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“The hell with it,” he muttered under his breath.
Jamie’s face lit up in a huge smile when Luke walked in.
“Good morning,” she called, just as she had every other morning. “How are you doing this morning?”
“I’m doing terrific,” he said. “And you?”
“The best ever. Did you come to be graced by my presence or did you want some coffee?” Jamie asked, teasingly.
“All of the above.”
“Coming right up,” she said.
Luke was relieved that there didn’t seem to be any weirdness between the two of them. He paid for the coffee and leaned over the counter to kiss her cheek.
“I need to be going. I’ll see you later.”
“I hope so,” she replied.
Luke’s mood dipped as soon as he walked into the hardware store. He loved his parents and honored them, but his father could be overbearing. He seemed to have trouble realizing that Luke was a grown man.
Carl started in on Luke as soon as he set his coffee on the counter.
“You’re late.”
“Didn’t know I was on a time schedule. I’m here doing you a favor until I figure out what is next for me.”
Luke wasn’t in the mood to play nice or to coddle his father.
Anger flashed across Carl’s face, and Luke knew that he had hit a nerve. Luke waited for his father to strike back, but he didn’t.
Luke took off his jacket and looked through the delivery schedule that was posted behind the counter. There was nothing on the agenda. Damn. This was going to be a long day.
Dad cleared his throat, and Luke looked up at him.
Here it comes.
“I had a customer in here this morning who said that he saw you out on a date last night.”
“Your customers need to mind their own business,” Luke replied. “Yes, I was on a date last night.”
“Who was she?”
Luke glared at his father before answering. He didn’t care to be interrogated about his private life.
“Her name is Jamie.”
“I don’t know her. She’s not a dragon shifter and you don’t need to be dating her,” Carl said. “At best, she’s a human, and even then she would weaken our blood line.”
Luke growled and said, “I’m a grown man. I’ll date whoever I damn well please. I don’t need your permission or your approval.”
“You dishonor your heritage if you are with anyone besides a dragon shifter.”
“I’m going to say this one time, Dad. Back off.”
Carl pressed his lips together and his face turned bright red. The vein in the side of his neck was pulsating rapidly, and Luke was afraid that his old man was about to have a stroke, but Luke wasn’t going to appease his father in any way.
“I need to go,” Luke said, grabbing his jacket.
