Chapter Twenty-Four
“When did Ryan leave?” I asked Luke as we sat in one of his chairs in the backyard.
“Not too long ago. I think it may have been when the kissing started.” He kissed the side of my head and pulled me a little tighter against his chest. “He may be a little jealous.”
I felt his smile against the side of my head. “I’ll give him hell for not saying bye later.”
“When do you have to go back to Portland?” His rich timber filled the quiet.
“Wednesday, so I'll probably leave here Tuesday night so I don't have to drive super early.”
“And you'll be gone until?”
“I should be back Friday night, maybe Saturday morning. Just depends on if I get everything done. I have to gather some root ball samples to send to the lab before I leave, so I’ll probably be in the woods most of tomorrow and Tuesday.”
I didn't want to do anything but be in his arms. Rachel had disappeared when she first started dating Charlie, and I had sworn I wouldn't be that girl, but here I sat wanting to blow off all of my responsibilities just to be with him. I didn’t even want to go next door, but I knew if I didn’t, one thing would lead to another, and we weren’t ready for that just yet. At least, I wasn’t.
“Tonight was great, this is great.” I stood, bending at the waist and kissed his beard and then his cheek, then his mouth. I ran a finger over his forehead pushing his hair behind his ear. “Thank you.” I kissed him again and then pulled away.
“Let me walk you home.” He stood and followed me to the porch. When I reached the steps, I turned back to him. The light from the porch lamp illuminated his smile. I reached up and fingered his beard, and pulled his face down to mine. His lips pressed a soft kiss over mine that quickly turned into more passion than I had ever felt. The burning in my gut told me I should hold on very tightly to him. My body was on alert and sometimes wanted to go further, but he always slowed it down. I wanted to experience it all with him, but I also didn't want to rush this.
“I'll see you tomorrow.” He brushed his lips softly over mine again and then turned and walked back to his door. Stopping, he looked over at me.
“Goodnight,” he said then pulled at his door handle and waited for me to go inside.
“Night.” I turned and walked inside my house.
I laid in bed that night thinking about how close yet how far away he was.
***
I shuffled through papers, thinking about how just the night before I’d had to force myself to send Luke home for the second night in a row, especially knowing I wouldn’t see him for a few days. I imagined that would only get harder to do—make him... let him leave.
“I didn't know you were going to be here this week,” Chris said as he walked into Granddad’s office, distracting me from my thoughts.
“Just for a couple of days.” I turned back to my papers and continued filing them. He sat down in front of me. I glanced up and found him looking at me.
“What? Did you need something?” My tone was friendly, but distracted.
“I didn't know you knew Ryan and Luke.”
“Yeah. I have for a while.”
“It was just weird seeing you there. As long as I have competed, you've never even asked about it.”
“I actually didn’t even know that’s what you competed in. When they asked me to come, I did.” I shrugged.
“So, you and Luke?” He was fishing.
“Yeah, me and Luke.” I smiled and continued to work on getting the paperwork straight. With Granddad being out so many days, it was piled up. More reason I was glad Chris was taking on more work and making sure things were right when I wasn't there.
“Hey, I'm gonna grab a late lunch, you want to join?”
“Sure, give me just a minute to wrap this up,” I responded as I finished the last of the first pile of paperwork.
I followed Chris out of the building and across the street to the Coffee Bean. I ordered, paid, and then looked around for a table while he did the same. He waited for our orders and then brought it over.
We chatted about work for the most part and everything that was coming up. The more we discussed upcoming projects, the more I wasn't sure what I would do without him in the office at this point. The back and forth between the company and my grant would be draining otherwise.
“Once we complete the Chadwick project, we can put the extra crew over in Salston to finish up there. We should be caught up enough to start the next three by then,” Chris was explaining.
“Sounds good. Thank you for all your help. I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am that you are here.”
“Whatever I can do to help, I'm here. Your family has always been good to me, so I'm just repaying the favor.” He took my hand in his and smiled. His thumb ran over my knuckles gently as he looked up at me. It made me a little uneasy, but he didn’t seem to mean anything by it, so I tried to ignore it.
“Your mom and I have talked quite a bit lately when she was at the office. Maybe we should all grab dinner before you head back tomorrow.”
“I don't think so. I have a lot of work to get done before I leave.” I didn't want to have dinner with my mother again so soon. “Plus, I need to get back before dark to collect a few more sampled for the grant, so I’ll probably head out around four.” I pulled my hand back across the table and placed it in my lap.
“Maybe next time.” He smiled and lifted his sandwich to his mouth. My thoughts went to Luke, and it hit me that he probably wouldn’t be keen on the idea of me having dinner with Chris in any capacity—innocent or otherwise. Lunch with a co-worker was one thing. Dinner was another.
***
I finished the last stack of folders on the desk and gathered my things before heading for my truck. I walked quickly, not used to leaving alone after dark, and climbed in. The drive to Granddad’s and Mimi’s was only about ten minutes, so I called Luke for a quick chat. He didn't answer, so I left him a message.
Hey, I was just driving home and hadn't talked to you all day. I guess you are in the shop. Call me when you get a chance.
I hit the end button, and it rang almost immediately, so I hit the answer button on the steering wheel without looking at the number, thinking he was calling me back.
“Hello.”
“Emerson.” My mother's voice poured through the truck.
“Hi, Mom.” I said and groaned inwardly.
“How was your day?” she asked.
“It was good. I got caught up on a pile of paperwork.”
“That's great. I heard you had lunch with Chris.”
“We had a business lunch.” I frowned wondering what big mouth was feeding her information. I slowed down for a stoplight and sat waiting for her next words.
“He is a very nice young man.” I could hear the smile in her voice. Of course he was a nice young man. He had the potential to make a lot of money, and that was all she cared about.
“He is, yes.” I didn't want to answer her.
“We will have dinner soon. I know the perfect place.”
“I don't have time right now.”
“You should make time. I am your mother, and you are going to be in town a few days every week. I’m sure you can work me into your schedule.”
“We will figure it out, but not this week.”
“Very well. I will talk to you later.” She hung up without a goodbye, kiss my ass, love you, or anything. I knew her game, and I wasn't going to play it.
***
“Hey, Punkin.” Mimi greeted me as I walked in the door. I kissed her cheek and walked into the living room where Granddad was sitting in a chair, reading.
“You look comfy,” I said as I walked over and kissed the top of his head.
“Don't let him fool you. He purposely went and changed his clothes before you got here. He has been out in the yard all day,” Mimi ratted on him.
“You would think the woman who holds my heart would also not tell my secrets.” He grinned up at me.
“You aren't supposed to be doing that stuff,” I scolded.
“There is no sense in me paying someone to do it when I am home most days. I have a riding lawnmower. It really isn't that much work.”
“Just go easy, okay?” I walked over and plopped on the couch.
“You get a lot done today?” he asked.
“Yeah, we should be caught up on a few jobs by end of this week and can send the crews over to finish the big job at Salston. Then, we’ll have a clean slate for July.”
“Wonderful.” He winked at me. “I knew you were a keeper.”
We sat on the couch watching Wheel of Fortune. I always got a good laugh at them fussing over the puzzles. When the yawns began, I stood and made my way to my room.
“Love you. I probably won't be back tomorrow. I am going to head home after work,” I told them.
“Okay, we love you too. You drive safe tomorrow,” Mimi said as I pulled the door closed behind me.
I settling into bed when my phone dinged.
You up?
Luke
I hit his contact and called him.
“Hey, there.” His rich deep voice came through the line.
“Hi.” I snuggled into bed, happy to hear his voice.
“Busy day?”
“Yeah, I got a lot of paperwork done and several jobs lined up for the end of June and July.”
“That's great. I got the chairs done for Mr. Simpson. I just have to load them up and drive them over.”
“Send me a picture when you get a minute. I would love to see them. The design on the backs was amazing.” I smiled thinking about him and his large hands wrapped around the tiny instruments he used to shave away the wood into the curling design.
“I have one right here, hang on.” I heard some rustling as he moved around.
“You in bed? It's awful early, or do you save your two am working hours for when I'm there?”
“Only for you baby,” he joked.
My heart clenched at his word of endearment. My phone vibrated when his text came through. I pushed on the text message and saw the beautiful chairs.
“Wow.” It was all I could say. “Those are absolutely breathtaking. I'm going to need a few of these chairs. Can I get rushed delivery since I know people who know people?”
His deep laugh made me flush.
“You can get whatever you want. All you have to do is ask.”
“I want four of those chairs and a table made out of the stump in the meadow,” I said matter of factly.
“Consider it done.”
“I'll be home tomorrow. Can we have dinner?”
“Absolutely. What time? I promised Ryan I’d help out at the lumber yard since I’m going to be in town.”
“Six-thirty-ish?”
“Okay. I'll have some dinner ready. I can't wait to see you.”
“Ditto. I'll talk to you then.”
“Goodnight, beautiful.”
“Night, Luke.” I hit the end button and dropped my phone on my bed.
***
“I don't understand what happened?” I stood, looking at Chris who was standing in the doorway to my office trying to explain.
“Someone will have to get a panel from the other job. This one is already a week behind, and we can't wait to get another one made.”
“I'll go.” I said grabbing my keys from the desk.
“I’ll ride with you.” He offered. “Might need someone to throw a little muscle around with the foreman. He can be kinda stubborn.”
“I sent John a text. He’s going to head over to assess the damage. We’ll meet him there,” I told Chris.
It was almost four, and I knew that meant I wasn't going to be home in time for dinner, so I shot Luke a text letting him know that I would see him Sunday.
Can't make dinner had a disaster, I’m so sorry. :(
Emerson
Everything Okay?
Luke
Afraid not. It’s a mess. I have to figure this out
and shuffle some work around to get a job completed
that was due last week. I'm am not a happy camper right now.
Emerson
Raincheck for Sunday then. We should be back around 3.
Luke
Perfect. I am so sorry. Miss you <3
Emerson.
Miss you too. Be safe. I’ll call you later.
Luke
I dropped my phone in the cup holder just as Chris closed the door to the truck.
“You have plans for tonight?”
“I was planning on having dinner with Luke, and they are leaving tomorrow for a competition, so I won't see him until Sunday.” I huffed out a breath making my displeasure known.
“They going up to Rocky Top?”
“I guess. I don't have their schedule with me.”
“I already qualified, so I can skip that one and stay here and help you get all of this under control.”
“It's okay if you need to go. All we need is to get this panel, and then I can head home and you can compete.” I looked over my shoulder to back out of the parking space.
“I can help you do whatever needs to be done. Work comes first.”
I felt his hand cover my knee and instinctively hit the brakes and looked down at his hand. He removed it quickly and placed it in his lap.
“Thank you,” I said. He thought I meant for the help, but it was more for removing his hand from my knee. We picked up the panel from another project and drove it to the job site. Once we had done some damage control, we both realized that the situation was worse than we thought.
“When the bracket broke, the panel slid down the roof and took two others with it. I thought they were fine, but the electrical is busted and is going to need to be replaced. We can dismount two from Salston, but the other is going to have to be shipped from Oklahoma. I didn't realize it was this bad.” John looked worried, but it wasn't his fault. It's better for these things to happen and delay a job then wait until after it’s complete and cause more problems.
“It's fine. We’ll get it figured out.” I patted John on the shoulder and moved around to inspect the back panels to see how much damage was done for myself.
“They should be repairable.” Chris said from just a little too close behind me. I moved and walked over to John.
“We should be able to get a rush on the panel from Oklahoma,” John assured me. “I’ll get on the phone with them now and see if we can at least get it here by Saturday.”
“That sounds great,” I said. “Thanks.”
We stayed and helped get the panel from Salston in place. The owner of the house was very understanding and didn't seem upset at all.
“We should grab some food. It's after nine,” Chris suggested as we walked back to the truck.
“Sure. John, you want to join?” I agreed because I was hungry and exhausted.
“Yes, I'm starved,” John exclaimed.
We’d just ordered a pizza at the restaurant down the street from the office when my phone rang. It was Luke.
“Hey you!” I smiled as I answered.
“You get everything handled?”
“For now. We just sat down to eat.”
“Who is we?”
“John and Chris. It's been a super long day, and we had lunch early because we had a conference call. So, I'm tired and hungry,” I complained.
“That sounds like a disastrous combo,” he laughed. “Is it as bad as a no sleep, no coffee combo?” he joked.
“It really is. I don't know how they stand me.” I lifted my water from the table and took a sip. Chris and John both had their faces in their phones, so I continued to talk.
“You get everything packed for tomorrow?” I asked.
“Yeah. I just wish I could have seen you before we left.”
“Me too,” I frowned even though he couldn’t see me.
“You'll be home Sunday, right?”
“Yes. I'm am going to stay on through Sunday morning and make sure this goes smoothly. Plus, I can get some other work done. That way, I only have to come up for one day next week.”
“I can't wait to see you." I heard his sigh through the phone and knew that he missed me as much as I missed him.
***
I spent all day Friday and Saturday fixing the mess from the broken panel. My mother had called me seven times in the past two days trying to set up a dinner between the two of us. I avoided her calls, but finally agreed to have dinner with her Saturday before heading back Sunday morning.
Once I finished my work on Saturday, I headed toward Granddad and Mimi's to change clothes and meet my mother for dinner. I sent a text message to Luke to see how he was doing. I wasn't sure what time his competition ended on Saturday, but figured it would be late since it was only for one day.
When I arrived at the restaurant, Chris was standing in the lobby. "What are you doing here?" I asked.
“I was told dinner was at seven.” He smiled at me.
"Is that right?” I mumbled, irritated. “Well, have you seen her yet?" I looked over my shoulder for my mother, but I didn't see her. No sooner had the words come from my mouth, my phone started to ring.
"Hello."
"I'm so sorry, honey, I'm not gonna be able to make it to dinner, I have a terrible headache."
“That's too bad,” I sighed loudly.
“Just have dinner with Chris. He should be there,” she said.
“He is, and thanks for telling me you had invited someone else,” I tried to say where Chris wouldn’t hear.
“We have dinner once a month, so I figured I’d just kill two birds.”
“Yeah, but now you aren't here, Mother,” I snapped.
“I know, and I'm sorry.”
“Bye, Mom.” I hung up and turned to leave the restaurant.
“Where are you going? You might as well stay and eat. My treat.”
“Chris, I shouldn't.”
“We’re just friends. Are you not allowed to have friends?”
Friends wasn’t the issue. I wasn't so sure I would want Luke to eat with another woman, but I’d known Chris forever, and it wasn't like I was ever interested in him nor ever dated him.
“Fine.” I followed the hostess when she called out Chris’ name. The table for three was close to the street, and I watched as cars drove by. It was a little chilly for it to be so close to summer, but such is life in the pacific northwest.
“Are you just going to ignore me all night?” Chris said.
“Sorry. I'm just ready to be home and in my own bed.” I shrugged and lifted my iced tea to my lips.
“Are there apartments out there?”
“Maybe, but I live in an old farmhouse that Luke and Ryan converted into a duplex. Ryan moved into the town, and I’m renting his half. I live quite a ways out. But it's quiet, and it's near the woods, so it works for me.”
“Oh, I didn't realize you lived that close.”
“I can practically walk out my back door and into the woods. There is this amazing meadow that I love and work in often. Technology has come such a long way. It great that I can carry my battery source out there with my phone as a hot spot and work for hours.”
“Aren't there bears and stuff?”
“I've seen a few scratchings, but I haven't seen a bear. Ryan always kids and says well they’ve seen you.”
“I'm sure they have. Do you carry something with you?”
“Yes, I have spray, and I carry my Glock, if needed.”
When the waitress arrived, she took our order and then disappeared. The rest of dinner was all business oriented. Every time he would ask a personal question, I would steer the conversation back to work.
“Thanks for dinner,” I said as I pushed the door open.
“No problem. It was fun. I like getting to hang out with you outside of work, even though you insisted on talking about work.”
“I'm just glad it’s all been resolved. I was worried Granddad was going to have a stroke if we didn't get it fixed.”
“We got this. Imagine where we can take this company in the future.”
I smiled and started toward my truck, which was parked across the road.
“When will you be back in town?” he asked.
“I'm coming in for the day on Wednesday. I have grant work that I need to get done before I come back.”
“Okay, see you then.” He waved and disappeared around the corner.