Chapter 37
Luke
I watched her as she typed her knees pulled up beside her resting on the chair that I was sitting in. Her hair was pulled up on top of her head, and her glasses were on the tip of her nose. I smiled over at her. She looked up and smiled back.
“What?” She asked.
“You're too cute.” I reached over and tapped the end of her nose. She smiled then looked back at her screen, fingers moving over the keyboard as she worked. She worked for the rest of the morning, concentrating on her report. I leaned over her a few times to see what she was doing, but she swatted me away.
“Don't distract me.”
I laid a sandwich beside her and watched as she picked it up and took a bite. She nodded in appreciation and then went straight back to work. I finished my plans, called Ryan, and started dinner while she did. I’d seen people that could ignore everything around them, but she was a pro.
“You hear anything I just said to you?” I asked.
“Yes. Salad. Tuna steaks. Ready in fifteen minutes,” she repeated, never looking at me, but I saw her smile as she continued to work.
I pulled the last piece of tuna off the grill and turned to find her sitting in the chair, watching me.
“You really should wear a shirt more often.” She stuck her tongue out at me.
“I haven't had one on all day.”
“I know, and that's why I have had to completely ignore you.” She smirked before standing and taking the plate from my hands.
“So, if I don't wear a shirt, it increases my chances of getting laid?” I crowded her against the countertop, and she giggled.
“Your chances are always in the very high nineties, shirt or no shirt. Just flash those baby blues and drag that beard across my skin, and I'm done.” She laughed.
“Noted,” I laughed and nuzzled her neck.
She plated the food while I poured us wine, and we met at the table sitting down and chatting about nothing.
“I should have this done in the next day or so. It is amazing to me that this research didn't take longer than it did. I had enough grant money to keep me going for another four months.”
“So, you are almost done?”
“For the most part.” She smiled. “I have plenty of time on the lease, so I think I am going to try and do some work from here for a while. Granddad will be back in the office more now that the doctor cleared him for full-time work, but he did tell me that January first, the company is mine to do what I want to with,” she said nonchalantly.
“That's great.” I wanted to be excited, but a time stamp being placed on us made me a little weary.
“I think so.” She looked up from her plate, cocked her head to the side, and studied me.
“We can make this work, Luke. I know that long distance isn't necessarily something that you want or I want for that matter, but I don't see flushing this when it's only an hour or so. It's not like I'm moving back to Maine.” She sat her fork down and lifted her wine glass. “We’ll figure it out.”
“I hope so.” I smiled then tipped my wine glass toward hers.
We cleaned the kitchen, and then went out on the porch, drank coffee, and just enjoyed the sound of the soft rain as it fell. There were moments that I knew I would always remember, and this was one.
***
I was yanked from sleep by a crash outside. I jumped from the bed and rushed down the stairs. Grabbing my shotgun that was perched by the door. The door to my workshop was swinging open by one hinge and the garage door was pushed in. I slowly made my way over to the door poking my head in to make sure it wasn't a bear. I didn't see anything, so I flipped the light. The table that I had been working on was broken, my ax was on the floor with most of my other tools. I looked around but didn't see anything that was scratched like a bear had broken the door. It looked as if someone had done this.
“Luke?” I jerked as Emmy walked into the shop, her hand covering her mouth. “What happened?” She asked as her hand slid to her throat.
“I don't know, maybe a bear?” I didn't want to scare her, but I needed to figure out what had happened. “Let's go back inside. It may still be close.” I pushed her out of the shop and across the yard toward the door. “Stay here.” I said as I walked out the front and jumped in my truck. I backed it as close to the building as I could, trying to block off the door. I didn't want anyone taking anything out of there if I could help it. The machinery was expensive, and with me giving Ryan all of my winnings from the season to buy the other half of the house, I didn't have the money to replace any of it. I pulled Emmy close to me when I finally got back in the bed, and she snuggled in close. I kissed her neck and then laid there trying to figure out what had happened.
***
“Can you come out here today?” I asked Ryan when he answered the phone.
“Good morning, honey.” His voice was gravely with sleep.
“Someone broke into the shop last night.”
“Wait, what?” He asked his voice a little clearer.
“If it was a bear, it had really dull claws because there isn't a scratch anywhere in or on the building.”
“Why would someone break into your shop?”
“I don't know.” I said.
“Yeah, give me an hour, and I'll be out there. I kinda miss breakfast with you, pookie.” I could hear him laughing as he took the phone away from his ear.
I pulled the truck away from the door while I waited for Ryan. Emmy was at the kitchen table with her laptop open, coffee in hand. She had asked if I wanted help, but honestly, I needed to see if I could salvage the table. The garage door on the front was ruined, and I couldn't get it open. I was beating it back out with a hammer when Ryan arrived.
“Shit,” he said when he walked in the door.
“Yeah.” It was all I could say. The table had been almost complete, and now I would have to start over.
“I don't think this was a bear.” he shook his head.
“I don't either. But who?”
“Maybe a drifter looking for easy money? You have a hundred grand in tools out here.”
“But who would know that?”
“Your address is on your card. Maybe it got into the wrong hands.”
“Maybe.” I shrugged and then went back to tapping the door back out so I could at least get it open.
“I've got breakfast ready for you guys.” Emmy said as she walked toward us.
“An angel she is.” Ryan kissed the top of her head then headed toward the house.
“I didn't realize it was this bad.” She looked over the damage.
“It wasn’t a bear. I think someone tried to steal my tools.”
“Oh no.” She frowned.
“I guess I'll have to figure out some kind of alarm system for out here.”
“I'm sorry, Luke.” she reached her arms around me and hugged me to her.
When we made it back into the house, Ryan was coming out of the bathroom.
“Breakfast looks great,” Ryan said as Emmy made him a plate and handed it to him.
“Thanks.” I kissed the side of her head, grabbed the plate she handed me, and then headed toward the table. Ryan was looking at her laptop when she walked over.
“That looks like Chinese.” He pointed.
“It's, in fact, English.” She laughed.
“Well, it must be smart people English ‘cause this dumb country boy has no idea what any of that means.” I watched as she pointed at the screen and would look at Ryan waiting on him to nod his understanding. This continued until Ryan was completely engrossed in what she was talking about.
“But we don't get a lot of sun here. Hello, Oregon,” he laughed.
“There are other sources of energy,” she explained. “We also use wind turbines. Two wind turbines could power this whole town if they’re big enough.”
“They are kinda ugly though,” Ryan pointed out.
“That may be true, but what if your power bill was say twelve bucks a month instead of two hundred?”
“I would say put the ugly fuckers everywhere,” Ryan said seriously, making me and Emmy laugh. Ryan and I continue to work in the shop trying to clean up the mess, and Emmy disappeared into her side of the house. When I went looking for her, she was cleaning. Her hair was up, and she had on a tank top. She was singing into her dusting wand and dancing around her small living room. I leaned in the doorframe and watched her for a few minutes. She startled when she turned and saw me.
“I think that may have been the best rendition of Pat Benetar I have ever heard.” I smiled around my words as I walked over to her. “We’re almost done and thought maybe we’d go eat at the diner in town tonight. Ryan invited Cindy.”
“Ohhh, I get to meet her?” she purred.
“Appears so.” I leaned in and pulled her to me.
“I really need to get this house clean. When are we leaving?”
“I told Ryan we would meet him around seven.”
She looked over my shoulder at the clock on the wall. She pulled away and turned back to the table she had been dusting.
“That gives me plenty of time. I already did the work, I needed to get done today so I may have a long soak in the tub.” She winked at me and then continued to clean.
“The sheriff is coming by in a little bit to check things out.”
“You already cleaned everything up.” She turned looking at me again.
“I don't think we will find who broke in or what broke in, so I just wanted someone official to see it.”
“Oh, okay.” She pushed her ear bud back in her ear and turned away from me. I reached for her, pulled her against me, and kissed her passionately then turned and left her panting.
“Not cool, Luke Lawson!” She called out after me.
I grinned.