I study him carefully. He thinks on it for a second before nodding slowly. “Yeah, that’s it. I’m just nervous.”
“You know, if you’re not ready yet, that’s okay. No one will blame you.”
Luca doesn’t answer right away; instead, he pulls down two mugs from the cabinet, making first my coffee and then his. After he passes my mug to me, he looks at me. “I know. But I’m ready. I can do this.”
“Of course you can do this.” That was never even a thought in my mind. “But if you’re not ready yet…”
He shakes his head, then takes a small sip of his coffee, closing his eyes as he does. “I’m ready. Let me get breakfast done so I can get dressed.” Setting his coffee mug on the counter, he leans down to get a pan from the lower cabinet. “Wait.” He pauses, glancing up atme. “You can drive me, right? I didn’t even think about that.”
“Take the truck.” It’s not like I have any plans to go anywhere. Might be nice to hang out with Jasper and grab a beer, but he can always come pick me up.
Luca studies me for a second before standing. “Are you sure?”
I nod. “Of course.”
He hits me with a blinding smile, then starts cooking breakfast.
WhenJasperpullsupa few hours after Luca leaves, I know the bar is the last place I want to be.
He rolls down the passenger window and waves at me. He’s attractive in a rugged sort of way—built like a brick shithouse and prematurely graying. You’d think it would make him look older, but it doesn’t.
“Hey, can we go get lunch instead?” I ask, opening the door and climbing in.
Jasper shoots me a curious look. “I guess. Doesn’t matter much to me. Where?”
God, I hope I don’t piss Luca off. “Daisy’s.”
“Sure.” Jasper chuckles a bit. “Not doing well on his first day of work?”
It’s not that. He told me when he made it there and when he went on his first break. He’s fine. Probably. But I can’t stop worrying. I’m almost making myself sick with it, which is ridiculous because he’s with my mom at the diner he basically grew up in. He’s fine. But Ican’t help it that I want to check in on him. “I think he’s alright. I just…”
Jasper hums. “You’re not.”
“Not what?” I ask, turning my head to face him.
The way he rolls his eyes should annoy me, but it doesn’t. “You’re not alright. That’s fine. We can go. As long as you think I can sweet-talk your ma into whipping me up some of that fried catfish she makes.”
“I’m sure she’ll do that. I mean… it is a menu item.”
With a chuckle and a shake of his head, Jasper backs up, then heads toward the main road. I have no idea why I’m so worried about Luca. I never worried like this before. But I guess I’ve also never seen him bloody and bruised at the hands of someone else before. It’s not that I think he needs me. I don’t. He’s always been far more strong-willed than I am.
I think it’s actually that I’ve started to need him… Somewhere between not having Luca for years and now having him in my space and in my bed and just… back in my life again, something’s changed. He’s always been around in my mind, of course, but now it feels different, and I’m not really sure what to make of that.
“Earth to Austin.”
“What?” I whip my head around to stare at Jasper. He glances at me, then back to the road.
“I asked if you thought Luca would enjoy some self-defense training.”
Oh. “Maybe? We can ask him when we get there.”
“Well, lucky you,” Jasper snorts, pulling into the parking lot at Daisy’s.
Good Lord, how in my own head was I? Jasper parks next to my truck and glances at me, rubbing his stomach. “I’m starving. Can’twait to have a belly full of catfish.”
We get out of the truck and walk in the front door. I’m already searching for Luca. It’s like some part of me is attuned to him because it doesn’t take me long to find him. He’s standing next to the food counter, a smile on his face as he peers through it and into the kitchen.
He’s smiling. Relief washes through me. I’m not sure I realized just how much I was worried until I saw that smile.
