do you think she would let us spend so much time together alone if she thought there was something more going on?” Luke remained calm.
He had a point.
“I’m sure your parents told her to make sure you didn’t get involved with anyone,” Luke put his hands on her shoulders.
“Alright, I’ll go along with it,” she shrugged, “as long as you give me a ride to school every day.”
“You want me to be your chauffeur?” Luke wrapped his arms around her waist.
“I won’t make you wear the little hat, unless you want to,” Cat winked.
“Alright,” Luke pushed her against the counter and lifted her onto it so she was sitting, facing him. “As long as you let me teach you how to drive.”
“Ohhhhh,” Cat tilted her head to the side. “Fine.”
She kissed him on the nose.
Luke held his hand up, “And you have to take Driver’s Ed.”
Cat stuck out her bottom lip.
“Cat, you have to learn to drive,” Luke held her face with both hands.
“Oh,” she sighed, “I guess you’re right.”
“I know I am,” he smiled and kissed her neck, her chin, and then her lips.
Cat sighed, “Oh, I think this is close to where we left off.”
Luke pulled away.
“I think I was getting a little carried away before. I’m sorry for that,” he ran his hands through his hair and looked away.
“What are you talking about?” Cat tried to pull him towards her.
“I find you hard to resist, Cat. It scares me. It scares me because I care about you,” his voice dropped and became suddenly serious. “I don’t want to take advantage of you.”
“Luke, it’s not taking advantage of me if I want you to,” Cat whispered with a mischievous grin.
Luke took several steps away, “Cat I’m serious. I don’t want you to talk to me like that.”
Cat frowned and hopped down from the counter.
“Cat, I care about you,” Luke said as he put his hands out to take hers, but kept her at arm’s length. “You’re not ready to do that yet, and I’m not either.”
Cat wasn’t sure what to say. She knew she didn’t want to get too serious too soon, but she still wanted him to want her. She wanted to be pursued, so then she at least had the chance to say ‘no’. Wasn’t that how it worked?
“I should get back home and shower,” Luke said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“But Mimi’s going to be gone all evening,” Cat looked shocked.
“Cat, we’ve been spending everyday together, one night apart will be good for us,” Luke gave her a peck on the forehead and sprinted out the door before Cat could protest.
One minute he’s on top of her with his hand on her thigh; and the next, he’s calling her his sister and kissing her on the forehead. Cat felt she could get whiplash from shaking her head with confusion. She needed a shower, preferably a cold shower, and now.
Mimi knocked on the door to let Cat know she was leaving. She also added, “Don’t wait up!”
Great, Cat thought. My own grandmother is getting more action than I am.
Cat dried her hair and went downstairs to watch some TV. Since her grandmother didn’t have cable, Cat had to play with the antenna for a minute to get “Friends” on TBS. She watched two episodes before deciding she would just go to bed early. It was only 9 o’clock. Every night prior, she had spent with Luke. Either she would sneak out or he would come over and they would talk for hours. It was strange not to be with him tonight.
She had just started to doze off when she heard the bell above the front door ring as it opened. Mimi must be home early. She closed her eyes again.
She nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She knew in an instant that it was Luke. She smiled.
“Isn’t it a little early to be in bed,” he whispered, sliding under the covers behind her.
“I thought it was good for us to be apart for a night,” Cat whispered back, not rolling over to face him.
“I was wrong,” he said smoothly into her ear as she scooted further away from him. “So, so wrong.”
Cat laughed.
“What do you want, Luke?” she rolled over to him.
The tone in her voice was suggestive; Luke picked up on it and moved away from her.
“I want to give you your birthday present a little early,” he smiled. “But you’ll have to get up and come with me.”
“I’m in my pajamas,” Cat raised an eyebrow at him and glanced down at her pajama shorts and tank top.
“I’ll go downstairs while you change,” Luke kissed her on the cheek and got up.
“How respectful of you,” Cat commented.
After throwing on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and her Rainbow sandals, she skipped down the stairs.
“Where are we going?” she asked, unable to mask her excitement.
“You’ll see,” Luke said with a grin.
Cat wasn’t used to surprises like this. It felt like butterflies were break-dancing in her stomach. She had no idea what to expect. He helped her into the truck and within fifteen minutes, they had pulled up to a familiar sight. In the light of the moon, Cat could see the barn Luke had taken her to all those weeks before. She looked at him as he took her hand.
“Cat, no one knows about what I’m going to show you,” Luke said pointedly.
“And no one will, if that’s what you want,” she reassured him, squeezing his hand in return.
“Cat, I — I care about you,” Luke said.
Cat sighed. She wanted so badly for him to say something else.
“I c
are about you too, Luke.” Cat nodded. “Very much.”
Through the dark, up the gravel path, he led her up to the barn. Quietly, he opened the door and motioned her inside — where he kept his deepest secrets. Never before had he shared with a single soul what he was going to share with Cat. He couldn’t find the courage to tell her that he loved her. That he loved her more deeply and completely than he knew it was possible to love. This was his way to show her. This was the only way he knew.
Chapter Twenty
Cat tentatively stepped into the old barn. She couldn’t see beyond a few feet ahead. Shadows of varying shades of darkness spanned in front of her as Luke led her deeper inside. The smell was of age, not of animals or hay, but of old wood and paint. Unmistakably, the aroma of paint. She stood perfectly still while Luke went around her and began to feel along the wall for the light. Yet, nothing could prepare her for what the light revealed. Cat was the first to admit that she hadn’t been in many barns in her lifetime. But in the few weeks she’d been in North Carolina, she’d been in quite a few. When Luke switched on the light, the darkness fled, and all that was left were the most beautiful and colorful murals Cat had ever seen.
“This is what I do when I have time,” Luke said quietly, kicking boyishly at the wood flooring with his boot and looking away.
He looked up at Cat. She was standing completely immobile, wide eyed. He wasn’t sure what she was thinking. Was it a bad idea to bring her here? Would she make fun of him? Did being an artist not make him manly enough for her? He had been careful to keep this part of his life hidden from everyone. Even his dad didn’t know what he did in their old barn. He thought Luke was working on an old car. Luke watched Cat’s expression change as she turned to him.
“It’s wonderful,” she beamed. “Luke, did you do all of this?”
“Umm-hmm,” Luke shuffled his feet on the ground.
“Luke,” Cat walked forward and took his hands, “it’s amazing. Really. I’m so honored that you would choose me to share this with.”
Luke looked up at her. There were tears in her eyes. She liked it; no, she loved it. He felt all the anxiety he’d had about sharing this with someone else melt away.
“I don’t think this is a talent you should keep hidden, Luke,” she went on. “These paintings, your use of color, the movement in the lines, they’re like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Not abstract really, but not impressionistic, either. They’re somewhere in between. Just breathtaking”
As Cat spoke, she walked down the center of the barn. Luke had used each stall door as a giant canvas. When he had used all of them, he began painting walls, ceilings, old saddles, pretty much everything. He had even painted a 1961 Ford farm truck that sat at the other end of the barn. It hadn’t worked in Luke’s lifetime and had been sitting there as long as he could remember. He doubted his dad even remembered that it was there.
“No one else knows about this?” Cat looked at him in disbelief. Many of these works were gallery worthy in her opinion, and she had a critical eye where art was concerned.
Luke shook his head. “Just you,” he smiled.
“What about your parents?” Cat couldn’t believe even they would be oblivious to their son’s talent.
“This barn hasn’t been used in ten years,” Luke explained. “And since it’s down the road a ways from the house, Dad doesn’t ever come by. He told me I could use the barn to fix up my old car.”
“What old car?” Cat asked, looking around.
“Well, there’s not one,” Luke shuffled his feet, “I just need an excuse for what I spend all my money on. Good brushes and paints are a bit pricey. So, he thinks I’m buying car parts, when I’m really doing this.” He gestured around him.
Cat still didn’t understand the purpose of lying and going through all this trouble to hide something so wonderful.
“Luke, why on earth don’t you tell them? You have a talent! I mean, you could seriously sell these,” Cat gestured to the large painted doors. “They would be proud of you.”
Luke didn’t want to talk about it anymore. All he wanted to do was show her. To let her in on his secret. Now, she wanted to expose his ‘talent’ to the world. She just didn’t get it.
“Hold on Cat,” Luke’s voice got rough, “remember what you said, that no one else would find out about this. I’m holding you to your word.”
Cat’s voice faltered, “Do you think I am going to take back my promise?”
“I’m not going to tell anyone Luke,” she said directly, “but I think that you should. When I say that you have talent, I’m not trying to flatter you. I’m being honest. You shouldn’t hide this away. I don’t understand why you would want to.”
“You wouldn’t,” Luke shot back at her.
“What the hell does that mean?” Cat yelled at him. Why was he being so defensive? Why was he acting like he was ashamed of something so beautiful?
“It means that your parents probably supported everything you did growing up,” Luke snapped. “They probably signed you up for lessons and told you how great you were and encouraged whatever you wanted to pursue.”
Cat got quiet, “Your parents didn’t?”
“My mom did,” Luke looked down. “But my dad thinks ‘art is for queers.’” Luke shook his head, “That’s a direct quote.”
Cat shook her head, “So, why don’t you get your mom to talk to him about it?”
“She died at the beginning of my freshman year,” Luke kept his eyes down. “Ovarian cancer.”
“Oh, Luke,” Cat’s heart dropped to her stomach as she stepped to him. “I’m so sorry. Why haven’t you told me? You let me go on and on about my loss and you’ve never once shared your own.”
Luke shrugged his shoulders, “I guess focusing on your situation and your pain helped me forget a little of my own.”
“And it’s always good to know someone understands what it feels like to lose someone,” Cat stroked his back.
“Yeah,” Luke agreed. “Yeah, it is.”
He wrapped his arms around her. They stood for a long time like that.
“So,” Cat finally broke the silence, “your dad didn’t want you doing art anymore after your mother died?”
“Pretty much,” Luke sighed. “She used to take me to exhibits in Boone and Asheville. She was the one who would buy art supplies for me. Dad always felt that I should be playing football.”
“That sounds so cliché,” Cat pursed her lips in disapproval.
“Yeah. Well, my dad is pretty much a walking stereotype. Monday night football is as important as church to him and he celebrates it with a six pack of Bud,” he said somberly.
Cat looked at him sympathetically.
“Cat, don’t look at me like that,” Luke turned away. “It’s not like he’s some dead-beat drunk who beats me. He’s a good guy. We talk, sometimes. He always comes to my cross country meets. It’s just that he doesn’t like art. It reminds him of Mom. So, I’d rather he never know about it, that’s all.”
“I still say he’d be proud of you if he knew,” Cat urged.
“Cat, let’s drop it,” Luke said firmly.
“Alright,” Cat sighed. “Oh! But what if you showed it under another name? I bet I could think of a good pseudonym for you!”
“Cat,” his voice held a mild warning.
“Fine, fine,” Cat held up her hands as though to surrender. “I guess it will just be admired by you and me.”
“There are a few mice and a tomcat that live here, also,” Luke joked.
“Well, then I’m sure they enjoy it, too,” Cat laughed.
She looked around at the paintings. They really were a sight to behold. Cat knew with her mother’s connections in the art world that she could get them into a gallery. Her mind was starting to whirl with ideas for him. She ignored those thoughts, for now. She knew Luke wouldn’t take
any more of that encouragement tonight. He had only just revealed it after all. It would be best to work on him slowly.
She walked to him and threw her arms around his neck. Standing on tippy-toe, she kissed him on the lips.
“Thank you,” she said, pulling away.
“What for?” Luke asked, confused.
“For this,” Cat gestured around her, “it’s the best birthday present I could ever have imagined.”
“I’m glad you like it,” Luke said, kissing her back.
“I don’t,” Cat beamed up at him, “I love it!”
Chapter Twenty-one
Rachel helped Cat celebrate her birthday that weekend, since Luke was having his annual end-of-summer camp out. A little girl time ended up suiting Cat wonderfully. They spent the morning on Saturday shopping in Blowing Rock and Boone. Cat was pleasantly surprised to discover two precious boutiques: Copper Penny and Gladiola Girls. Not only were their offerings as fashionable as any cutesy boutique in the West Village, but the prices were enough to make Cat jump up and down — literally. She found a Burberry scarf set from last season that was marked 75% off at Copper Penny. And Gladiola Girls had her favorite James jeans on clearance. She felt that it had to be a sign that she should purchase them as birthday presents to herself. Her parents had sent her a check in the mail for her birthday. One thousand dollars. That was double the typical birthday money she had received in previous years. Cat was certain it was guilt money. Whatever. If they expected to earn their way back into her good graces, they were sorely mistaken. Cat thought about tearing it up as a sign of protest. But then she laughed — like she would really throw away a thousand dollars! Besides, she had an idea of what she really wanted to spend it on anyway.
She had only spent just under two-hundred during their morning of shopping. They were just finishing up eating sandwiches at Macado’s when Cat decided to go forward with her plan.
“Hey, Rach?” Cat asked, while taking the last bite of her grilled cheese.
“Hmm?” Rachel responded; her mouth still full.
“Is there an art supply store around here?” Cat asked.
What Cat Lost (The Last Life of Cat Book 1) Page 17