discussing Luke in the kitchen.
“Thanks, Mom,” Chloe said. She scanned the back kitchen window and accepted a cup of coffee. Chloe sipped the warm brew with one hand and helped Tommy arrange his backpack with the other. Then she set down her cup and gave both boys another hug and kiss before they ran three doors down to the corner bus stop.
“Rough night?”
Before her mom even finished asking, the stump remover racket went up a notch. Chloe put her fingers in her ears. Her mom shrugged and slotted cereal bowls into the empty dishwasher.
Chloe finished her coffee and laced up her running shoes.
“How long do you think they’ll be doing that?”
“No idea,” her mom said. “Do you see how much sun the yard gets without that tree?”
Chloe looked. Luke, stripped down to his undershirt, was cutting logs well away from the stump remover. His hard-muscled arms threatened to tear through the cotton of his shirt. She’d never seen a man so physically fit. That must be why her tummy, like a song she heard once, filled with butterflies and moonbeams and fairy tales.
“I’m going for a run, and then I’ll take my laptop to the coffee shop.” Chloe popped in her ear buds.
Her mom started to say something but saw Chloe’s buds in place and simply nodded.
****
After a good long run and a quick shower, Chloe dressed in jeans and a white work blouse. She needed to do laundry but hadn’t wanted to go down into Luke’s lair yesterday. Now she gathered clothes from her room and the boys’ and carried the basket downstairs. It even smelled like Luke down here, like pine and sand and Lake Huron.
She flew back up the steps so she wouldn’t run in to him, but at the top of the stairs, she peeked out the back window and saw him working some final roots out with a shovel, the logs stacked in a neat pile in front of the garage. She stood entranced by his muscular arms for a full minute until she pried herself away from the window.
****
Luke had worked fourteen hour days all week, and for once, when Ursula came out of the house with a sandwich on a plate in one hand and a soda in her other, he took a break. Ursula’s sandwiches were awesome.
“Good time for a break?”
“Yeah, thanks, Ursula.” He sat on the picnic table now situated in the middle of the driveway. Ursula sat across from him.
“I waited today,” she said.
“Hmmm?” He already had a mouth full of BLT.
“I didn’t make your sandwich at noon like I usually do. I waited until I saw you had a good place to stop.”
He chewed. “Thanks.” She was a good mom. Kind and thoughtful. Just like his own mother.
“Mom, can I talk to you?” Chloe called from inside the house. Ursula went in and came back out to collect his plate when he’d finished. She didn’t seem happy. The distance Chloe and Luke had kept from each other had ruined the Mom plot.
“We’ve had good weather so far this spring,” Ursula said.
“Bad winter, good spring,” he said, quoting his mother, but also something he noticed in his line of work. They’d have a mild, sunny spring this year. He’d bet on it.
“Well, that works for me,” she said as he drained his can of soda.
“I’ve got a bit of a situation,” Ursula said. “No doubt you’ll be able to hold down the fort. I just wanted you to know what’s happening around here.”
Luke didn’t think he needed to know their family plans, but he didn’t say anything. He might be a tiny bit curious about if Chloe had told Ursula that he’d upset her by being rude to the boys.
“I’m going up to Blue Lake this weekend,” she said. “I’ve got some papers to sign with the bank up there, and well...” Ursula’s fake smile had vanished. “The boys will be with their dad this weekend. That’s not the problem.”
Ursula stopped as if trying to figure out how to arrange her words. He smelled a setup. Leaving him and Chloe alone in the house.
“Tell my mom and dad I said hi,” he said.
“What? Oh.
“Thanks, Mom,” Chloe said. She scanned the back kitchen window and accepted a cup of coffee. Chloe sipped the warm brew with one hand and helped Tommy arrange his backpack with the other. Then she set down her cup and gave both boys another hug and kiss before they ran three doors down to the corner bus stop.
“Rough night?”
Before her mom even finished asking, the stump remover racket went up a notch. Chloe put her fingers in her ears. Her mom shrugged and slotted cereal bowls into the empty dishwasher.
Chloe finished her coffee and laced up her running shoes.
“How long do you think they’ll be doing that?”
“No idea,” her mom said. “Do you see how much sun the yard gets without that tree?”
Chloe looked. Luke, stripped down to his undershirt, was cutting logs well away from the stump remover. His hard-muscled arms threatened to tear through the cotton of his shirt. She’d never seen a man so physically fit. That must be why her tummy, like a song she heard once, filled with butterflies and moonbeams and fairy tales.
“I’m going for a run, and then I’ll take my laptop to the coffee shop.” Chloe popped in her ear buds.
Her mom started to say something but saw Chloe’s buds in place and simply nodded.
****
After a good long run and a quick shower, Chloe dressed in jeans and a white work blouse. She needed to do laundry but hadn’t wanted to go down into Luke’s lair yesterday. Now she gathered clothes from her room and the boys’ and carried the basket downstairs. It even smelled like Luke down here, like pine and sand and Lake Huron.
She flew back up the steps so she wouldn’t run in to him, but at the top of the stairs, she peeked out the back window and saw him working some final roots out with a shovel, the logs stacked in a neat pile in front of the garage. She stood entranced by his muscular arms for a full minute until she pried herself away from the window.
****
Luke had worked fourteen hour days all week, and for once, when Ursula came out of the house with a sandwich on a plate in one hand and a soda in her other, he took a break. Ursula’s sandwiches were awesome.
“Good time for a break?”
“Yeah, thanks, Ursula.” He sat on the picnic table now situated in the middle of the driveway. Ursula sat across from him.
“I waited today,” she said.
“Hmmm?” He already had a mouth full of BLT.
“I didn’t make your sandwich at noon like I usually do. I waited until I saw you had a good place to stop.”
He chewed. “Thanks.” She was a good mom. Kind and thoughtful. Just like his own mother.
“Mom, can I talk to you?” Chloe called from inside the house. Ursula went in and came back out to collect his plate when he’d finished. She didn’t seem happy. The distance Chloe and Luke had kept from each other had ruined the Mom plot.
“We’ve had good weather so far this spring,” Ursula said.
“Bad winter, good spring,” he said, quoting his mother, but also something he noticed in his line of work. They’d have a mild, sunny spring this year. He’d bet on it.
“Well, that works for me,” she said as he drained his can of soda.
“I’ve got a bit of a situation,” Ursula said. “No doubt you’ll be able to hold down the fort. I just wanted you to know what’s happening around here.”
Luke didn’t think he needed to know their family plans, but he didn’t say anything. He might be a tiny bit curious about if Chloe had told Ursula that he’d upset her by being rude to the boys.
“I’m going up to Blue Lake this weekend,” she said. “I’ve got some papers to sign with the bank up there, and well...” Ursula’s fake smile had vanished. “The boys will be with their dad this weekend. That’s not the problem.”
Ursula stopped as if trying to figure out how to arrange her words. He smelled a setup. Leaving him and Chloe alone in the house.
“Tell my mom and dad I said hi,” he said.
“What? Oh.