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The moment I heard Luke’s voice, I forgot my prior intentions and turned to face him. My frown curved back into a smile and I wrapped my arms around his waist.
“Thank you so much for my present…and for being there today,” I said, with my cheek pressed against his chest. I closed my eyes and breathed in his familiar scent.
Luke ran his hand down the length of my hair. “You deserve it,” he whispered affectionately.
Someone deliberately cleared their throat from behind and we broke away from each other.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Jake remarked snidely with his arms crossed.
I didn’t wait around for another one of his drunken jealous rants and cut to the chase. “Where were you today, Jake?” I asked, catching him off-guard.
Luke gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze, before quietly retreating back to his bar, leaving us to talk in private.
“Ah shit, sorry, babe. I had a work thing and couldn’t make it in time.” He tried to touch my hair, but I flinched away.
“A work thing? That’s funny, considering you don’t have a job.”
“It was for a job, Nat. I’ve been talking to Mick and he reckons he might be able to get me an apprenticeship.”
I didn’t say a word. I knew Mick, and that meant there was more drinking than business talk going on. Even if it was the middle of the day.
“Well, aren’t you happy for me?” he demanded, clearly annoyed by my silence. He was unbelievable.
“I graduated high school today, Jake,” I reminded him, angrily. “It’s kind of a big deal.”
He rolled his eyes. “This apprenticeship is a big deal. Graduating? Ha! That’s nothing but the beginning of life’s disappointments. But I guess it doesn’t matter to you.”
My eyes narrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Jake shrugged indifferently. “Well, all you have to worry about now is getting married, keeping house, and popping out kids,” he stated with confidence. “It’s easy for you.”
“That’s...that’s not what I had in mind,” I stuttered.
Jake let out a snigger. “What? Do you actually still believe you’re going to be some famous singer someday?” he mocked. He was a mean drunk.
Luke was by my side in an instant, stepping forward to shield me. His shoulders were tense and his arms were crossed, making his biceps look huge. “Alright Jake, you’ve had enough. Why don’t you go home and sleep it off before tonight?”
Jake knew Luke well enough from over the years to take him seriously. “The beer’s shit here anyways,” he uttered and attempted to grab my hand.
I pulled it away in disgust. “I have my own ride.”
Jake glared up at Luke. “I can see that,” he sneered and moved his eyes back to mine. “You just can’t wait to ride him, can you?”
Before I had a chance to slap him, Luke grabbed Jake by his collar and dragged him outside. A few moments later, he stormed back into the pub, still fuming.
“I have no idea what you see in that guy,” he grumbled, grazing my shoulder as he marched past. He returned to his place behind the bar and proceeded to unload the dishwasher. Anything to avoid talking to me.
I fled to my car and waited for Dawn, too humiliated to stay inside. I turned on the stereo, already pre-set to our only radio station, and listened to the song playing. Closing my eyes, I hummed along to the tune to distract myself from the decision that lay ahead.
* * *
That afternoon, I received an apologetic phone call from Jake after he woke from his sobering nap. He blamed his behaviour on stress and denied meaning any of the nasty things he’d said at Easton’s.
I pathetically gave him the benefit of the doubt, just so I had a date for my graduation ball that night. I couldn’t bear the talk around town if I were to turn up alone. Plus, I had bought a beautiful dress I didn’t want to waste. Events like this didn’t come up too often in a country town.
Jake said he would pick me up at 6pm and promised to be on his best behaviour, but I highly doubted his ability to follow through.
* * *
