Bonus Epilogue
Kylie
After living in Luview, Maine her first fifteen years, then coming back and re-establishing roots here this last year and a half, Kylie was amazed that she could tell where she was on any given road in the mountains surrounding the small town just by feel.
If that.
Jolting suddenly, she realized Luke was taking her somewhere she had no desire to be.
Especially on a lovely date with the most wonderful man in the world.
“What are we doing here?” Kylie gasped as Luke pulled into the parking lot at Deke’s Service Station and Breakfast Diner, a shiver running through her as ghosts from Thanksgiving Past rippled through her.
“You’ll see,” Luke said cryptically, making her whole body start to tingle. For the last year and a half, she’d carefully avoided going anywhere near Deke’s, though some folks in Luview believed Deke’s breakfast counter had the best home fries in the area.
Too much green pepper for her taste.
Plus the whole humiliation recall about how she’d gotten stuck in the charity donation bin in the parking lot.
“Luke! This is the last place on earth I want to go on a date with you!” she whined, knowing it was hopeless.
For the last year and a half, she’d thoroughly enjoyed being Luke’s girlfriend, and getting to know him deeply was her greatest joy.
Bonding with Harriett, being accepted in town, and the warm welcome Deanna and Dean had given her, along with Kell and even Colleen, who’d finally thawed, meant Kylie felt like she belonged somewhere.
Luview wasn’t just her hometown.
It was her lifeline.
“You’ll regret those words,” he said mildly, parking in the same spot he’d parked in that night a year and a half ago, dusk creeping into dark as the seconds ticked by.
It was early May, so quite late in the day, his parents still watching Harriett.
Kylie and Luke both had the next day off, so they got to stay out as late as they wanted.
Plus, Luke was spending the night at her place, which meant sleeping in as late as they wanted, too.
“Why would I regret them?”
“You’ll see.”
Resorting to violence, she punched his shoulder lightly. “Quit saying that!”
As he opened his car door, Luke flashed her a grin that made her toes curl. The man could still do that to her, every time they caught each other’s eye. Every single time.
Would it be the same way in ten years? Twenty?
Fifty?
Given the relationship his parents had, and how deeply in love Dean and Deanna still were after forty years, Kylie knew it was possible.
And oh, how that made her heart sing.
Scrambling out of the car before Luke could open her door, she marched up to him and tipped her chin high staring him down.
“Deke’s isn’t open. You promised me a dinner date!”
“I did.”
The parking lot was bare, save for the broken down 1978 Camaro that was always parked near the shop, and a late-model Volvo that looked like it had hit a deer.
Or maybe a moose.
Had anyone seen Randy lately?
Jangling a set of keys on a caribiner clip hanging from his jeans loop, Luke unclicked it, went to the side door on the charity donation box, and began opening the padlock.
“What on earth are you doing?”
“You’ll see,” he said as the dark swallowed him whole, Luke shutting the door behind him. Faintly, through the metal, she heard, “Wait for my signal!”
Signal?
Luke was steady as can be. Stable. A rock. Sure, he had a great sense of humor and he could be mischievous with the rest of them, but this was waaaay out of character for him.
“Signal?” she called out as a truck filled with hay bales drove by, stray pieces of grass flying behind it like a cloud of gnats. “What signal?”
The front hatch opened, the creaky metal sound making her jump.
“This signal. Knock three times on the door and I’ll let you in!” Luke called out. The creaky sound repeated itself, the front hatch slamming shut, and Kylie found herself staring at the little door, ready to scream.
Was this some kind of sick joke?
Instead of following Luke’s ridiculous rules, she marched to the door, opened it, dipped her head down to enter, and braced herself for the rotten scent and disarray that came from these metal charity boxes.
She should know.
She’d stupidly trapped herself in one a year and a half ago.
But when she caught sight of the space, she gasped, reeling from surprise.
And from the amazing, mouth-watering scent that greeted her.
Because there sat Luke at a small table with two chairs, her amazing boyfriend resting in one of them, candlelight turning the metal container into a romantic bistro.
A breadbasket was at the table’s center, a circle of six candles glowing beautifully.
Two wine glasses glistened in the soft light, Luke slowly pouring wine from a bottle into both.
Plates with what appeared to be salads with hearts of palm across the beds of lettuce were in front of each seat, and the soft sounds of music caught her ear.
“Luke!” she gasped, her voice shaky with emotion. “What is all this?”
“For you, Kylie. It’s all for you. Come sit. Have our date.”
“Date? We’re having a date in here?”
“We are. I had it power-washed and sanitized. Blake and Shiela lent me the table, the candle holders, and they made the meal. Kell’s experimental takeout from The Food Alchemist for his first date with Rachel turns out to be my gain,” he said with a chuckle. “Come. Sit. Have a glass.”
“You’re crazy!”
“Maybe,” he conceded as he took the stem of his wine glass and took a sip. “But this felt right.”
“Felt right? For our date?”
An extraordinary expression fell across his face, even in the dim light. Luke was a serious man, the kind who said what he meant and expected others to do the same. A terrible liar, he had a moral core that made him talk things through, no matter what.
And reveal his hand.
As he took in a deep breath, she saw something else in him that didn’t make sense.
Was Luke… nervous?
“Sit.”
“I – ”
“Sit.”
The command made more than her heart zing, as he used his voice of authority. Never one to abuse it, he used it only when needed.
Why did he need it now?
“Is something wrong?”
“Wrong? No. No. Kylie, something is very, very right,” he said with a laugh that touched her so much she had to listen to his order.
She sat.
As he handed her a glass of wine, she tasted fruity tones, something lush and woodsy, and a few mouthfuls centered her, giving her the headspace to look around. The box was mercifully empty, save for a footstool, their table and chairs, and an increasingly handsome Luke, who just watched her.
“You are an enigma, aren’t you?” she finally said, their wine glasses half empty by the time she found the right words. He reached for her hand and she realized the music came from his phone, which sat on the edge of the footstool.
“I’m not. I’m a simple man, actually.”
“This isn’t simple!”
“In a way, it is.”
“How?”
Licking his lips, Luke took a big gulp, finishing his wine, then gave her a half smile that made her fall deeper for the man. Hand shaking, he ran it through his hair, the locks just long enough to show some wave.
Soulful eyes met hers and he asked, “What do you want first?”
“First? You mean you want to have sex in here?”
Boisterous laughter echoed in the small space, sounding tinny and loud at the same time.
“That’s not quite what I was thinking, though if that’s an option…”
“Then what were you thinking?”
“I’m really screwing this up, aren’t I?”
“If you won’t tell me what you’re doing, Luke, I can’t judge whether you’re screwing it up or doing it magnificently!”
Luke frowned. “That standard doesn’t seem to apply in bed.”
“You magnificently screw me in bed!”
“This is why I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
Every molecule of Kylie’s being held its breath, all at once, each cell in suspended animation, his words sinking in as Luke sank to one knee before her, the dim glow in the charity metal box making it feel warmer than it was.
Or maybe that was just her blood warming at the slow dawning of why Luke had gone to all this quirky trouble.
Was he – did he –
The velvet box appeared in his hand, Luke’s thumb sliding up, the box with Love You Jeweler’s emblazened into the velvet in tastefully small letters making her think of Luke’s best friend, Moore.
Of summers spent jumping off the dock.
Of no-talent talent shows, campfires, field day contests, hikes, and summer fun.
Of the last year and a half spent at festivals with Luke’s family, their friends, all the nights at Bilbee’s.
Of being part of something bigger than herself.
“Oh!” she said in hushed tones, power building in her chest, her heart swelling with all of the emotion she felt for this man who looked up at her with grace and kindness, love and promise, the vastness of a life spent together a series of reflections in his eyes.
Come with me, those eyes invited. Let’s walk the rest of this journey together.
Hand in hand. Hearts aligned.
“Kylie,” he said softly, with meaning. “I found you in this god-forsaken charity box on a night that was filled with nothing but grief and pain for me. It was a time of letting go, of moving on, of literally sending off the material past by handing it off into the abyss of this box. That night, I was a different man. A broken man. One who held it together because I had to.”
“For Harriet,” she whispered.
“And for me,” he added, his throat going tight. Kylie watched Luke close his eyes, take in a deep breath, and continue, the gravitas of the moment too intense for her to do anything but listen with her whole heart.
“For you,” she replied. “of course. Because you matter.”
“I do matter. I didn’t realize it then, but the universe had other plans. I thought I was reluctantly moving on, using a ritual that felt like a clean break, but instead I found you, the cutest raccoon ever.”