Chapter 4
Of all the things to say to Luke, why did I tell him the truth?
The words hang in the air between us like smoke, and I immediately want to take them back.
I blame it on feeling woozy from the blood sugar drop, but that’s a lie and we both know it.
There’s something about sitting here in the dark with him, surrounded by the place that is filled with bittersweet memories, that makes my defenses crumble.
“You got what?” Luke gives me a shocked look.
“Fired.” I give him an annoyed look. “Are you hard of hearing?”
“Do your parents know?”
I shake my head, focusing on the remaining cookies in the box. “No point in worrying them.”
His hand closes around my arm, forcing me to look at him. In the dim light filtering through the trees, his blue eyes are intense, searching. “Why are you really back, Hazel?”
“I just wanted to be home.” The words are true. I needed my family. I needed to feel like I was loved, like I mattered.
“Does this have anything to do with your ex-boyfriend?”
I stiffen, my spine straightening against the tree trunk. “How do you know Derek is my ex?”
“News travels fast in a small town.” His grip on my arm doesn’t loosen. “Especially when Tom and Linda are telling anyone who’ll listen that their daughter is newly single.”
Heat floods my cheeks. Of course my parents are broadcasting my personal business to the entire town. Why did I believe they would stop at one person? “Yes, it has to do with him.”
“What happened?”
I bite into another cookie knowing that trying to shake off his hand is as useless as fighting against a brick wall.
“Derek was my colleague. He used my ideas to get himself promoted, started an affair with another woman in our department, then fired me so he could give her my position.” The words taste bitter in my mouth.
“And then he kicked me out of my condo.”
Luke’s hand tightens around my arm, and his voice lowers dangerously. “He did what? I thought you owned that condo. Sam told me you bought one.”
I sigh. “When I bought the condo, I was working on a big project. He handled everything. He put in his name. I never knew. Well, not till I came home to him and his mistress throwing my things out. That was a fun experience.”
“Why didn’t you call me or Sam?” He sounds pissed.
I raise a brow, my tone dry. “And say what? Come help me pick up my clothes from outside the building? There’s nothing anyone could have done. I consulted a lawyer. His name is on the deed.”
“The condo was paid off?”
“Yes.”
Luke glares at me. “Why the fuck didn’t you say anything? You should still have called one of us. We would have come and dealt with him.”
I look at him blankly. “It was my problem, not yours. Besides, why would I call you for anything?”
His face goes white and I instantly regret my words. Maybe I was too harsh.
However, if I thought that would get him to stop broaching the subject, I’m proven wrong.
“It doesn’t matter if you broke up with me, Hazel.
We grew up together. We were friends before anything.
Just because you suddenly thought I was too boring for you doesn’t mean I’m going to sit idly by while someone hurts you. ”
His words pierce me deep in a place so lonely that I have to tear my gaze away to compose myself. He may be right, but the scars he left on my heart are worse than anything Derek ever did to me.
“Forget it.” I’m still weak from the drop in my blood sugar and not in the mood to argue. “You can be a hero to everyone else, Luke. I don’t need you to save me. In fact, I’d much prefer you keep a ten-foot distance from me at all times.”
Putting my hand on his shoulder, I shove him away from me.
I’m not surprised he doesn’t budge. I don’t know but he’s been up to this past years, but he’s built like a mountain. I also hate how my body reacts to his presence. It’s just not fair.
“If I kept a ten foot distance from you, I wouldn’t have saved you tonight,” Luke points out wryly.
“Sam would have found me eventually,” I mutter, leaning my head back against the rough bark of the oak tree and closing my eyes. “I’m getting really tired of being cheated on.”
The words come out unbidden from a place of pure weariness inside me, and when I open my eyes, Luke is frowning at me. His expression confused and something else I can’t quite read. “What do you mean by that?”
I roll my eyes. “As if you don’t know.”
“I don’t.” His voice has an edge to it now, sharp and a little aggressive.
“Luke, just leave it alone.”
I try to push myself up to standing, but my legs are still shaky, and I wobble dangerously. Luke’s hands shoot out to steady me before I can fall.
“I’m carrying you home,” he says firmly.
“Don’t even think about it. I can walk.”
“Like hell you can.” He stands and brushes leaves off his jeans. “I can either throw you over my shoulder and carry you in a fireman's carry, or you can climb on my back like we used to do when we were kids. Your choice.”
I consider my options. My pride wars with my practical nature, and practical wins. “Fine. But if you drop me, I’m kicking you where it counts.”
“Deal.” He crouches down in front of me, his back broad and solid in his flannel shirt. “Hop on.”
I climb onto his back carefully, my arms wrapping around his shoulders, my legs around his waist. He hooks his arms under my thighs and stands with an ease that reminds me he’s much stronger than he was at twenty-one.
“Comfortable?” he asks, adjusting his grip.
“No. I want to walk,” I complain.
“Too bad.”
I just know he’s rolling his eyes at me. Being this close to him—feeling the warmth of his body, breathing in his familiar scent of pine and something uniquely Luke—sends my heart racing for reasons that have nothing to do with low blood sugar.
Scout and Max fall into step beside us as Luke starts walking through the woods, following the path that leads back toward Elm Street. The autumn air is cool against my face, filled with the rustle of dying leaves and the distant sound of a screen door slamming somewhere in town.
“Did you love him?” Luke asks suddenly.
The question catches me off guard. “Derek? I loved him as much as I was able to.”
“That’s not an answer.” His hands tighten around my thighs, drawing a gasp from me.
The sound is hollow in the stark air. “It’s the only one you’re getting from me.”
We continue in silence for a few minutes, Luke’s steps steady and sure on the uneven forest floor. Scout trots ahead of us, his black and white fur barely visible in the gathering darkness, while Max stays close to Luke’s side like a faithful guardian.
“What are your plans now?” Luke asks. “Now that you don’t have a job or a home.”
“I haven’t figured things out yet.” I rest my chin on his shoulder, watching the trees pass by in the dim light. “I don’t really feel like I belong anywhere right now. Not in LA, not here.”
I wish it wasn’t that easy to talk to him. I wish I wouldn’t reveal things that showcase my deepest vulnerabilities. But my mouth doesn’t seem to be able to shut up.
His steps falter slightly. “You don’t feel like you belong here?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. I just...” I trail off, not sure how to explain the feeling of being caught between two worlds, not fully fitting in either one.
“You should help with the Harvest Festival,” he says abruptly.
The suggestion surprises me so much I nearly lose my grip on his shoulders. “What?”
“The Harvest Festival. You used to love it. You used to love autumn.”
The past tense stings more than it should. “I used to love a lot of things. Now I don’t.”
I can feel my words get to him when his shoulders stiffen but his voice remains casual. “That’s fine. But I need help, and you’ve got nothing but time.”
I pinch him in the arm for the sly remark. “Why is the Fire Chief organizing the Fall Harvest Festival?”
“Because I’m dependable.” I can hear the grin in his voice.
“Luke.”
“I volunteered once, and it was a success. They made me do it the next year and then the year after that. Now it’s just me handling it.”
“You don’t have people helping you?” I ask, surprised.
“I do, but not for the logistics. I have to deal with vendors, negotiate rates for the stalls, the rides, check safety, all that stuff. There are a lot of safety elements required for the bonfire. My men deal with all that.”
“So where do I fit in?” It doesn’t sound like he even needs me.
“Decorations. I suck at that,” Luke admits. “I’m not great with the visuals. I need to be on top of things, and Sam says you would be more than happy to help.”
“Did he now?” I ask, irritation surging through me. “Well, maybe I’m busy.”
“Busy doing what?” There’s mockery in his voice now, but it’s gentle, teasing. “Are you worried that if you work alongside me, you’ll fall for me again?”
I bristle, my fingers digging into his shoulders. “I will not fall for you. Get over yourself, Luke.”
“Uh-huh.” He keeps walking, completely unbothered by my indignation. “Sure sounds like you’re scared of spending time with me.”
The challenge in his voice sparks something in my chest—the first real fire I’ve felt in weeks. “I have no problem working on the festival.”
“Good.” I can hear the grin in his voice. “It’s a deal then.”
“What deal? I never agreed to anything.”
“You just did.” Luke’s laugh is warm and familiar, sending vibrations through his chest that I can feel echoing inside me. “Come by the firehouse tomorrow afternoon.”
“Luke—”
“Don’t worry, I’ll go easy on you. At first.”
Despite everything—my exhaustion, my confusion, the complicated mess of emotions swirling between us—I find myself smiling against his shoulder. This is the Luke I remember from before everything went wrong. Confident, teasing, impossible to resist when he set his mind to something.
“You’re insufferable,” I mutter.
“And you’re stubborn. Guess some things never change.”