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“Daddy, do you like your job?”He always wore a hard hat, and I wanted to do that job so I could have one.
“Well, peanut, I’m grateful I have a job right now. Some families don’t have a job to provide food for their family, and that would be stressful.” He smiles at me, and I grin right back. Tomorrow is my sixth birthday, and I’m helping Dad frost my cake since mommy had to work.
“Yeah, but how did you know you wanted to work at a power plant? Did you know when you were six?”
He dollops a dot of frosting on my nose. “Actually, I wanted to be a vet when I was younger; even checked out a bunch of colleges for the program.”
“Why didn’t you do that? Taking care of animals would be fun!”
“Yes, it would be! But I met your mother and fell in love. We had goals we wanted to accomplish as a couple, and then you came along. The best gift ever.”
That makes me giggle. “Well maybe you can be a vet now.”
My dad’s chuckle fills the kitchen. “It’s okay for our goals and ambitions to change in life, Peanut. You and your mother bring me an abundance of joy that my life is full, and I don’t miss wanting to be a vet. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll be the one to care for animals.”
The thoughtsof my dad slow along with the car as we approach my apartment building. After spending time at Luka’s, this place is a cardboard box, but I’m still grateful.
Luka puts the car in park and is staring straight ahead. A knot forms in my throat, and I want to say something. I doubt ‘thanks for kidnapping me’ would go over too well now.
Embarrassingly enough, meeting Luka has added a thrilling adventure to my otherwise boring life. It’s an odd understanding, knowing there is a whole world out there, right under our noses in the city we aren’t privy to. It’s probably a good thing, but a wider world view, nonetheless.
The air between us is consumed by awkwardness, and I finally need to break the silence.
“Hopefully my landlord hasn’t evicted me already,” I say. The tone is joking, but underneath I’m terrified. Terrified that I’ll get to my apartment, and there will be an eviction notice posted to my door.
“He hasn’t,” Luka replies. His deep baritone fills the tight quarters of the car, and I sink back into the seat for comfort, grateful to hear his voice.
“You’re not known to be the most optimistic person, but I’ll take it.” I offer him a simple smile, but his face doesn’t change. The melancholy in his features makes my fingers twitch. I cup his face, stubble tickling my wrist, and I swear he leans into my touch.
“I’m sorry about your man today. Best of luck, Luka.”
I wrestle my duffel out from under my feet and fiddle with the door, trying to get out as quickly as possible; unfortunately, I’m stuck. Heat floods my face when Luka reaches across me and pulls the handle to open the door. I give him an embarrassed smile and all but fall out of the car. Rain is still falling, and colder weather is setting in. I blow out a breath and watch it form a fog in front of me.
Throwing my bag over my head, I slosh around the car to the sidewalk, digging around my purse for my keys. I need to get an umbrella.
A warm hand tugs at me and I forget to breathe when Luka drags me to him.
“Your landlord isn’t going to evict you,” he says.
My brow furrows.He got out of the car to tell me this?
“I’m not the best tenant. I’m late on my rent a lot and this time I’ve really gotten behind. It wouldn’t surprise me if he did.” The last few words shiver past my lips. I’m soaked to the bone already.
“Kate—” Luka sighs. He says my name with a raw weight to his voice, creating a vice grip on my heart. An unmistakable undercurrent of adoration lines his face, and my heart flutters. “I bought the building.”
Wait. What?
“Stay here as long as you want, as long as you need. Be the worst tenant for years.” He says, eyes holding mine.
Rain soaks his hair and drops fall down his face. I have no words.
At this moment, I’m struggling to find the man feared by many and challenged by few. A drop stops over his small scar, and I do what I’ve wanted to do for the past month knowing Luka. Going up on my toes and fisting his shirt, I lean in and press my mouth against that captivating scar.
My back pocket buzzes.
Luka’s hooded eyes spark, and a thrill runs through my body, my arms pebbling in the cold rain.
Another vibration in my pocket has me stepping away. I yank the phone out, looking at Luka. “That’s weird. No one has this number yet.”
