Nick wiped water off his shirt. “Thanks for the shower, but I had one earlier.”
“Sorry about that, but you can’t just spring something like that on me without expecting a reaction.” Luke reached for a paper towel and began wiping up the water. “I’ve only been in town for a few days and I’ve barely seen anyone. How is my name even out there?”
Nick shrugged. “Word of mouth, I guess. You strutted out onto that gymnasium floor and wowed all those teachers. And they must have spread the word about you around town.” Nick placed his hand over his mouth in a gesture that did nothing to hide his grin.
“I didn’t strut,” Luke said through gritted teeth. “I’ve never strutted in my life.”
Nick smirked. “Well, you clearly made an impression. My cell phone has been ringing off the hook ever since yesterday. Everyone wants me to fix them up with you.” He shook his head. “I feel so used.” His brother’s twinkling eyes belied his comment. Nick appeared to find the situation comical.
Luke felt his eyes going wide. “You’re getting requests?” Maybe Nick was playing a prank on him. Before Kara’s passing, Nick had been the biggest joker out there. These days he was a bit more somber, so it was nice seeing him smile even if it was at Luke’s expense.
Nick nodded. “It’s no joke. More than a dozen at the moment, but who’s counting? They all want to go out with you. Coffee meetups. Dinner invitations. Picnic on the beach. Movie nights at Casablanca’s. It’s all on the table.”
Luke shook his head in disbelief and reached for one of the apples sitting in a large bowl on the kitchen table. He took a huge bite out of it. A dozen women wanting to get with him? He wasn’t being humble, but it baffled him. His whole life he’d been given his fair share of female attention, but nothing like this. Nick began rattling off names, some that he was familiar with from his school days. One was even a girl he’d dated back in high school. Regina Dawkins. She’d done everything in her power to get him to marry her before he went off to the US Naval Academy in Annapolis. He had no desire to revisit their relationship. Just the thought of it made him shudder.
“What about you? Why aren’t you being chased by the single women in Mistletoe?” Luke asked his brother. “Everybody loves you.” With Nick’s sweet personality, he’d always been beloved. Someone like him shouldn’t go through life alone. Kara was too special to ever be replaced, but he wanted his brother to find love again. This home needed a woman’s touch, especially for Miles.
Nick quirked his mouth. “I’m the heartbroken widower. No one wants to push me into anything romantic before I’m ready. And trust me, I’m not. But I’d like to find love again someday. Just not now.”
Luke’s guilt rose up leaving him breathless. Up until now he’d been overseas focusing on his military career. He’d been MIA during some of his family’s lowest moments. With the exception of the funeral, he hadn’t been around to hold his brother and nephew up as they mourned their huge loss. If it was possible, he intended to make up for it now that he was home. But he drew the line at going out on dates with the single women in town as a way to make Nick happy. Luke knew his brother would love nothing better than to see Luke settle down with someone in their hometown.
Nope. It wasn’t happening. Not in a million years. Being in Mistletoe was about settling into a new life. Now he could finally meet with the families of his SEAL team buddies who’d died in the explosion. Luke owed them a face-to-face. Being back in Mistletoe was about saying goodbye to the demands of being in the military and getting his body back in the condition it had been in before the IED explosion. He was no longer fit for duty as a SEAL, but he wasn’t useless.
“Honestly, I’m not really interested,” he admitted, bracing for his brother’s response.
Nick’s lips twisted. “Are you serious? You’re turning down the chance to date some of Mistletoe’s finest ladies?” Nick was staring at him with disbelief. “I remember the days when you would have jumped at an opportunity like this. What’s up with that?”
“I don’t really…date.” Luke forced the admission out of his mouth. Saying it out loud made it all too real. And he knew it must sound strange to Nick.
Nick snorted. “What does that even mean? You’re single. And pretty good-looking according to the ladies. Even back in high school you had them wrapped around your finger. Frankly, I don’t see the appeal,” he teased, his handsome face lit up with a grin. “But there’s no accounting for taste.” He waited a beat then asked, “When was the last time you were coupled up with someone?”
Luke nodded. “Not in a while.” Not since Allison. They’d met during one of his deployments when he had headed to Hawaii for some rest and relaxation. Maintaining a relationship while employed as a Navy SEAL had been near impossible due to the demands of his profession. He’d never told Luke the details about the way their relationship had ended. He hadn’t wanted his little brother to think badly of him for breaking her heart. That situation had revealed so much to him about himself. He wasn’t a good partner, and he didn’t think he ever would be.
“It’s not like I could actively pursue a relationship while deployed,” Luke explained. “Things get way too intense for me to be able to dedicate myself to another person. Or keep up a long-distance relationship.”
“I get that,” Nick said, taking a swig of water. “It’s not exactly conducive to a steady partnership.”
“I’m not proud to admit it, but in the past few years it’s been more hookups than anything of substance,” Luke confessed. His brother had always been easy to talk to. When they were growing up, they’d shared secrets in the quiet hours after lights were out in their bedroom. Both had kept those sacred words in confidence, never telling them to another soul. It wouldn’t be any different now.
Nick nodded. “I get it. But, word to the wise, it’s definitely not smart to be hooking up with a bunch of women in a small town like Mistletoe. I’m sure you remember how fast gossip spreads around town. I’d hate to see you caught up in the rumor mill.” Nick sent him a warning look.
“No thank you. I’ll pass on all that.” Luke shuddered. “From what you told me, Dante and Lucy were in the thick of it last Christmas. It sounded like the whole town was in their business.”
“Yeah,” Nick said with a chuckle. “But look how that ended. He put a ring on it.”
Luke let out a low whistle. “Good for them, but I have no intention of getting hitched any time soon. I don’t even see myself being in a relationship.”
“Keep an open mind, Luke. Now might be the time to connect with someone in a meaningful way. And if you end up planting permanent roots here, you might just find yourself wanting to settle down.”
He moaned. “I’m not good at making connections. You know some of what happened in my last relationship. Things got really complicated.” Heat suffused his face. In a perfect world he would be friends with his exes, but it never worked out that way for him. His profession hadn’t allowed him to be present in relationships, and when things went south there were always bad feelings.
Nick held up his hands. “I’m not pressuring you. I just wanted to give you a heads-up about your name coming up as Mistletoe’s most in-demand bachelor.”
Luke winced and placed his hand over his chest. “You make it sound so stressful. No pressure.”
Nick locked eyes with Luke from across the table. “If I haven’t said it a hundred times already, I’m really happy to have you back.”
“Glad to be here, bro,” Luke answered. “Thanks for welcoming me with open arms.” And he meant it. He hadn’t had a home in quite some time. Mistletoe was a soft place to fall. And he needed one now more than ever. He’d made the mistake of believing that the Navy SEALs were his family, until it had all fallen apart and he’d been forced to realize that he was damaged goods. The last thing he needed was to be booed up with someone who dreamed about white picket fences and a house full of kids. He wasn’t the settling-down type. A host of failed romances had driven home the point.
