But dammit, she was dead-on. At least with Luke.
Wearing a fitted black tee and worn jeans, he oozed masculinity, the fabric skimming a muscled body. There were elements of the boy I once loved there under all the scruff — a faint white scar across his lower lip and blue eyes as brilliant as ever, the striking shade still taking my breath away with ease.
Unfortunately for him, I knew the trouble that lurked behind them. Trouble I’d fled.
First love was a sickness. It was one Dad cured me of by leading a lost daughter toward salvation. And it came at a terrible price.
Things were never the same once I fell in love with Luke Barrett.
As he strolled toward a black pickup, I let my eyes follow, ignoring better judgment and the chatter of Lynette and Marsh. A part of me wondered if Tally had straightened him out. Maybe she was the water to his fiendish flames rather than an accelerant like I’d been.
He looked strikingly similar to my neighbor on the inlet, but I hoped paranoia was playing tricks on me. There was no way Luke still lived in his Nan’s house. It had too many memories.
I turned my attention back to Marsh, handsome as always with cheekbones people paid big bucks for. He was also as nervous as ever, and still running around as Luke’s wingman, unfortunately.
“Have a good night, Marsh. See you around.” Lynette fussed with her blouse, the barely-there scrap of fabric hardly counting as a shirt. When she boasted about its cost, I almost fell out of my chair. Who paid $3000 for a glorified napkin?
She was in a rush to go to Pete’s, raving about his money in between drooling over Barretts, both subjects equally revolting.
I smiled at Marsh, trying to calm down before sealing myself in a car with Lynette. She didn’t know it yet, but she was driving me home, not to Pete’s. “Have fun with Alanna.” I couldn’t resist teasing him for old time’s sake.
He blushed, not about to chat with me while his best friend was still in the parking lot. It totally violated bro code, and Luke held grudges like no one else. He used to, anyway.
I waved and followed Lynette, wobbling with each step across the gravel lot. My heels were no match for the loose stone.
I bumped into her after Liv’s fitting downtown and agreed to grab a drink since Linc was staying with my parents overnight. I needed one after turning up empty-handed while car shopping.
Growing up, Lynette was always over the house babysitting Liv, but we never clicked as friends. But now that we were older grabbing drinks wouldn’t hurt. I missed my Cali girls like hell, and it’d only been a day. I needed to make friends, but she didn’t seem like one I’d want in my corner, after all.
“This will be so much fun!” she exclaimed, sliding into the driver’s seat of her convertible. “Pete throws the best parties!”
“Can you drop me-” I started, pausing when the car didn’t start. Not even a click.
“What the hell?” she grumbled, trying again with the same result.
“Battery?” I asked, trying my best to breathe once the doors shut. She wasn’t exactly light on the perfume.
“I don’t know!” She flew into a panic and was on the verge of tears in an instant.
“Okay, should we call someone? A tow truck?” I suggested.
She spun her head to face me so fast I thought her neck snapped. “Josie! I can’t be seen in a tow truck!”
I blinked, realizing I’d grabbed a drink with a psycho. “Call a cab and have it towed later?”
“In front of all these people? I don’t want them to think I’m driving a lemon!” she shrieked, smacking the steering wheel.
“Okay, what do you want to do?” I just wanted to go home, change into pajamas, and call it a night. I worked all morning before heading out, and sleep was calling.
She sniffled, her eyes welling with tears. I hoped for her sake, she’d used waterproof eye makeup. If she hadn’t, she was about to look like a long-lost member of KISS. “This is so embarrassing!”
“Batteries die all the time. Let’s ask someone for a jump.” I grabbed the door handle, more than ready to get the show on the road.
“NO!” she howled, her hand snaking around my upper arm.
“What should we do then?” I asked, shrugging out of her grasp. I wasn’t playing into hysterics.
“Oh! Oh! My knight!” she cheered, opening her door to fly out before being snapped back by her seatbelt like a bungee jumper.
I had to put a hand over my mouth to keep the laughter in as she unclipped it. She barreled out of the car and left the door wide open after finding some poor sucker to help her.
Unfortunately, the poor sucker was Luke, who slid into her seat a moment later. His size overwhelmed the tiny interior as did his scent — a faint hint of cigarettes and manly musk. He was silent as he worked aside from a quick apology when his arm brushed mine.
Memories of our last time in a car flashed, pain striking along with them. It was in a backseat instead, but we weren’t entrenched in passion; we were handcuffed in tears.
He disappeared to pop the hood, his scent lingering along with the memory, the duo pinning me to the leather seat. My worlds collided, a painful past dancing with a promising present, with the man who started it all feet away.
I could hear the craziness outside thanks to the open driver’s side door, the two moving to stand beside it once he finished tinkering.
“Looks like you blew a fuse or relay.” Luke’s voice was tired, the bite of earlier replaced with a low rumble.
“I didn’t do anything!” Lynette snapped.
“Okay… your vehicle blew a fuse or relay.”
“Well, what the hell am I supposed to do? Fix it!” She transformed from a damsel in distress
