Will Be Yours Ch. 01

"We even attended two of his brothers' weddings," Carrie added.

"Oh man, you should hear him sing," Scott continued, "Too bad he became a business consultant and not a singer."

"You're a business consultant?" she straightened herself, "You mean you help people start their own businesses?"

"Sort of," he smiled, keeping the coffee mug down. "I'm a growth coach."

"I see." She sank back again. "The frequent-flying, iPhone totting, swashbuckling kind?"

Her words made him and everyone else in the room laugh. She was intelligent. Not many knew what a growth coach was.

"Frequent-flying, iPhone totting, yes," he said, "Swashbuckling, not really."

Luke watched her face relax slightly as she crossed her legs. The she took a long sip of the tea and swallowed slowly, watching Carrie cut the cake.

"My sons baked this," Carrie beamed as she handed Luke a piece.

"Seriously?" he smiled affectionately, "Wow! The last time I saw them, they were smaller."

"They're racing each other, as far as height is concerned," Cynthia chipped in, earning giggles from the two boys seated on either side of her. Luke took a bite, and for a moment, he thought it tasted... interesting. More salty than sweet, more bitter than tangy, and even a little hot.

The boys had baked it, hadn't they?

"This is great," he praised the cake, eating up the rest of the piece as if it was the tastiest delicacy he'd ever had, "When had we last met, Scott? Your kids have grown to be so... talented, over these years."

From the corner of his eyes, he clearly saw the disappointment on the boys' faces. Cynthia still held the cup close to her face with both hands but her eyes twinkled with amusement as they alternated between the two boys. Luke's smile was soft but triumphant.

"Scott has taught them everything," she said, "From driving to swimming to baking." Her face telegraphed affection as she looked at each of them in turn. "I'm sure they'd be real men when they grow up. Capable, independent."

Diana said that a lot. Real men were the ones who didn't depend on women for everything.

"So which part of Birmingham are you from?" he asked her, "I'm from West Midlands."

He saw her face tense up again. She shifted in the sofa, put the mug down and joined her palms, as though she was suddenly very cold. What was it about Birmingham that made her so uncomfortable?

"Anyone hungry?" Carrie cut in, obviously trying to ease her discomfort. They cared about her. It was so visible. And she was a sweet girl. He didn't like the prospect of tormenting her any further. So he dropped the subject.

"I am," he laughed easily, turning to look at Carrie, "I haven't eaten anything since lunch."

And so Carrie rose, Scott following her, and he vaguely heard Cynthia whispering to Jake exactly what had gone into the cake. In reply, the boys giggled and followed their parents into the kitchen.

Over dinner, Cynthia remained mostly silent, only smiling and making occasional comments. Luke had met Scott only once in the last two years but one bite of the steak and he needed no telling that Scott had made it. He always had a magical hand at cooking. No wonder he ran the most popular café in town.

Luke didn't ask how long they had known Cynthia; it would be out of context. But there was definitely something about her. True, he hadn't thought of or looked at another woman since Diana left, but he hadn't felt right with anyone either. For the last six months or so, his friends and sisters had set him up for about half a dozen dates. One girl was a GQ model, with long legs and chiselled cheeks, while another was a twice divorced mother of two. Hell, one of them also turned out to be a lesbian. Nothing progressed beyond dinner. On all cases, he had dropped the girl home, and returned to his apartment. There had been no spark, no intelligent conversation, and nothing to tell his sisters the next morning. He had felt like a total moron.

He didn't even know the girl sitting in front of him at the table, quietly chatting with the boys and contributing to the conversation when it felt right. But her smile reached his heart and her words stirred his mind. Although she had agreed to show him around the place, she didn't seem much interested in him. Maybe she was shy with strangers, he thought.

He was wrong.

"Where are you putting up?" she asked him after dinner.

"Moore's Lodge," he replied, "I wonder why they call it a lodge. It's a lovely place."

"I know," she smiled, and he couldn't help but notice she looked more beautiful when she did. There was no shyness, none at all. Only a warm openness that seemed to welcome him. "It's pretty close to my shop. Are you free tomorrow?"

"Yes, I arrived this morning. Apart from a few lunches and dinners, I'm free." He studied her face. "Why do you ask?"

"If you could drop into my shop tomorrow," she said, "I'd be happy to take you around the town."

"I wouldn't like to disturb you at work."

"It's okay. I have to go to the flower market, anyway. I can spare a couple of hours. Don't bring your car. I'm going to drive."

Luke smiled, nodding quietly. They spoke for a few minutes after that, and Luke noticed that she liked to touch people. Every time someone got close enough, she reached out and brushed a hand over their arm or shoulder or kissed a cheek. He saw her doing it with the boys, even more with Scott, and also with Carrie. But he almost jumped out of the chair- and his skin- when she leaned in and gave him a gentle hug while leaving.

That was like a zap of electricity, he had never ever felt. Not since Diana, at least.

"See ya," she said, and he could only manage a feeble smile in reply. "Goodnight, folks," she called out to everyone as she disappeared out of the front door. Everybody replied except him. What was wrong with him?

"Come on, Luke," Carrie called as Scott put a friendly arm around his shoulder. "Nightcap is ready. Do you want some more of the cake?"

Cake? What cake? His gaze was still fixed on the wooden front door of Scott's house.

"And we want to hear you sing." It was Jake, ready with his guitar. Luke's senses finally shook him into action and he tore his gaze away from the door. Six months ago, when he announced to his friends that he'd moved on and was ready to live his life again, everyone had breathed a sigh of relief. But when none of his dates worked, when he just failed to find that connection with anyone, it was obvious that he was still holding on to the past. No one confronted him about that but they just knew. As did he.

Luke happily obliged the boys with one of his favourite songs— 'I'm Moving On' by Rascal Flatts.

Because there was something in the air of Velmont Town. Maybe he was finally ready to really move on.

***