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Luke: Any chance you’ll bring me a turkey on rye?
Me: Sure thing, Pine. Be right over.
I say goodbye to a cranky Hector and head over to have lunch with my sexy motorcycle mechanic boyfriend. Betty greets me when I come in the back door, wagging her tail excitedly as I sneak her extra pieces of turkey while we wait for Luke to finish scrubbing the grease from his hands.
When we sit down on his leather couch together, his body language is stiffer than usual.Not angry, but maybe nervous?He’s been a bit on edge since we left the hospital a couple of days ago. He’s never short with me, but it’s evident he has a lot on his mind.
“I want to talk to you about something,” he says.
“Anything.”
Luke runs his fingers through thoroughly mussed black hair, one hand after the other. “Before we talk about this, I need you to know two things.” I nod, encouraging him to continue. “One: I heard you when you said you don’t want to extend your lease. I know you’re excited about Joshua Tree and owning a building, and I’m not trying to guilt you into changing your mind.”
That is not the caveat I was expecting.
“Two: More than anything, I want you to stay. I would give anything I have to make you happy.”Fuck. Why did I tell himNoagain?He got the call about his mom while we were in the middle of that conversation, and we never got to finish it. I open my mouth to make an excuse, but he silences me with a calloused finger to my lips. “You don’t have to say anything yet.” He takes a deep breath. “Mom’s about to lose her house.”
“Oh, fuck,” I whisper.
“Yeah, fuck. House is paid off, but she hasn’t paid her property taxes in years. I found out while we were out there.”
I know he takes care of a lot for his mom, but this is a weight he shouldn’t have to carry.I bite my tongue, wanting to let him talk this out without my opinions influencing him.
“It’s a lot of money, and I have it, but…” his voice trails off, looking through the window atTurbine.
“It’s the money forErnie’s?”
“Yeah.” He nods.
I wait for him to continue, but when it’s still silent after afew moments, I ask, “You know, you don’t have to take care of this for her, right?”
“I know that.”
“But youaregoing to take care of it, aren’t you?”
Luke cocks his head, a knowing smile spreading his lips. “Ernie was her dad, and it’s his money. It’s the only way for him to take care of her anymore.”
“It’s your money now, so if you do this, it’s you taking care of her.”
He furrows his brows. “I guess.”
“You’ve spent a lot of money on her over the years, yes?”
He nods.
“So, maybe if you hadn’t, you wouldn’t have needed your Grandad’s money to do all this?” I wave both hands in the air, indicatingVoyeur Motorsand Station 19.
He nods again.
“You’re a very good man, Luke. It’s admirable how much you love your mom.” He grunts, uncomfortable with the praise. “What does all this have to do with me?”
He reaches down to where Betty lies on the ground by his feet, scratching absently behind her ears. “Ernie’sisn’t happening.”
Fuck, I hate that. It’s not fair. It’s not right.“So you need someone to rent that side?” I ask, my heart fluttering with a mix of excitement about maybe staying and a twinge of anxiety that he’s losing his dream.
“I had another idea, actually.” He stands up. “Wait here. I have something for you.”
He walks back to his office and returns with a thick stack of paperwork. He hands it over, and I flip through, seeing my name, his name, Station 19, and lots of legal jargon. “What am I looking at?”
