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“Best kiss ever.” He smiled and then took my hand and ran it down his chest. He was pushing his luck, and he knew it. I went along with it and even got in on the fun.
“One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. I count eight abs. Hard tight abs,” I giggled. He started to lower my hand, and I realized what his intentions were when his other hand covered his crotch and he wiggled his hips.
“If her hand goes any lower, I will stop this truck and beat the shit out of you, friend or not.” Luke said without looking over at us. I started laughing and turned back to Luke. He side-eyed me and then put his hand back on my thigh, giving it a squeeze.
They had been distracting me from the upcoming dinner. Maybe I hadn't realized it then, but I was glad for it. Usually, I was knotted up before I even made it the restaurant. Luke parked the truck and then slid out, reaching out a hand to me. He helped me out of the truck and took my hand before closing the door behind me. My nerves were getting the best of me, but somehow, he kept me anchored. Ryan pulled the door open to the restaurant, and we walked inside. I saw my mother sitting on a bench beside the podium and walked over to her.
“Hey, Mom,” I said. She looked up from her phone and smiled at me, standing and wrapping her arms around me. When she released me, she smiled and looked over my shoulder at the two large men standing behind me.
“Mom, this is Luke and Ryan.” I turned so they could step closer.
“Hi boys, it's nice to meet you.”
I smiled at her calling them boys. It was very obvious they weren't boys.
“Ryan is my landlord, I suppose. And Luke is my neighbor and...” I paused, looking at Luke not sure how to continue.
Ryan butted in and finished for me.
“Her boyfriend.” Ryan took my mom’s outstretched hand and shook it before winking at me.
“Boyfriend?” Her hand went to her chest.
“Yes,” I answered.
“Well, it is nice to meet you both. I didn't realize you were bringing your boyfriend.” She looked over at me, eyes wide.
“It was kind of last minute. They were competing today, and I went out to watch.” Ryan was talking to the girl at the podium; flirting would be a more accurate statement.
“Is that the same thing Chris was doing today?”
I should have known she would mention Chris. She knew him fairly well, and I felt Luke’s hand tighten on mine.
“Yeah, I guess.” I said steering the conversation away from Chris.
“Table will be ready in just a minute. They are cleaning it now,” Ryan said as he walked back over to where the three of us were standing.
After we were seated and the waiter got our drink order, Mom asked, “Have you talked to your father lately?”
It was the dreaded question, and I hated even
talking about him because it always seemed to end with us mad at each other.
“Not recently.” I shrugged.
“That's a shame.” She was digging for information on my Dad’s new girlfriend. I didn't go out of my way to see him, and she knew that. His new girlfriend was just a few years older than me, and it made me uncomfortable. I had only met her a couple of times, and she was always trying to be my friend, talking about boys and work.
“What do you do for a living, Luke?” She turned her attention to the man sitting beside me.
“I make furniture.”
“What kind of furniture?” Luke started talking about his work, and I watched as his face lit up.
“Custom pieces. I take old or scrap pieces of wood and repurpose them. Bring them to life.”
“So you live near Emmy?”
“Next door actually.” He smiled at me.
