10. Sylvia
SYLVIA
I t’s close to midnight when I leave the café. Even though I’m tempted to dig into those art supplies, I’m expected home. Even if Una and Sierra aren’t exactly awake, they’ll be listening for me.
I’m beside my car, which is parked out front, when I see Luke locking up the doors of the Odéon Theatre on the other side of Queen Street. He lifts a hand and waves, and I wave back. He saunters across the quiet street, and I wait for him beside the Subaru.
“Looks like another busy night,” he says, nodding toward the darkened café.
“Lines at both meals. It’s been a great launch week. Merrie is happy.”
He smiles. “You say that like it’s a warning.”
“It is. She was keeping it conservative for the launch, not wanting to spook people with her combinations, but soon, all bets will be off.” He smiles and I nod at the theatre. “How’s it going over there?”
Luke turns, hiding his expression from me. “It’s possible I’ve bitten off more than I can chew.” He smiles a little when he glances back at me. “But I’ll go down fighting. It’s a great building and even if it cleans me out to fix it up, it’ll be worth it.”
“But why fix it up?”
“My band’s going to have a reunion concert here, beginning of July. It’ll be a tribute to Taylor and maybe a fresh start. Mostly, it’ll bring a lot of people to Empire, which can only be good for the café.”
I remember vaguely that one of the guys in his band died, and assume that was Taylor.
Maybe it was the loss of Taylor that led to the band taking a break.
I’m not exactly up to date on Luke Jones, and think I should maybe do some research so I don’t end up saying something dumb.
“You’re really committed to Merrie’s dream, aren’t you? ”
He shrugs. “I don’t see the point in half-measures when you’re trying to make something right. I mean, why not go all out? I don’t want to be wondering in future years if holding back made the difference.”
There’s something about Luke that’s stayed the same despite all his fame and fortune.
I’ve always found him easy to talk to, maybe because there isn’t any attraction or interest between us.
He doesn’t hold a grudge – he hasn’t even reminded me of that pitcher of ice water I dumped in his lap last month, thinking he was Mike – and I admire that.
I wasn’t fair to him this month, letting him think he was Sierra’s father just so I could avoid confessing the truth to Mike, but he’s been understanding.
“How was the guitar lesson today?”
“Good. Sierra’s a quick learner. Is she some kind of math fiend?”
I smile. “Pretty much. Always analyzing and calculating.”
“That explains it, then. She was talking about octaves like they were calculations, and it threw me a bit. I’m more intuitive than that.” He fixes me with a look. “I guess she came by that honestly.”
I hold his gaze, my chest tight. “I guess she did. They might be two of a kind.”
Luke nods. “Have you told him?”
“I told him before. I wrote to him right away. I wrote when Sierra was born, even though he never answered me.” I hear the hurt in my voice, but it’s late and I can’t pretend.
Luke studies me. “Wow. How does Mike justify that?”
“He says he never got any letters. I’m tempted to believe him, but it makes no sense.”
Luke leans against the front of my car, pondering this for a moment, his arms folded across his chest. “You know, Mike has never been the kind of person to say one thing and do something else. He’s very straight up.”
“Yes,” I agree, leaning against the car beside him. I’m echoing his posture without planning to do so. “That’s one of the things I always admired about him. He would tell you the truth, even if it wasn’t convenient.”
Luke nods. “So, if he says he didn’t ever get the letters, maybe he didn’t.”
“Then what happened to them? I know they arrived.”
Luke looks at me. “You sound very sure.”
“I called. I talked to Mr. Cavendish. He said they had arrived and that Mike didn’t want to hear from me again. He told me to stop sending them.”
Luke is studying me and I have to look away. “I’m going to guess he said more than that.”
I shrug, even though I can still hear every word. “Ancient history.”
“Is it,” Luke muses. “Look, Syl, I don’t want to hurt your feelings… ”
“But...”
“Did Patrick ever object to you and Mike dating?”
“Not that I know of. Mike never said anything.”
Luke shakes his head. “But he wouldn’t, would he? Because Mike is loyal. If he’s your friend, nothing will change his mind about you, maybe not even Patrick.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Okay, consider that Patrick is all about advantage. And Mike was one of the golden sons, chosen to continue the legacy. Who would Patrick want him to marry? Someone who could add to his success. An heiress. A royal princess. Maybe even the competitor’s daughter – Mackenzie Rhodes, possibly, so the two great estates could be merged into one.
It would be a dynastic union, given his choice, to better the fortunes of the Cavendish clan. ”
I see exactly where he’s going with this. “But I’m nobody.”
“You’re not nobody, Syl, but you’re not the crown princess of anything either. And that’s okay.” He gives me a friendly nudge. “I’m not going to find fault where Patrick does.”
“Me, neither.” I smile for him even though his suggestion makes me sad.
“So, what would happen if Patrick told Mike to step back?”
“Mike would do as he was told by his dad?”
Luke doesn’t look convinced. “Even if he’s in love?”
“He said he was.”
“Really? Then he was. The guy can’t lie to save his life and that’s a good thing.”
It feels good to have Luke confirm what I already want to believe.
“Here’s a little compare and contrast, just for fun,” he says, his tone lighter as if he’s trying to make me feel better.
“If Patrick had ever taken exception to any of my choices, I would have persisted in that choice, whether I still wanted it or not, just to annoy him. That’s the dynamic between us and it’s never going to change.
But Mike would listen to Patrick, then reassess.
If his decision was important to him, he would ignore Patrick’s advice, regardless of what the ultimate price might be.
That price could be high, given that he was one of the heirs to the throne, but Mike was always principled.
” Luke nods. “He would just carry on, and he would make sure that you never heard about it, in case Patrick’s view hurt your feelings. He would protect you from that”
I take a breath, knowing that this is a solid theory. “Mike said he was going to propose that night of the prom.”
“And then you left with me.” Luke laughs.
“No wonder he was pissed. The thing is, Syl, that there’s one solid candidate for whoever made sure those letters weren’t delivered to Mike.
I can’t prove it and neither can you, but I’m thinking you should give Mike the benefit of the doubt here and assume that Patrick was not in your corner. ”
“You mean he lied?”
“Somebody did. And though I can be relied upon to cast Patrick as the villain in every production, he might just be the bad guy here.”
“Mike wants to start over, to be friends.”
“But you’re thinking that he’s lying to you is blocking that. Why not let Patrick be the bad guy and see how it goes?”
It’s enticing. “What if he wants custody?”
“Talk to Daph. She’ll sort it out and make it fair.”
That makes sense, but I stare at the vacant shop window in front of me. It sounds stupid to be afraid that she could end up loving Mike more than me, just because he could buy her anything, but that doesn’t stop me from wondering.
Luke stands up and stretches, and I see the exhaustion in his face. His gaze is direct, though, and unswerving. “Want my advice, Syl? Just so you know, it’s something I’ve been working on lately myself.”
“Okay. Hit me with your best shot.”
He points a finger at me. “Good song. But here’s the point: what if you’re the obstacle between where you are and where you want to be? What if you’re the one keeping yourself from being happy? What if a different choice on your part is all you need to change everything ?”
I look away, my thoughts spinning. “I’d have to take a chance.”
“Maybe we all do.” He leans toward me. “Maybe that’s how every one of us can help to make the world a better place. It might not be the solution to everything, but I like it a lot.”
So do I.
Luke steps away, then zips up his leather jacket and shivers. “Chilly tonight.”
“Can I give you a ride somewhere?” Merrie and I speculated wildly on what was between Luke and Daphne Bradshaw, though the way they were together on opening night left little doubt.
There were practically sparks flying between the two of them, and they looked so gorgeous together that they could have been our local superstars.
Ever since, we’ve been wondering whether it was a hook-up or more.
(Be aware that it is my solemn duty to gather information for Merrie whenever possible.) “Maybe up to Daphne’s place? ” I ask, keeping my tone light.
“No,” Luke says, crushing all the theories – until he continues and revives them again.
“It’s too late. I can’t just show up in the middle of the night like that, not when she’s working a regular schedule.
” He appeals to me. “You see? There it is. When you care about someone, you want to do better. You want to lift your game to be worthy of whatever is or might be between you. I can’t think that’s a bad impulse. ”
I smile, all my questions answered. “No, it’s not.”
“And being afraid isn’t noble. Be brave, Syl. Take a chance on whatever your heart is telling you. I have to believe it’ll come right in the end.”
“Because that’s how all the good stories work out?”
Luke laughs. “You have to believe. And if you’re wrong, hey, maybe you learn something. How bad is that?”
If he’s right, that means letting go of the past, not just for my sake but for Sierra’s.
I jingle my keys. “So, no ride to Daphne’s?”
He sighs, so obviously wishing he could agree that I want to knock on her door myself and argue his side. “I’ll go back to the motel tonight.” He yawns like he’s going to fall asleep on his feet. “Good seeing you.”
“I’ll still give you a ride.”
“It’s just a couple of blocks.”
“Get in the car already,” I say in my bossy mom voice and he grins.
“Thanks, Syl. That would be great.”
By the time I park outside Una’s place, I have a new plan. I’m susceptible to Mike because I’ve been alone so long. I’m curious about whether it was ever as good as I remember. I want something for myself.
I want to feel cherished.
I want sex with Mike, plain and simple.
I just have to figure out how to ask.