She understood immediately. “Listen, let me go get that angel food cake I promised. Back in a minute.” With a smile, she ducked away before Mateo reached the table.
“How many plates is that? You’re not being a pig, are you?”
“This is only three.” He spoke over a huge wad of something chocolate.
Luke laughed. “That better be the last plate, okay, bud?” He might have to give the Chandlers a discount on his services. Especially if the kid threw up on the dance floor.
“Awww …”
“I’m serious, Mateo.” He made his tone stern. “Lay off the champagne, too, will ya?”
Mateo laughed so hard Luke was afraid the kid would throw up.
“It wasn’t that funny.” But Mateo’s laughter was and Luke couldn’t help but laugh too. Thankfully Brooks & Dunn’s “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” had the crowd wound up, and nobody seemed to notice the two of them in stitches behind the DJ’s table.
When Mateo finally quieted down, Luke put a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, be nice to Miss Joanna, would you?”
He drew up to his full four-foot eleven, shaking his head, in defense mode. “I wasn’t mean to her.”
“I never said you were. But if you didn’t want to dance with her, the correct response is, ‘No thank you, ma’am, but thanks for asking.’”
Mateo made a gagging sound.
Just then, the song ended and Joanna appeared from the edge of the dance floor, her cheeks flushed.
“Shh, here she comes. Now you be nice.”
“I’m being nice,” he hissed.
Luke angled his face away from Joanna and threw Mateo a stern look.
“Here you go.”
He turned and she thrust an oversized plate at him. It overflowed with delectable cakes and appetizers.
“That ought to keep you fueled for another hour or two.”
“I guess!” He took the plate from her. “Thank you. That’s so thoughtful of you.”
“Well, we can’t have our DJ fainting from hunger before the dance is over, can we?”
“Definitely not. And speaking of which, this set is about over. I’d better get back to work.”
“Of course. Let me know if you need anything else.”
He lifted the plate with one hand. “I’ll never need anything else ever again.”
Laughing, she went back on the dance floor, weaving her way through the crowd, speaking to people as she went, the quintessential hostess. He watched as her dad caught her and twirled her into a dance. Luke scrolled through his list and chose a couple of audience favorite tearjerkers.
“Are you gonna stare at her all night?”
Luke jumped and turned to find Mateo looking at him with a disgusted expression. “I just might. What’s it to you?” he teased. But it struck him that his showing interest in a woman might not sit right with Mateo. He’d better cool it. At least in front of the boy.
“How much longer?” Mateo whined.
“At least another hour, buddy. That’s the way weddings are. If you’re getting tired, you can go sleep in the truck. You brought your sleeping bag, right?”
“Yeah, but how am I supposed to find the truck with all those cars parked down there?”
Luke took the boy’s shoulders and steered him to the edge of the tent. “Look down there. I can see the truck from here.”
“Where?”
He pointed. “Follow my finger. See?”
“Oh. Yeah. Okay, maybe I’ll go later or—” A giant yawn cut off his words.
Luke laughed. “Tell you what, I need a bathroom break. Let me cue up some music and I’ll walk down with you. But we’ll have to make it snappy.”
Mateo cocked his head, listening. “Wait.”
“For what?”
“That song.”
Luke listened. The intro to Louis Armstrong’s “Wonderful World” had just started playing. Maria’s favorite song. Filed under “sappy tunes” in his playlists. Shoot! He hadn’t been thinking. But he couldn’t stop the music now. Guests were responding to the song, older couples getting up to dance for the first time. “Wonderful World” was a lot of people’s favorite song.
“Do you want to stay and listen? Or go on down to the truck?”
“Stay.” But already his chin was quivering.
Luke put an arm around Mateo and ushered him into the shadows behind the DJ table. He could feel the boy’s shoulders heaving beneath his arm. Luke kind of wanted to cry too. He didn’t know what to say that would bring comfort, so he didn’t say anything. Just stood there with his arm around the weeping boy.
The song faded and segued into another. Mateo looked up at him, brown eyes red-rimmed. “It’s a lie, isn’t it?”
“What’s a lie, bud?”
“Wonderful world.”
“Mateo.” Oh, God. Give me the words. “It’s not a lie. It is a wonderful world most of the time. I know it doesn’t feel that way for you right now. But your mom would want you to look for the wonderful stuff, don’t you think? I know she did. And I guarantee you it’s out there. You’ll see.”
A new song started, but it was the last one in the queue. He loosened his hold on Mateo, but that only made the kid hang on tighter. Luke gave him another minute, then squeezed his shoulder. “Hey, buddy. I need to go take care of the music. Hang on just a sec, and then I’ll walk you down to the truck.”
Without waiting for an answer, he went to cue the next set. Looking out over the dance floor, he noticed Joanna watching Mateo still huddled at the edge of the tent. Her expression looked more peeved than sympathetic. But of course, she didn’t know the significance of the song that had just played. And Mateo had been rather rude to her.
Luke looked away before she could catch him staring again, but it was all he could do to not go and make excuses for the boy.
Why did it matter what she thought? Well, duh. He knew the answer to that.
He set up another ten minutes of music and went to tell Joanna where he was going so she wouldn’t think he’d ditched his post.
CHAPTER 13
MUSCLES ACHING, JOANNA STRETCHED HER arms over her head before going to fold up another row of chairs. The cars that had lined the lane only an hour ago were mostly gone now. The guests had sent Quinn and Phee off in a hail of birdseed minutes before midnight. Now only a skeleton crew remained to clean up the worst of the mess. The rental place would come to pick up the chairs and tables and take the tent down tomorrow.
Dad and Britt had hauled the leftover food down to the cottage, and Quinn’s brother and the other groomsmen were folding chairs and tables, doing the bulk of the heavy lifting. Jo leaned another two chairs against the stack, recalling Dad’s encouragement for her to come back with them and to let the crew clean up. But she had ulterior motives.
She looked over near the edge of the tent where Luke was packing his gear. Mateo must still be sleeping down in the truck. He might be a little rude and surly, but she was grateful he hadn’t misbehaved. She was trying to give him the benefit of the doubt since he’d so recently lost his mother. She knew what that was like. And after all, he was a preteen—a breed not exactly known for being docile and cooperative on the best of days. Still, she didn’t have much patience for someone who couldn’t even look a person in the eye when spoken to.
“Looks like you lost your helper, huh?”
Luke looked over his shoulder at her from where he was crouched over the larger of his two duffel bags. “Like you said, weddings aren’t exactly a favorite of twelve-year-old boys. He’s still sacked out in the truck.”
“That’s what I figured. Do you need help carrying things down?”
“Thanks, but I can get it. That’s what you’re paying me the big bucks for.”
That winsome smile of his was going to be the death of her. “Well, we are paying you pretty big bucks, but you did a great job.” She meant what she said. By any calculation, the wedding had been a huge success. Phee had seemed especially pleased with how the
night turned out. And Luke had played a big part. He must have a sixth sense for what people enjoyed because every time Jo had thought things might lag a little, Luke spun the perfect song.
“I hope so. I thought people looked pretty happy. You must be exhausted though. I think you managed to dance with every single guest.” He winced. “Well, except Mateo.”
And you. But she didn’t dare give voice to that regret. Instead, she waved off his comment. “It was fun. I haven’t danced like that in years. I mean like … probably since high school.”
“Seriously? You looked like an old pro out there.”
“Thanks. I think.” She looked askance at him. “Old?”
He laughed. “That didn’t come out quite right.”
“I see where Mateo learned his manners.” After the words were out, she was afraid she might have hit below the belt.
But Luke grinned again and beat a fist to his chest. “Ooh, ouch.”
“I’m just giving you a hard time. He’s cute.”
“He has his moments.” He rose and reached behind Joanna for a cable lying on the table where his equipment had been set up.
She tried not to stare, but even with his tie loosened and his shirtsleeves rolled up, the man did a white shirt and tie justice.
He coiled the cable into a neat circle and tucked it in the duffel bag. “He’s taking things pretty hard.”
“Understandably. Poor kid.”
“Speaking of which, I’d probably better get down to the truck and check on him. He was still zonked when I took the speakers down a little while ago, but I’d hate for him to wake up and not remember where he is.”
She reached for his duffel. “Here. Let me carry something. I’m headed down too.”
“You sure?”
“Positive.”
“Hang on. Let me fold up this table and I’ll be ready.”
“Hey!” Quinn’s brother, Markus, yelled across the length of the tent. “You need some help there, little lady?” He headed in their direction but veered off course, stumbling and barely righting himself before he reached her. She’d seen his wife and their little girl head down to where the cars were parked earlier in the evening. She hoped they were safely back at their hotel.
She gave a nervous chuckle. “Thanks, but I think we’ve got it.”
“You did a fine job today, sunshine.” Markus’s words slurred as he sidled up to Jo, standing uncomfortably close. His breath reeked of alcohol. He reached for the duffel bag on her shoulder. “Here, here, lemme get that for ya.”
She took a couple of steps backward, clutching the bag tightly in front of her, erecting a wall between them.
But Markus matched her step-for-step, gripping her arm. “Quinn didn’t tell me his wife had such pretty sisters. In fact, I’d say he let the cream of the crop get away.”
Panic rocketed through her. But just as quickly, Luke was at her side. She was grateful for his possessive hand around her shoulder.
Markus must have gotten the message because he took an unsteady stride backward.
“Thanks for offering,” Luke said. “But I think we’ve got it under control here.” Moving with finesse, he put himself between Jo and Quinn’s brother, effectively dismissing the man. “I’ll walk down with you in just a minute, Jo.”
He spoke loud enough for Markus to hear, and Jo mouthed a relieved thank you.
He brushed off her thanks, finished folding the table, then handed her a light tote bag. “You have room to carry this?”
“Sure.” Still a little shaken, she lifted the bag, adjusted the duffel bag strap on her shoulder, and led the way to the stairway, but not until she’d located Markus safely on the other side of the tent.
They picked their way down the stairs in silence. For the sake of Phylicia’s wedding dress and the guests’ shoes, Dad had layered sand on the spongy top of each step a few days ago, hoping to keep the stairway dry even if it rained. The sand was packed down now, but the hillside alongside the stairway was littered with stray paper cups, discarded birdseed bags, and wedding programs.
Despite the burden of the two heavy bags he shouldered, Luke stooped to pick up a clear plastic champagne flute off the path.
“Oh, don’t worry about that. If it’s nice tomorrow, my sister and I will come up and do litter patrol. You would think people could respect personal property.” It was something she hadn’t really thought about in regards to running a wedding venue. She wondered how many other things she hadn’t considered.
“You’d think,” Luke echoed, looking disgusted. He scooped up a wadded-up napkin and a crushed Coke can.
“Seriously, don’t worry about it.”
“Well, it wouldn’t shock me to learn that Mateo was guilty of at least a couple of these.”
Smiling, she motioned to the collection of trash in his hand. “Probably not the champagne flute.”
He looked dubious. “That better not have been his. Although he did tell me if things got too mushy he might need some champagne.”
She gave a little gasp. “I hope he wasn’t serious.”
That got a laugh. “He seemed clean and sober when I walked him down to the truck.”
“That’s more than I can say for Quinn’s brother. Thank you for coming to my rescue.”
Luke blew out a disgusted huff. “I hope I didn’t interfere too much. I know you can probably take care of yourself, but I didn’t like where things were headed.”
She shook her head. “You don’t know how thankful I am you were there.”
He changed the subject. “I am sorry about the trash. Hopefully the wind won’t come up tonight.”
“Next time, we’ll put trash cans at the top and bottom of the stairs. I should have thought of that.”
“Next time? You planning on getting married soon, are you?”
Her cheeks heated. “Not me. I’ve just—It might be a pipe dream, but I thought maybe we could turn the clearing into a wedding venue. Make a little extra money that way.”
“Not a pipe dream at all. It makes a great venue, that’s for sure. You could tell everybody had a great time. And not because they were hammered either. Like too many of the weddings I do.”
“Do you think maybe Quinn’s brother had his own bottle somewhere? I didn’t think you could get snockered on champagne, but Markus seemed pretty tipsy.”
Luke grunted. “That’s an understatement. But FYI, I think you can get snockered on champagne. I’m pretty sure Mateo didn’t want it for its delicious flavor.”
He pulled a sour face that made her laugh.
“Well, Phee and Quinn had fun,” she said. “I guess that’s all that really matters.”
“Exactly. It was a really nice wedding. You did a good job, little sister.”
His compliment warmed her. “Thanks. I think I’m going to sleep really well tonight.”
“I just hope Mateo didn’t sleep so hard in the truck that he’s up all night.”
“Wow, I never considered the fact you have to worry about a twelve-year-old sleeping through the night.”
Luke rolled his eyes. “It’s usually the opposite. I’ve never seen a kid who could sleep away so many hours. I know it’s an age when they have a growth spurt and hormones and all that, but I worry a little bit that it might be more about grief.”
“Oh. I hadn’t thought of that.”
“There’s a lot I hadn’t thought of. Most days I fear I’m in way over my head. And then the kid will turn around and do something that makes me laugh or makes me proud—” He groaned. “You probably think I’ll be whipping out the baby brag book next.”
She smiled. “My Grandma Clayton actually had one of those.”
“With you in it?”
“Probably.”
“I bet you were a cutie.”
She warmed at his comment, but chose to ignore it. “I don’t actually remember the photos in it. I just remember Mom got it for her, but later, she told my dad she was afraid she’d created a monster.”
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“Well, I don’t own a brag book. I promise.”
She feigned a stern look. “I’ll take you at your word.”
They came to the bottom of the hill and followed the lane to where his truck was parked. Across the driveway, the lights were out in the cottage, but a lamp still glowed in the unfinished cabin where Dad was staying.
“Do you want me to walk you to your cabin?”
“No. I’m fine, really. It’s right there.” She pointed, giggling. “I’m pretty sure I could outrun him if I had to.”
“Well, be careful.” Luke set the bags on the ground, then rummaged through his pockets until he produced his keys. He pressed a button and the horn tweeted and the doors unlocked. He tossed a sheepish look over his shoulder. “If that doesn’t wake him up, nothing will.
“Here … Let me get that.” He took the duffel bag from her and started to open the back driver’s side door. But instead he turned to face her, scuffing the toe of his dress shoe in the grass. “Hey … you wouldn’t want to go out to dinner Friday night, would you?”
She tilted her head, but hesitated, not wanting to appear too eager.
“With me,” he said. “In case you were confused.”
Why was this droll sarcasm annoying when it came from Mateo, and utterly charming coming from the boy’s guardian? “I’d love that, Luke.”
“Great.” He sounded a little surprised, though she doubted he had much experience with women turning him down for a date. “I’ll call you Thursday about what time and everything. Does that work?”
“Perfect. I look forward to it.”
“Me too.”
“Thanks again for everything. It was a good night.”
Nodding, he opened the truck door slowly, putting a finger to his lips. “Talk to you soon,” he whispered.
She gave a little wave and started across the lane to the cottage. But she stopped short of the front door and stood in the shadow of the ancient oak tree that towered over the roof, watching until his taillights disappeared around the curve.
She slipped off her shoes on the porch and entered the cottage quietly, thankful Britt was already in bed and no one was waiting up for her. Because she couldn’t seem to stop smiling.
Chasing Dreams Page 9