Good Girls Don't (Donovan Brothers Brewery 1)

“Thanks.” Luke cleared his throat and tried to catch his mom’s eye, but she’d decided to take that moment to straighten the photos that sat on the nearest end table.

“So,” Luke ventured awkwardly. “Are you in town for work?”

“Yes, there’s a big natural foods convention in town, and I’m working the booth for Good Grains.”

“Cool,” he said before they descended into an awkward silence. He hadn’t seen her since he’d left L.A., and he felt on fire with the strangeness of it.

“Oh, God, come here,” she said suddenly, sliding her arms around his waist.

Stunned, Luke put his arms around her shoulders and returned the hug. She smelled the same, and he couldn’t stop his vicious frown. It felt so damn weird to hold her. Familiar and totally wrong all at once.

His mom mouthed, I’m sorry, from behind Eve’s back.

“You really do look great,” Eve said, giving him one last squeeze. “Your mom told me you’re seeing someone.”

“Tessa?” he said in utter confusion, then realized that his mom knew nothing about Tessa. As a matter of fact, her eyes widened noticeably, but Eve just smiled.

“Is that her name?”

“Uh, sure. Anyway, Mom, I just stopped in to say hi. But you’re busy and I need to get back.”

Eve grabbed his arm. “No, don’t leave because of me. I’ll go.”

“Really, it’s no big deal. I’ve got to go.”

His mom twisted her hands together and gave him a wide smile that wobbled at the edges. “I’ll call you!” she said as he stole out the door.

“You’d better,” he muttered.

His skin burned from the focus of their eyes on him as he walked away. He got into his car without looking back, even though the compulsion was so strong he had to cl

ench his eyes shut as he slid into the car.

Luke pulled away from the curb. He was heading the wrong way, but that was the least of his worries. “Jesus Fucking Christ,” he whispered, shaken to the core, as if someone had just knocked the wind from him.

Eve.

She’d once been his whole life, and their divorce had left him walking through fog for a long time. But now he was realizing he hadn’t seen her face for nearly three years and he’d been…fine. And now that he had seen her? He was still fine. His time in L.A., his marriage…that felt like another life. Like it didn’t have much to do with Luke anymore.

He knew that wasn’t really true. After all, his stomach still hadn’t risen back to its normal place. But he wasn’t the least bit tempted to punch a hole through anything. He wasn’t fuming.

In fact, by the time his mom called ten minutes later, he managed to answer with a clipped, “Hello,” instead of anything less polite.

“Luke, I’m so sorry. I had no idea you’d come by today.”

“So you knew she was coming?”

“I… Yes. You know we still talk.”

“I do.” It bothered the crap out of him, but he’d accepted it. Eve was the daughter his mom had never had, and she hadn’t stopped loving Eve after the divorce. But Luke had been pretty outraged at first. Eve had left him, after all, and he’d thought his mom should’ve been pissed off and protective. Apparently his mom was a better person than he was.

“She’ll only be here one more night.”

“She’s staying at your house?” he barked.

“I’m sorry,” she said again.

Luke sighed and rubbed his neck. “Look, I was just surprised. Okay? It’s no big deal.”