Chapter 41 – Luke
LUKE
Luke was drowning.
The fundraiser was Saturday, just three days away, and everything was falling apart at once.
He'd been at his desk for six straight hours. The coffee had gone cold twice. His neck ached from hunching over the laptop. Amir had knocked once to ask if he needed anything, taken one look at Luke's face, and quietly backed out.
The caterer sent an email on Tuesday afternoon: They were now out of business.
Just like that. No warning, no Plan B.
Then, the AV company emailed on Wednesday morning: Their main tech was sick. And could they use backup equipment?
The university's PR department kept sending revision requests for the program. The printer needed the final copy of the program by noon on Thursday.
And now the caterer was ignoring his messages about getting the deposit back. After losing a couple of sponsors lately, a financial hit like this could really cause trouble—especially if they didn’t hit their goal Saturday.
He left another voicemail and dropped his head into his hands.
Breathe. You've handled worse. You'll figure it out.
He took three slow breaths and silently recited the Serenity Prayer. What could he change about this? That was the key question. The donors at the black-tie portion of the event would expect a certain level of sophistication and –
The door opened.
Luke looked up, ready to tell whoever it was that he'd handle it later.
Jack stood there with two takeout bags and a determined expression.
"What are you doing here?"
"Bringing dinner." Jack set the bags on the desk and frowned as he took in the disaster zone: seventeen browser tabs open, papers everywhere, Luke's hair a mess. "When's the last time you ate?"
Luke tried to remember. "Breakfast?"
"It's seven p.m."
"Is it?" Luke looked at his watch. "Shit."
Jack started unpacking the containers of Thai food, Luke's favorite. He took Luke’s phone away and closed Luke’s laptop.
Jack scooped the rice, chicken, and sauce onto two paper plates and gave each a spring roll.
When they finished, Luke closed his eyes and said, “You were right. I really needed to eat.”
Jack gave him his phone back, and they opened their laptops, sitting shoulder to shoulder.
"Walk me through it," Jack said. "What's the crisis hierarchy?"
"The what?"
"What needs to be solved first, second, third. Military planning. Start with mission critical."
Luke blinked. Then, despite everything, he almost laughed. "Okay. Caterer. That's the big one. Without food, the formal portion collapses. Then AV—we need sound and video for the speeches. Then—"
"Got it." Jack pulled out his phone. "Eat your Pad Thai. I'm calling someone."
Luke stopped him. “This isn’t a military operation, Jack. It’s a small community, and I know almost everyone in it. So the hierarchy is who will take my call this late and who can handle such a big job with zero notice.”
“Gotcha. Tell me what to do.”
“Do you know anyone at the university? They’re big enough to handle it. Not sure if they’re the right touch, but it’s a start.”
“On it,” Jack said.
“And I’ll make a list of every restaurant within 50 miles. Somebody might be up for it.”
Luke overheard Jack’s call while he put together his list.
"Large event, formal, about one hundred fifty people... Yeah, I know it's short notice..." He paused, listening. "Wait, you're saying the university events team uses someone? Could we... No, I understand they're probably booked... Worth a try, though, if you have a name and number.”
Ten minutes later, Jack had an update.
“Sarah says their guy can handle some of it. Probably just the service, so at least we’ll have plenty of plates, glasses, silverware, and waitstaff. They’re not sure they can do much with food at this late hour. Maybe frozen rolls or desserts.”
That piecemeal approach gave Luke an idea.
“OK, look. You call these five places. I’ll call these five. Instead of looking for one-stop shopping, what if we have a little of this, a little of that… like a buffet of Calder Ridge’s best restaurants? Might have to call the ski resorts, too. They tend to have at least one top-tier chef.”
“A local smorgasbord?”
“Yeah. What do you think? It could work. Gets everyone involved, feels more like a community event. We lean into that instead of apologizing for not having the typical black-tie menu. Yeah?”
“I like it,” Jack said. “Let’s get calling.”
Within the hour, they had more local chefs on board than they needed.
Steak and chicken breasts, mashed potatoes, and asparagus from Delmonico’s.
Homemade desserts from Mara. Salad from a vendor Luke knew at the farmers’ market.
And samples from the Indian restaurant that Amir’s mother loved, the Tex-Mex place downtown, and two of the ski resorts.
“Unbelievable,” Luke said.
“You did it, baby,” Jack said, with a kiss on the cheek.
“It’ll work.”
“It’ll work. You’re amazing.”
Luke’s eyes widened, remembering the AV issue.
“I will handle that on campus tomorrow,” Jack said.
“I don’t need you to…”
“Obviously! But I’ll be there anyway, and it’s one less thing for you to do. Let me help.”
Luke felt his shoulders ease and his pulse slow closer to normal.
"The printer deadline," he said quietly. "Final copy by noon tomorrow. And the PR department keeps—"
"You can review that over coffee.” Jack stood, pulling Luke up with him. "As in tomorrow. Right now, I'm taking you home."
"I should stay and …"
"You should rest. Saturday's going to be a long day, and you're no good to anyone if you're running on fumes."
In the parking lot, Luke stopped Jack before he could get in his Jeep.
"Thank you."
"You did it. Thanks for letting me help."
Luke felt his eyes sting. "I'm not used to..."
"I know." Jack kissed his forehead. "I’ve got you.”
Luke held onto him for a long moment, breathing him in: cologne, coffee, and a steadiness that soothed Luke.
“We’re a team now, Luke. This is how it works.”
"Okay," Luke said finally. "Yeah. Okay."
Jack insisted they spoon on the couch to watch an episode of “The Golden Girls” to wind down. Luke fell asleep before it ended, and Jack carried him to bed.
Thursday morning, Luke woke to the smell of coffee and eggs.
He walked into the kitchen to find Jack at the stove, Marley at his feet, with breakfast almost ready.
"You stayed," Luke said.
"Wanted to make sure you ate something before diving back into crisis mode." Jack put eggs and toast on a plate and brought them to Luke. "Also, I have news."
"Good news or bad news?"
"Good. The printer called. Final proof is approved. Programs will be ready for pickup at three. We can review the proof at lunch, if you like, and if you’re satisfied, I’ll get them. Or we can go together. Or send Amir… He’d probably take Martinez and… “
Luke looked at Jack—this man who'd shown up with food, stayed overnight, made breakfast, and helped him solve problems Luke hadn't even asked him to fix.
Because that's what you did for someone you loved.
"Thank you," Luke said quietly.
Jack crossed to him and pulled him into a hug. "You don't have to thank me for showing up. That's what I do now. What I'm going to keep doing."
Luke held on tighter.
After asking Jack to choose him, now he had to accept the fact that Jack had.