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He didn’t blame her for his mother’s sneak attack last night (well, maybe he blamed her some), but after Mom’s grand exit, the conversation between them had quickly grown awkward. She’d moved her things into the spare bedroom and shut the door, lights out by nine. He’d watched TV and thought about going out, but he still hadn’t caught up on his sleep so he’d been in bed by eleven. A few more days of her would be okay, but any longer than that would be intolerable.
He didn’t want to be an asshole and kick her out, but he wanted the privacy to walk around in his own home in his boxers. To stay up all night watching TV and not worry about the noise waking her up. He’d racked his brain trying to think of a way to get out of that damn lease, but all he’d come up with was offering her a free ride at one of those extended stay hotels. Except he was pretty sure she wouldn’t go for that. The nearest one was over half an hour away and it wasn’t on the water. If their situations were reversed, he’d do exactly what she was doing and insist that the lease be honored.
But Blondie and the lease would have to wait. The first thing he needed to do this morning was tell his family about Victoria’s engagement, news he’d been putting off because this was something you didn’t tell your family over the phone. Dad would be okay with it, but to say his mother would be disappointed was the world’s largest understatement.
He’d start by telling his sister. Then maybe, together, the two of them could gently break the news to Mom. He wasn’t above using Mimi’s softer side to help ease his mother into the realization that she wasn’t getting any grandkids from her only son.
He drove by a few nostalgic places. The baseball field at the high school where he’d spent most of his waking hours when he wasn’t in the classroom or out fishing with Gramps, and Burger World and the bowling alley. There was a new community rec center that was in the final stages of construction. From the outside, the new building looked impressive. The sign boasted of an indoor basketball court and an Olympic-sized swimming pool. Great news for the town’s residents, but it was just about all the progress he wanted to see here.
The one thing that made Whispering Bay unique to the rest of the Florida panhandle was its lack of condominiums. With the exception of a few buildings (including his own home), the majority of the coastline was made up of miles of undeveloped, pristine, white sandy beaches and crystal blue water. Driving around in his truck with the windows rolled down as he breathed in the humid, salty air, Luke had to admit he missed his hometown.
And how strange was it that his little sister was now mayor? When she’d called last year to tell him she was running against Bruce Bailey, the city’s long-term incumbent, he’d been proud of her determination. Then she’d won and he’d been even prouder. Mimi had come a long way from that scared seventeen-year-old girl who’d found herself pregnant her senior year in high school.
He walked into the municipal city building and checked in with the receptionist at the front desk, who pointed the way to Mimi’s office, then knocked on the door. “Come in!” He opened the door to find his sister sitting behind a massive desk with one hand on the computer and the other cradling a phone. Her eyes rounded in pleasant surprise.
“Sorry, Pilar, but I have to go. The prodigal son has returned.” She hung up and practically leaped over the desk and into his arms. “Boy, are you a sight for sore eyes!”
He returned her tight hug. “I’ve missed you too, brat.”
She broke from his embrace to inspect him with a critical eye. “You look pretty good for a man who’s about to be sliced and diced by his own mother tonight at dinner.”
“Obviously, you’ve talked to Mom.”
“She was on the phone with me ten minutes after she found you and Sarah playing house together. I’d have called or come by but I was already in bed. It seems like I need at least twelve hours of sleep these days to function.”
He placed a hand over his sister’s small but obviously pregnant belly. “How are you feeling?”
“As long as I get enough rest I feel great, but this isn’t about me, it’s about you. What were you thinking? Sneaking back in town and not telling anyone? Specifically, Mom. And poor Sarah. You must have scared her to death just showing up like that…” Mimi frowned. “Come to think of it, her asking Tom if she could stay at The Bistro makes perfect sense now.”
“She’s going to stay at The Bistro?” Blondie hadn’t told him that was even an option. Maybe his unwanted roommate problem was solved.
“No, she’s not going to stay at The Bistro. The apartment is under major renovation. You don’t want her to get hurt, do you?”
“Of course not.” So, problem not solved. “By the way, it would have been nice to have gotten a heads up that you’d leased out my beach house.”
“And it would have been nice to know you were coming home,” she said, giving it straight back to him. “Since you haven’t been home in over a year I didn’t think it would be a problem.”
Fair enough.
“How are Claire and Cameron?” he asked. “I can’t wait to see them tonight. Or maybe I can swing by the house now?”
“Claire’s working a summer job lifeguarding in Destin and Cameron is at soccer camp all day, so you’re going to have to wait. You won’t believe how big they both are.” Mimi’s eyes suddenly went moist. “Luke, it’s been a year since we’ve seen you. How can that be possible?”
He thought the look on his mother’s face last night was bad enough, but now his little sister (pregnant, no less) was on the verge of crying. He wished he had a good answer for why he hadn’t been home in so long. He could tell her that he’d been working like a fiend, and it would be true, but if he’d really wanted to make a trip home, he could have squeezed it into his schedule. The truth was he’d chosen to spend his rare time off away from his family, not because he didn’t love them, but because… He
shook his head. He really had no clue why.
“I’m sorry. You’re right, of course. I should have come home sooner than this.”
His sister swiped away a tear. “It doesn’t matter. You’re here now. That’s what counts. How long are you going to stay?”
“A few weeks. Maybe even a month.”
“What?” She playfully slapped him on the shoulder. “That’s awesome! Why didn’t you say so? Wait,” she said, suddenly realizing the predicament she’d put him in. “If you’re going to be here for that long then where’s Sarah going to stay?”
“Exactly.”
Mimi made a pained face. “Sorry, bro.”
