8. Callie
Callie
Oliver stared at Luke from the backseat, studying the way he spoke and moved like Luke was the most interesting specimen ever. He stayed quiet, as expected around a new person in such a small group, but he was taking everything in.
“My daughter, Emma, is thrilled to start school next week. It’s a little weird, actually.
She’s normally pretty anxious this time of the year, like most kids, I guess.
But she gets her overthinking from me and it usually hits more with change.
” Luke drove with one hand on the steering wheel and navigated traffic effortlessly.
“How was she when you met with her? My ex-wife brought her because I had a meeting I couldn’t move. ”
I shifted in my seat so I could watch him without straining my neck.
“Yeah, Michelle, right? Emma was nervous at first but once we chatted for a bit she calmed right down. We painted while we talked about everything, so it was a low-stakes situation. I’m glad to hear she’s excited.
She’s such a sweet girl. Your ex-wife seemed really nice, too. ”
He kept his eyes on the road and his posture relaxed but I could sense some major tension. “You won’t typically have to deal with Michelle. She only shows up if I absolutely can’t get away.”
I shrugged. “I’m easy. I can deal with anyone.”
After turning where I indicated, he cleared his throat. “So. Are you cooking tonight or should I order takeout?”
“Oh, god, Chinese sounds delicious! But you don’t need to order it.
You’ve done enough just by not leaving me to melt on the side of the road.
” I squeezed my hands between my thighs.
“Thank you, by the way. And thank you for not making this weird. I know our situation isn’t exactly… normal, or ideal.”
His laugh was low and mischievous. “I think our situation is pretty ideal. I’ve been thinking about you since I woke up by the lake with two assholes and no sexy little teacher.”
I slapped his arm and glanced back at Oliver. “We’re almost home, Ollie. Go wash up when we get there and I’ll fix your sandwich.”
“I know, Mom. I follow the rules.” He might as well have added that I don’t. “I won’t share my sandwich with Mr. Carter.”
That made Luke laugh out loud. “That’s alright, Oliver. I’ll bring my own food to dinner. Is it okay if I eat with you and your mom?”
I held my breath, unsure if I wanted Oliver to agree or disagree. Dinner with Luke Carter? I wasn’t sure it was a good idea. I still wasn’t sure giving him my number had been a good idea. If Darren found out, he’d use that information to harass me. Or worse. He’d use it to fire me.
“You can eat with us.”
Luke passed me his phone. “Go ahead and order dinner for us. Whatever you want, it’s on me. I’m easy so just order two of whatever you order. Or we could get our own and share. I’m not picky.”
I opened his phone without a password and saw that his background was a selfie of him and Emma, both wearing Disney ears and grinning like mad. Then I saw that my favorite Chinese restaurant’s ordering app was on his home screen. “Oh, my god, you love Teaden, too?”
He shifted in his seat and cleared his throat again. “Yep.”
I stared harder at him and noticed sweat beading on his forehead. With the AC vents blasting him right in the face, I doubted it was from being hot. “You’re lying.”
He flinched and I watched in awe as his cheeks burned red. “I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to come off as a creep. I found your socials and saw you eat Teaden takeout more than anywhere else. Putting the app on my phone was wishful thinking.”
I sat perfectly still, so charmed that I didn’t trust myself to speak. Maybe some people would’ve found it creepy but I’d never been with a man who put effort into being with me. God knew Oliver’s dad had been absolutely useless.
“You’re creeped out.”
I held his phone tighter and shook my head. “No. I’m not. Which should maybe creep you out.”
His laughter filled the truck but the sound didn’t seem to phase Oliver, which was a massive gift.
“So, you’re into stalking. Got it. This seems like a good time to mention in passing that I noticed you a few days before we spoke at the retreat.
The way you were sneaking around like a bridge troll gave me the impression you weren’t interested in getting to know anyone but then you tried to body slam Cole for a cupcake. The rest was history, as they say.”
“A bridge troll? Seriously?” I changed the subject for long enough to get our food order put in. “I just went to the retreat for food and sleep. When I realized it was a meat market I went into hiding. And I almost made it out clean, too, if it weren’t for you pesky men.”
“That’s not how the saying goes, Mom.”
“I know, Ollie. It’s an anti-proverb. Or a fractured proverb, depending on who you’re asking.
You want to learn about them this weekend?
” I looked back at him and saw that familiar flash of excitement in his eyes when he found something new to learn.
“It’ll give us a chance to read some famous sayings. ”
“It’s not going to be like sarcasm class, is it?”
Luke laughed and then tried to cover it with a cough. “Sarcasm class?”
“I did not like sarcasm class. People should just say what they mean.” With a giant sigh, Oliver went back to his book.
“You teach as much at home as you do at school, huh?” Pulling onto my street, Luke leaned forward and looked at the neighborhood. “I’ve never been over here. It’s…cute.”
I snorted. “I can hear the rich boy in your tone. This isn’t the nicest part of town but it’s fun. One of my neighbors sells drugs and another one sells s-e-x to the neighborhood husbands.”
Luke jammed his foot on the brake and made me jerk forward. The seatbelt caught me across the throat but he didn’t seem to notice. He was staring at me with a wild, horrified expression. “Are you serious? You can’t live here! No, I have multiple properties you could rent for cheap. Okay?”
I couldn’t hold my laughter in. It burst free, loud and a little squeaky.
Oliver grumbled unhappily from the backseat about the sound, which was a little offensive since he hadn’t minded Luke’s laugh.
“I was kidding! I’m sorry! Honestly, this is a good neighborhood.
Everyone’s nice and when they found out it was just me and Ollie, they started bringing us food and pies all the time.
Even if they were selling drugs and other things, I wouldn’t leave. ”
“Are the pies laced with drugs? Because you’re a little too eager about that.”
I shrugged. “Who cares? Pie is addictive either way.”
“You stress me out.” He shot me a look before pulling into my driveway.
The concrete pad was riddled with cracks and the grass desperately needed to be cut but the tiny yellow house was home.
The front porch was as wide as the house and I’d found an old rocking chair sitting by the side of the road to make it cozy.
Of course, all the planters I’d once filled with herbs and flowers were all boasting dried, brown dead things.
Remembering to water plants wasn’t really in my wheelhouse.
I owned the house, free and clear having just recently paid it off this summer, and that mattered to me way more than the flowers.
“Home, sweet home!” I grinned at Luke. “Where the pies and the drugs make every day a little bit happier.”