15. Luke
CHAPTER 15
Luke
A FEW WEEKS LATER
“Thanks for coming, Dad.”
My father looks at me and nods, a cigarette dangling from his mouth. He’s still wearing his work sweater—Wonderful Adventures Tours. I can hate the guy all I want, but the potential buyers who came here today wanted to meet him. They wanted to talk to someone who has lived in this house, and unfortunately, I don’t qualify. I never did.
“Where did you drive to this time?” I ask, trying to make conversation as I shove my freezing hands in my jeans pockets. “Bianca and Becca say you’ve been gone a lot lately.”
“Took over when the group arrived in Colorado.” He pauses to take another drag of his cigarette. “Dropped them off once we reached Louisiana. Picked up another group and dropped them off at the exchange point in Texas.” That’s it. No comment about his wife and my sister talking about how he’s never home anymore.
“Must have been a long trip,” I fish. Long enough for you to miss Christmas and seeing the firework festival with Becca on New Year’s Eve.
He shrugs. “Not all bad. Being a tour bus operator has its perks. You get to see places. Why those tourists wanted to come here in the dead of winter, though,” he pauses. Dad takes another drag from his cigarette and blows the smoke upward, chuckling while doing so. “Beats the shit out of me.”
“Where do they usually come from?”
“Why do I care?” He shrugs.
“Alright,” I say, sighing. “I better get going. I have things to do. Thanks again for meeting them.” Gigi can’t say I didn’t try to make conversation with him. I gave it a shot. He’s not biting.
Just when I’m about to take my first step, Dad speaks in a low, raspy tone. “You doing well at school, Luke?”
“I am.” I nod. “Next semester is my last semester.”
His brows shoot up at what I’m saying. “I thought you still had one and a half years left.” I fight the urge to roll my eyes. “How old are you already?” I fight the urge to hit the wall.
If I ever needed a reminder that I’m not his favorite fucking child, this is it.
Gritting my teeth, I answer, “I just turned twenty-two at the end of November, Dad.” Bianca got me a gift and signed your name on the card. Clearly you took no part in buying it. You probably didn’t even remember. It’s cool, no biggie.
The sperm donor starts laughing as if it’s funny to forget how old your own son is. “Jesus Christ. You’re a real man now. Out in the real world. With a wife and kids on the way. Are things good with Gigi?”
“Are things good with Bianca?” I cock an eyebrow, feeling anger vibrating all over my body.
Dad flicks off his cigarette over the porch, not even bothering to butt it out under his shoe first. “Still weird knowing you married my wife’s daughter. I know it’s not incest, but you really couldn’t have picked another girl, Luke?” His next sentence and the way he voices his concern makes me question his sobriety. The line of Palmer men I come from are only in a chatty mood when they’re in love or drunk off their asses. “You know, if Andrew hadn’t died, he probably would’ve married that girl. Just saying.” Just saying bullshit.
“Dad, have you been drinking again?”
He gapes at me, wide eyed. I don’t miss the way his fist clenches on his side. “No.”
I cross my arms over my chest and meet his stare. “Because if you are, I just want to remind you that you have a stable job, a wife, and a child at home. Becca needs you, and Gigi’s mom is a great person, Dad. Don’t do this to her.”
“My marriage is none of your business, son,” he spits out. “I’m sober. I go to my meetings. I have the chips and all that. Do I have to show you my collection for you to believe me? Goddamn.” As he shakes his head, he continues, “Kids these days, always thinking they know everything.”
I’m so pissed off, but I promised Gigi I wouldn’t pick a fight today. He’s here doing us a favor after all. He could’ve said no when I asked him to meet the couple interested in buying this house.
“I have to go. I have to take Gigi to her doctor’s appointment.”
“She still doesn’t have a car?” my father asks, eyes narrowed. “How the hell is she supposed to drive around my grandbabies once they’re born?” Oh, they’re his grandbabies now.
“We’re saving up.” I have it all worked out in my head. Just a few more months of this work schedule from hell, and by the time spring rolls around, we’d be comfortable enough that we can afford a second car. I don’t want her going on the bus or walking everywhere.
“You know, I overheard Jakub telling Bianca on the phone that he offered you and Gigi some money to get by.” I grind my molars and don’t respond. “He told her you said no.” Still nothing from me. “Why is that Luke?”
Because I remember what it was like when you borrowed money from every single person we knew. People fucking hated us when you couldn’t pay it back. They questioned where it all went when they saw that I was still wearing shoes that were too small for me and Becca couldn’t go on field trips, not knowing you drank it all away. They had no clue that you were unemployed because you got sacked. I promised myself I wouldn’t put myself in a position where people would question my financial decisions, too.
I take three calming breaths and picture the goddamn ocean—something I’ve never even fucking seen before. You promised Gigi not to get angry at him today, Luke. Rein it in.
“I don’t want to be indebted to him.”
“He’s your father-in-law, son. Take the help. God knows you need it.”
“He hates me,” I say honestly. I know I’m not charming like Andrew. I kind of wish I was when I first met Gigi’s dad.
“Well,” my dad says, chuckling, the sound grating me. “You did date his daughter and knock her up in one go.”
That’s my cue to leave. “Bye, Dad. I can’t be late. Tell Bianca and Becca I said hi.”
Sitting in my truck, I open my phone to pick a playlist for the road but find a chain of messages from Gigi instead.
Gigi
Are you almost done? Remember, the appointment is at four.
I like the names Gwendolyn and Giovanni.
I bark out a laugh as I type up a response.
You’re trying to make me the odd man out.
Think about it. Gwenny and Gio.
We can talk about it.
“Fuck!” I curse, hitting my steering wheel. “This can’t be happening right now!”
My phone is vibrating like crazy and I already know who it is. Sliding to answer, I brace myself for the wrath that will come my way.
“Luke, where the hell are you?” Gigi yells.
“Someone got fucking T-boned, Gi. It’s absolute chaos here. I can’t back up and turn around; there are cars behind me, too.”
“Are you okay?” she asks. I know that voice. She’s partially worried, but mostly disappointed. I should’ve wrapped it up and left the moment my father took out his pack of smokes from his jacket pocket.
“I’m good. The accident was far enough that I couldn’t see the cars crashing.” Thank God my car didn’t end up being a part of the multiple vehicle collision. “Can you ask Kai to drive you to Dr. Patel? Is he already home? He said he wanted to come back early to Ravensfield and drive back today.”
I open my banking app to see whether we have enough money in our checking account for her to take an Uber. All the money from the bar and my gig working for my professor is being saved somewhere else. I’m adamant that we live below our means until the house gets sold. I mean, we don’t really need the extra cash until the babies come, anyway. We’ve been getting by just fine with my stipend and what she makes on her waitressing job. I want her to quit that shit so she can just fucking rest.
“He is, but Kai is out,” she sighs. “On a date.”
“Get an Uber, Gi.”
“You won’t make it, then, I guess?”
I can imagine her. Cradling her bump and close to tears because of the hormones. Disappointment written all over her face. I promised her I’d be there every step of the way.
“Doesn’t look like it. I’m really sorry.”
“Be safe, Luke. See you at home. I love you.”
“Love you, too.”
Less than five minutes later, my phone vibrates again.
Gigi
Zach is already back on campus, too. Something about fighting with his family the whole winter break. He said he’ll give me a ride.
Thank him for me.
On the rest of the drive, I let the words of my father conquer my thoughts.
You know, if Andrew hadn’t died, he probably would’ve married that girl. Just saying.
Would he have been a better husband than me? If the same thing happened, and he was in my shoes, would Gigi also have to pinch pennies and find someone willing to drive her to the doctor’s office while he’s too busy trying to sell a dilapidated house in the middle of nowhere?
Grinding my molars, I will myself to get out of my own head. I need to focus on the endgame and the big picture, so I send Gigi another text.
I think I’m going to drive straight to The Wilted Flower after this.
There’s not much else I can do. I won’t make it to Dr. Patel’s office in time. What I can do, however, is make sure I show up to my damn shift. At least I know Gigi is in good hands with Zach.
Picture it, Luke. And don’t let anything ruin it.