Chapter Nine
Luke
The Millers were at his house by the time Luke came home. There wasn’t anything unusual about that—they came over for dinner all the time when they were in town. The unusual part was that Zoey and Parker weren’t there.
“Where are the kids?” Luke asked, accepting a beer from his dad.
His mother rolled her eyes. “They’re nineteen and in college. ‘Kids’ is no longer an appropriate term, especially from someone barely old enough to drink legally.”
“Zoey and Parker went out for dinner and a sleigh ride.” Mr. Miller shrugged. “I’d rather have a home-cooked meal, but whatever.”
Luke took a big swallow of his beer, hiding a smirk. Maybe they did go on a sleigh ride, but if Luke had to guess, based on the green Jeep parked at the far end of the street, they’d really snuck over to Zoey’s house to be alone.
His brother had moves. Who knew?
It was a foreign thought, though. In his mind, Parker was still twelve, gangly, and wearing braces. What was it like to settle down so young? The idea had never crossed Luke’s mind—too many gorgeous ladies, too little time—but a little pang caught him in the chest.
Envy.
He had no idea where that came from, but for some reason, Charlotte’s face was the one he saw when he pictured a more domesticated life. He barely knew her, so that was a huge presumption on his part, but most of the women he usually hooked up with weren’t the permanent type. Something about Charlotte opened up a dark, locked part of him. It wasn’t every day a girl played hard to get with him.
Luke wandered to the window to look outside. Charlotte wasn’t playing. Not at all. The sight of her parted lips and flushed cheeks at the SBX course had him convinced she was interested, but at the coffee shop she’d put up all these walls. If he wanted to know her better, he was going to have to work for it. Zoey had put him though some paces, but it hadn’t been real, not exactly. The thing with Charlotte felt frighteningly so—somehow, he knew if he let himself fall, he’d keep falling.
“You okay, there?” Dad asked.
“Uh, yeah, fine.” Luke smiled, wishing he could tell everyone about his day. About smoking Tucker and meeting Kit. About his chances and his dream. But he couldn’t. Mom didn’t know, and this wasn’t the time. “Good shred today.”
“What’s up with your knuckles?” Mr. Miller nodded at Luke’s hand, on full display holding the beer. “You look like you’ve been brawling. Hit a tree?”
“No, um.” Luke chuckled. “I’ve been brawling.”
“What?” Luke’s mother came out of the kitchen, a pink polka-dot apron on over her black pants and green silk shirt. “You’ve been in a fight?”
Luke tried to swallow the laugh about to burst out over the fifties-style kitchen wear and only mostly succeeded. “I was defending the honor of a cute and very harassed server at that new café.”
After he told them the story, glad to have something to talk about other than the SBX course, his mother nodded in approval. “I don’t like you fighting, but I’m proud of you for helping that young lady out.” A shrewd smile spread across her face. “Any chance you’ll be seeing her again?”
Luke bit back a grin. Busted. “Yeah. Her boss is giving me meals on the house until New Year’s for helping Charlotte out.”
“Charlotte…what a pretty name.” Mrs. Miller’s smile was as catlike as Luke’s mother’s. “Definitely need to meet her now.”
Luke groaned, and his dad laughed. “Give it up, son. They aren’t going to let this go.”
Yeah, he was definitely cornered. “I hardly know Charlotte, but I promise to bring her by if it goes past three or four—or seventeen—dates.”
“Good.” His mother nodded, then shooed them into the kitchen to eat.
Once they were seated and passing around pork chops and glazed carrots, Mr. Miller asked, “So, how’s school going, Luke? Three semesters to go—that must feel good.”
“Two semesters to go,” his mother said, practically bursting with pride. “He tested out of a full semester on AP exams. This time next year, he’ll be taking a short break before starting at Madison’s.”
Luke and his dad exchanged a tense look. “It, uh, might take three semesters.”
Mom frowned. “Why? Did you miss some elective?”
Oh, here we go. “No, not exactly.” Luke put his fork down. This was a terrible time and place, but he wouldn’t lie. He couldn’t, not to his mother. Plus, he couldn’t keep acting like a coward. She had to find out soon, because telling her the day before he was supposed to go back to school was a shit thing to do. “Mom, I’m taking the spring semester off.”
She froze, her fork halfway to her mouth. “What?”
“I have a shot at the SBX nationals. The biggest qualifying race is at Buttermilk in early January. That will take me to nationals and improve my chances of making the USASA team. If I make it onto the men’s team, I could eventually go to the Olympics. I still want to work at Madison’s, but I need to try this first, while I’m on my game.”
To Luke’s horror, Mom’s eyes filled with tears. “But…but we need you.” She glanced at Dad. “Right, Jason?”
“I’ve already told him, but we’ve come to an understanding. It’ll be fine, Tina. He needs to take his shot now, so he’ll know whether or not he can make it.”
“And if he does?” Mom took a shaking breath. “Luke, if you make it, is it just for the next year or so?”
His shoulders slumped. “If I make it…I don’t know.”
At that, the Millers got up. Mrs. Miller kissed his mom’s cheek, and they slipped out quietly. Luke fought a wild urge to laugh—Zoey and Parker weren’t expecting company this soon. What would the Millers do when they came home and found more than they were expecting?
Luke hoped they’d take the surprise better than his mom. A knot settled in Luke’s stomach, and he stared at his half-eaten plate of pork chops. Parker’s sin wouldn’t come close to outweighing his, though.
Tears ran down his mother’s cheeks. “If you knew about Dad’s…heart condition, about how we’re counting on you learning what you need to so he can retire, why would you do this anyway?”
“Tina—” Dad started, but Mom slashed a hand through the air, cutting him off.
“No.” Mom’s voice had gone shrill and sharp. “We gave these boys so much. Life in Aspen, summer jobs they didn’t have to search for that didn’t involve making fries, a college education free from student loans…and this is how he repays us?” She turned on Luke, her hazel eyes, so like his own, flashing with anger. “You didn’t think to tell us what you were considering ahead of time? Because I’m assuming this isn’t the first time this has crossed your mind.”
“No. I’ve been thinking about it since I won the U14 development championship.” Anger was surging up in his chest, too. Goddammit, he hadn’t wanted to argue about this now. “But you pushed me into college. When Parker was approached by the scout about entering training for the X Games after the slopestyle contest last year, you two were so proud. The expectations have never been the same for him. I’m the one with the business on my shoulders. He gets to major in architecture and design resorts, while I’m expected to major in business so I can run some office until I’m old and can foist it onto my own kid!”
His parents stared at him with their mouths open. Mom was still pissed, but Dad looked…heartbroken.
Luke stood so fast, his chair knocked over. Fuck this. “I’ll move out in the morning if that’s what you want. And don’t worry about the money anymore. I’ll make my own way.”
With that, he turned and stomped off to his room, wishing he didn’t care so much. Wishing he could be selfish enough to forget about Dad’s shocked expression, about Mom’s tears.
Instead, he was going to do what he wanted and hate himself for it every minute.