Sweet Gone South by Alicia Hunter Pace Page B

she needed today. Next week promised to be even more hectic and she needed to do laundry, clean house, and buy groceries. Best of all, she was going to cook a meal — a real bad-for-you meal, and she was going to eat it in front of the TV.
    Groceries first, and then she could stay in for the rest of the day. On her way out, she stopped to put in a load of laundry and found the machine full of clothes. Luke was always doing that. Sometimes he’d leave them there until they were dry crinkled up slabs. At least these were somewhat freshly washed. She began to move them to the dryer. He knew nothing about sorting. White towels, little t-shirts and nightgowns, sweatpants, blue jeans and — what was that? — oh, black boxer briefs. She shoved them in and turned on the dryer. She didn’t want to think about his underwear.
    It was bad enough that he had almost kissed her the day of the nanny debacle. At least she thought he had. Unless you counted the couple of concrete kisses she and Nathan had shared before admitting they had no interest in each other, she was way out of practice. But no matter how much everyone carried on about how beautiful he was, she hadn’t wanted to kiss Nathan. She could have so easily slipped into Luke’s arms and opened her mouth, her soul, and maybe her heart. And that could never happen because she couldn’t open her body.
    She shook it off, turned on the dryer, and put her clothes in to wash. Laundry, groceries, clean apartment, dinner. That was her life today. Not Luke and not kisses.
    At the Big Starr, Lanie got a cart and balanced her list on top of her purse in the child seat. She was reaching for a pint of whipping cream when she heard the happy baby laughter that had become so familiar.
    “Lanie, Lanie, Lanie!” Emma sang out. She was perched in the child seat of Luke’s cart, holding a purple colander.
    He wheeled his cart up alongside hers.
    “My daddy got this for me!” The child held out the colander.
    “Really? What a nice daddy,” Lanie said, and nodded to Luke. “Are you going to make some spaghetti? Or wash your grapes in it?”
    “No!” She put the colander on her head. “It’s my hat for when I go fast.”
    “Oh, right. You’ll be safe —
and
look pretty when you ride your tricycle.”
    Luke’s lips parted and his eyes widened with understanding.
    “My daddy will buy you the same as this,” Emma said.
    “I will.” Luke spoke for the first time. “Go pick out a couple to match your work clothes. They’ve got bright pink and orange.” Why did she get the feeling he was looking at her like he knew a secret? She’d had that feeling more and more lately.
    “Thanks. Maybe some other time.” She pushed Emma’s hair out of her eyes.
    “Will you tie a hair bow?” Emma asked.
    “I will. Later when we’re all home.”
    “My daddy said a bad word when he tied my hair bow.”
    “Emma!” Luke said.
    “Grandma and Susie tie hair bows. They went to heaven.”
    Alarmed, Lanie’s eyes flew to Luke’s. Though she’d watched Emma three afternoons in the last week, she and Luke hadn’t talked much. She’d always been on her way to make more chocolate chickens and marshmallow eggs, but surely she would have heard if his mother and their long time employee had died.
    Luke closed his eyes and shook his head. “Emma, they are not in heaven. Remember? They’re in Montgomery with Grandpa. And where are they going tomorrow? On an airplane?”
    Emma squinted her eyes and shook her head. “I dunno.”
    “Japan,” Luke said patiently.
    “Japan!” Emma sang out, smiling. “My grandpa’s gonna bring me — ” She turned her puzzled eyes to Luke. “What?”
    “A pearl necklace,” Luke said.
    “How exciting. Vacation?” Lanie asked.
    Luke shook his head. “Official visit. Courting industry for the state.”
    “No candy makers, I hope.”
    “Not that I know of. I believe he said something about computer chips and cars.”
    “That’s a relief. I put your