"You better go get dressed so you can come back to the shop with me," Luke demands.
I give him a raised brow, kiss his cheek, then run upstairs. He smacks my ass before I leave the living room. I change quickly. I will probably get dirty today, so I will shower tonight. Plus, Ris is in the bathroom doing her hair and putting on her face. Luke is in the kitchen, making some grilled cheese sandwiches when I return. I love it when he cooks; it makes him ten times sexier. What girl doesn't love a man that can cook?
Chapter Thirty-Nine
I hug Ris tightly before she gets into her car to drive back to the city. I wave as she travels down my dad's driveway. I'm going to miss her, but I will be seeing her on Thursday, when I go back to work. I'm sure she will want me to stay and party for the weekend, but I want to get back to spend more time with Luke. I already know as soon as I get there, I will want to be back here.
I hop into Luke's truck, and we leave for the shop. Luke turns on the radio and starts playing the drums on his steering wheel with his thumbs. It's bizarre to think that I couldn't wait to get back to the city and my job when I got here, but now that I'm here, I want to be quick in the city when I go so that I can hurry back home
"How long will you be in Milwaukee?" Luke asks me, turning down the music.
"Only a few days. I will leave Thursday morning and will be back Saturday afternoon at the latest," I reply.
I am intrigued that he is so interested in how long I will be gone. I wonder if he will miss me; I know I will miss him.
"Two days without you. What will I do with myself?" he chuckles, then places his hand on my thigh.
We pull into the shop, and Luke kisses me before we leave his truck and head inside. It feels like we are in a relationship, with all the kissing we do before we part ways from each other. I walk through the shop and see all the guys diligently working on their jobs for the day. I make my way back to the offices.
Gladys isn't here, and Maureen is out in the lobby talking with some customers. I dart into my dad's office and get started on where I left off. I am excited about having Façade's IT personnel set me up with an at-home program, so now I can design the perfect office for Ernie and Luke. Maybe, I will add a spot for myself or redo Maureen's area to make a nice place for me.
Wait. I'm acting as if I am going to stay here and help run the shop. Would I still feel this way about being here if it wasn't for Luke and my sudden attachment to him? I have a lot of deliberating to do about what my plans will be after this leave. I love being an architect and my job. I also love the thrill of my life in the city, but I love being here at my dad's shop, with Luke, Ernie, and the others. I miss the country and going to the cabin.
I do not know what to do. If it doesn't work between Luke and me, it will make being here and at home awkward. I don't want that. I don't want to make my decision based on my feelings for a guy that may only be lukewarm and temporary. I detract myself by focusing on the remodel. I start hauling things out of my dad's office. I want it to be bare so that I can start from scratch. That's the best way to go about it.
"What are your plans for your dad's office?" Maureen asks as she watches me carry box after box out of the room.
"I want to surprise Ernie and Luke with a brand-new office! When I'm done, I can maybe surprise you with a new one too before you leave," I reply with a cheesy smile.
"That would be lovely! Ernie and Luke will love their own space. Thank you for all your work on Friday and for covering for me," she says.
"You're welcome. You need to show me what to do with paid invoices and that other stuff in the bottom basket that I went through on Friday," I say as I walk back toward my dad's office.
"I can show you now if you want to take a little break from your project," she smiles.
Maureen's such a kind soul. I will miss her when she leaves. I take her up on her offer and have her show me everything that I had questions about last Friday. I am becoming quite confident that Gladys and I can handle Maureen's job after she retires until we find a replacement for her. I think we will be able to train them without her help, maybe. We'll see when we cross that bridge.
The time passes quickly, and I head back to my dad's office when Maureen leaves for the day. I still have a half-hour to work until the shop closes. I decide to pass the time by paying some shop bills through the program that Maureen showed me today. I see a folder on my dad's computer that is titled "LJ." It strikes my curiosity and the noisy person I am; I double click on it. Up pops information about Luke.
Perhaps, this will tell me more about him and his relationship with my dad. The folder has Luke's personal information and filed copies of all the receipts from the parts for his motorcycle, from his truck, and a few miscellaneous
