Chapter 3 – Luke
LUKE
Luke hadn’t been able to talk with Mara before it was time to head to her parents’ house for their weekly extended family dinner. He was eager to tell her about Jack’s visit and get her take on things.
He stopped at the market for sparkling cider on the way to the Ellis house, a white Victorian on Prospect Street with forest green trim.
For Luke, it had always been a sanctuary, usually filled with the comforting scents of cinnamon and old wool.
He'd spent countless nights there amid the chaos of his parents' divorce, his father's departure, and his own shaky return from L.A.
This family that had informally adopted him couldn’t love him more: Patty from the lodge, Mr. Ellis, and their daughter, Mara, Luke’s BFF since middle school. Mara and her husband, Julio, now had two kids. Luke expected the usual group to be there tonight.
With Marley, the chocolate lab, in the passenger seat, Luke arrived at 5:45, fifteen minutes early, as usual. Before he could even knock, the front door swung open for him.
"There's my boy!" Patty exclaimed, pulling him into a tight hug. "Come in, come in. I bought the foam roller you recommended. You have to show me how to use it."
Inside, the parlor glowed with lamplight and the fire Mr. Ellis had burning in the stone fireplace. Marley trotted over to greet the Ellis family’s mutt, an arthritic lab mix named Pepper, who couldn't be bothered to get up from her spot on the rug.
"Uncle Luke!" Nita yelled, racing around the corner, six years old and all knees and elbows. "Teach me a cartwheel?"
"After we eat, okay? Your grandma needs my help with something first."
Patty was already on the living room floor with the foam roller, eyeing it as if it might explode.
"Okay, so you're going to lie on your side," Luke said, demonstrating by rolling his hip over the dense foam. "It's going to hurt at first, but that's normal. You're breaking up the fascia, the connective tissue."
"The what?"
"It's what's sore after skiing."
Patty tried it, winced, and said, "Lord, have mercy."
"That means it's working."
"That means I'm old."
"You're not old," Luke said with a laugh. "You're just tight. There's a difference."
Mr. Ellis wandered in from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a dish towel.
"A putterer's work is never done, Luke,” he said with a chuckle. “You wait till you're retired. There's always something that needs fixing."
"I'll keep that in mind," Luke replied.
In the kitchen, Mara stood at the counter, chopping vegetables with her usual focused intensity. Her husband, Julio, stood at the stove, seasoning a pan of chicken breasts and legs.
"Smells amazing," Luke said, leaning against the doorframe.
Mara looked up. "You're early."
"I'm always early."
"That's true." Mara smiled, nodding toward the plates, silverware, and napkins that her mom had left on the counter. "Set the table?"
“Why eight settings? Your mom invited Mrs. Jennings again?”
“Dunno,” Mara said. “Maybe she made a mistake.”
He started to tell her the story. “You won’t believe who came into the Ridge today.”
Marco appeared at his elbow. "Uncle Luke, can I help?"
"Sure, buddy. Can you fold these napkins?"
Marco counted all the way, loud enough so both Mara and Luke could hear him, and when he reached “six, seven, eight,” he added, “Eight for the extra guy Grandma invited from your high school.”
Luke's hands hovered over the silverware. Luke shot Patty a look that said, I can't believe this. She’d invited Jack to dinner without even mentioning it. Of course, she had.
"Jack Garrison?" Luke said, not quite believing it. "Nothing for years, and now twice in one day?”
Mara looked confused, too.
"What are you talking about?" Mara pressed.
"That's who came into The Ridge this afternoon, " Luke explained. " He's starting a temporary job at the university."
Mara raised her eyebrows high and swatted Luke with a dish towel. “And you didn’t tell me?”
“I was trying to.”
Patty beamed, saying, "He still seems nice, very polite. And really attractive, if you ask me. He's been divorced for a few years. No kids."
Luke felt the new information churn within him—a turbulent mix of surprise, unease, and sudden curiosity.
Divorced. So Jack had been married. To a woman, presumably.
He hadn't known that. Maybe Luke had been his only boyfriend.
Lots of straight people had someone in their youth they fooled around with before settling into a heterosexual life.
Maybe that’s all Luke had been to Jack. A boyhood fling not to be taken seriously then or remembered much afterward.
That would explain how Jack could’ve left so easily and never looked back.
Or maybe Jack’s just an asshole. Lots of people fall for jerks the first time.
Mara and Luke locked eyes. She smirked.
Luke gave her the knock it off face. But truthfully, he was miffed that Jack was intruding on another of his spaces with no warning, no notice. Just, Hi, I’m back, let’s eat with the family that nursed you back to life after I ripped out your heart and stomped it into pieces.
And why hadn’t Patty warned him? Maybe she’d forgotten the details, or assumed Luke was over it by now and would be happy to see Jack, simple as that.
And it was, of course, her house.
Luke set down the last fork and looked at Marco. Eight years old, with earnest brown eyes and a gap where his front tooth used to be.
"Was he your friend?" he asked Luke.
"Yeah," Luke said, looking at Mara, unable to tell whether she was angry at her mother or worried for Luke. "He was my friend."
"Is he still your friend?"
Good question.
"I don't know yet, buddy."
Marco considered this, then went back to folding napkins with intense concentration.
At 6:05, the dogs started barking. Marley and Pepper both scrambled toward the front door—well, Marley scrambled while Pepper shuffled.
Luke's heart kicked up. He told himself to stay cool.
Then the door opened, and there he was.
Jack filled the doorway. Black blazer over a gray turtleneck, dark jeans, Chelsea boots. He carried a bottle of wine in one hand.
Patty was on him immediately, pulling him into a hug. "Jack! Oh, my goodness, look at you. Come in, come in!"
Jack stepped inside, and his eyes fell on Luke across the room.
For a second, as their eyes locked, everything else disappeared, and Luke felt a physical pull toward Jack. Was he swooning? How could that be?
Then Mr. Ellis was there, shaking Jack’s hand, and Julio introduced himself. Mara emerged with a dish towel over her shoulder, wearing the smile she always wore when evaluating someone.
"Jack," she said, extending her hand and not even trying to be discreet as she looked him up and down. "It's been... forever."
"You look good," Jack replied.
"You're sweet," Mara said, clenching her teeth. "But I look like I've had two kids and work at a café." She gestured toward the kitchen. "Come on, let me get you a drink. We've got wine, beer, water, soda..."
"Water's fine."
Mara caught Luke's eye over Jack's shoulder and arched an eyebrow in a silent question: You okay?
Luke nodded. I'm fine.
Dinner was roast chicken, brown rice, green beans, and a salad with Mara's green goddess dressing, Luke's favorite. They sat around the big table—Patty and Mr. Ellis at the ends, Mara and Julio across from each other, Luke and Jack across from each other, and the kids in between the grown-ups.
Luke found himself stealing glances at Jack even when others were speaking.
He could swear Jack kept glancing at him, too.
Was this nervous curiosity between them, or something more?
Throughout dinner, the conversation flowed easily. Jack told them about his job at the university, the places he'd been stationed, and his recent retirement. Patty asked about his parents, and Mr. Ellis asked about his plans.
"Do you plan to settle here?" Mr. Ellis asked.
"I have a few months to decide," Jack said. "After that... we'll see."
Luke clenched his jaw, but so quickly that he was sure no one noticed.
“So, you’re just here temporarily again?” Luke said, silently adding, Why come back at all then?
“For now,” Jack said. “I don’t know.”
“‘We’ll see,’” Luke said, nodding. “Right.”
Nita, apparently bored with adult conversation, asked Jack, “Can I touch your hair?”
Jack smiled, lowering his head. The child walked over and ran her hand over it once, quickly, as if she were afraid of it.
“Scratchy,” she pronounced.
Marco came over to confirm, rubbing Jack's head as well. "Did you fight bad guys?" he asked.
"Mijo," Mara started.
"It's okay," Jack said, looking at him earnestly. "Sometimes."
"Were you scared?"
"All the time."
"Then why did you do it?"
Jack paused, seeming to choose his words carefully. "I served because I wanted to protect the people and the country I love.”
Marco considered this and nodded, satisfied for now.
After dinner, Mara and Patty cleared the table. Mr. Ellis, Julio, and the kids drifted into the living room. Luke stayed behind, stacking plates.
Jack stayed too.
For a moment, they were alone in the dining room, the chandelier's low amber light casting soft shadows.
"Hey," Luke said quietly. No need to play coy or dredge up old heartache. Right? Maybe later. "It's really great to see you. I'm glad you're here."
Jack looked at him, and something shifted in his expression—a softening, a lowering of the guard.
"Thank you. Same here."
They reached for the same plate, and their hands touched. Jack quickly pulled his hand back, as if he had touched a flame.
Maybe it was nothing.
Maybe it was not.
"Boys!" Patty called from the living room. "Coffee's getting cold. Don't make me come get you."
They walked to the other room, but Jack stopped.
"I'm afraid I need to get back to prep for my meeting with the dean tomorrow," Jack said. "It's been a long day. Thank you for the lovely welcome back."
He hugged Patty and waved to the others as he headed for the door.
Luke followed him outside. The snow had stopped, and the night was cold and clear. The moon hung low over the mountains, bright enough to cast long shadows.
"I hope you really did have a nice evening," Luke said.
"I did." Jack's breath clouded in the air. "Patty was sweet to invite me. And Mara was … passively hostile? But I guess I have it coming, given how much she loves you.”
"She's a mama bear. But I can handle myself now."
They stood there, close enough to touch but not touching, the space between them tangible yet fragile, like a bubble that wouldn’t take much to pop. Luke’s expression shifted from a polite smile to a hopeful query.
“Good luck with the dean tomorrow. If you’re free, let’s have dinner so you can tell me all about it.”
“Just us?” Jack asked.
“Just us,” Luke answered.
Jack reached out, his warm hand settling on the back of Luke’s neck. To Luke, it felt heavy and deliberate, especially when Jack’s thumb stroked his curls there.
This contact couldn’t have been accidental, Luke decided, as Jack held his gaze for a beat, then another.
"I'll text you tomorrow," Jack said.
Luke watched him walk to his Jeep, watched him drive away, and kept watching until the taillights disappeared around the corner.
He replayed the touch and could still feel Jack’s warmth on the back of his neck, even in a night so cold he could see his own breath.
His body still carried the glow from their brief time together on the porch, and he had started to get hard even in the frigid air.
All that from one touch, Luke? Wow.
Then he went back inside, where Mara was waiting, arms crossed and one eyebrow raised.
"So," she said. "That was interesting."
Luke just smiled.
“Luke, he ghosted you. Nothing for ages, and now he touches your neck once, and you’re like—"
"Mara."
She studied him. "You're not angry?"
"No. I'm not." Luke looked toward the window, where Jack's taillights had vanished. "I was for a long time, but that was twenty-four years ago. We're different people now."
Aren’t we? he thought.