“Is that your therapist or mine talking?” I joked. The mood out here had gotten too serious for my liking.
“Hard to tell lately, but that doesn’t make it not true.” He passed me a bottled water before sitting by Rocky beneath the tree and scratching him behind his ears.
“You’re right.” I sighed.
“Let’s go get coffee. That’s what I came out here for.” He chuckled.
“Good idea.” Lily’s sister, Violet, owned the only coffee shop worth going to in town. If I got lucky, maybe I’d run into Lily there. Last time I spoke to Violet, she had mentioned hiring Lily for the summer.
“Call Jed, have him meet us.”
“The old man texts now. I taught him how to use his smart phone. The memes are endless.”
He huffed a laugh. “Let’s go.”
I shot Pops a text, Liam woke Rocky, then we took off. Liam drove, just like he always had when we were deployed.
“Pops is busy. Just you and me this time.”
He nodded his answer as he took us out of the mountains and down into town. I lowered the window in back for Rocky and cranked the air conditioner up high for me and Liam. It was an unusually hot summer day in Sweetbriar and, since returning from Afghanistan, we were all about creature comforts. Air conditioning, warm blankets, endless hot showers, and sleeping in. Don’t get me started on hot coffee and good food. Violet got my business more than once a day, and I’ll leave it at that.
We also set our own hours at my father’s—well, nowmycompany, McCabe Construction. Dad had built it to unbelievable levels while I was gone. I’d inherited enough money that I never had to work again if I chose not to. But I couldn’t sell the business and leave his employees jobless. Plus, I needed something to do, so I stayed and gave them all raises, just to spite my father’s cheap ass ghost in case it was lurking around somewhere, still disapproving of my choices.
He pulled into Violet’s parking lot and cut the engine.
“There’s my guys!” Violet greeted us from her perch behind the counter. She was older than me by a few years and I’d known her my whole life. She’d always been like an older sister to me. “The usual?”
“Please,” Liam affirmed with a huge smile while I hung back and nodded. It was after lunchtime, and her shop was always slower this time of day. We practically had the place to ourselves. She turned her back to prepare our orders and I contemplated how to get her to start talking about Lily without having to ask.
She slid our coffees and a plate of scones across the counter. “Lily won’t be in town until tomorrow. She was up all night with Calla. The poor little thing is cutting a tooth.” Calla was Lily’s baby, about six months old.
“Thanks, Violet.” Liam paid for our orders and headed to the sofa in the back corner of the shop. I let Rocky follow him.
I took my drink with a sheepish smile. “Uh, I was going?—”
She reached out and patted my arm with a knowing grin on her face. “And now you don’t have to ask me about her. You’re welcome.”
“Thank you, Vi. You’ve made this easy on me, and I appreciate it.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re finally home. You and Lily belong together. You always have.”
“I didn’t realize how much I missed her in my life until I got back and got my head on straight. She’s essential—I can’t be myself without her.”
Her eyes melted as she gave me a smile. “I love the way you talk about her.”
I pressed my lips together and studied my shoes, embarrassed. What if Lily wouldn’t talk to me? I’d end up a lovesick idiot with his unrequited feelings on display for an entire town to ridicule.
“Hey, it’s okay.” Her smile grew sympathetic. “Your face shows your love, Luke. It’s in your body language and the words you choose when you talk about her. You have always loved her, ever since you were little kids. Once she sees you and hears you out, that simple fact will sink in.”
“I hope you’re right. But I’m not going to rush anything.We started off as friends, and I have to be okay with it if that’s all she wants.”
“I know. But if ever any two people belonged together, it’s the two of you.”
“Well, I can’t imagine not having her back in my life. She’s been in my heart forever, Violet. I never let her go.”
“None of us let you go either. You’re part of the family, Luke.”
Violet gave me a nod and turned around to tidy behind the counter. I joined Liam and kept trying to come up with a way to get close to Lily again.
