“I should probably text my mom and tell her I won’t be home at a decent time tonight.”
“If at all,” Luke winked.
I might as well have melted right there in his front seat.
After an hour’s worth of chatting about what Luke had been up to since graduation—working for the PD, not dating anyone seriously, getting a dog and a townhouse—the conversation seemed to circle back to the elephant in the room—the moment I broke his heart.
“All right, let’s just talk about it,” Luke finally said.
“Talk about what?” Maybe if I played dumb . . .
“About what happened at graduation.”
Fine. “What do you want to talk about?”
“Well, I think it best we stop tiptoeing around it so we can move forward.”
“Okay, you go first.” I had practiced this moment in my mind since I’d seen him that night we found Ronnie’s body, yet my thoughts were completely blank.
“You were my everything in high school. We were the ‘it’ couple, you know?”
I nodded.
“So I thought the only way to go was to get married. I mean, I knew we had different plans after graduation, but I assumed we could make it work.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I was a stupid kid. I still thought love would conquer all.”
He had always been the dreamer, the optimist.
His gaze was trained on the road. “And then you said—”
“No,” I whispered.
“No.” His voice stabbed with emotion.
“And then I ran away to college.” I looked out the window to the growing mountains in the distance.
“And wouldn’t return my calls.”
Oh, the phone calls. I had forgotten about the phone calls. So many messages, so many emotions. “You weren’t the only stupid kid. I didn’t know how to handle it. I thought a clean break would be better for both of us.”
He nodded. “I see that now, but at the time, I was crushed. If it hadn’t been for the police academy and Janine, Shayla’s mom, I don’t know that I would have ever pulled out of my funk.”
I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know a two-letter word could cause so much pain and agony.
“And then I heard you were dating Troy, which, to be honest, completely baffled me.”
“He wasn’t always such a jerk.” Why was I defending him?
Luke raised an eyebrow. “Uh, yeah he was. Since elementary school.”
“I guess I thought he’d change. I don’t know.”
“People change far less frequently than you’d imagine.”
That’s what I was afraid of. Had I really changed enough to try and start something again with him? And so quickly after my life had been upended?
Luke took one hand off the wheel and gently scooped up mine from my knee. The brush of his thumb over my palm sent shivers down my spine until the familiar feeling of anxiety welled in my chest. “Luke, I don’t know if we should . . .”
He let go of my hand. “I’m sorry, I thought after last night . . .” His voice trailed off.
“No, it’s okay,” I said too quickly. “It’s just that I think we should focus on the case right now.”
“You’re right. Let’s focus on the case.”
“And then we can talk about this again another time.” Yeah like when hell freezes over. I mentally slapped myself in the head. How could I be so committed to someone like Troy yet have such terrible anxiety when Luke got within ten feet of me?
We rode in silence the rest of the way.
Eventually the highway opened up into a valley between several large snow-capped mountains. The breathtaking sight made me yearn to be back in Big Mountain, lounging on the docks in my bikini with the mountains all around.
“This is the place.” Luke pointed to a rundown peach-colored motel. Its roof was bowed from years of disrepair, its paint chipping, its windows broken and plastic taped over in places.
“Not exactly the Hilton.”
He pulled his Bronco into a parking spot next to the door labeled “Office,” and we both got out.
“Follow my lead,” he said.
The young girl behind the desk smacked her gum and put down her phone when we walked in. “Welcome to the Least Western Motel. How can I help you?” Her tone was that of a bored teenager trying to make a buck.
“My sister and I are looking for our big brother, and we think he might be staying here.” Luke smiled.
At the news that Luke was probably available, the girl’s face went from bored to swoon in two point seven seconds. Luke’s smile had that effect on women.
“I’m not really supposed to give that information out.” She looked around the lobby. “My dad would kill me.”
“Oh, your dad owns this place? Very cool.”
“Yeah, it is pretty cool, I guess.” She ate up his every word.
“I know it’s not something you should do, but we really need to find him. You see, he could be in trouble and we need to make sure he’s okay.”
“It’s just that our customers come here because they know we value their privacy. Maybe he doesn’t want you to find him.”
Luke frowned. “Okay, I understand. Thank you anyway.” He turned away, and I followed suit. I couldn’t believe we were just going to leave after we’d come all this way. And why hadn’t he just flashed his badge and gotten it over with?
“What’s your brother’s name?” She asked when we’d nearly reached the door.
“Clark,” Luke turned around and smiled. “Thank you so much.”
The girl twirled her fine brown hair around a paint-chipped fingernail. “I don’t see anyone here by the name of Clark.” She looked at their paper registrar. “Could it be under a different name?”
Luke thought for a moment.
“Ella,” I jumped in. “His girlfriend’s name is Ella. They might have registered the room under her name.”
“Ella, Ella,” she ran a finger down the list again. “Yep, looks like Ella’s the winner. Room 109. But don’t tell anyone I told you.” She smiled at Luke and he winked.
“It’s our secret. Thanks.”
We walked out of the office, and I jabbed Luke in the ribs.
“What?” He asked.
“She
