Looking deliriously happy, Olivia pulled out her phone and started texting madly. “Thank you,” she said, looking up for a moment before turning her attention back to her phone.
Luke and Aiden came back with more than their drinks. Juliette was with them, but also another woman walked beside Luke: An older woman, she was thin, with salt-and-pepper hair styled just so, fanning across her forehead and diamond earrings the size of small buttons in her ears. Her demeanor seemed slightly stiff, given the party going on; her expression was serious, yet gentle. Luke leaned down to say something to her, and she smiled warmly at him before the sober expression returned.
As they got closer, Callie could see the woman’s complexion; clearly she’d spent a lot of time and money to keep her skin looking flawless for her age, but her eyes told a different story. There was something behind them—they looked tired, or maybe sad. She couldn’t tell.
“Callie,” Luke said, stepping forward and handing her a new, ice-cold glass. He moved to the side to allow the woman to take the spot directly in front of Callie. “This is my mother. Mom, this is Callie.”
“Lillian Sullivan,” she said, giving her an appraising once-over, making Callie feel as if she were just another girl Luke brought to the house.
While the others fell into conversation, sitting down on the deck chairs, Lillian turned to her son. “Where have you been, dear? I’ve been looking for you all night.”
“I was showing Callie my work in the garage.”
Lillian was motionless for an instant, the comment noticeably affecting her. “Oh?” she said, before turning slowly and looking at Callie as if she’d only just now seen her. She smiled at her, and Callie had to work to keep her breath from coming out like a popped balloon. Lillian Sullivan could certainly be intimidating. But when she softened, it was like she was a totally different person.
“Have you seen Luke surf? I love to watch him surf.” She looked up at the sky and shook her head as if the memory was right there, before her gaze landed back on Callie.
“I haven’t,” she answered, nervously taking a sip of her drink.
Luke piped up, “I tried to get her to go surfing with me, but she wouldn’t go.”
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t go. You asked me to go today and the party was today.”
“So you would go?” He was grinning at her as he lifted his drink to his lips. What was it—whiskey and coke? She knew he was baiting her.
“Yes, I’d go.”
Amusement swelled in Luke’s features. “Are you nervous about surfing?”
“No.” What she couldn’t say out loud was that she was nervous about being with him. She was finding it harder to push her feelings away; unable to control how her body responded to Luke. Her skin felt all tingly and alive just looking at him.
“Callie,” Olivia called from the sofa. When she leaned around Luke to see her friend, she was surprised to find Aiden with his arm stretched out behind Olivia. They sure did look cozy. Olivia waved her phone in the air. “Gram’s coming to get Wyatt later. We can stay.”
“Yay!” Juliette said, coming back over after being sidetracked by a few of her friends.
Luke shook his head. “I’ll be helping Mitchell to bed tonight, I can tell.” He chuckled. “Julie isn’t always like this, but she deserves to have a night out. She’s only recently divorced,” he said quietly. “And she’s had a rough go of things for the last few years. I’m glad to see her finally happy.”
“Divorce is a messy endeavor,” Lillian said. “I know from experience.” She’d gotten a glass of wine from one of the waiters and was holding it with both hands, her diamond rings swinging around her finger with the weight of the stones. “It was devastating when I had to go through it, and I’m so sad Juliette has to go through the same thing.”
“Me too,” Luke said, putting his arm around his mother and kissing the top of her head. Then, switching gears in an obvious attempt to lighten his mother’s mood, he said, “I think you need to hang out with us tonight.”
She looked lovingly up at her son. “I’d never manage. I’ll be asleep before you all have even started.”
“Nonsense. Aiden and I will keep you going.”
Callie sat down. She was taken with Luke’s relationship with his mother.
He shook his mother’s shoulders playfully. “Come on…” he coaxed.
“Stop it,” she scolded with a laugh. “You’re going to make me spill my wine.” When he let her go, she added, “You can’t stay up too late if you’re going to take Callie surfing anyway. You don’t want to sleep all day.”
“Did you hear that, Callie?” Luke said, plopping down beside her on the sofa. “Mom says we’re going surfing tomorrow. I never argue with my mother.” He winked at Lillian.
Callie didn’t argue either.
Wyatt, exhausted, climbed into the back of Gladys’s car and covered up with the beach towel that Luke had returned as promised—all clean and freshly laundered. Callie had gone with Olivia to meet Gladys out front of the Sullivans’ so she could wish him goodnight before Gladys took him home. She noticed the news van had gone.
“I painted a few wine glasses tonight for fun with Adelaide.” Gladys opened her car door but stood just beside it, carrying on their conversation. “It was Adelaide Foster, Callie,” she said.
Callie tried to recollect the name—it sounded familiar.
“Oh! Yes. The lockbox. Did she give you Frederick McFarlin’s contact information?”
Gladys frowned. “No. I’m sorry. She couldn’t find it.”
“Aw, that’s too bad,” she said, shaking her head. “Well, we tried.” As Gladys climbed into the driver’s seat, they said a quick goodbye to Wyatt and headed inside.
When they entered the house, Aiden met them in the entryway. “Luke said to go upstairs and get him when you’re back in. He’s putting Mitchell to bed,” he told Callie.
Olivia followed Aiden into the living room while Callie took the steps carefully, the drinks she’d had making her just relaxed enough that she felt the need to hold the railing.
When she found the room, Luke was on the floor, leaning against a large, four-poster bed, reading to Mitchell from a chapter book. Something he’d read had made Mitchell laugh and Callie could see Luke’s smile emerge just before he turned to look at her.
“Hi,” he said, looking so content that she had to catch her breath. Images of him as a father flashed through her head, questions about what he’d be like years down the road came flooding in. She willed herself to stop.
He ruffled Mitchell’s hair. “That’s it for tonight, buddy. Happy birthday.”
Mitchell smiled and yawned, turning over in his bed, exhaustion winning out.
Luke nodded toward the door.
When they got downstairs, Olivia had already settled in beside Aiden in the living room. He had his arm around her in a way that could be just friendly but Callie had to wonder.