“I have to be out of the house on Sunday so I should probably figure out where I’m going,” Luke replied.
“What’s your plan?” I asked.
“I didn’t really have one.” He said running his fingers through my hair.
“Your dad actually mentioned something interesting to me.”
“Really?” I asked, confused.
Luke nodded. “How do you like Dainstown?”
“I love it,” I replied. “It’s my favorite place in the world. Oh my gosh, Luke, you should see it at Christmas time... don’t worry Coopersville is a definitely a close second though.” I laughed. “Why?” I asked, confused.
“I was talking to your dad and he knows the CEO of the EMS there. He said he could get me a job on an ambulance easily.” My heart skipped a beat.
“What about your life here?”
Luke shrugged. “That’s the true question. My uncle is moving on. He’s doing amazing. So is my grandma. I felt like I had ties holding me here before but now I just feel like if I wanted to leave I could. If I moved to Dainstown, I’d still come to visit, of course, but I don’t really feel like I have anything keeping me here anymore. And I have one big reason I would consider moving to Dainstown.”
“Oh yeah and what’s that reason?” I asked, my heart practically beating you out of my chest.
“It’s you, Sutton.” Luke pulled me in and kissed me deeply. “I really want the opportunity to get to know you. I have a lot to think about tomorrow.” He sighed. “It sounds crazy for me to move to Dainstown but sometimes life can be a little crazy, am I right?” I nodded. “I’m just nervous. Say I leave; what if my uncle relapsed and my grandma goes off. Who will take care of them?”
“You have a right to be scared Luke, but you’re always taking care of everyone else. It’s time to take care of you. I would love, more than anything, for you to come to Dainstown, but most of all, I just want you to be happy, whether that’s here or in Dainstown or even somewhere else.”
Luke pulled me in close. “I’m really glad this crazy experience allowed me to meet you, Sutton.”
“I couldn’t agree more Luke,” I replied, kissing his cheek.
Once it got too cold to bear on the hammock, I walked Luke out to the front steps. He pulled me in close leaning his head on my shoulder.
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow Sutton. Thank you for a great day. Your family is amazing.”
“Thanks for coming,” I replied.
“I’ll text you at some point tomorrow. I have to be up super early since it’s Black Friday. Believe it or not, some people do their shopping on the boardwalk and stop and get pizza at 3 am.”
I laughed. “Good luck!”
Luke backed away from me, still holding my hands and slowly let go, grinning. “See you later Sutton.”
..
“I’m telling you, Sutton, we should do this every year. Black Friday shopping for the comfort of a couch is so much better than fighting with crazy shoppers in the store.” My mom said. She, Reagan, Gia, and I were all squished on the couch, our eyes focused on the same laptop screen.
“I don’t mind going out.” Reagan shrugged. “But I don’t mind being here, either.” She laid her head on my shoulder and ran her fingers through my hair.
It was early afternoon and I hadn’t gotten a text from Luke yet. Yesterday couldn’t have gone any better, so I was trying not to freak out. I knew he went in at 2 am and was working straight through until noon so I hoped I’d hear from him sooner than later.
I stood up and walked into the kitchen to grab a drink. I also checked my phone again. Reagan followed me.
“No word from Luke yet?” She said quietly to me. I shook my head no. “Try not to worry about it too much.” I nodded and poured some eggnog into a cup.
The day was dragging. When I looked at the clock for the hundredth time, it was only 3 pm. That meant he had been out of work for three hours already. My mom must have seen the look in my eyes.
“What’s wrong honey?” She asked, rubbing my back with her hand.
“I just thought I’d hear from Luke by now,” I said looking down at my hands. “Sweetie, he’s a nice boy. I'm sure you’ll hear from him at some point. Why don’t you shoot him a text.” I sighed.
“I guess I have nothing to lose right?” My mom smiled at me.
“He has a lot going on, he's probably just busy.”I nodded typing a message to him.
Hi stranger I typed with a smiley face. I sent the message and immediately threw my phone into my mom’s hands. She fumbled trying to catch it.
“I gotta go to the bathroom,” I said, hurrying away.
I stood at the sink in the bathroom and splashed some water on my face. I grabbed a cloth, wiped it dry and gazed at myself in the mirror. My cheeks were looking a little fuller and my eyes were less red. I ran my fingers over the scar on the side of my face tracing it.
“Sutton you have been through more than you ever thought you would. Luke is great. He’s amazing. Even though everything you experienced wasn’t real, he’s real and you’re real and it could be something real or maybe it won’t be. Maybe Luke won’t answer your text.” I said to myself in a whisper, a tear starting to roll its way down my cheek. “Maybe he’ll stay here in Coopersville and this won’t ever work out but you’re strong and most of all, you’re alive and you have a life
