36. A man lives here?
Thirty-Six
A MAN LIVES HERE?
Liv
We cruise back to Luke’s cottage. The sun hanging low in the sky casts a deep orange glow across the water.
Luke and Josh are talking among themselves while Viv and I sit quietly on the cushioned benches up front.
Viv’s eyes are closed, but I don’t think she’s asleep, just relaxed. My mind is spinning.
Today was so much more than I could have hoped for.
We laughed and teased each other like old friends while exchanging stories from our childhoods.
I relished every occasion when Luke found small ways to touch me.
The way his free hand brushed my shoulder, or how he twirled a lock of my hair around his finger, felt like this thing between us was as natural as breathing.
It reminded me of Pop and how he was with Gram.
I spent much of the afternoon trying not to think too deeply about what that meant.
This is temporary. I know that, no matter how much I like it.
The pontoon docks at Luke’s cottage. Luke directs us into the house so we can get changed while the guys close up the boat for the night.
We cross the path that leads back to the B&B on the way to the raised deck. Though the sun hasn’t fully set, solar lights glow along the walkway and up the steps to the house.
I slow, taking in the sight. With my next step forward, I become intimately aware of the fact that I still have one more step to go before I’m at the landing.
“Oh, shit!” I trip on the step, careening hands first to the floor.
Viv barks out a surprised laugh at my expense. Climbing to my feet, I dust off my hands.
“Please tell me Luke didn’t see that happen just now.”
“Hey, Trip! I thought you city girls were supposed to be graceful!” Luke calls from the boat.
“Yeah, he saw.” Viv laughs.
“Nice to know you're still living up to the name,” Luke says, a stupid grin splashed across his handsome face.
“Shut it!” I yell back, hearing Luke’s soft chuckle.
“Holy shit, this is really nice.” Viv’s eyes scan the deck, my lapse in coordination forgotten.
A large grill sits in the corner, evergreen cushioned lounge chairs face the water, and a table is off on the other side, complete with six chairs around it.
Posts at each corner of the deck and one more in the middle have a string of hanging lights that zigzag back and forth, connecting to the house.
They flicker on, bathing the deck in an enchanting glow.
“It’s so dreamy.”
Viv opens the door that leads into a small kitchen, clicking the light switch as she enters. The kitchen is bright, with a half-wall separating it from the rest of the open floor plan.
“A man lives here?” Viv asks, turning back around to look at me. Eyes wide, I shake my head and shrug. Clearly, a man with great taste.
The vaulted ceiling, with a fan hanging in the middle of the room, makes the space feel bigger than it is.
A wall stretching to the lofted space above, with black shiplap boards and a fireplace with a wooden mantle, holds the attention of the room.
Across the mantle are pictures neatly arranged, and above them, a television mounted to the wall.
Along the windows that stretch to the ceiling is a plush sectional couch with a giant wooden coffee table.
An oversized armchair sits in the corner with a tall lamp behind it.
It’s masculine and warm and so perfectly Luke.
Past the kitchen is a hallway to the front of the house and a frosted glass front door. Luke said we could change in the loft or the bathroom in the hall on the main floor. I take the loft, crossing the living room to the staircase that runs behind the shiplap wall.
At the top of the stairs, I find a neatly made queen-size bed with a side table on each side.
One holds a lamp and a book by Lee Child—a Jack Reacher novel.
If I had to guess, that’s Luke’s side. There’s a bench under the window and a dresser in the corner.
The space is clean, but remnants of Luke’s life lie scattered about.
A shirt and shorts draped on the bench, a laundry basket filled with clothes and towels, a pair of sneakers left to the side of the stairs.
I flip on the bathroom light and smile. It’s a little less polished in here, almost like he rushed out and didn’t have time to straighten up.
Hair products are scattered about, a toothbrush and toothpaste sit haphazardly on the counter, and a beard trimmer is still plugged into the socket.
The towels hang as if thrown on the bar, and water spots splatter the mirror.
It’s not messy, but it’s not as tidy as everything else either.
It smells like him in here. I inhale deeply and let it out slowly, reminding myself that however this night plays out, we’re just having fun.
Dressed in jean shorts and a comfortably loose off the shoulder t-shirt, I make my way back downstairs. Luke and Josh are pulling various prepped foods out of the fridge.
“I assumed we were ordering,” I announce as I drop my bathing suit into my bag.
Luke looks up from the fridge, tilting his head. “Why would we do that when we can just cook?”
It never occurred to me he might know how to cook. Lord knows I can’t, unless I count pouring a box of pasta into some boiling water and opening a jar of sauce.
“This man is full of surprises.” Viv wanders into the room, a balled-up bathing suit and coverup in her hand.
“Let me tell you, Mae Huffman would never allow us to go through life without knowing how to make our way around a kitchen.” Josh pulls a tinfoil-covered tray covered and a variety of vegetables from the fridge. Luke seasons them, nodding in agreement.
“Viv, my love, grab that wine you promised me, would you? Let’s let that baby open up a little.” Josh swings the door open, hands full with food ready to be grilled. “Buckle up. You’re about to have the most delicious experience of your life.”
Luke’s gaze finds mine, and his eyebrows jump up, a sexy smirk tugging at the side of his mouth.
Yum.