“That’s true, but maybe Dad had slightly better handyman skills than you do?” I suggest gently.
Annie wanders into the room. She wraps her arms around Matt’s neck and smiles at him while she strokes the back of his head. “You know I love you, but there’s no way in hell my child is going near that death trap,” she says in her sweetest voice.
“Fine,” he sighs, giving up. “We will go and buy one tomorrow, then.”
He tosses his hammer on the floor and stalks out. Annie rolls her eyes at me as we follow him down to the living room. I sit down, while Matt makes coffee.
“Decaf?” he calls out.
“Are you kidding me? What’s the point if you take the caffeine out?” I retort. “It’s like sugar-free chocolate. It defeats the purpose,” I protest.
“Okay, well you’re the one who’s going to be awake all night.”
“I’m up all night anyway,” I say. “At least now I’ll have a reason.”
“So, how are things with Luke?” Annie asks with a smile. She sits down next to me.
“Good, actually,” I say, smiling. “He’s taking me out tonight.”
“Well, that explains it.”
“What do you mean?” I ask Matt. I don’t understand his cryptic comment.
“Oh, nothing.” He smiles, making sure I know it is, in fact, something.
“Matt,” I say in my sternest voice.
“No.” He shakes his head adamantly. “I refuse to ruin Luke’s surprise. You’ll find out.”
I shake my head. Sometimes I hate my brother.I go home and have a quick shower and then get ready. I choose a short black dress with lace trim that hugs my waist. I style my hair, but let it hang down, because I know Luke likes it like that. I glance at my watch and frown. I thought it was seven when I left Matt’s, but it must have been six. Which means I’ve got more time up my sleeve than I thought, so I head next door to check on Iris.
“Hello?” I call out, banging on her door.
“Hold on, to your panties. I’m going as fast as I can.”
I smile and listen to her ranting. The door opens. Iris frowns at me as she looks me up and down.
“And why are you all tarted up?”
I shake my head and laugh. “No reason, I’m just going out with a friend.”
“A friend huh?” She narrows her eyes. “Male or female?”
“Male, thanks, Grandma,” I tease her as I follow her into the living room. I sit down, keeping an eye on my phone so I don’t miss Luke’s text.
“Tea?” she asks. I shake my head.
“No, it’s okay. I don’t have that long. I just wanted to see how you are.”
“You mean you wanted to make sure I wasn’t decomposing on the floor?” she replies, frowning at me. I laugh and shake my head, because that wasn’t how I would’ve phrased it, but I couldn’t deny there was an element of that.
“Not at all, but it’s good to see that you’re still breathing.”
No sooner than Iris turns on her TV, Luke texts me.
Luke: Okay, come downstairs when you’re ready.
“I’ve got to go,” I say apologetically as I stand up. “I’ll try and come over tomorrow, okay? You stay there, I’ll see myself out.”
“All right. Well, have fun, I guess,” she says. “If the night ends up with you crying in the bathroom, you’re always welcome back here to watch the bachelor with me,” she calls out.
“Thanks,” I say.
As tempting as that sounds, I’m confident Luke can handle this.I examine my reflection in the mirrored wall of the elevator and then walk out onto the ground floor. I walk outside the complex to find Luke standing on the sidewalk, dressed up in a tuxedo. I smile at him, my heart pounding. He looks hot.
“Hey.” He smiles at me as I walk closer to him.
“Hey,” I reply, taking him by the hand. I suddenly feel all shy. “I feel underdressed,” I joke.
He shakes his head. “No, you look absolutely stunning,” he compliments.
“You do scrub up pretty well.”
I laugh. Is that Matt?
Luke chuckles and steps aside to reveal a pedicab, being chauffeured by none other than Matt. He looks less than impressed in his shorts and collared shirt, complete with a bow tie. I crack up laughing. He scowls at me.
“What the hell are you doing?” I say, giggling.
“Apparently this is payback for a bet I lost nearly eight years ago,” he whines. He glares at Luke, who can’t wipe the smile off his face. “Just get in and let's get this over with.”
I’m still laughing as Luke helps me up into the cart. I don’t even want to know what the bet was. Luke leans forward and slaps Matt across the ass. Matt turns around and glares at him. I shake my head, because this is gold.
“Speed up a bit, please. We don’t have all night.”