Back to Luke by Kathryn Shay Page A

wanted to cry. She wanted to throw something. She wanted to run from this scene. She decided on the latter. “I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone.” Shegave as gracious a smile as she could to Elise. “Nice to meet you. Stick around if you can. Luke’s almost human when you’re here.”
    With that, she got in her car, started the engine and backed out. In the rearview mirror, she saw Elise slide her arm around Luke’s trim waist and lean into him.
    Jayne also saw Luke staring after her retreating car.
     

    L UKE CHECKED the rearview mirror so he could see into the back of his dad’s SUV. Behind him sat Teresa’s three boys in the last row, ages ten, eleven and twelve. In front of them was one of Corky’s girls with Maria’s daughter, Analise. Belle’s kids, Kasey, Karl and Kenny, were catching a ride to the ball field in Jess’s van, along with Jess’s girls. Luke had asked his best friend to help him drive the little ones. Man, he got a kick out of playing uncle.
    “Ready, troops?”
    “Yes, Uncle Luke,” they chanted in unison.
    “Rules of the road? Mikey,” he called out to Teresa’s oldest, “you give them.”
    “No yelling, slapping or mean words.”
    “Gotta be careful driving,” Analise said. Truth be told, the towheaded eight-year-old was his favorite, because she was the spunkiest. He had a way with her, though.
    With such precious cargo, Luke took it easy on the trip to the stadium where the Riverdale Royals, a farm team for a professional baseball outfit, would hold their first game of the season. Everybody loved baseball in his family and had passed the tradition down through the generations. He was doing his part today.
    He was also doing penance. As he drove along sidestreets, he thought of his confrontation with Belle, when she found out what he’d done…
    Her face had flushed with anger. “What the hell are you doing, Luciano, telling that woman to stay in town?”
    He’d asked himself the same thing a million times this week, when he’d tried to stay away from Jayne but hadn’t managed to stop thinking about her. Still, he went to her defense with his sister. “She’s at the lowest point in her life, Belle. She’s about to lose the only thing she has left.”
    “Naomi’s about to lose Jess.”
    “I don’t think so. She and Jess will work this out.”
    “You don’t know that. Damn, I can’t believe…” Then that all-knowing gaze zeroed in on him. When they’d been young, Belle had been the sister who always sensed when he was up to something. “Don’t tell me you…oh, God, Luke, you aren’t interested in her, are you?”
    “No!” But he reddened, and doing so belied his words.
    “Hell! This is all we need to muck things up.”
    He agreed with Belle on that. He’d made a fool of himself at work this week, especially with his disastrous playacting with Elise. He couldn’t believe he’d done that for Jayne’s benefit.
    “Damn it!” he said aloud.
    “Ooo, Uncle Luke,” Analise said. “No bad words.”
    “Right, sweetie. Sorry.”
    The little girl smiled at him in the rearview mirror. He knew she’d been corrected for her repetition of things she wasn’t supposed to say.
    When they arrived at the stadium, herding the kidsout of the van distracted him. Once in the stands, they paraded to their seats. When they neared their row, the first thing Luke noticed was Jayne, sitting next to Jess, with little Kasey on her lap. What the hell? Was someone trying to torture him by throwing her in his way?
    The cousins greeted one another with cheers and high fives. “Okay, troops, sit.” They filed in immediately. Despite the sour note of Jayne’s presence, he had to smile. He loved how his nieces and nephews obeyed him.
    Kissing Miss Ellie’s cheek, he said curtly to Jayne, “I’m surprised to see you here.”
    To which she replied, “I was invited.” She nuzzled Kasey’s head. “Besides, I had to see the legendary Pied Piper in action.”
    There was a bit