WHETHER LUKE had slept at all, he couldn’t say. He was sure he’d spent several hours—or at least it felt like it—lying in the dark thinking about Nelson. At some point he thought he might have dozed off, but again he wasn’t sure as the past, present, and fantasy all mingled together in one pleasure-filled night of dreaming. Were anyone able to see him lying there, he was sure they’d have thought him crazy as, oftentimes, his thoughts caused him to smile so wide his face nearly cracked.
Holy shit! Nelson!
As the sun rose, Luke had already showered, dressed, and was now pacing the small hotel room. Two hours before he had to meet Nelson for breakfast, and he was pretty sure he would go nuts before ten. Wait! Luke froze midstep. Why the hell was he waiting till ten? That was his idea. Nelson had said, Text me when you get up and around.
Luke rushed to the bedside table and snatched up his cell phone and the business card Nelson had given him. Christ, he was a mess if he’d forgotten their plans. Nelson had told him he was a morning person. Luke could have already been with him, dammit.
It took him a couple minutes—fat fingers and little bitty keyboards didn’t work well together—but he finally typed out a semicoherent message.
I’m up and famished.
Luke considered the text for a moment. It certainly described his state both innocently and sexually. Luke was well aware he’d come on pretty strong the night before, which he could tell made Nelson a bit wary. They were virtual strangers. Luke had changed a lot in the past seventeen years, as he was sure Nelson had too. Making such a broad statement dripping with sexual innuendo probably wasn’t the smartest idea. Nelson might not appreciate the humor. His old friend didn’t seem to be as carefree and….
Luke deleted the text. They weren’t kids anymore, nor were they friends. That was completely Luke’s fault, and because of his actions all those years ago, he had no right to presume or act as if they were. It was something that needed to be reestablished. However, it wouldn’t surprise Luke if Nelson didn’t want that. Hell, if the situation was reversed, he didn’t know if he could or would want to trust Nelson again. The idea made Luke sad beyond belief.
Luke stared at the blank screen on his phone. Part of him knew he should probably walk away again, but the grown man in him wouldn’t allow it. Knowing what he knew now, he never would have done so all those years ago. Yes, he still would have married Charlotte. Watching Nellie grow, getting to put her to bed and read her a story until she fell asleep cuddled in his arms or against his side when she got bigger was something he would never wish away for anything or anyone, not even Nelson. What he would change if he could was he’d have allowed Nelson to make the decision whether he could handle their relationship being one of friendship only. Luke would forever regret not giving that to Nelson. He’d learned a lot through life experiences he couldn’t have understood at twenty-three. Some mistakes he’d made he could blame on youth, but shutting Nelson out wasn’t one of them. Luke now understood he’d done it not for Nelson, but for himself. Back then he couldn’t handle seeing and talking to Nelson without being able to touch him, tell him how much he loved him. He ran because he was selfish and a coward. But no longer.
He typed out another message. I’m awake and ready for breakfast. How about you? He hit send before he could change his mind. Now that the immediate shock from seeing Nelson had worn off and Luke had a little time to think, he wasn’t as optimistic as he was the night before.
He resumed his pacing, checking his phone every couple of seconds, waiting, wishing for it to chirp. A knock on his door caused him to jerk, and he stumbled over his own feet, nearly falling flat on his face. Luckily he caught himself on one of the hotel chairs at the last second. “Christ almighty,” he grumbled.
Once he righted himself, he stomped over to the door and yanked it open. His ire instantly drained away when he found Nellie standing there with a bright smile on her face.
Nellie went up on tiptoes and pecked him on the cheek. “Morning, Daddy. Grandma and Grandpa already went down for breakfast. I am here to escort you and tease you about your hangover.”
Luke stepped out of the way when Nellie pushed past him. “I do not have a hangover, and I’ll be the one escorting you down. I’m heading out, so you’ll have to have breakfast with your grandparents.”
“Aww, Daddy. I don’t want to have breakfast with the old folks without you. Can’t I go with you?” She put her hands on her hips and pushed out her bottom lip. “Please.”
“Sorry, Princess.” Luke kissed her on the top of the head. “I have a date.”
“With Nelson?”
“Yup.”
“Is Grady going to be there?”
Luke gave her a disproving look. “No and even if he was, you’re not going.” Her pout got impressively bigger. “Sorry, it’s not going to work on me this time. Unless you want me to go Rapunzel on you, I suggest you put all thoughts of Grady, and any other guy, right out of your pretty little head.”
“But he’s so dreamy,” she sighed.
Luke pointed a warning finger at his daughter. He so wasn’t ready for the whole dating thing, and he damn sure wasn’t about to allow her to go sniffing after older men. Not on his watch. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t just hear that.”
Nellie’s shoulders slumped. “You’re so mean.”
“Yes, Princess, I know. You keep reminding me.” He hooked his arm in hers. “Now come with your mean old daddy so he can take you down to the other mean people in your life.”
Nellie huffed, but she knew better than to push Luke too far. Most of the time she was teasing, but he wasn’t so sure she was about Grady. He was a very good-looking man, and Nellie was a maturing young lady. Luke shook his head. Nope, he wasn’t ready for womanhood. On the way out, he made sure he had his key and phone. He checked his cell once more—still no response—before sliding it into his pocket.
He walked Nellie down to the restaurant. She chatted on and on about what her friends back home were doing, what she was missing out on, and Luke tried to pay attention. He loved the fact Nellie shared so much with him, and normally he was very much involved in her life, but Nelson was occupying his thoughts, and he was having a difficult time listening. Thankfully Nellie didn’t seem to notice his distraction, and she continued to prattle on.
He was beginning to think Nelson was ignoring Luke’s text, but just as they made it to the restaurant, his phone vibrated. He pulled it out and nearly hooted out loud when he saw it was a text from Nelson.
I’ll be at the bakery in five if you want to stop by for a cup of coffee.
Hell yeah, he wanted to have a cup of coffee. “Apologize to Grandma and Grandpa for me and tell them I’ll be back within the hour, okay?”
“Okay, see you in an hour,” Nellie responded without looking up from her phone.
“Nellie, we’re at the restaurant. You might want to put that down so you don’t run into anyone.”
“I can multitask,” she said.
Luke watched her maneuver to the table, moving her fingers rapidly over the phone as she moved. It was quite impressive she made it to the table without a single mishap. Luke had to wonder if his daughter’s generation was even aware of their surroundings and how much they missed, seeing as every teen he saw had their noses in their phone rather than their eyes on the world. Luke walked away shaking his head. He wept for the future.
NELSON POWERED off his phone, slid it into his pocket, and stepped out of his office just as Doug came out of his—the one that was no longer his—his clothes wrinkled and hair mussed. It was apparent Doug had once again slept at the shop. Nelson gritted his teeth.
“Morning, Nelson,” Doug said sleepily. He scratched his head and then his belly before moving away.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Nelson asked, unable to keep the irritation out of his tone. Christ, had Doug been here all night? Why hadn’t he checked? Because I shouldn’t have to.
“I slept here. What’s the big deal?”
Nelson followed Doug into the main room. “The big deal is you don’t own this place anymore, nor do you have any right to be here.”
“Wow, aren’t you just Mr. Pissy this morning?” Doug flipped on the coffee maker.
Nelson stepped in front of him. “Go home, Doug.”
Doug took a step back. “I can’t have a cup of coffee?”
“No. I know for a fact that you have a coffee maker at your place. You took mine,” Nelson pointed out.
Ignoring Nelson’s anger and his demand, Doug took a mug off the shelf. “I don’t have any power at my place.”
“Then maybe you should have paid your bill.”
Doug rolled his eyes. “A transformer blew. They’re supposed to have it fixed sometime today. I hope so, anyway.” He held up the mug. “You want some.”
“No. I mean yes.” He snatched the mug from Doug. “Yes, I want coffee, and no, I don’t want to have it with you.”
Doug glared at him. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
Nelson did his best to get his anger in check, but he was seething. If this were the first time Doug showed up unannounced or the first time he acted like the bakery was still his, then perhaps Nelson could have blown it off. But it wasn’t the first time, and the more Nelson thought about it, the madder he became. Doug just wasn’t getting it, and it was time Nelson drew him a picture.
He held is hand out. “Key.”
Doug spit and sputtered, but he reached in his pocket, pulled out the key, and dropped it in Nelson’s hand. “Happy?”
“Nope, but I will be.” He went to the counter, grabbed a to-go cup, and filled it. He put the lid on it and handed it to Doug. “Now make me happy and head out.”
Doug hesitated with a disbelieving expression on his face. “You’re serious?”
“As serious as a heart attack. We are no longer together, this is no longer your place, and you’re no longer welcome unless you’re coming through the front door during regular business hours. Got it?”
Nelson expected Doug to balk. He always had been a bit demanding and a whole lot conceited. He was extremely good-looking and thought that was enough to get what he wanted. Too bad the inside of the man wasn’t as pretty as the exterior. However, much to Nelson’s surprise, Doug headed to the front door without another word. Nelson followed him, and wouldn’t he just know it, as they approached, Luke walked past the window. Motherfucker. Not Luke, the situation.
Doug turned the lock and yanked the door open, and of course slammed into Luke. “Hey! Watch where you’re going,” Doug snapped.
“Sorry, I didn’t see you,” Luke apologized. His face lit up when his gaze met Nelson’s. “Good morning, Nelson.”
Doug looked back and forth between Nelson and Luke, his face an angry shade of red. “Now I fucking get it.”
“Get what?” Nelson asked with a heavy sigh.
“Why you’re being such a little bitch this morning. You couldn’t even wait for the ink to dry, could you, Nelson?”
Luke took a step back and held up his hands. “Oh, hey, I didn’t mean to interrupt anything. I can come back later.”
“No, it’s fine. Doug was just leaving,” Nelson assured Luke. He glared at Doug. “I will talk to you later.”
“The hell you will. We’re done.” Doug stormed off.
No shit we’re done. I’ve been telling you that for months! He didn’t say it because he knew it was pointless. Doug would be back in a day or two, acting like nothing happened. He really didn’t want Nelson. He wanted what Nelson could do for him—pay the bills while Doug spent the day researching. The thought of having to sit and listen to Doug whine again was exhausting.
Nelson swallowed down his sigh, moved out of the way, and held the door. “Come on in, Luke.”
Luke came in, but he looked wary. “I’m really sorry for interrupting. I won’t mind waiting if you want to go talk to him.”
“Oh God no. I may end up doing something that will require bail money.”
“No bail on Sunday. You’d be stuck till Monday,” Luke pointed out.
“Another reason not to go after him. At least he made coffee. Want some?”
“Sure.”
Nelson led Luke to the counter and pointed to a stool. “Have a seat. I’ll get your coffee. What do you want in it?”
Luke took the seat Nelson instructed. “Cream and sugar, please.”
Nelson watched Luke take in the place as Nelson poured them each a mug. He was coffeed out, but he was fluttering with nervous energy and needed something other than Luke to focus on.
He set the mugs down and pulled a stool over to sit across from Luke.
“Thanks.” Luke took the mug, blew on the steaming brew before taking a small sip.
“Is it okay?”
“Perfect.” Luke scanned the room again. “Business is a little light this morning, huh?”
“I’m closed for the next six weeks while I do a little remodeling and tweaking of the menu.” Nelson cocked his head. “I thought I told you that?”
“You may have, but I admit I was having a bit of a hard time paying attention. I mean, I know I should have been concentrating on Colton. It’s not every day your little brother gets married, but….” Luke smiled over the rim of his mug. “My excitement at seeing you again may have gotten the better of me. How about I take you out for brunch, and you can tell me all about your plans for this magnificent place?”
Nelson was extremely proud of his bakery, and talking about it with Luke solved one of the dilemmas Nelson had been struggling with—what to talk about with Luke that wouldn’t lead to unpleasant feelings from the past creeping in. The bakery was an easy topic. Nelson could talk about it for hours. “I could eat.”
“Great.” Luke downed the rest of his coffee and set his mug down. “I’m not familiar with your little town, so I’ll let you pick the place as long as it’s in walking distance. It’s absolutely gorgeous out today.”
Nelson had been freaking out all night, went without sleep, and for what? To spend the morning at his favorite outside café talking about his bakery. Talking about the future was way easier than the past. He flipped the coffee pot off. “I know the perfect place.”