Starting Over at Blueberry Creek--Includes a bonus novella, page 18
“She’s gone back to that punch bowl several times. Must be good punch,” Halona said before gasping softly. She covered her mouth with one hand. “Oh no.”
Brenna glanced over. “What?”
“Janice Murphy is here tonight, right?”
Brenna nodded. “I think so. Why?”
“Janice Murphy,” Halona said again. “Alex had to threaten jail time last summer because she spiked the beverage at an event, and it wasn’t the first time either. For some reason, she likes to add her own not-so-secret ingredient at these social gatherings.”
“You think she spiked the punch at Mayor Everson’s charity event? She wouldn’t do that, would she?” Brenna asked in growing horror.
Halona shrugged. “Mrs. Everson is tipsy for sure. I mean, look at her. She’s dancing in place and there’s not even any music playing.”
Brenna watched Mrs. Everson shake her hips as her son delivered a speech. “No, no, no. This is a disaster.” Brenna sprinted over to the mayor’s mother. “Mrs. Everson?” she said, stepping up beside the older woman. “How are you doing? Everything okay?”
Mrs. Everson offered up a delightful smile, so much more sincere than the one she’d had for Nate earlier. “Oh yes, sweetheart. This is the best event you’ve ever done for us. Everything is wonderful. Just perfect.”
Yep. Mrs. Everson was definitely drinking spiked punch. Hopefully, no one else had gotten a good taste of it yet or Brenna would have a lot of explaining to do.
* * *
Four hours later, after serving, cleaning, and packing up her supplies, Brenna breathed a sigh of relief as she pulled into her driveway and cut the engine. Mayor Everson’s charity event had been a success, despite having to pour the punch down the drain and having Chief of Police Alex Baker threaten Janice Murphy with jail time again. Brenna also had to sober Mrs. Everson up without the mayor’s mother even realizing that she was halfway intoxicated.
Thankfully, Nate and Chris were able to convince Mrs. Everson that she looked far too tired to drive, and they’d gotten her to agree to let a friend take her home. Overall, it was an eventful but successful night.
Brenna glanced next door. The lights were still on at Luke’s, even though it was past midnight. She got out of her car and started to head inside her house but Luke’s voice called out to her.
“You’re home late,” he said from his back deck.
She headed in his direction, petting Max’s head when he ran up to greet her. “Tonight was Mayor Everson’s Mentor Match charity event. I can’t believe he didn’t rope you into going.”
Luke’s chuckle carried on the night air, and she was drawn to it just like Janice Murphy was to her petty crimes. “He asked but I have my hands full with the station right now. Plus, I did it in the pilot round.”
“I’m surprised he asked someone who was new in town,” Brenna said as she approached.
“Chief Brewer volunteered me. He wanted someone from the SSFD to be involved but he didn’t want to do it himself. He said he was too old to be chasing kids.”
Brenna laughed as she climbed his deck steps. “Stargazing again?” she asked.
He pulled his gaze from the dark sky and looked at her. “Waiting for you, actually.”
Warm tingles traveled up her body from her toes to her racing heart, which skipped like a rock across Blueberry Creek. “Why are you waiting for me?”
He gestured to the chair next to his. “Thought you might want a nightcap. Unless you’re too tired.”
“I’m exhausted,” she said, plopping down in the chair beside him anyway. “But a nightcap sounds lovely.”
He reached for a bottle on the deck table and poured them both a glass, pushing one toward her. “How was the event?”
“Good. There was a lot of interest in the program, a lot of donations, and Mayor Everson’s mom got drunk and started dancing in the corner of the banquet room.”
Luke nearly choked on a sip of his drink. He coughed as he set his glass down and lifted a subtle brow at her. “That sounds like an interesting story.”
“Don’t tell anyone. It’s a secret. Mrs. Everson doesn’t even know she was drunk so let’s keep it between us.”
“We’re sharing secrets now?” he asked. “Things must be getting pretty serious.”
Brenna knew he was just joking but some part of it felt true. Her feelings were plunging deeper every moment she spent with him. “I’ve done serious before,” she said. “I’m not up for doing it again right now. Someday, maybe.”
Luke reached for her hand, the touch as arousing as it was soothing. “Granger told me you were engaged at one point.”
Brenna swallowed. “Gossip never dies in Sweetwater Springs.”
“Your fiancé left because of Eve?”
Brenna laughed dryly. “Oh, that’s the story you got. That’s the one most people around here have heard but I don’t think it was that simple.” She tipped her face up to the night sky, imagining that one star was winking back at her. “The real version is that he left because he didn’t love me enough to stay. When I moved back to Sweetwater Springs, he stayed behind for his job. We did the long-distance thing for a while but he became frustrated. He said I wasn’t there for him and he needed more.”
“The guy sounds like a jerk,” Luke said.
Brenna slid her gaze over. “The funny thing is he wasn’t. He was a nice guy. Smart, funny, good-looking. Mr. Perfect. He just wasn’t my Mr. Perfect.”
“Do you wish he’d stayed?” Luke asked.
“No,” she said quickly. “I’ve asked myself that question enough times to know that answer. If he would’ve stayed, I don’t think we would’ve been happy. Looking back, we weren’t really happy together in the first place. We were just comfortable, and I guess when Eve fell into my lap…well, he became less comfortable.”
Brenna looked out into the darkness. It was a beautiful night. Not one to waste on past regrets. It was a night to focus on the here and now.
“So, no plans to run away and get married anytime soon?” Luke asked, his tone casual.
She took a sip from her glass. She’d wanted a glass of wine at the charity banquet but she didn’t allow herself or her team to drink on the job. Now she savored the bittersweet taste of the wine on her tongue. “My plan for the time being is to finish college and get a job at a school somewhere. Hopefully back here.” She glanced over at him, some part of her hoping he would still be here when she came home. She knew better than to think he’d wait for her but maybe another woman wouldn’t come along and catch his interest.
Luke lifted his glass once more and took a healthy sip. “You don’t need to know everything up front. All you need to know is what you want in the moment.” He leaned toward her, pinning her with his gaze. “So what is it you want in this moment, Brenna?”
“You,” she said simply.
His gaze narrowed. “You want me to do what? I don’t want to misunderstand anything.”
She reached for his glass and set it on the table. “I’m pretty sure you’re not misunderstanding.”
“I thought we were taking things slow.”
“We were,” she said. “Past tense. Unless, of course, you have objections.” She watched his throat constrict as he swallowed.
“No objections here. You’re the one setting the pace.” He continued to watch her. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure,” she said, before kissing his mouth, her body revving from zero to sixty in half a heartbeat.
“Next question,” he said. “My place or yours?”
Chapter Eighteen
Luke clung to sleep until he felt the sensation of skin brushing over his. He opened his eyes and found Brenna lying on the opposite side of the bed watching him.
“This is a nice way to wake up,” he whispered, the sound of his voice still raspy from sleep. He lifted an arm and ran his hand along her bare side, unable to resist touching her.
“I’ve been awake for an hour already. I didn’t want to wake you.”
“So you’ve just been staring at me?” he asked.
She shook her head shyly. “No, I’ve been mostly lying here thinking. And I texted Nate to make sure he was going to open the shop.”
“All that while I was asleep?” He trailed his index finger over the curve of her hip. “What were you thinking about?”
“This.” She snuggled in and brushed a kiss against his lips.
“Funny, I was thinking about the same thing. I wish I could stay under these covers with you all day but I have to get to the station.”
She pulled back and frowned. “But it’s Sunday.”
“I have to go check on some things but after that I was planning on driving to Whispering Pines to have lunch with my family. Mom usually makes a meal after church.”
Brenna propped her body up on one elbow. “That sounds nice.”
“It’d be nicer if you came along. You’ve never tasted Italian food like my mom makes. And she always makes too much.” Luke had no idea what he was doing right now. Taking a woman home to meet his parents was serious, and the exact opposite of what he was trying to do with Brenna. He couldn’t stand the thought of not being with her on his day off though. “They don’t bite—I promise.”
Brenna looked completely taken aback. “You want me to meet your parents?”
“It’s not a big deal,” he clarified.
Disappointment flashed in her honey-colored eyes.
“I mean, I guess it is but don’t let it scare you off. All I know is that I want to spend the day with you. What do you say?”
“I say I want to spend the day with you too. And authentic Italian food is too good to pass up.”
He kissed her, lingering longer every time their lips met. If he didn’t pull away now, he’d never leave this bed. “I’ll be back in a couple hours.”
“I’ll be ready and waiting,” she said with an easy smile. Her hair was rumpled from the bed they’d shared. She wore no makeup, and she’d never looked more gorgeous in his eyes.
His mom was going to flip when he showed up with a woman for Sunday lunch. She was also going to fall in love with Brenna immediately; he had no doubt in his mind about that. They both had similar personalities. His mom, like Brenna, was completely self-sacrificing, especially when it came to her children. Also like Brenna, she was one of the most giving women he knew.
Luke had thought dating another neighbor was a bad idea because he’d never get any space and might feel suffocated. But the challenge with living next door to Brenna was that he couldn’t seem to stay away. He could see her anytime he wanted, and that seemed to be all the time.
* * *
Nerves wound tightly around Brenna’s abdomen like a bride’s corset, making it hard to take a deep breath as they drew closer to Luke’s parents’ house.
He looked over and reached for her hand as he drove. “Relax.”
“I’ve never been good at meeting the parents,” she said, turning to look out the window. Whispering Pines was a scenic mountain town much like Sweetwater Springs but it was better known for its ski lifts than its scenic and touristy locales.
“Have you gone home with dates to meet the parents a lot?” Luke asked.
“No. Just with my ex-fiancé. I grew close to his parents. Thought of them as my second family.” She turned and looked across the seat at Luke. “Give me a fallback subject.”
“A what?”
“A topic that, if I have nothing to say, I can bring up and your mom will take the bait and do all the talking.”
Luke chuckled. “This is where you two will get along famously. She loves to cook. Get her talking about food, and she’ll never stop.”
And that was where everybody was wrong about Brenna. She didn’t exactly love to cook; she was just good at it. That was a secret she told no one. What caterer didn’t enjoy preparing food?
Luke turned his truck onto a narrow road and drove slowly past a string of houses guarded by greenery. Then he turned into the driveway of a small ranch-style home with wood siding. “This is it.”
“This is the home where you grew up?” she asked without thinking.
“For half of my childhood at least.”
Her mind filled in the blanks. The half of his childhood after his family’s home burned down. She closed her eyes briefly until she felt his hand reach over and cover hers. “Relax,” he said again. “It’s just food with people who don’t know you yet. But give them an hour and they’ll love you.”
Brenna sucked in a deep breath. “Okay. Food and people. That’s what I do all day every day. Piece of cake.”
Luke got out of the truck and went around to open the passenger-side door. Then they walked up the steps, and Luke opened the front door without ringing the bell or knocking. “It’s Luke!” he called out as a greeting.
“Luca!” a woman’s voice exclaimed from the other side of the house.
Luke turned back to Brenna. “By the way, I’m Luca when I’m with my mom. She’ll never call me Luke.”
Brenna laughed, which eased the tension inside her. Then she heard a shuffle of feet and saw a shorter woman with Italian features that were much more pronounced than Luke’s appear with her arms open wide. She stopped when she saw Brenna, and Brenna immediately knew that Luke hadn’t told his family he was bringing a guest to Sunday lunch.
“Who is this?” His mom looked from Brenna to Luke. “You brought a lady friend?”
“Emphasis on friend,” Luke said.
Whereas Brenna was pretty sure his mother’s arms were wide to hug him at first, she held them out to Brenna now and wrapped her in a strong hug. “My Luca hasn’t brought a woman home in so long,” she said once she’d pulled away. “You must be special.”
Luke gestured to Brenna. “Mom, this is Brenna. She’s my next-door neighbor.”
“Oh, how nice is that? And what a beautiful name for a beautiful woman. My name is Maria.” His mom opened her arms and hugged Luke as well.
“Smells good,” he said of the scent of spices in the air.
“Of course it does.” His mom swatted his arm as she pulled back. “I’ve been poring over the stove since church.”
“Is Nick here yet?” Luke asked.
“Oh yes. Nicholas is at the table with your dad. I’m about to start serving.”
“Can I help?” Brenna offered.
His mom looked at her. “You’re a guest. You sit, I’ll serve, and then I’m looking forward to getting to know one another.”
Twenty minutes later, Brenna was more relaxed and chatting with Luke’s parents and brother like she’d known them forever. It’d been a long time since she’d sat down for a family meal. Her idea of a family meal over the last few years was when Eve decided to grace her with her presence.
“Where is your other son?” Brenna asked as they ate.
All activity at the table froze.
Brenna chewed the bite of pasta in her mouth, realizing she’d said something wrong, but for the life of her, she didn’t know what. “Luke said he had two brothers.” She looked at Luke. “Marco, right?”
He reached under the table and squeezed her thigh reassuringly. “He’s, uh, not here.” He offered an apologetic glance at his mother.
Okay. What was Brenna missing?
“Mom,” Luke said, “the lasagna has a new ingredient. I can taste it,” he said, changing the subject quickly.
Maria looked pleased. “I was wondering if you all would notice. It’s a secret ingredient.”
Brenna spoke without thinking. “Turmeric.”
His mom’s eyes widened. “Wow. You really know your stuff.”
“Sorry. It’s one of my favorite ingredients too.”
Then the conversation flowed again, like a river on its course. Brenna didn’t dare bring up Luke’s younger brother, Marco, again at the table but she intended to just as soon as she got Luke alone.
* * *
The sun was on its descent behind the mountains as Luke drove back home with Brenna, quiet in the passenger seat beside him. He wasn’t sure if her silence signaled that something was wrong or if his family had simply worn her out. By the time he pulled into her driveway, he wondered if perhaps she was sleeping.
She stirred as he cut the engine. Then she looked around, blinking heavily.
“You okay?” he finally asked.
“Mm-hmm.”
Neither of them moved to get out just yet. “You and my mom got along great,” he said.
“I guess it’s true that food brings everyone together…Luke?”
He heard a note of hesitation in her voice, and he was pretty sure he knew what was coming. “Yeah?”
“What happened to Marco?”
His brother’s name made him shift uncomfortably.
“When I asked where he was at dinner, the tension in the room was palpable,” she said in a quiet voice.
Luke swallowed painfully. “I should have told you, I guess.”
“Told me what?”
Luke swallowed again and then again. He looked over at Brenna. “I told you about the fire when I was seven. Marco and I were trapped upstairs.”
“And a fireman showed up and saved you. Another came for your brother,” she said, filling in the parts that he’d already disclosed. He’d intentionally skipped a very important piece of the story when he’d shared it with her, jumping to how he’d gotten the injuries on his back. He’d told her that the fireman had put him in an ambulance, and he had been carted away in a flash of chaos and pain. As far as he was concerned as he left the scene, Marco had been rescued just like him.
Luke’s breaths grew shallow as he braced himself to tell the rest of the story. He didn’t tell it often. “The other firefighter, the one that went in to help Marco, didn’t make it out.”
Brenna’s eyes widened as she watched him. The inside of the truck was dark, and shadows danced around them as the trees outside swayed against the wind off the creek.
“The authorities think the fireman had a heart attack while he was in the house. Bad timing. Bad luck.” Luke sucked in another breath, and pain splintered in his chest. It felt like it might rip him apart but he knew from experience that it wouldn’t. “By the time the fire department realized he wasn’t coming out, it was too late to send someone else in after their firefighter…and for my brother.”
