Chapter 39
HALLIE
Luke glanced in the SUV’s back seat. “Are you really going to use all this stuff?”
I grinned but kept my eyes on the road. “We’ve got to make targets and obstacles. And I think I can even make pop-up people we can manually trigger.”
Luke just shook his head. “Drew’s going to freak. He has no idea you’re planning all this. He just thinks people are coming over for cake and to hang out.”
My smile only got wider. I loved that I would get to surprise Drew. That he would feel loved and celebrated. “Fourteen’s a big birthday.”
Luke was quiet for a moment before he spoke. “It’s really nice of you, Hallie. I know I wasn’t stoked about you being here before, but I’m glad you are now. You’re good for us. Good for Dad.”
Cracks spiderwebbed through my chest. “That means the world, Luke.”
His cheeks reddened, and he turned to the window.
“How much homework do you have today?” I asked.
Luke glanced back at me. “Not too much. Why?”
“I was thinking we could pick up sandwiches from the deli on the way home.”
Luke grinned. “Totally. They have epic brownies, too.”
“I never turn down chocolate,” I said with a laugh.
Silence filled the vehicle again, and I took a deep breath. “How are you feeling today? You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. But I’m always here if you do.”
Luke toyed with a loose thread on his jeans. “I’m okay. Mostly. I feel like an idiot for believing her, though.”
My fingers tightened on the wheel. “You aren’t an idiot. You thought you could trust her and take her words at face value. I get wanting to have a relationship with all your family members.”
Luke turned curious eyes to me. “Are you close with yours?”
I made a humming noise as I thought about how to answer that one. It brought to mind the half a dozen unanswered texts on my phone from my mom. “I’m super close with my brother, Emerson, and his husband, Adrian.”
Luke nodded. “Sibs are way easy.”
“I agree.” I tapped my fingers on the wheel. “My parents are tougher. I wish we were close, but a lot of the time, it feels like they want me to be someone I’m not.”
A prickle of guilt swept through me as I thought about those unanswered texts. But if the content was anything to go by, she wasn’t interested in getting to know the me I’d become. She’d always want me to be the daughter who played by her rules.
Luke grunted. “That’s dumb. You’re freaking awesome.”
I couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of me. “Thanks.”
He pulled on the thread on his jeans. “I’d get that way with Dad sometimes. Not because he said anything, but because he’s just so…perfect. The chief of police. Always does everything right. Everyone loves him. It’s hard to live up to.”
“I get that. But no one’s perfect. He has his struggles. And I’m sure there are plenty of things he wishes he had done differently.”
“I don’t know. He has it pretty together from where I’m sitting.”
I pulled into a parking spot near the deli and turned in my seat so I faced Luke. “You are your own unique brand of awesome. It might look different than your dad, but that doesn’t make it any less incredible.”
Luke looked doubtful.
“It’s true. Want to know one of the things I’ve admired about you from the moment we met?”
He didn’t answer right away but then curiosity won out. “What?”
“How deeply you feel.”
Luke’s cheeks flushed.
“I’m serious. You feel everything around you. You sense when others are in pain or struggling. You don’t just brush it off. You face it. That’s incredibly brave in my book.”
He stared down at his hands. “Sometimes, it feels like too much.”
“I bet. People who feel as deeply as you do have to take really good care of themselves. They need to take time to refill the well and unplug from the world.”
“I get that when I read,” Luke admitted. “Especially fantasy because it’s this whole other world.”
“I love that, too. We can go through all the emotions in a book, but it’s safe somehow.”
He nodded. “I was actually thinking…”
Luke’s words trailed off, but I waited.
“Maybe I might be okay at teaching English.”
Warmth lit in my chest. “I bet you would be amazing at it.”
Luke’s gaze lifted. “Really?”
“I can’t think of a teacher I would rather have.”
“My teacher this year sucks. It’s the same boring books. I’d want to make it so the kids could pick at least a few books they wanted to read.”
“I love that idea.” I paused for a moment. “You know, I think there’s an after-school program at the elementary school for kids who have fallen behind in their reading. You could see if they need volunteers. I bet kids would be more excited if they were working with a cool high school student.”
Luke laughed. “I don’t know about cool, but that might be a good way to try it out.”
“I’ll get some more information for you.”
He glanced in my direction, his eyes holding mine. “Thanks, Hallie. You’re the best.”
That warmth was back and spreading. “You make it easy.”
The corner of Luke’s mouth kicked up as he looked away. “Enough of the ooey-gooey. Let’s get some massive sandwiches.”
A laugh burst out of me. “Fair enough.”
Turning off the SUV, I grabbed my purse, and we headed for the deli. My footsteps slowed as two familiar figures approached, sandwiches in hand.
Bryan Daniels sent a warm smile in our direction. “Hey, Hallie. Luke.”
“Hi,” I greeted.
“You picking up sandwiches for lunch, too?” he asked.
“That’s what we were thinking. Any recommendations?” I could feel Reed’s eyes on me as he stood next to his partner, and I fought the urge to squirm.
“I’m a sucker for the club,” Daniels said. “Reed usually goes for pastrami.”
“It’s the best,” Reed said, his gaze still roaming. “You doing anything this weekend, Hallie?”
Luke moved closer to my side, ever the protector.
“We’ve got Drew’s birthday party, actually.” I’d never been happier for a busy excuse.
Daniels nodded. “All of us who are off duty will be there.” He gave me a sheepish smile. “Any gift ideas? I still haven’t gotten him anything.”
“I think anything video game or lacrosse related will be a winner.”
Daniels glanced at Luke. “What’s his favorite team?”
“University of Maryland. He’s ride or die for them,” Luke informed him.
Daniels grinned. “Maryland gear coming up. Thanks, guys. Enjoy your lunch.”
As we moved around them to get to the deli, Reed moved into my space, brushing his shoulder against mine. A shiver ran through me that I hurried to cover.
“That guy’s a tool,” Luke muttered.
I bit my bottom lip, not exactly disagreeing. “Is tool a curse?”
Luke laughed. “Not according to Merriam-Webster.”
I just shook my head. “Pays to be creative.”
It took over thirty minutes for us to work our way through the deli line—the downside of stopping during the lunch rush—but the sandwiches looked amazing, and we splurged on chips and brownies on top of it.
“I swear I could eat this in two minutes,” Luke groaned.
“I’m not far behind you,” I admitted.
I paused beside the SUV as a fluttering piece of paper caught my eye. Plucking it from beneath my windshield, everything in me froze. It was a detailed drawing. Not of a person or a landscape but an intricate gemstone. The same one that had been branded onto my hip.