The day was looking up for Luke. He’d had a good conversation with Matt, got the phone number from a beautiful woman and was on his way to see his sister. The first home where he was going to set up an escape route was that of his sister Diamond and her husband, Zack.
Zack and his brother Xavier were the developers of Davenport Estates. It was a community of homes ranging from expansive ranchers to three level mansions. The complex was comprised of townhomes, a shopping mall, grocery store, a bank, a theater and even a few small restaurants. In the center of it all were the condominiums where Luke’s Richmond home was located. He was their first buyer and was allotted one of the two penthouses located in the building. The other was the Richmond home for Xavier. Because of their vicinity to him, it just made sense to start there. Knocking out two stones at once also came into play. Luke discovered Zack was in the process of building his brother Timothy and his wife Denise’s house. It was the perfect time to set up an escape route for them during the building process.
Walking towards Davenport Industries’ office, Luke was sending a message to Diamond to let her know he had arrived when a woman came rushing out of the door and bumped into him. She had a number of tubes that fell out of her hands. She stepped on one, which caused her to lose her balance. All of the other packages in her hands flew up in the air as she screamed. Luke caught her just before she was about to hit the ground.
“Whoa,” he held her in his arms, “you’ve got to be careful before you hurt yourself. Now, we wouldn’t want that to happen, right?” He smiled down at her.
The woman had a short haircut with a diamond shaped face, big doe like eyes, that were wide open in shock.
“No…we would not want that to happen,” she said as he put her on her feet.
“Let me help you pick this up,” Luke bent down.
She huffed then bent over and joined him. “That’s what I get for trying to juggle too much at once. I am sorry. I was not paying attention to where I was walking.”
“No apology needed. I’m always here to help a lady in distress,” Luke said as they stood. He held the other tubes. “Are you going somewhere with these?”
“Yes, to my car,” she said as she brushed her hair back into place and smiled.
“How about if I give you a hand and carry these.”
She hesitated. “That would be nice. Thank you. I’m right over there,” she pointed.
“The red Mercedes?” he asked.
“Yes,” she replied. “I was reaching into my purse to get my keys to open the door when I bumped into you.”
“I’ll hold these while you get your fob out.” He took a few more of the tubes from her.
She reached into her purse between glances at him.
“Do I know you?” She asked.
“I would remember meeting someone as pretty as you.”
She smiled. “Yes, you would.” She shook her head. “Sorry, I should say thank you. I’m trying not to be so forward with my words these days.”
Luke frowned. “You are a beautiful woman. You should claim it.”
She looked at him and smiled. “Yes, I should.” She pushed the button and the trunk to the vehicle opened. She took some of the tubes back from him. “I don’t understand why people get so bent out of shape when you simply acknowledge what is in plain sight.”
“I agree,” Luke smiled. “I’m Luke. What name goes with that pretty smile of yours?”
He watched as her smile brightened.
“Trish,” she put the tubes in the trunk and extended her hand. “Trish Hargrove.”
Luke placed the other tubes in the trunk and took her hand. “Very nice to meet you Trish.”
“It really is,” she closed the trunk and stared at him. “Are you sure we haven’t met? You look so familiar to me.”
“I get that sometimes.”
“I bet you do,” she beamed. “Before we continue down this road of ‘I like what I see’ with each other I have to ask. Are you married?”
Luke shook his head. “No.”
“Okay, good. Are you engaged, belong to someone special, anything that might get my ass whipped for asking for those digits?”
Liking her boldness Luke laughed. “None of the above.”
“Really? I find that hard to believe with those dimples, and that body,” she said as she scanned him from head to toe.
“Had that happen to you a time or two?” he raised an eyebrow.
“You have no idea how some women can be,” she nodded.
“I tell you what. To keep you safe, how about you give me your digits. I’ll be the one to make the initial call, we can take it from there.”
She reached into her purse and pulled out a pen. “I’ll do it the old-fashioned way.” She wrote her number on his hand. “Put that in your phone before you wrap it around anything else.”
Luke watched as she licked her lips. “I’ll be sure to do that.”
“If I wasn’t on the clock I would come with you, but a girl has to pay the rent, you know what I mean?”
“I do,” he opened the car door for her. “Try not to hurt those legs while I’m not around.” He closed the door.
“No worries. I’ll save them for you to hurt later.” She smiled then started the car. “Bye now,” she said as she pulled off.
“Damn, this day is getting better and better.” Luke made his way into the office.
Walking in the door Luke was greeted by the receptionist.
“Hello,” she smiled. “How may I help you?”
“I’m here to see Diamond Davenport,” Luke replied.
“Are you sure you are not here to see me?”
Luke smiled. “Not this time.”
“Oh, all right. Diamond is down the hallway on the right.”
“Thank you,” he followed the directions until he saw his sister sitting inside an office. He tapped on the door.
“Hey, you made it.” Diamond said as he walked into the office.
Walking over to her, he pulled her into his arms and hugged her. Diamond gave hugs like Sally, you could feel the love through your entire body.
“You look good with that baby bump,” Luke held her at arm’s length. “It’s good to be home. I miss all of you.”
“That’s what you say now. Wait until all the kids tackle you.” She sat back down at her desk.
Luke sat in the chair in front of her and laughed. “You know I love having them around.”
“You should meet someone and have a few babies yourself.”
“All in time, besides, I haven’t met that special woman yet.”
“We’ll have to do something about that,” Diamond smiled. “I really do want you to find someone who will be there for you whenever you decide to let football go. I know it’s not going to be easy to adjust your life after an exciting career. If you have a special person in your life, she can help you adjust.”
“First, I have no idea when I’m going to be ready to let football go. Second, you can’t find the special person for me. That will happen when it is supposed to happen and not before.”
“Sally and Joe taught us to be patient and wait for the right person,” Diamond frowned. “But I worry about you out there with all the hoochies chasing after you.”
“No worries. I know how to spot the hoochies.” Luke laughed. “Zack said he is working on Timothy’s place. Where is it located?”
“It’s right past our house on King Arthur Boulevard. It’s the one in the middle of the cul-de-sac with all the land around it.” She pulled up a diagram on her computer and pointed. “This one right here is their house.”
Luke whistled. “That’s a beauty.”
“Wait until you see the inside,” Diamond smiled. “It’s going to be a showstopper that’s for sure.”
“What’s that area behind the construction area?”
“Beyond the trees,” she pointed. “There’s a trail that leads to the riverbank.”
He pointed. “This is your house here?”
“Yes,” she nodded.
“Their house is a little distance from your place,” he noted.
“Close enough to walk, if we were in the mood.” She glanced at him. “If you follow the trail behind their house and follow the riverbank, they can get to Opal and Grant’s place by foot too.”
Luke nodded, making a note of the distance. “Can I go take a look at Timothy’s place?”
“Sure, I think Zack is there, so it’s open. Stop by my house to get the lasagna I baked for you. There’s a salad and some Italian bread in the fridge too.”
Luke stood loving his sister’s caring ways. “You know I’m not going to starve, right? I do know how to cook.”
“Yes, I know, the question is will you. I don’t want you eating out every night.” She stood and hugged him.
“Thank you, Diamond. You know I do love your lasagna. But don’t tell Ruby I said that.” He laughed. “See you later.” Luke squeezed her hand as he walked out of the door.
Upon arriving at Diamond’s house, Luke went straight to the basement. He was pleased to see Zack had built an exit from the basement that led to the guest house. All he would need to do was place and activate the motion sensors Adam had designed. If the area was used for any reason, it would send a notification to Adam’s computer. He would be able to tap in to see exactly what was happening and dispense help accordingly. It took him about two hours to install the sensors so they could not be detected, then sent a notice to Adam. He received a confirmation from Adam that the installation was complete.