Читать книгу The Wedding March - Tara Randel - Страница 11
Оглавление“THANKS, DAD. YOU JUST blew my chance to talk to the greatest songwriter who ever lived.”
Her father lifted a haughty brow. “The greatest who ever lived? I believe that’s a bit of an overstatement.”
“You know what I meant. Luke had a stellar career.”
“Which he walked away from. Messy personal life if I remember correctly.” His eyes narrowed. “And why is it so important to talk to him?”
Like she’d admit her writer’s block to anyone, especially her father. “I’m a fan. That’s all.”
“Cassandra, he’s been reduced to a wedding band singer. Old news. Focus on the future.”
Why did she even bother speaking to her father? Fisting her hands together, she turned and navigated through the mingling guests. What had her father been thinking? See, this was why she kept her distance. Her father didn’t have a clue about who she was or what she wanted.
She’d just reached the door to leave when it hit her. Luke could help her. She needed his expertise. The question was, how could she get it?
The band started up again. Instead of storming off like she’d intended, she went back to the table she’d been seated at earlier. She angled her chair to face the far side of the room. A bird’s eye view of the man in question.
She needed a plan. A way to work up the nerve to ask the legendary Luke Hastings for some tips to help her out of her writing funk. But how? This certainly wasn’t the opportune place to approach him. Yet if she didn’t talk to him tonight, she might miss her one and only chance.
“I just danced with Father,” Lauren said as she flopped into the chair beside her. “He seems distracted. What did you do?”
“Why do you always assume I did something?”
“Because I saw the heated conversation between you two.”
Cassie sent her a sideways glance. “Just the usual. Honestly, I’m more interested in Luke. What do you know about him?”
“Like, what subject he teaches? If he’s involved with anyone?”
“No. His life here in Cypress Pointe.”
Lauren crossed one leg over the other. “Let’s see. Moved here a couple years ago. His cousin owns the Grand Cypress Hotel. He teaches English at the high school and started an after-school program that morphed into a community outreach for at-risk teens.”
“Wow.”
“Kids’ Klub has been pretty successful. Redirects kids going in the wrong direction.”
Noble and hunky. Perfect combination.
“Why are you so interested?” Her sister’s eyes went wide. “Oh, my gosh, you have a crush on him.”
“I do not,” Cassie insisted, even if she couldn’t meet her sister’s gaze. “I want to talk to him about something and it would help if I knew more about him.”
“So explain why your cheeks are red.”
“It’s hot in here.”
“Right. Don’t forget, I’m the one who heard all about your undying love for Chris Johnson.”
“Chris Johnson?” Cassie’s mouth gaped. “That was like eight years ago.”
“And you were crushed when he broke up with you.”
True, she was, but moving away from Cypress Pointe and keeping busy had gotten her through that dark period in her life.
“Just so you know, he got fat.”
Cassie laughed out loud. “Have I told you lately how much I love you?”
Her sister’s quick grin slowly faded. “I miss our times together.”
“Me, too.”
Cassie’s heart squeezed at her sister’s soft expression. They hadn’t grown apart, exactly, more like distance, time and separate lives put a strain on their relationship. Their differing views on their father, Lauren’s insistence on proving herself to him while Cassie didn’t want him around, created another, ongoing source of tension between them.
“I’m glad you let me stay with you. Since Mom and Bud are still away, I didn’t want to spend all my time in their empty house.”
“That what sisters do. Let each other crash on the other’s extra bed.”
“I was hoping we could—”
Lauren jumped up “Angelica is waving me over. I’ll be right back.”
“Hold on.” Cassie grabbed her arm. “So if Luke is so busy, why the wedding band?”
Lauren shrugged. “You’ll have to ask him yourself.” Then she was gone.
Cassie blew out a sigh.
She glanced across the room. Luke picked the guitar with one hand, his fingers effortlessly positioning the chords with the other, and sang along with the guys. So in the moment, he moved with the beat, smiled at a band member from time to time. How she missed the total abandonment she experienced when she sang and played her piano, lost in the words and the tempo.
Her heartbeat sped up again, matching the emotions swirling inside. As she studied Luke, she realized she’d first thought his hair was shaggy. The more she looked, the more she realized it had been deliberately styled. It gave him a bit of a free spirit look, yet not out of control. Hmm, some stylist in his past life had taught him well.
His fingers expertly moved up and down the neck of the guitar, bringing an unmistakable sound from the instrument. He certainly had a flair. The band performed mostly wedding standards, she noticed, none of the songs that made Luke famous. From his attitude earlier, he probably avoided those particular songs on purpose.
Twenty minutes later the band took a break. Cassie waited for Luke to be alone, but one of the band members was talking his ear off. She should wander over, start another conversation with him, but she couldn’t seem to leave the chair.
Even though he’d made it clear he didn’t talk about the industry, Cassie couldn’t take no for an answer. Her chest constricted, the noose of her future pulling tighter. She could do this. She’d gathered enough information about Luke to make small talk while she bided her time to get to the root of her dilemma. She just had to wait for a chance to grab his attention. Luckily, she was a patient woman.
She swore he’d looked directly at her during one of the numbers, but the lights were too low to know for sure. Her imagination? Hopeful wishing? She sat through two more sets before the party began to wind down and the band finally performed their final number.
To her surprise, the band members took off quickly, leaving Luke to break down the equipment.
Taking a deep breath, she approached the platform.
“You guys sounded great tonight. Been playing together for a while?”
“Couple years.”
“So...I wanted to apologize for my father.”
Luke shot her an amused glance. “Overprotective?”
She’d have laughed out loud at the notion if it wasn’t so sad. “No, more like too much interference in my life.” She moved closer, silently high-fiving the fact that Luke wanted to engage in conversation. “We aren’t exactly close.”
He nodded. “No offense taken. I stopped worrying about what people think a long time ago.”
If only she could adopt the same mantra.
“My sister tells me you teach high school English.”
“I do.” He unzipped his case and gently laid the guitar inside. She admired people who took special care of their instruments. “Never thought I’d impact any kids, but it’s turned out to be one of the best experiences of my life.”
“Did you take over for Mrs. Trumbull?”
“No. She was gone before I arrived. She did leave a legacy behind.”
Cassie shuddered. “Of fear. I remember sweating out the Shakespeare semester. Her assignments were killer.”
Luke chuckled. “I sure hope my legacy isn’t that negative.”
“As long as you don’t pull your hair back in a severe bun, narrow your eyes at your students and make everyone uncomfortable, you should be fine.”
He patted the back of his head. “I never considered a new hairstyle. Maybe a man bun would up my cool factor and keep the kids in line.”
She laughed, delighted by his sense of humor. He didn’t need a bun to be any more good-looking in her eyes.
He snapped the latches on the case and faced her. “Did you do well on the Shakespeare assignment?”
She squinted, thinking back. “B, maybe? I have to say, she laid down a really good foundation. The subsequent years of Shakespeare weren’t so horrible.”
“Not a fan of the bard?”
“I can appreciate the work that went into writing his tales, but translating old English is like math. I’d rather not work that hard if I don’t have to.”
“You sound like the majority of my students.”
“Then let’s hope you make learning fun, not a session in terror.”
“I go over Shakespeare, but throw in other more contemporary works for my students to read.”
“Writing isn’t as easy as everyone thinks.”
“I’m sure my students would agree.” Taking hold of the handle, he lifted the case and stepped down from the platform. “It’s been nice talking to you.”
Cassie’s stomach dipped. She had to keep him interested. “Same here.” She glanced at his case. “You really know how to play.”
“Years of practice.”
“I didn’t get serious until I was in high school.”
He took a step back. “Well, I need to take off.”
By the shuddered look in his eyes, she could tell he’d checked out of the conversation. Drat. She’d lost him.
“Well, I’ll be in town awhile longer. Maybe we’ll run into each other.”
“Anything is possible.”
“I’d love to talk to you about your songwriting days. You’ve been—”
He held his hand up “Let me stop you right there.”
She blinked. His sudden displeasure indicated she’d gone too far.
“I’m not going to talk about music careers, songwriting or whatever you have your mind set on.”
“I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“You didn’t. I just need you to know I’m not available for whatever it is you want.”
Her heart sank as he turned and crossed the room. Good night to you, too, Luke Hastings.
* * *
LUKE STEPPED INTO the mild spring night, his face hot, his chest tight. Upset? Him? Right, not much. Slowly, he eased the pressure of the fist holding the guitar case handle, letting his breath out in slow degrees.
He stopped. Shook out his arms. Tilted his head back.
The dark sky was clear, stars twinkled above him. Cicadas buzzed, hidden beyond the empty golf course. A lonely frog belched nearby. The air, still warm even after the sun had set a few hours ago, held a hint of something sweet, like flowers. In the distance, the sprinkler system sputtered and hissed as it turned on.
All in all, a beautiful night to just let go and not think at all.
If only he could oblige.
He’d gone at least six months without the anger and despair building up. All it had taken this time was an attractive woman with expectation in her eyes to reduce him to this state.
It was clear Cassie wanted something from him. She’d floundered getting to the point, but once she admitted it was to talk shop, he couldn’t handle it. He didn’t have it in him to go back in time, to the place where another woman selfishly bent on fulfilling her dreams had squashed his.
He hated that he wasn’t stronger. But the truth was as clear as the night sky. He hadn’t forgiven Tracy. Was afraid he never could.
He continued walking to his black two-door BMW, his footsteps steady against the pavement. It had been two years since Tracy’s betrayal. Shouldn’t he be over it by now?
Get a clue, Hastings. People will always let you down.
As he unlocked the trunk and laid the guitar case inside, he wondered once again for the millionth time, what was wrong with him. Whoever said time heals all wounds hadn’t been cheated on by an ex-wife.
“You’re leaving kinda late.”
At the sound of a voice in the darkness, Luke froze, until a figure materialized, stepping into the circle of light provided by the overhead fixture. He recognized his cousin, Dane Peterson, a local hotel owner, decked out in a button-down shirt and pressed slacks, his hair cut in his usual short fashion.
He let out a long breath as he slammed the trunk closed. “You want me to have a heart attack?”
Dane held a hand up. “Sorry. Thought you might have noticed me.”
“No. I was thinking.”
“Yeah, I could tell. With you, that’s never good. Tracy?”
“No, actually, I’m...” He paused a beat. “Hey, what’re you doing here?”
“Picking up Nealy. Her car is in the shop.”
“I saw her a few times tonight. She was running all over the place.”
“She loves being an event planner, but this reception was not her dream job. Angelica kept after her until she gave in.”
Luke glanced around. “Where is she?”
“Forgot something and ran back inside.” Dane leaned back against the car, crossing one ankle over the other. “So, what’s up?”
“I met a woman and—”
“Wait,” Dane interrupted. “Repeat that. You met a woman?”
“Not met, like I want to go out on a date. I talked to the daughter of the groom.”
Dane’s deep chuckle echoed in the still night.
“You already knew?”
His cousin nodded.
“How?”
A besotted expression came over the other man’s face. “Nealy.”
As usual, his cousin’s girlfriend was one step ahead of everyone.
“First thing she said when she walked out the door tonight was, ‘I saw Luke talking to a very lovely young lady.’”
“Why do I even bother to have a personal life?”
“Dude, it’s Cypress Pointe. People notice other people and what they’re doing.”
“I thought I’d left the scrutiny behind when I moved here.” Luke shoved his hands in his pants pockets. “So I was talking to a woman, but it’s not what you think.”
“Let me guess. Brought up bad memories?”
“Big time.”
“So tell me you have a good reason not to ask an attractive woman out,” Dane said, settling into the conversation.
“No good reason. More of a hunch.”
“About?”
Luke shifted uncomfortably. Suddenly his dress shoes pinched way too tight, the collar of his shirt became stifling. “She wanted to talk about music.”
“She knows who you are?”
“Yeah. And she’s a pop singer. Cassie Branford.”
“Nealy plays her music all the time.”
“So you see my dilemma?”
Dane cocked his head to one side. “No, I do not.”
“She’s everything I’ve been staying away from since I moved here.”
“And you’re afraid, what, that talking to her about music will somehow make you face up to the last two years?”
The old stubbornness overwhelmed him. “Maybe I don’t want to forget.”
“Or more like you don’t want to forgive.”
Luke ran a hand through his hair. “I never thought I’d end up here, like this.”
“Yet here you stand, kicking yourself over something you had no control over.”
“It still hurts.”
“I get that. But maybe you should let go. Cut yourself some slack. You can’t be a martyr forever.”
Luke met his cousin’s sharp gaze. “Is that how you see me?”
“When you first got here. Lately, less so.”
“You’re not the only one, are you?”
Dane shrugged. “I don’t discuss you with other people.”
“Nealy?”
“Nealy’s not other people. Besides, she has a good sense about folks.”
“Yeah? What does she think about me?”
Dane pushed away from the car. “Luke, when you first got here, you were a mess. Rightfully so. But we both think you’ve grieved long enough. Tracy doesn’t deserve a second thought and you can’t keep living this way.”
“Believe it or not, I agree. I just can’t seem to move ahead.”
“What about this woman? If she’s caught your interest, maybe this can be the first step to getting on with your life.”
He pictured Cassie. Soft brown hair. Incredible eyes. A little bit of a dimple when she smiled at him. She’d caught his attention, even before he recognized her.
“Not every person in your life is going to hurt you, Luke.”
Neither he nor his cousin came from very stable homes. Dane’s folks fought all the time, leaving him and his brother to do as they pleased, which hadn’t always turned out for the best. Luke’s own parents had been abusive. His father and brother were in and out of jail. His mother? Who knew? He’d wanted to change his life when he married Tracy. Thought they’d had a chance. It made sense why Luke was reluctant to place his hopes too high, only to be knocked down again.
Which meant he wasn’t about to trust his heart to another woman.
Luke broke the silence. “She’s pregnant, you know.”
“Tracy?”
He nodded.
Dane blew out a low whistle.
“After years of promises, of stringing me along, she’s finally expecting with her new husband.”
“Sorry, man.”
That’s what hurt the most, Luke realized. “I get that Tracy was ambitious. We wrote a lot of hits together. I shouldn’t have been surprised when she left me for Andrews or how she talked me into giving her royalties in the divorce for that last song of ours.”
“I never got why you would just hand that song over to her.”
“At that point I just wanted out of the marriage and would do anything to expedite the matter. The paparazzi hounded me, all because Tracy fed them a steady diet of our marital drama.” He ran a hand over the back of his neck to release the tension. “The song hadn’t been released so I figured it didn’t matter much. Major lapse in judgment.” He sighed. Who knew in his haste he’d sign over their top moneymaking hit ever? “But a baby? Talk about a double whammy. She promised we’d have a family. Knew how much I wanted to be a father. Even went so far as to make me think she might actually be pregnant more than once.”
“I never liked her,” Dane said, sounding like something rotten filled his mouth.
Luke appreciated his cousin’s loyalty. “It’s like she ended up with it all while I got the pain.”
“So, change your future. Take some chances. You might—no, you will—get hurt again somewhere along the line. But you gotta get back to living.”
Luke stared out over the deserted golf course. His cousin was right. He would never write another song, but he needed to get his priorities together. He was only thirty-five. Time to stop skulking in the shadows and be open to the possibility of meeting people.
Maybe he should do as Dane suggested. Ask a woman out on a date. Not that he was in a hurry for romance, though. But he did need to start enjoying the present instead of dwelling on bad decisions from the past.
He was about to tell his cousin so when his cell rang. He pulled the phone from his pocket and read the screen. “Gotta run. Trouble down at the pier.”
“One of your kids?”
“Looks like.” Luke slapped his hand on Dane’s shoulder. “Thanks for listening. Tonight threw me.”
“Figured. Listen, we’re family. You may keep your feelings close to the vest, but I always have your back.”
“Same.”
A sly grin curved Dane’s lips. “And so does Nealy.”
“Why does that make me want to run?”
“She wants to see you happy.”
“So do I, but I’ll get there on my own.”
They parted ways. Luke drove through the deserted downtown. All the businesses were locked up tight and safe for the night. A plus to living in a small town. He’d had his share of big cities and found Cypress Pointe suited his temperament.
He reached the marina, pulling up to find red and blue lights swirling from a police car parked in the lot. Shoot. Not what he’d wanted to see. Chief Gardener spoke to a blond-haired teenage boy slouched against the squad car.
Parking a few feet away, Luke met the scene with the right amount of sympathy and steel he’d adopted since starting Kids’ Klub.
“Chief. What’s going on?”
“Seems young Snyder and his buddies intended to sneak onto a boat moored here. Instead, they broke some glass on the dock. Made a ruckus.”
Luke stared down at the teen. “Kyle, we talked about this.”
The boy hung his head in silence.
“Are you charging him?”
“Lucky for him he cleaned up the mess after his friends took off.” The chief put his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “He’s free to go, as long as he tells me this is the end of this nonsense.”
Kyle, his eyes partially hidden under messy bangs, met the chief’s gaze. “I’m sorry.”
“That’s not a promise.”
The teen sighed. “Yeah, I promise.”
The chief removed his hand and nodded to Luke. “He’s all yours.”
Kyle stepped away from the car, head down as he approached Luke.
“Let’s get you home.”
Once in the car, Luke waited before speaking. Kyle huddled against the passenger door, as far away from Luke as possible. In working with at-risk teens, he’d found that helping certain kids meant making them sweat it out a bit. Kyle was no exception. Luke started the car, motored from the lot.
“Thought you stopped running with that group.”
Kyle shrugged, with the feigned nonchalance only teens could pull off.
“Was there an answer in that shrug? Because I sure didn’t hear anything.”
“It’s not easy,” Kyle mumbled.
“Nothing is. But if you want me to keep your place in the music program at the Klub, I can’t be bailing you out when your buddies leave you to take the fall. This is the second time.”
Kyle’s head jerked up. “You’d kick me out?”
“If you get in trouble again, yeah, I will.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Hastings. I don’t want to leave the program. I’m finally getting the hang of those chords you showed me.”
“Then you’d better remember that the next time you go to cause trouble.”
Kyle straightened in his seat. “I will.”
The remainder of the journey passed in silence until Luke pulled into Kyle’s driveway and put the car in park.
The house was situated in a nice, older neighborhood. The homes were fairly close together. He’d noticed a few bikes on the ground in a yard across the street. Heard a dog bark down the block. Very middle class, very reassuring.
Since settling in Cypress Pointe, Luke had bought a house on the edge of town, within walking distance from the Gulf Waters. Separated far enough on each side from prying neighbors, it became less of a sanctuary and more of a prison of his own making. The past few months had been better, but if he were honest, he’d been waiting for something to threaten his hard-earned peace. Who would have thought a woman with incredible green eyes would be the one to disrupt his quiet spell?
Shaking off the thought, he cut the ignition and turned in his seat.
“Kyle, you have talent. Don’t blow it over some guys who don’t care about you.”
“I hear you, Mr. Hastings.”
“Do you? It seems like we’ve had this conversation before.”
Kyle slumped in his seat.
“Now let’s go talk to your parents.”
Apprehensive eyes met his. “Do we have to?”
“You know the rules.”
“Stupid rules,” Kyle muttered as he opened his door to slide out. In the cover of darkness, Luke grinned at the boy’s discomfort. Wished someone had cared enough to enforce rules when he was a kid so he and his brother wouldn’t have ended up in hot water more than a few times.
As they walked up to the front porch, Luke said, “You know, Kyle, you could call me if you’re not sure what to do.”
Kyle glanced at him. “You wouldn’t mind?”
“No. So long as it’s not a habit. I wouldn’t mind helping you out. Before the cops do.”
A sheepish grin curved Kyle’s lips. “Got it.”
When they reached the house, the front door flew open. Kyle’s parents stood in the doorway, the bright light from inside silhouetting them.
“Kyle,” his mother said, hand over her heart. “Come inside.” She opened the door to let her son in while her husband stepped out.
“I’ll be just a minute,” he told his wife.
Kyle nodded at Luke then followed his mom.
“I’m sorry Kyle inconvenienced you, Mr. Hastings.”
“Luke, please. And it was no bother. I happened to be out anyway.”
The older man crossed his arms over his chest. “Kyle’s doing so much better. He really enjoys the program at the Klub.”
“But kids still get lured into what they think is an exciting life. I understand.”
“Will he still be able to continue with his guitar lessons?”
“Yes. But I told him if he gets in trouble again, his place will be in jeopardy.”
Kyle’s father nodded. “Thank you.”
“I want Kids’ Klub to help kids like Kyle, so I hope he’ll use better judgment in the future. Good night.”
Luke drove home, his thoughts slipping from Kyle to his own brother. Would a program like the one he’d started have helped Mark or had he been destined to be drawn to trouble? He supposed he’d never know, especially with Mark behind bars at the moment.
But there was one thing Luke did know for sure. Despite the constant worry about funding the Klub, enlisting help as the programs grew, or even doubting his brother’s turnaround, Luke didn’t regret starting Kids’ Klub for one second. If he helped one kid get away from an abusive home or criminal influence, it was worth the hurt of his old life to get the Klub off the ground.
Dane was wrong in the sense that while it might look like Luke wasn’t living, helping kids brought great meaning to his life. Luke may need a personal shake-up, but he didn’t want to alter this part of his life. The kids were his family.
The other part? Maybe talking to a perky woman who caught his attention while in town for her father’s wedding wouldn’t be as hard as he imagined. What was the worst that could happen?
