Loving Luke: (Cookies and Kisses) (A Christmas Novella) Read online

  That was an experience he’d chosen to forget. Good thing Lisa had no problems in school and had exceled in all of her subjects. If he went to Ms. Cummings for any kind of help, she’d probably take his intentions the wrong way. “I came to ask you about Kim.”

  The woman’s eyes widened as she stared at the dove tattoo decorating his hand. “Kim? Who is Kim?”

  He shoved his hand into his pocket. The tattoo was just another reminder of his former days in Bethlehem, as well as his torrid relationship with Kim. After getting drunk one night, they’d gone out of town and gotten tattoos. Afterwards, Kim had been grounded for two months, and at that time, it’d been the worse two months of his life. “Kim Taylor.”

  “Why on earth would you be asking me about Kim Taylor?” The teacher now seemed impatient as she glanced at her watch, tapping her foot. He was doing a terrible job of explaining.

  “Kim offered Lisa a job working in her bakery. I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea for Lisa to work with Kim.”

  The woman’s face softened into a smile. “Oh, Kim’s the best. She tutors students in math and all of the kids and the staff like her. I think Lisa could learn a lot from her. The school office does background checks on all of their volunteers, so, you don’t have anything to worry about.”

  That was a relief. He nodded at her. “Thanks.”

  “Was there anything else?” Her large, dark brown eyes looked hopeful as she again batted her lashes.

  “No, that’s it.” He needed to get out of there. If he lingered much longer, he’d be late for work.

  *

  Later, Luke strolled through the sliding glass doors of the marketing firm, exiting the building, holding his cell phone. It was time for lunch, but, he wasn’t hungry. His co-workers were commenting about his behavior that day, stating he’d not seemed focused on his work, and when they spoke to him, he’d not heard them and they’d had to repeat themselves.

  He strolled to the sandwich shop across the street. What a night he’d had. After looking for information about Kim on the internet, he’d then thought about his class. The next calculus exam loomed in the distance, and he wasn’t ready. He just didn’t seem to have an aptitude for the higher level math subjects, but, he needed to take the business calculus course as a requirement for his Associate’s degree. He’d studied until three in the morning, figuring he’d need to find a tutor.

  He entered John’s Sports Bar and Sandwich Shop, approached the counter.

  “Hey, Luke.” The server’s white apron stretched across his bulging stomach. He wiped down the counter. “What’ll you have?”

  “Hey, John. Tuna on rye and a Coke.”

  John gestured toward the stools. “You sitting at the bar?”

  No way did he want to sit at the bar today. From his experience, sitting at the bar meant you wanted to talk and he didn’t want to encourage conversation with John, or any of the customers right now. He just wanted to be left alone. He scanned the crowded place, finding a small empty table in the corner. “Just bring my food over there.” He gestured toward the spot before he approached the empty table. He then removed his coat before dropping into the chair.

  The small sandwich shop bustled with activity as customers filtered into the glass doors. Waiting for his food, he glanced outside, still thinking about Kim. He’d noticed the wounded look in her pretty eyes when he’d told her that he didn’t know if his daughter should spend time with her. He remembered that look so well. Kim always looked like that when she’d told him that her father loved her sister, Tina, more than he loved her. Usually, after they’d made love, she’d be open and honest with him about her feelings, not being the tough girl others thought she was. She’d told him how much it hurt her when she heard her father brag about Tina, his perfect daughter.

  He knew she’d been mad when he’d hinted at his disapproval of her spending time with Lisa. But, his daughter was the most important person to him on this God-given earth, and he wanted to raise her in the best way possible. When he’d moved to Bethlehem, he’d even considered sending her to a private school, but, he simply could not afford it on his marketing clerk salary. The most important reason why he was going to school was so that he could make more money to provide a better life for his daughter.

  John approached his table, leaving his sandwich and drink. “There ya go.”

  Luke nodded, said a prayer, before taking a bite of his tuna on rye. He knew he’d over-reacted and he didn’t want to hurt Kim’s feelings. He needed to call Kim and let her know that Lisa could come by after school tomorrow if it was okay with her. He also needed to explain why he seemed so overprotective of his daughter. He figured he’d tell Kim about that when he saw her again.

  Finishing his sandwich, he removed his cell phone from his pocket and dialed the phone number for Kim’s bakery.

  Chapter 3

  Kim sliced the fudge brownies into neat squares, her stomach growling. She hadn’t had lunch yet and she resisted the urge to shove a few of these into her mouth. The rich chocolate scent filled the kitchen. Sniffing, she relished the delicious aroma. The phone rang and she put her knife aside. Her father was occupied with customers in the front of the bakery. “Taylor’s Cookie Shop.”

  “Kim.” Her heart skipped. It was Luke. His distinctive deep voice was easy to recognize. “This is Luke.”

  “Yes?” He was probably calling to tell her that he didn’t want his daughter working in her cookie bakery. She probably didn’t measure up to his standards. But, he was entitled to his opinion. She wouldn’t let his rejection bother her, after all, he was only thinking about his daughter’s well-being.

  “Lisa can help you in the bakery, if you want her to.”

  This was a surprise. “Really?”

  “Yes.”

  “She can come today if you want.”

  He hesitated. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, I hadn’t planned on letting her come today. I wasn’t sure how she was going to get from the school to the bakery.”

  The school was within walking distance to the bakery, and Kim understood Luke hesitating about letting his daughter walk the few blocks alone. “My dad is here to watch the bakery. So, I can go pick her up after school.”

  “Okay. I’ll let her teacher know that you’ll be picking her up.”

  “Good.” They agreed on a pickup time before he ended the call.

  *

  Luke pushed the door open to her shop, causing the overhead sleigh bells to ring. Every time a customer had entered this evening, Kim had looked toward the door, anticipating Luke’s arrival. She came from behind the counter, about to close up. It’d been a busy afternoon since they’d been getting a lot of requests for Christmas cookies.

  Lisa grinned. “Dad, I had the best time!” She retrieved her backpack, holding a box of cookies in her hand. “We made vanilla cookies. Did you know that vanilla comes from a bean? You scrape the seeds out of this dark black bean and use them in the cookies. Dad, they are so good!”

  The excitement in Lisa’s voice made Kim’s heart skip. Lisa’s enthusiastic attitude had really helped brightened her afternoon.

  As Lisa chattered to her dad, Kim stared at Luke. He looked…good. So handsome. Memories of their high-school romance filled her mind, and she took a deep breath, pushing the thoughts away. Her relationship with Luke had happened a long time ago, and she couldn’t let herself fantasize about their previous mutual attraction. After all, that was ancient history. Last night, her friends Carly and Anna had texted her back, shocked that Luke was back in Bethlehem. They’d asked for more details but Kim could only confirm that Luke’s daughter was working in her cookie shop, and that he’d initially made her mad. There wasn’t much more that she could say.

  Lisa continued chattering and Kim noticed the battered black backpack that Luke carried. The backpack had the emblem of Bethlehem Community College. She wondered if Luke was in school, but, didn’t want to interrupt Lisa’s chatter
to ask. “Calm down, Lisa. You can tell me about everything when we get home.”

  “Can I come back tomorrow?”

  Luke finally looked at her. She tried not to let those nice, dark brown eyes affect her. She hoped he said yes – it would give her an excuse to see him tomorrow. “You can come if Kim says it’s okay.”

  Lisa looked at Kim. “Can I come back tomorrow? Please?” Lisa’s voice took on a pleading tone, and Kim chuckled.

  “Of course you can come back tomorrow.”

  Kim then studied Luke’s face, noticing the dark circles under his eyes. He looked so tired, and she wanted to ask if he were having trouble sleeping, but, didn’t want to be too nosy.

  He glanced at his car, which was parked right outside the bakery. He removed his key fob and unlocked the car door. “Lisa, go wait for me in the car.”

  “Dad, I’m not too young to hear what you have to say to Ms. Kim.”

  “Do not argue with me. Go wait in the car.” His deep, stark tone filled the room, and Lisa seemed to know that she needed to obey her dad. Huffing, Lisa finally exited the bakery, walked to the car and got inside. Luke re-locked the car door with his key fob before focusing on her.

  Good gracious, he looked just as handsome as he did when they were in high school. Her breath caught. She just needed to stop staring at him and find out why he’d just sent his daughter out to the car. For the life of her, she couldn’t imagine why he’d need to speak with her alone. “Mind if we sit for a few minutes?”

  So, he wanted her to sit down? Just to talk? This was surprising. They settled into their chairs. “You look upset. Are you okay?”

  He cleared his throat, looked toward the wall, before focusing on her again. “No, I feel bad. I know I offended you yesterday, implying that you’d be a bad influence on Lisa.” Truth be told, she had been offended, but figured she couldn’t let his opinion bother her too much. After all, she had enough on her mind already without having to worry about deciphering why Luke wouldn’t want her around his daughter. “I just wanted to say that I’m sorry.”

  She nodded. “You don’t have to apologize.”

  “Yes, I do. I owe you an explanation. My wife Salina was killed in a car accident a year and a half ago and my life hasn’t been the same.”

  “Luke, I’m so sorry.”

  He fidgeted, just as he’d always done when he was anxious or upset. Just like during their high school days, she briefly touched his hand. When they’d dated, a simple touch could calm him down. He finally looked at her again. “I worry about Lisa, especially since Salina died. Initially, after Salina’s death, I didn’t want to let Lisa out of my sight. I’m slowly learning that raising Lisa is a day-to-day process, but, I find myself questioning all of my decisions, wanting to do what’s best for her.”

  “Well, she’s your daughter.” She’d assume most parents felt this way about their children.

  “I know but, I’ve been accused of going overboard, being over-protective of her.”

  “I accept your apology. Don’t worry about it.”

  He relaxed, glanced at his battered backpack on the floor. She grinned, determined to put him at ease. “Why’d you bring your backpack into the shop?”

  Returning her smile, he lifted the backpack off of the floor. “I’ve had a lot on my mind lately. I just brought the backpack out of habit. I usually take it with me to work and to the classes I have in the evenings.” He stood up, going toward the door. “Thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

  The corner of his backpack caught onto the door handle, and it ripped, causing his school books to spill from the backpack and onto the floor. Kim spotted his calculus book as he gathered his scattered pens and pencils. “You’re taking calculus?” Luke had barely passed Algebra in high school. Kim had helped him with his Algebra homework, and they’d sat beside one another in class and she’d let him cheat off her Algebra exams. Algebra had been the last subject they had in high school together before he’d moved away.

  “Yes, it’s awful. I’m up late, studying every night. I doubt I’ll pass.”

  “Have you considered hiring a tutor?”

  “Yes. I was going to talk to my professor about that after class tomorrow.”

  She didn’t know if he’d agree to this idea, but, she might as well ask him. “Well, I don’t mind helping.”

  “But this is calculus, not high school algebra.”

  Kim shrugged, secretly pleased that he remembered her helping him with Algebra in high school. “I took this class when I was getting my bachelor’s.” She removed the book from his hands, flipping through the pages. “I used this same text book.”

  “You have a bachelor’s degree?” His shocked tone made her pause, until she recalled that he literally knew nothing about her life since he’d skipped town eight years ago. The only thing he knew was that she was a Christian now, and that she was currently running her family’s cookie bakery. Heck, Luke probably thought that she’d never left Bethlehem after high school.

  “Yes, I have a bachelor’s degree. So, do you want my help or not?” She certainly wasn’t going to beg him to accept her help, but, if he wasn’t doing well in the class, he’d be foolish to turn down her offer.

  His dark eyes widened as he took the book away from her. “Yes, I want your help…”

  “But?” Maybe he felt leery since they used to date in high school. Maybe he mistakenly felt that she might want to re-kindle their relationship while they worked on calculus equations.

  “Look, I really want your help. I just feel guilty accepting your offer.”

  Kim frowned. “Why would you feel guilty?”

  He took a deep breath, as if he were gathering his thoughts. “Well, Lisa sounds like she really likes coming here. I think she’ll want to come here every day after school if she’s allowed.”

  “I don’t mind. She’s a big help to me.”

  “But, you’re already helping me with Lisa, and now accepting your help with my calculus class.” He glanced at his car before focusing on her again. “Am I taking advantage of your time?”

  “Well, I offered. If it turns out to be too much for me, I’ll let you know.” She didn’t have much to occupy her time outside of the cookie bakery. “So, if you want my help, we need to decide when it’ll be best for us to meet.”

  “As soon as possible. I’m failing.”

  “Seriously?”

  He nodded. “I just don’t understand this stuff, even if I stay up half the night studying.”

  It sounded like Luke needed some serious help. Kim honestly didn’t know if she’d be able to prevent him from failing, but, she was certainly going to try. “How about I come over to your place on Saturday night? We could eat dinner before we start studying.”

  “Are you sure you want to eat my cooking?” He teased.

  “How about I bring dinner with me?” She recalled Lisa telling her about Luke’s aversion to cooking. In high school, Luke had loved the spicy chili she used to make. Since she’d re-located back to Bethlehem, she had not made any big meals. Her dad didn’t have a big appetite and with just the two of them, she didn’t have to cook very often. Her father often ate dinner at John’s Sandwich Shop since a group of senior citizens congregated there during the evenings.

  “Well...” he hesitated again. She touched his shoulder, wanting to put him at ease.

  “It’s okay. I don’t mind cooking. My dad eats out a lot and I usually end up eating by myself.” She inwardly winced. Her comment sounded so pathetic. Luke was probably thinking that she was a lonely single woman with too much time on her hands.

  Luke finally nodded, accepting her offer. He squeezed her hand, gave her a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek, before rushing out to his car.

  Chapter 4

  Kim’s father entered the kitchen, humming. He was dressed in jeans and a plaid shirt, his balding brown head shining under the bright kitchen lights. From his good mood, she suspected he’d recently spoken to her sister, Tina.
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  “Tina called earlier, when you went out for your lunch break.” He lifted the lid of the crock pot, taking a large sniff. “That chili smells good.”

  “Thanks.” The aroma of tomatoes, spices, and baking bread filled the air, making her mouth water. Kim pulled the hot pan of cornbread out of the oven. A nice bowl of chili and a slice of cornbread slathered with butter sounded good on this cold, wintry evening. After placing the pan on the stove, she peeked out the kitchen window. Clouds were moving in. It looked like snow was coming. “What did Tina say?”

  “She said she hadn’t talked to you in a while. You should call your sister. She’s been worried about you.”

  Kim resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She highly doubted Tina was worried about her. She was probably so busy with her perfect kids and perfect doctor husband that she barely had time to fret about others. Besides, Tina could easily call her if she really wanted to talk. “Dad, can I ask you something?”

  “Sure.”

  “Why is it you’re in such a good mood whenever Tina calls? I’m here every day, and my being here doesn’t seem to lift your spirits.”

  “You always did get sassy over nothing. I just don’t talk to Tina much, and it’s good to hear from her. You’re making a big deal out of nothing.” He gestured toward the chili and cornbread. “You sure made a lot of food. I was going to meet my buddies over at the sandwich shop tonight.” Kim figured they’d be sitting around, playing checkers and chess, talking about sports and current events.

  “I was taking the food over to Luke’s.”

  Her dad frowned, as if the thought of her making dinner for a man was a weird, foreign concept. “Luke who?”

  “Luke Barnes.”

  “Luke Barnes? Are you nuts? Is this the guy you dated in high school who got that other girl pregnant? He made you miserable.”

  She pulled out the aluminum foil. The cornbread should still be warm when she got to Luke’s if she covered it tightly. Lisa had only been helping in their bakery for a few days, and Kim’s dad had not been in the bakery when Luke had come to fetch Lisa. She’d completely forgotten that her dad didn’t know that Lisa’s father was Luke Barnes. “Luke is Lisa’s father.”