Nick’s comment piqued Luke’s interest. Search and rescue was a profession he could see himself acclimating to very well. He’d performed numerous search and rescue operations while deployed, and he was certified in CPR. “That would be amazing if I met the qualifications.” Being part of a search and rescue team would be exciting and impactful—just what he was looking for. But he wasn’t going to even let himself get excited about the possibility of working with Nick. It sounded too good to be true.
Nick grinned. “I don’t think that will be a problem given your SEAL training in search and rescue. I’ll put in a good word with my boss and give her your contact information. You can take it from there if you’re really interested.”
“That’s awesome, bro. Thanks for always having my back,” Luke said, bumping fists with Nick.
“Just like you always have mine,” Nick responded.
So now here he was, hanging out with the coolest nephew on planet Earth. Rather than do the cooking honors himself, Luke had suggested to Miles that they grab a meal in town. Miles’s reaction had been epic. Luke wasn’t sure he’d ever seen his nephew ditch his pajamas and get dressed so fast.
Walking down Main Street with Miles at his side was as idyllic as it got. The quaint shops and the cobblestone sidewalks were distinctively New England. He’d promised to take his nephew to the toy store, which was a mind-blowing experience with a million and one things to choose from. In the end, Miles picked a vibrant yellow-and-orange kite. Now that he’d fulfilled that promise to Miles, they were off to get breakfast at the Starlight Diner. Luke’s stomach grumbled in anticipation of the elaborate breakfast he planned to order. Blueberry pancakes with sausage, home fries, and eggs. With a serving of grits on the side.
“I love the kite, Uncle Luke,” Miles said, beaming up at him. His nephew looked so much like Nick that it caused a squeezing sensation in his chest. It brought him straight back to childhood when his younger brother hung on his every word.Those were the days.Life was much simpler back then.
“It’s pretty cool, Miles. You’ve got good taste,” Luke said, giving him a thumbs-up sign. “Later on we can head to Blackberry Beach to try it out.” Maybe he’d catch a glimpse of Stella with Coco Chanel while they were there. The thought of her scurrying after her feisty poodle on the beach made him smile. If he wasn’t at such a difficult crossroads in his life, Luke would love to get to know her better. Just knowing how badly her ex had wounded her made him extra leery of starting anything with her he couldn’t finish. And if his romantic history had taught him anything at all it was that he wasn’t in it for the long haul. His ex had been right.
He hadn’t slept well last night. A nightmare had woken him up at two a.m., making it impossible for him to go back to sleep. As usual, it had been about the ambush and the two men he’d lost.
Kenneth Smith and Aaron Baldini. They hadn’t just been his SEAL team members. They had been members of a tight-knit band of brothers. Family. Bound by their duties to serve and protect. Tethered by shared experiences and devotion to their country. The dream was always the same. Luke figured out that his team was in trouble—unlike in real life—and he attempted to abort the mission. It always ended in blood and fire and screams of anguish, and he awoke crying out in pain. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what it meant—he was wrapped up in guilt.
Some days he wasn’t sure he would ever see the light again, but being with Miles felt like pure sunshine. There was something about being in his presence that made Luke feel hopeful. After all he’d been through, the kid was still a champ.
“Here we are, kiddo,” Luke said as they arrived at the diner. The brick-and-white façade welcomed Luke like an old friend. How many times had he hung out at the diner after football practice with his group of friends? Nick and Kara had always been joined at the hip, along with Dante and Lucy, who’d gone from best friends to coupled up. He’d gone from girl to girl, never establishing anything solid with any of them. Not much had changed in that regard. He was still a lone wolf.
The Starlight Diner hadn’t changed much either. It still had the same old-fashioned vibe. Truth be told, the sign by the roof looked as if it hadn’t been updated at all.If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.That had been his grandfather’s credo. It made Luke chuckle to recall his wise, ornery, and occasionally salty Grand Pop. Wilbur Keegan had been a pragmatic man. After serving his country as one of the Tuskegee Airmen, he’d headed to Maine to forge a future for himself with his new bride. For close to forty years Wilbur had worked as a carpenter, and despite the fact that they were the first African Americans to settle down in Mistletoe, the couple was embraced with open arms by the community.
As soon as Luke and Miles stepped inside the diner, one of the waitresses told them to take a seat wherever they liked. They sat down across from each other and studied the menu. Within seconds, Luke felt someone hovering over him. When he looked up, Saffron Jones was grinning at him. He wanted to let out an exasperated groan. Saffron was one of the women who’d been bugging Nick to set them up on a date. Luke hadn’t seen Saffron since their senior prom. She’d been his date and they’d been crowned prom king and queen. Judging by some of her messages, she was keen to pick up where they’d left off.
“Luke! Where have you been hiding? Back in the day you were the one chasing me.” Saffron’s perfect white teeth and polished appearance hadn’t changed a bit. She was still a looker. But there was something about her intense gaze that he found slightly alarming. It felt like she had him in her crosshairs.
“Hey, Saffron. I’ve been hanging out with my nephew and Nick since I’ve been back. Just enjoying what Mistletoe has to offer,” he said, trying to keep things casual. “Do you know Miles?” he asked, desperate to change the subject.
Saffron bent over and tweaked Miles’s cheek, causing him to grimace. “Of course I do. It’s nice to see you, Miles. If you’re not just the spitting image of your daddy,” she gushed.
“Hi,” Miles muttered, barely making eye contact with Saffron. Luke knew he was annoyed at the face pinching, and he couldn’t really blame him. As a kid, he’d hated being randomly touched by adults.
“Well, I just wanted to pop over and say hello. And to give you this.” She reached into her shirt and pulled out a small piece of paper folded into a tiny portion. She placed it down on the table and slid it toward him. She winked at him and said, “Call me, Luke. We can catch up on old times.” He didn’t even have a chance to respond before she began sashaying back to her table. He didn’t think he was imagining the extra sway of her hips.
“I think she likes you,” Miles said. “She was making all those funny faces and batting her eyelashes at you.”
“Among other things,” Luke mumbled. Maybe he was looking at this all wrong. Perhaps he should just give in and take someone like Saffron out. But then what? She’d get all possessive and angsty like she’d done back in the day. He didn’t have time for that type of entanglement. Luke grimaced as he remembered how crazy things had gotten when she found out he was enlisting. She’d had a full-fledged meltdown that was permanently etched in his memory bank.
“Do you have any change, Uncle Luke?” Miles asked. “I wanna pick a song while we wait.” With his short-cropped ’fro and gap-toothed grin, he really was a doppelganger for Nick when he was eight.
Luke reached into his jeans pockets and fished around. He let out a sound of triumph as he pulled out a bunch of coins and placed them on the table. “Here you go. This should get you a few songs.”
Miles’s face lit up as he scooted over and turned the dial on the jukebox. “Whoa. These songs are old. I don’t know any of ’em.”
“Hey, these are classics. You need to know these tunes because they’re never going out of style.” Luke let out an excited sound. “‘Purple Rain.’ Who doesn’t love that song?” Luke grabbed a quarter from the table and placed it in the slot, then plugged in the numbers for the song. As soon as the music began to play Luke closed his eyes and strummed an imaginary guitar. “Purple Rain. Purple Rain,” he belted.
Miles groaned and covered his face with his hands. “Uncle Luke! Stop. You’re killing me. People are staring.” He began to giggle uncontrollably. Luke chuckled along with him until their laughter became giddy.
“I see your summer vacation is off to a great start.”
The familiar-sounding voice served as a jolt to Luke’s system. When he swung his gaze up, Stella was standing by their table smiling down at Miles. Dressed in a sky-blue sleeveless dress, she looked sensational. It was sort of funny how he’d spent most of the morning thinking about her and now she’d showed up at the diner.
“Miss Marshall.” Miles jumped up from his seat and threw himself against Stella’s chest. She seemed completely overwhelmed by the gesture. Luke watched as a huge grin broke out on her face. Her head was thrown back in laugher, revealing a beautiful and graceful neck. She had a regal look about her—sleek and classy. Maybe it would be a stretch for people to think they were a couple, he thought. He was all rough edges and not a hint of elegance.
“Easy there, Miles,” Luke cautioned. “If you’re not careful you might knock her off her feet.”
