The Sweetheart Bargain (A Sweetheart Sisters Novel) by Shirley Jump Page B
Authors: Shirley Jump
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voice rose above the whine of the engine. “Promise me, Luke. Please.”
He’d held Joe’s gaze for one long second while time stood still and a glimmer of hope remained in Luke’s chest. “I promise.”
Sharp, agonizing pain shot through Luke’s heart, cut off his airway. Hot tears rushed to his eyes, and this time he didn’t stop them. He let them fall, until the tears became sobs that threatened to tear him in two. He collapsed to the dining room floor and rocked like a child, clutching the photograph, and hating himself.
Promise me.
Joe had asked one thing of him, one simple thing, and Luke had sat here in the dark and let Joe down. Again.
Luke sucked in a deep breath, then shoved off from the footlocker and got to his feet. No more of this shit. He’d been living in the dark too damned long. It was time to face what lurked in the shadows he’d been avoiding.
He retrieved an envelope and a stamp from the hutch drawer, scrawled an address he knew by heart onto the front, and slid the letter into the envelope. He added a second piece of paper, writing Joe wanted you to have this , then sealed the envelope. Before he could think twice, he crossed to the front door. He snagged his sunglasses, then stepped out into the bright Florida sunshine.
Three feet down the walkway, he stopped, the envelope a heavy brick in his hand. Everything in him wanted to turn back, to shove all of this crap deep into the footlocker again.
To take the coward’s way out.
He heard a rustling, then spied a familiar golden body heading his way. The dog sauntered over to him from Olivia’s yard, its movements slow, its tail glinting gold in the sunlight as it wagged back and forth at a furious pace. The golden sidled up to Luke and pressed his cold nose against Luke’s bare leg. As if the dog knew, understood.
A friend, when Luke needed one most. Luke hesitated only a second, then reached down and buried his hand in the dog’s soft fur. “Hey, buddy. Glad to see you up and about.”
Luke’s hand traveled down the golden’s body, shifting his touch to a gentle one when he hit the shaved area along one flank. The bare skin startled him, and his hand followed it to the hard edges of a bandage and tape. “Been through a lot, haven’t you?”
The dog’s tail just kept on thumping against the back of Luke’s leg. Silent assent.
“You and me both.” In his other hand, Luke fingered the envelope. He thought of the bandages and wounds he had. Wounds he wasn’t sure would ever heal. All the while, the dog pressed against him, friendly, happy, as if he hadn’t been found half-starved and injured a few days earlier. Even now, ready to start over, to trust again, to open his heart to humans.
“All right,” Luke said, to the dog, to himself, to the envelope. “All right.” Then he made the journey down the driveway to the mailbox. The dog kept pace beside Luke, so close his tail tickled the skin of Luke’s calves. The dog dropped to his haunches, waiting while Luke opened the plastic door, slid the envelope in, and propped up the red flag.
“All right,” Luke said again, then lowered himself beside the dog and buried his face in the golden’s fur.
* * *
Greta loved her son, she really did, but there were days when she could see a viable case for throttling him. “How did I raise such a stubborn child?” she asked Edward.
He sat across from her in a corner booth at Suzy’s Family Dining. The breakfast crowd of snowbirds filled the cozy country-themed restaurant, strategically located a block away from Golden Years. Suzy herself often played hostess and pitched in to clear tables or carry orders. The scent of bacon and coffee filled the air, and the low hum of conversation rose and fell in waves.
Edward arched a brow. “You, of all people, are wondering where I got my stubborn gene from?”
Goodness, what was with people calling her stubborn lately? Didn’t they see she was just trying to do what was right for her
He’d held Joe’s gaze for one long second while time stood still and a glimmer of hope remained in Luke’s chest. “I promise.”
Sharp, agonizing pain shot through Luke’s heart, cut off his airway. Hot tears rushed to his eyes, and this time he didn’t stop them. He let them fall, until the tears became sobs that threatened to tear him in two. He collapsed to the dining room floor and rocked like a child, clutching the photograph, and hating himself.
Promise me.
Joe had asked one thing of him, one simple thing, and Luke had sat here in the dark and let Joe down. Again.
Luke sucked in a deep breath, then shoved off from the footlocker and got to his feet. No more of this shit. He’d been living in the dark too damned long. It was time to face what lurked in the shadows he’d been avoiding.
He retrieved an envelope and a stamp from the hutch drawer, scrawled an address he knew by heart onto the front, and slid the letter into the envelope. He added a second piece of paper, writing Joe wanted you to have this , then sealed the envelope. Before he could think twice, he crossed to the front door. He snagged his sunglasses, then stepped out into the bright Florida sunshine.
Three feet down the walkway, he stopped, the envelope a heavy brick in his hand. Everything in him wanted to turn back, to shove all of this crap deep into the footlocker again.
To take the coward’s way out.
He heard a rustling, then spied a familiar golden body heading his way. The dog sauntered over to him from Olivia’s yard, its movements slow, its tail glinting gold in the sunlight as it wagged back and forth at a furious pace. The golden sidled up to Luke and pressed his cold nose against Luke’s bare leg. As if the dog knew, understood.
A friend, when Luke needed one most. Luke hesitated only a second, then reached down and buried his hand in the dog’s soft fur. “Hey, buddy. Glad to see you up and about.”
Luke’s hand traveled down the golden’s body, shifting his touch to a gentle one when he hit the shaved area along one flank. The bare skin startled him, and his hand followed it to the hard edges of a bandage and tape. “Been through a lot, haven’t you?”
The dog’s tail just kept on thumping against the back of Luke’s leg. Silent assent.
“You and me both.” In his other hand, Luke fingered the envelope. He thought of the bandages and wounds he had. Wounds he wasn’t sure would ever heal. All the while, the dog pressed against him, friendly, happy, as if he hadn’t been found half-starved and injured a few days earlier. Even now, ready to start over, to trust again, to open his heart to humans.
“All right,” Luke said, to the dog, to himself, to the envelope. “All right.” Then he made the journey down the driveway to the mailbox. The dog kept pace beside Luke, so close his tail tickled the skin of Luke’s calves. The dog dropped to his haunches, waiting while Luke opened the plastic door, slid the envelope in, and propped up the red flag.
“All right,” Luke said again, then lowered himself beside the dog and buried his face in the golden’s fur.
* * *
Greta loved her son, she really did, but there were days when she could see a viable case for throttling him. “How did I raise such a stubborn child?” she asked Edward.
He sat across from her in a corner booth at Suzy’s Family Dining. The breakfast crowd of snowbirds filled the cozy country-themed restaurant, strategically located a block away from Golden Years. Suzy herself often played hostess and pitched in to clear tables or carry orders. The scent of bacon and coffee filled the air, and the low hum of conversation rose and fell in waves.
Edward arched a brow. “You, of all people, are wondering where I got my stubborn gene from?”
Goodness, what was with people calling her stubborn lately? Didn’t they see she was just trying to do what was right for her
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