8. Luke

8

LUKE

L uke had just pulled into Abby’s driveway when his mother called his cell phone.

“Hey, Mom. What’s up?”

“Hi, honey. Just checking in. Did you get the trees?”

“We did. Success on all fronts. Headed to Abby’s to help them put their tree up and then heading home.”

“About that,” Grace said. “I started worrying about Abby and the kids. Decorating the tree with all those family ornaments is bound to be hard on Sophie and Jack. If I’m right, there are a lot of memories packed away in those boxes. Doing all these Christmas events without their mother will be terribly hard.”

“You have a great point.” Luke got out of the truck and went to the other side to free Lily from her car seat. She immediately ran to join Jack and Sophie, who were climbing out of Abby’s car. He hadn’t thought about it, but hanging ornaments inevitably led to discussions about when and where an ornament had come from. There would be handmade ones, too, from school projects, with the kids’ pictures on them that they’d have given their mother over the years. Those might be the worst.

The first Christmas without their mother was going to be rough. He felt sick thinking about it.

His mother continued. “That got me thinking that maybe we should help them trim the tree and then have a cookie decorating party—as a way to distract Jack and Sophie.”

“I can suggest it to Abby and see what she thinks.”

“Great. Let me know. Tell her I have all the cookies made and ready for the kids to decorate. I can bring it all to her.”

He disconnected his chest warming. His mother was such a considerate, kind person. He and his brothers had been lucky. So was Lily, for that matter. Without his mother, he didn’t know where any of them would be.

Losing her at Sophie’s and Jack’s ages? Unfathomable.

He cut Abby’s tree from his truck, then carried it over his shoulder up to the porch. Meanwhile, Sophie had shown Abby where Ramona had stored the boxes of Christmas decorations, including a stand for the tree. Luke hauled them all down from the attic storage space. In no time at all, he had the tree upright and displayed in the bay windows of the living room.

Abby breathed in through her nose. “The fresh needles smell so good. We always had a fake tree when I was a kid in LA.”

“Fake? The horror,” Luke said. “Wait. Does that mean you don’t know how to string the lights?”

“That’s exactly what it means.” Abby made a face. “How did I not think of that until now?”

“Don’t worry. I’ve got you covered. I happen to the be the one in my family who does our lights. My dad, normally a good Christian man, was known to utter more than one obscenity while fighting with the tree. When I turned twelve, Mom begged me to take over for him. There’s been peace in the Hayes household ever since.”

“I feel terrible for relying on you for so much,” Abby said. “But I don’t have a choice. Please help me.”

He laughed, delighted by her sweet smile. This woman was like comfort food during a cold winter’s day. Gorgeous comfort food.

She looked pretty enough to eat in her red sweater and jeans.

However, he must stay focused on the wholesome scene unfolding in front of him instead of daydreaming about how to get another kiss from Dr. Abby Parker. The children all needed him to keep his wicked thoughts to himself. They had to be the center of this day. Not his quickly growing obsession with his new neighbor.

“My mom called with an idea.” He explained to Abby his mother’s idea of decorating cookies as a way to distract the kids from what could be a hard activity. Abby reacted just as he had, marveling at his mother’s insightfulness, and quickly agreed. “Decorating a tree is about more than the task. I’m sure those boxes are full of memories of their mother. Jack may not understand, but Sophie surely does. She’s observant and mature for her age. And to have to do it with me, a virtual stranger, will make it even worse. Having you and Lily and Grace here will make them feel more at home.”

“Excellent. I’ll let my mom know.” He shot off a quick text to Grace before settling into his task. This tree wasn’t going to light itself.

Rufus dosed by the fire while Luke strung the lights.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Abby had pulled stockings from one of the boxes. They were quilted in a red-and-white checkered pattern, and names had been stitched across the top. Jack. Sophie. Ramona. What did one do with a family member’s stocking after they passed away? Another pitfall he hadn’t thought of.

Abby shot him a worried glance.

Sophie picked up her mother’s stocking and traced the lettering with her finger. “What do we do with Mom’s?”

Abby sat on the couch as if her legs had weakened. “Would you like to hang it as you always did?”

Sophie nodded. “Mom’s goes on the first hook.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do this year too,” Abby said.

“What about a stocking for Abby?” Jack asked.

“Grace made these ones for us last year,” Sophie said. “Maybe she could make one for her too?”

“I think my mom would be happy to do that,” Luke said.

Abby and Sophie hung the stockings and placed garland over the fireplace. Jack and Lily hopped around, too excited to concentrate on anything for long and getting in everyone’s way.

“Your Grinch still in hiatus?” Luke asked Abby, standing back to admire his work.

“So far, it’s looking like the Grinch is on full sabbatical,” Abby said.

“All right, let’s plug these lights on and pray they work.” Luke knelt to hook the plug into the nearest outlet. The tree lit up with sparkling white lights.

“Yay,” Lily shouted.

Sophie breathed in what sounded like a happy sigh. “It’s perfect, Luke.”

“It really is,” Abby said. “Well done.”

Luke had just turned on the lights when his mother and father arrived. He’d not thought his father would come, but he seemed eager to help.

He left his handiwork to greet his parents at the front door, with Abby following behind.

“I brought something for Jack,” Walter said quietly to Abby as he took off his jacket in the foyer. “It’s a Christmas train. I ordered it for him last week, and it came in today. Perfect timing. Is it all right if I help him set it up?”

Abby tented her hands under her chin. “Oh, Walter, he’ll love that. Thank you.”

Luke and Walter left to get the train set boxes from the truck. By the time they’d gotten it into the house, Jack was beside himself. “There’s really a train in there?”

“Yes, there is,” Walter said, kneeling to open the box, his face as lit up as Jack’s.

“You got it for me?” Jack asked, falling to his knees beside the older man.

“I sure did,” Walter said. “But it was partly selfish on my part. I always wanted one when I was a boy. You’ll let me help you set it up, right?”

“Yes, yes,” Jack said.

“Me help too?” Lily asked.

“You bet, Lily girl,” Walter said. “Come on over here. But you have to be careful and wait for me to tell you what to do. We don’t want any broken pieces.”

Lily promised to listen as she took her place next to Jack.

His mother had already set up the cookie station in the kitchen and returned to them with steaming mugs of hot cider. Luke accepted one and then sat back to watch his dad and Jack put the train together. Sophie and Abby, stepping around the train builders, began to put ornaments on the tree, including the new ones from today. As they went along, Abby exclaimed over different ornaments, including the homemade ones with photographs of Sophie or Jack they’d made for their mother.

“That one was from Mrs. Stone’s class,” Sophie said. “Last year.”

He held his breath, worried for Sophie, but she seemed to find enjoyment telling Abby about the origins of certain pieces.

“My mom loved this one.” Sophie held up a Christmas tree cut from construction paper and decorated with pieces of macaroni and a school photograph. “But it’s kind of hideous.”

“I’m sure your mother saw only your pretty face on it,” Abby said.

“Yeah, I guess.” Sophie’s mouth twitched into a sad smile. “She always loved all the ones we made at school.”

Walter and Jack had unpacked the entire box and sorted all the different parts into piles. His father was methodical about everything, including putting together a toy train. Luke hid a smile behind his hand, enjoying watching the man he admired most in the world transform into a little boy.

He’d picked a good one, too. From what Luke could tell, it must have cost a fortune. The train itself was a detailed, classic steam locomotive with a deep black and crimson exterior, gleaming brass accents, and intricate rivets. Its carriages were equally impressive, painted in festive colors such as rich burgundy and evergreen, with gold trim and tiny frosted windows showcasing miniature passengers enjoying holiday festivities.

Each mahogany track piece clicked together seamlessly. Small, detailed holiday scenes included a snow-covered village station with warm lights flickering from inside, old-fashioned lampposts, tiny evergreen trees dusted with snow, and even a miniature skating rink with figures in mid-skate. Some of the carriages were adorned with holiday touches such as wreaths, garland, and twinkling LED lights.

“Isn’t she a beauty?” Walter asked as he clicked together tracks.

Jack agreed, holding up the locomotive to inspect it more carefully. “This is the best train set ever.”

About fifteen minutes later, the train set was complete. “And wait for the best part.” Walter plugged it in and turned it on. “It comes with sound.”

Indeed, a small speaker embedded within the train softly played classic Christmas carols, synchronized with a gentle chugging sound and the occasional puff of smoke from the locomotive’s smokestack. Luke could almost feel himself sitting in the passenger car.

“Aren’t trains romantic?” Abby asked with a sigh as she plopped onto the couch with a mug of hot cider.

“They are,” Luke said. “A glimpse into the past.”

Sophie and Abby had completed the tree, and it looked magnificent. He complimented them both.

“Thank you for doing the lights,” Abby said. “I’d still be fighting with them if you hadn’t volunteered.”

“My pleasure.” It was true. There wasn’t much he wouldn’t do for the beautiful woman sitting next to him. How had he met her only two days before? Life was strange, how everything could change all at once. For better or worse.

He couldn’t help but think Abby’s presence in all their lives was for the better. Perhaps especially his.

The cookie decorating party had been a grand success. By the time all of the stars, reindeer, sleds, and trees had been slathered with frosting and candy, the children were worn out. Luke was feeling a little tired himself, and he still had chores to do back at the farm. Fortunately, his mother had suggested they wait to do their tree until tomorrow.

It was already dark by the time he and Lily were ready to leave Abby’s and return home. His mother and father had departed just moments before.

“Thank you so much for everything,” Abby said, helping Lily into her pink jacket. “I feel terrible you have to do this all again tomorrow at your house.”

“Don’t be. It was a great day,” Luke said.

“Sophie and Jack, can you thank Luke, please?” Abby asked.

Jack wrapped his arms around Luke’s legs. “Thanks, Luke.”

Luke placed a large hand over Jack’s head and looked down at him. “You’re welcome.”

“You can come play with my train any time,” Jack said.

“I might just take you up on that, although my dad may beat me here.”

“Thanks, Luke, for doing so much for us,” Sophie said.

Luke knelt to give her a hug. “It’s my pleasure. Anything you need, you ask, okay?”

“Okay,” Sophie said, smiling back at him.

Abby walked Luke and Lily out to his truck. Although it was dark, lights on the porch and in the yard made it easy enough to see. Once he got Lily buckled into her booster seat, he turned his attention to Abby. She hadn’t put on her jacket and stood with her arms folded, clearly cold.

“You’re cold. You should get back inside,” Luke said.

“I wanted to say thank you again.”

“You don’t have to thank me. I’m doing my best to win you over. Purely selfish.”

“It’s working.” Abby grinned.

“About that date. How’s tomorrow night? I can take you to the bar and grill. Nothing fancy, but they have live music on weekend evenings.”

“Yeah, about that.” Abby glanced down at her feet. “Do you think it’s a good idea? I mean, this is so much change for the kids, and adding…you and me to the mix…seems like a lot.”

His heart sank. Was she bailing on him already?

“Not that I don’t want to go out with you,” Abby said. “I want to in the worst way. But I’m afraid to do the wrong thing.”

Hope returned as quickly as it had been dashed. He placed his fingertips on the sleeve of her jacket. “I don’t want you to feel any pressure. Clearly, I like you and would love to spend more time with you, but I’m also aware of how overwhelmed you must be without me adding additional stress.”

Still holding her arms tight to her chest, she gave him a wobbly smile. “I like you too. If I’d met you at any other point in my life, I’d have jumped at the chance to go out with a man like you. But you’re right. I’m in way over my head. Adding you and Lily into the mix feels like too much. For right now, anyway.”

“I understand. How about this? I’d love to be your friend. Someone you can count on for whatever you need. I know what it’s like to face a huge transition—one that feels too big to handle. I’d be honored if you’d let me be part of your village, when it comes to the kids especially. If and when you’re ready, I’d love to take you out. Spoil you a little. But for now, I’m your friend. No pressure.”

She sighed, her shoulders slumping as she dropped her chin. “That means a lot to me. Truly. You’re a good guy, Luke Hayes.”

“I try to be.” Luke drew her into a quick embrace but didn’t try to kiss her. He had to be careful or scare her away, and that was the last thing he wanted. “Get some rest. I’ll see you soon.”

He could play the long game if he had to. For Abby Parker, the wait would be worth it. He felt quite sure of that.