End of Day (Jack & Jill #1) (28 page)

“So … we’re squatters?”

Luke chuckled. “No. I know the owners.”

“Oh, friends?”

“Sort of.” He shifted in the driver’s seat so he was facing her. “What I’m about to tell you, you have to promise not to read into it, or get too excited, or anything like that. Okay?”

“Is it haunted? Just going to be honest. I used to love haunted houses, but Four kind of ruined them for me.”

A sadness stole Luke’s facial features for a brief moment. “No. It’s not haunted. It belongs to my parents.”

Jessica’s eyes widened. “Oh … you brought me to meet—”

Luke shook his head. “No. That’s what I was afraid of. That’s why I told you not to read into this. While technically you will meet my family, I didn’t bring you here to meet them. I brought you here because I thought you needed to escape for a couple of days and this is where I come when I need to decompress.”

“But they know you’re coming this weekend?”

“Yes.”

“And they know you’re bringing me?”

“Yes.”

“So you told them I’m your patient?”

“No. You’re not my patient. I told them you’re my friend and you’ve been dealing with some personal issues and that you needed to get away for a few days.”

“Do you bring a lot of female ‘friends’ here?”

“No.”

“So just be honest. They’re going to think I’m your girlfriend.”

“Possibly.”

“And you’re okay with this?”

“No. But it’s only for two days and so if they don’t want to believe me, in spite of the truth I’ve told them that there’s nothing going on between us, then I’m not going to make an issue of it. They’ll get the picture when they never see you again after this weekend.”

Jessica unfastened her seatbelt. “Ouch! That’s a little harsh. You make it sound like I’m dying.”

They grabbed their suitcases out of the trunk.

“What are you going to do when
they
fall in love with me?”

“Hypnosis.” Luke opened the front door.

“You can do that?”

“How do you think I got you to iron my socks.”

“Shut up,” Jessica mumbled when she stepped inside.

“Luke is that you? We’re in here,” a woman’s voice echoed to the entry.

Luke deposited their bags by the stairs and led her down the hallway.

“Luke,” Jessica whispered.

He turned.

“What if they ask us how we met?”

“Hmm … we train together. Good?”

She nodded.

“There’s our brilliant son,” the same woman’s voice cheered.

A mumbling of “gee thanks” rang in unison from the unexpected gathering. Jillian made a quick count of the group that sat around the table playing cards—eight.

“Oh, you know what I mean.” The tall woman with short black and gray hair tried to quiet the group as she stood to hug Luke.

“Hi, Mom.” Luke kissed her cheek. “Everyone, this is my friend, Jessica Day.”

Jessica smiled at
everyone
, exactly six more than she thought she’d be meeting.

“Hi, Jessica.” His mom offered her hand. “I’m Felicity.” Her eyes lingered on Jessica’s arm. “What happened?”

Jessica twisted her arm to look at the cut. “Oh, just a little spill on my bike. My legs are much worse.”

Felicity looked down but Jessica’s scars were covered by her capris. The man beside her cleared his throat.

“Sorry.” Felicity winked at him. “This is Tom, Luke’s dad.”

Tom nodded with a bright smile. “Nice to meet you, Jessica.” He shared Luke’s deep blue eyes but his hair was thick and blond, very Robert Redford.

“Next to him,” Felicity continued, “is our son Lane, and his wife, Anne, then our daughter Lara, and her fiancé, Drake, then our youngest son, Liam, and his girlfriend, Zoe.”

Jessica struggled for words. “Um … nice to meet all of you.” She nudged Luke’s arm and gritted her teeth through a huge smile. “You didn’t tell me you have three siblings … all with names that start with L.”

Everyone laughed.

“We were high on something.” Tom winked at Felicia.

“Actually, I have four siblings,” Luke corrected. “Where’s Lake?”

“She’s staying at a friend’s house tonight,” Lara answered.

“You two want in on the next game?” Felicity asked.

“Sure, we’ll go get settled upstairs and be right back.” Luke motioned with his head.

“You’re both in the adjoining lake view rooms.” Felicity called as they reached the top of the stairs.

Luke plopped Jessica’s suitcase on her bed. The room was a shades-of-yellow paint palate: the bedding, the curtains, the wallpaper.

“We’ll share the bathroom that connects our rooms. So lock both doors when you use it.”

Jessica looked out the window at the lake under the spotlight of the full moon. “I have nothing to hide, no need to lock the door.” She looked over her shoulder and grinned.

“Jessica,” Luke warned.

She turned and plunked down on the bed. “So … Luke, Lane, Lara, Liam, and Lake. Oh. My. God.”

Luke grinned like a shy child.

“And you’re the oldest? And it’s clear that you have your mom thinking you’re the smartest. You’re welcome by the way. I wanted to correct her on
that
one, but I didn’t.”

“Yes, I’m the oldest. And thank you for your self-control. Let’s go.”

*

Buttered popcorn mixed
with laughter filled the air as the cards were dealt around the Jones’s dining room table. The game was Hearts. The players were the most engaging and fun group of people Jessica had ever met.

“So, Jessica, what do you do?” Tom asked.

Jessica sorted through her cards. “Only the most extraordinary and exciting job in the world. I’m an actuary intern.”

She looked up from her cards at the blank stares. “Basically, I’m a math geek that gathers and analyzes statistics to determine the consequences of risk in the future for insurance and pension programs.”

The blank expressions continued. She needed to come up with something before the crickets took over.

“Can you believe
this
guy…” she jabbed her thumb in Luke’s direction “…has like fifty pair of argyle socks?”

The room erupted into laughter. Luke looked at Jessica with a really-you-had-to-go-there look.

The evening progressed with Luke’s family sharing some of his secrets, including his Star Wars obsession, his first time using a nail gun that ended in three of his fingers being nailed together, and his addiction to German chocolate cake. Jessica took mental notes for blackmailing him in the future. Everyone seemed content with their triathlon training explanation for their five month friendship.

“If you leave the windows cracked in the bedrooms it could get chilly, so there’s extra blankets in the closet,” Felicity called from the sofa where she sat cuddled in Tom’s arms.

The rest of the family had left. Jessica was surprised that everyone except Luke lived in a ten mile radius of their parents’ bed and breakfast. She loved their close family. It made her feel at home. Jessica only had one sibling, but their family of four was just as close. They were all survivors and always there for each other.

“Thanks, Mom,” Luke called as he ushered Jessica toward the stairs.

“Good night.” Jessica waved to Luke’s parents.

“Jones … Jones … Jones … Your family is amazing.” Jessica flopped back on her bed as Luke stood in the doorway. “I don’t even know where to begin. First, your dad’s name is Tom Jones … Tom … Jones.” Jessica rolled to her side, wearing a huge grin. “And all your siblings look like your dad with his blond hair, except you, the black sheep with your black hair, fifty pair of argyle socks, and fancy condo in San Francisco, which is way outside of the ten mile radius of the Jones’ family circle.”

Luke grabbed an extra blanket from the closet and tossed it on the bed. “Lake has black hair. I have
twenty
pair of argyle socks. My condo’s not that fancy, and I’m far from the black sheep of my family. Now, good night.”

“But your dad’s name …”

Luke turned before exiting.

“
That’s
pretty cool, right?”

Luke smirked before closing the door behind him.

He was a fucking unicorn. A unicorn with argyle socks, but no less a unicorn. It was a fantasy at best, but if she could catch him, Jessica knew her dreams would come true.

U
nder four layers
of blankets protecting her from the cool morning breeze, Jessica slept in past her usual waking time. A poking on her arm brought her out of her sleep like an animal under attack. There was a grunt, several snaps, and flailing limbs as she tumbled to the ground with a pool stick busted in three different areas.

“Good morning.”

Breathless, she fought away the tangled hair that strangled her face, only to catch Luke sitting in a chair by the vanity mirror. “What are you doing?”

He smiled. “Waking you for our run.”

“By poking me with a pool stick?” She grabbed one of the broken pieces and flicked it at him.

“Yes.” He caught it and ran his finger over the splintered wood.

“Why?”

“Just a hunch.”

“About?” She widened her eyes.

“About how you might react if someone or
something
brought you out of a possible dream state or startled you.”

Jessica crawled back onto the bed. “And so?”

Luke waved the broken stick at her. “
And so
I was right to sacrifice the pool stick instead of one or all of my limbs.”

She ran her hands through her hair. “Four kicked me in the ribs to wake me up. My hands and legs were zip tied, but I struggled to break free from the stabbing pain in my stomach and ribs so eventually the zip ties rubbed directly on my wrist bones.” Jessica held up her wrists to show him her pearly faded scars. “The moral of the story is I don’t like to be woken by touch. But you already knew that.”

Luke shook his head. “I didn’t. But anyone who scopes out a room for possible ways to kill everyone in it probably doesn’t react well to surprises. I was just testing my theory.”

“Are you afraid of me?” Jessica asked, just above a whisper as she dropped her chin to her chest. He was the one person she didn’t want to scare.

“No.”

She looked up. His eyes locked with hers. No flinch. Not even a blink of doubt.

“But then why—” She pointed to the broken stick.

“Who was the first victim to realize they shouldn’t wake you?”

She sucked in a breath and willed all other emotions to stay in check. “Are we going for a run together by the lake?”

It was a rare occasion for Luke to let his professional mask slip and show any sort of emotion, but that was one of the few times Jessica saw sympathy in his eyes. She hated it.

“Yes.” He stood and looked at her like a puzzle with a few missing pieces. “Get dressed. I’ll meet you downstairs.”

When the door clicked shut Jessica released the breath she’d been holding. Until Luke said it to his family the previous night, Jessica hadn’t focused on the fact that they’d known each other for over five months. She wondered if any other psychiatrist would have known her whole story by that point. Was therapy like ripping off a Band-Aid or peeling an onion? The truth: She wasn’t ready to tell Luke everything. Dr. Jones would have done his job and walked away. She didn’t want Luke to walk away, but she feared giving him too much too fast would have him sprinting in the opposite direction.

Their relationship was a mystery. He let many unofficial days of therapy pass without her saying a word about her past. Maybe discussing random and completely irrelevant topics was a comforting white noise for him while he focused on his crossword puzzles. She wondered more than once why he allowed zero progresses for days and sometimes weeks, but as long as he kept opening his door to her she wasn’t going to risk asking why.

“Good morning, Jessica. Can I get you some breakfast? It’s my specialty.” Felicity greeted her with a warm smile.

“Smells amazing, but can you save me some? Luke and I are going for a run.”

“Absolutely. Oh…” she grimaced seeing Jessica’s legs “…that does look painful.”

“Nah … Where is he, by the way?”

Felicity let her worried gaze linger a few more seconds on Jessica’s legs, then pointed out the kitchen window. “He’s out back with Tom.”

Jessica nodded as she tied her shoes. “Thanks.”

“How’d you sleep?”

“Too good. The room was cool and I was in a warm comfy spot under a heap of covers. I didn’t want to wake up.”

“You didn’t miss the sounds of the big city?” Felicity handed her a bottled water.

“The city, yes, the sounds, no. I might send Luke back to reality tomorrow and stay here until you kick me out.”

Felicity smiled with a playful wink. “Fine by me. Have a good run.”

“Thanks, we will.”

Jessica walked around the side of the house, coming to a stop when she saw Luke and Tom talking in front of an old shed, Tom sipping a cup of coffee, Luke fiddling with the cap to his bottled water. The sight of Luke in a T-shirt, running shorts, and a ball cap left her feeling warm and a bit dizzy. She closed her eyes for a brief moment. For every intelligent, strong-willed woman in the world there was one man that could render her speechless, make her sweat, and consume her thoughts. Luke was that guy for her.