Lukas (Ashes & Embers 3)

Ouch!

I’m definitely getting my hair done. Soon.

Rubbing the new sore spot on my head, I wonder why Lukas wants to have dinner with me. Given his age, I’m sure we don’t have too much in common. With his looks, he must have tons of pretty young girls he could be spending time with on a Friday night, not wasting time with someone as boring as I am.

He feels sorry for your lonely ass.

I frown in the mirror and tell myself it doesn’t matter what a twenty-four year old guy thinks of how I look. Grabbing my bag, I unlock the door and meet him in the waiting area.

“How about the Friday after next? Same time?” he asks, scribbling on his calendar again.

I don’t even bother to check my calendar app. “That’s perfect.”

“Awesome. You ready?”

I nod and he comes around the counter. “I know it’s freezing out, but do you mind if we walk? It’s only two blocks. The cold air wakes me up¸” he says as we head outside and he turns to lock the door behind us.

“Walking sounds great. And I actually really like the cold,” I reply. I love this street; it’s quaint with lots of great little unique stores and boutiques, which is one of the many benefits of living in a small, artsy, New England town. Being December, Christmas lights decorate most of the shop windows, making the street look very much like a holiday card scene. I hope I can find an affordable house to live in, if Paul decides we have to sell our house, because it will break my heart to move from this little town I grew up in and love so much. I want my kids to grow up here like I did.

“Does your leg feel okay?” Lukas asks. “I didn’t think of how sore it might be when I asked you to walk.”

I smile up at him, touched by his sweet concern. “It doesn’t really hurt at all.”

The cafe is small but cozy, decorated very much like a living room. There are small tables adorned with candles, a few loveseats with oversized pillows, pretty Tiffany-style lamps, and an electric fireplace with a large stone mantle. In one corner is a Christmas tree with wrapped presents beneath it. I immediately fall in love and know I will be coming back here. Only four other customers are here at the moment—two sitting on a love seat reading, and two others are chatting softly at a table.

“Hey, Lukas, you getting the usual?” the girl behind the counter asks, giving him a big toothy grin.

“Yup,” he replies then turns to me. “The vanilla and brown sugar latte is killer,” he hints.

“Okay then, I need that. And I’ll have the turkey and cranberry croissant.”

Lukas pays, refusing my attempt to pay for my own, then leads us over to a secluded table in the corner where we wait for our food to arrive.

“This place is so cute and cozy,” I say, looking around. “I want to just curl up and read.”

He nods. “I love it here. I come here almost every night after I close up . . . mornings, too, for my coffee. Sometimes, local musicians play acoustic here at night, so I’ll walk down here, grab a coffee, and listen to some tunes and unwind before I head home for the night.”

“I have a feeling I’ll be back on the weekends to get breakfast.”

“Cool. Maybe I’ll catch you here sometime.”

My cell phone rings, and I pull it out of my bag, knowing it’s one of the kids.

“I have to take this real quick.” Lukas nods while I bring the phone to my ear. “Hi, Honey,” I say happily.

“Hi, Mommy.”

“How’s your night? Are you and Daddy having fun?”

“Yeah, we watched cartoons, and Charlene made me macaroni and cheese.”

“That’s great. It’s your favorite.” I hate Charlene.

“Yours is better, Mommy. Can I come home now?”

My heart cracks. “No, sweetie. Remember, we talked about you having a sleepover at Daddy’s new house this weekend? He’ll bring you home on Sunday.”

Lukas frowns and leans back in his chair, stretching his long legs under the table.

Tommy sighs into the phone. “Okay . . . what are you doing, Mommy?”

“I’m having dinner with a friend right now, sweetheart. You have fun with Daddy and Charlene, all right? You can call me any time you want to talk to me, and I’ll see you really soon.” I almost choke saying Daddy and Charlene to my own son.

“Okay, Mommy. I miss you.” Ah, my sweet little boy.

I smile and hold the phone tighter. “I miss you, too, and I love you a big bunch. Good night, now.”

“Night.”

I wait for him to end the call and smile at Lukas as I put my phone back into my purse.

“He’s having a hard time understanding why things are so different,” I explain.

He nods, a warm smile on his face, reaching his eyes. “It’s totally understandable. You’re a good mom. Your face lit up when you talked to him. You’re the kind of mom I wanted when I was his age.”

I wait until the waitress bringing our food has gone before I reply. “My kids are my life.” I take a sip of my latte. “Wow, you were right. This is delicious!” Vanilla and brown sugar latte is sinful.

He grins. “It’s my fave, and I actually start to jones if I don’t have at least one a day.”

I take my knife and fork and cut my sandwich into small one-inch pieces, while Lukas watches me in confused fascination.

“Are you cutting up your sandwich to eat it with a fork?” he finally asks.

“Yes,” I reply, taking a bite off my fork.

He laughs as he watches me. “That’s . . . different. Can I ask why?”

“Are you laughing at me?” I tease. “If you must know, ever since I was really young, I’ve just had this aversion to sticking food into my face, or biting into things. So I eat everything with a fork.”

“Really? What about, like, ice cream cones, or bananas? Or an apple?”

I shake my head. “Nope. None of that. I put it in a dish and cut it up and eat it with a fork or spoon.”

A naughty, crooked grin spreads across his face. “Okay, I’m going to try really hard to refrain from making a sexual comment about all of that.”

I feign shock. “Lukas! You shouldn’t be thinking about my mouth and sexual things.”

He groans and bows his head, his long hair falling into his face. “I’m definitely thinking about it now.”

I know I’m blushing five shades of red, but flirting with him feels good and safe because he’s not a jerk. I sorta like his naughty playful side, and how he’s bringing it o

ut of me, too.

“Let’s change the subject from what I do with my mouth,” I suggest. “So how about you? Any kids?”

“Nope. I love kids, though. And I’m still kinda thinking about your mouth.”

A giggle escapes me before I can stop it. I really shouldn’t be doing anything to provoke him into more flirting. I watch him place his napkin on his lap before he starts to eat, a hint that he was raised with manners.

“You mentioned a brother. Any other siblings?” I take another bite of food off my fork, ignoring the impish glint in his eye as he watches me chew.

“No,” he answers. “At least I don’t think so. I didn’t even know I had a brother until about five years ago.”

“Really?” I ask, my curiosity piqued. “How did that happen?”

He swallows his food. “According to my grandmother, my father is a famous musician and slept around. A lot. He got a few women pregnant and then just dumped them. He did it to my mother and to my brother’s mother. Who knows who else? Anyway, my mom was only eighteen and had a drug problem.” He pushes his hair back away from his face. “She gave me up to her grandparents, and they raised me. She never came back, and I’ve never met my father.”

What a horrible way for a child to start their life. I can’t even imagine leaving my kids for anything, no matter what. “Lukas, I’m so sorry. That’s terrible beyond words. Did you grow up happy?”

He stares across the room for a moment, like he’s pulling up memories from an old album in his mind. “At times, I was happy, yes. My great-grandparents were pretty old and not equipped to have a little kid. My great-grandmother homeschooled me and didn’t let me out much. They raised my mother, too, and she put them through so much they kinda thought that if they kept me safe inside and away from the outside world, I would turn out better and be easier for them to manage.”