25. Luke #2
"Nah," I hum, knowing if it were up to me, we'd still be standing on rotting boards. I’m not as stubborn as the old man, but I’d have taken all summer and into the fall to do these fixes.
I owe Hannah for that. "You did the hard work," I tell him, and then I turn to shake his hand.
"And I owe all that to Ms. Hannah Brooks…
who is probably going to be ecstatic to get this signoff. If you'll excuse me?"
"Get out of here," he says, nodding at me. "And tell her I say hello."
With a skip in my step, I hustle down to my truck and climb in.
The entire drive across town, I'm positively buzzing with energy.
Between the confidence I now have that we can take Dorsey down and my excitement over being able to tell Hannah the news, I can barely sit still.
I speed a little and wind up making the ten-minute drive in under seven.
Hannah sits behind her desk in the city building when I walk in. I see her across the way, and the receptionist, familiar with our mutual business on the pier, waves me through. She looks up as I approach with the release paperwork in hand, and her eyes flash happy recognition.
"Luke," she says warmly. I still can't get used to that. To go from Hannah's resentful, bitter attitude to this welcoming reception feels mind boggling, but I'm not going to complain. I love this woman more than anything and there isn't anything I wouldn’t do for her.
She stands awkwardly, like she's not sure how to greet me now with everything going on between us. She doesn’t open up for a hug, but she also doesn't extend her hand for a handshake, so I thrust the paper out toward her instead, offering my good news to break the ice.
"What's this?" she asks, taking it from me and unfolding it carefully. Her eyes scan the page and I watch her face change as the words register. Her mouth drops open and she looks up at me with wide eyes. "Luke, is this what I think it is?"
"Pier two is officially approved for full commercial and public use," I say, and I can't help the grin spreading across my face again. "We're back in business, Hannah."
She groans and whimpers as she presses the paper to her chest. "Oh, my God. Do you know how long I've been waiting to hear that?" She looks down at the paper again like she needs to confirm it's real. "God, and just in time for the festival."
"I know," I say, rocking back on my heels. "Mrs. Reyes said the charter guys and the fishermen have been calling her nonstop. Once word gets out that pier two is open again, a lot of people are going to be really happy."
Hannah sets the paper on her desk and smooths it flat with both hands, reading it over one more time.
Her eyes are glassy and she blinks a few times before she looks up at me again.
"You did this," she says. I can tell she wants to move closer, but in this office surrounded by people, it's probably a bad idea.
The heat between us crackles like electricity.
"Tom did the heavy lifting," I say, deflecting, but I know what she means.
"Tom fixed the pier, Luke. You saved the marina." She rolls her eyes and shakes her head at me. "I'm proud of you."
I don't even know how to respond. All I can do is stand there like an idiot with my hands in my pockets while she stares at me with starry eyes. It's uncomfortable and wonderful at the same time. I shift my weight to my good leg because the bad one is starting to ache from all the walking today.
"Tom says hello, by the way," I manage, and she laughs. The awkward redirection of the conversation has her wiping her eyes and blinking hard. God, she's so beautiful when she smiles. I want to keep that smile on her face every day for the rest of her life.
"Tell him I said thank you," she says, coming around the desk. She stops a couple of feet away from me and crosses her arms. "I know I've given you a hard time about a lot of things, Luke. I know I haven't always been fair to you."
"Hannah, you don't have to—"
"Let me say this." She holds up one hand and I shut my mouth. "When you came back to Bandon, I wanted you gone. I'm not proud of that, but it's true. And then all of this happened…" Her hand drops to her side and she looks down at the floor for a second before meeting my eyes again. "You did good."
My chest is tight and I can feel the heat crawling up my neck. I've spent years in this town feeling like I owed everyone something I could never repay. Hannah's opinion is the only one I care about, and to hear her tell me I've done well gets me a little choked up.
"Well," I say, clearing my throat, "Father's Day is coming up and I wanted to make sure I'm doing right by my kid, you know?
" I shrug, knowing deep down it's not just for the baby.
It's for her too, but I can't just blurt out that I feel that way.
I have to pace myself with her or risk scaring her off.
I'm feeling it come closer, but I won't put any pressure on her.
Her expression shifts when I say that. Something softens behind her eyes and her hand drifts to her belly almost unconsciously. Then she looks at me with this quiet kind of wonder that makes my heart do a stupid somersault in my chest.
"You're going to be a good dad, Luke," she says, almost at a whisper.
"You think so?"
"I know so." She takes a step closer and reaches up and straightens the collar of my shirt, which doesn't need straightening. Her fingers brush my neck and linger there for just a second. "And maybe one day, our baby will join us on the pier and work like his daddy."
The thought of having a son makes my chest swell with pride, but I wouldn't mind a little girl, either. I just want Hannah, and I want her to be happy. More than I've wanted anything else my whole life.
"I should get back to work," she says, gesturing at the mountain of papers on her desk. "Festival permits aren't going to file themselves, especially now that I have to redo half of what Dorsey touched."
"You need help with any of that?"
"I need help with all of it," she admits, but she sighs and adds, "but I'll manage."
"Yeah, you will." I back toward the door and tap the frame with my knuckle. "But the offer stands. Anytime."
She sits back down in her chair and picks up her pen, and I walk out that door feeling like a million bucks.
With the wind in my sails, there's nothing on earth that could take me down.
I just feel it in my gut. Hannah will be mine before this is all over with.
And I can't tell you how good that makes me feel.