Annie and Tom’s backyard was simply breathtaking. The beauty of the stone patio and perfectly placed palm trees gave way to the infinity shaped pool and hot tub that sat next to it. There was a built-in grill over to the side and a large glass patio set that sat in the middle. Exquisite flowers were planted in stone pots, surrounding the space, and the in-ground lights began lighting up the area as the sun had set, and dusk was setting in.
“So, tell me about your family,” Annie said.
I smiled lightly because I knew it was inevitable. If Luke and I were going to continue our relationship, then they would need to know everything about me.
“My father was Johnny Gilmore,” I said as I took in a deep breath and let out a long sigh.
Tom looked at me and cocked his head. “The Johnny Gilmore? As in Johnny Gilmore, the musician?”
I nodded my head as I took a sip of my margarita. “Yep, that’s the one.”
Annie put her hand on my knee. “I’m so sorry for your loss. I remember reading about your father’s massive heart attack in the papers. He was so young; what a shame.”
I lowered my head as I moved my straw back and forth, banging the ice cubes against the glass. “Well, I’m sure all the alcohol he drank and all the drugs he did, didn’t help.”
“He was a brilliant musician, and that’s what you should remember him for.” Tom winked at me. “Do you play the guitar, Lily?” he asked.
“Yes, I do. Johnny began teaching me when I was four years old.”
“You’ll have to play for us sometime. We’d love to hear you play.” Annie smiled.
I looked straight ahead at the massive in-ground pool where Luke and Sam were swimming with Charley. There was laughter and a lot of splashing going on.
“Maddie told us that you just moved to Santa Monica. Where were you living before?” Annie asked.
“I grew up in Seattle, but I spent the last year living in Portland. I needed a fresh start and leaving Seattle was the only way to get it. I moved here because I was offered a year-long substitute teaching job.”
Annie reached over and grabbed my hand. “May I ask why you wanted a fresh start?”
I looked at her and Tom and pursed my lips together. I took a sip of my margarita and sighed. They were great people, and I found them very easy to talk to—as if I’ve known them my whole life. I felt connected to them and I found comfort in them, just like I do in Luke.
“I caught my ex-fiancé cheating on me, in the church on our wedding day.”
Annie gasped as she squeezed my hand. “Lily, I’m so sorry.”
“The worst part is that my mother knew about it, and I guess it had been going on behind my back for a long time, but she was going to let me marry him anyway.”
Annie tilted her head to the side and frowned as she listened to my words. “Lily, you poor girl. I just want to reach over and hug you right now, but I don’t want Luke to think something’s wrong, so I’ll hug you later.” She smiled.
Tom looked at me and held up his glass. “You got dealt a raw deal in life, Lily, but look at it this way, you never would have met my son, and we wouldn’t be in the presence of excellent company right now.”
“Now, I’ll drink to that,” Annie said as she tapped both of our glasses.
Luke got out of the pool, grabbed a towel, and walked over to where we were sitting. “What are you toasting to without me?” he asked.
“We’re just toasting your beautiful girlfriend.” Tom winked at me.
Now I know where Luke gets all his winking from. I smiled as Luke leaned over and kissed me with his cold, wet lips. Maddie came out of the house with two more margaritas, and she handed one to me.
“I’ll be right back, babe. I’m going to go change,” Luke said.
Sam carried Charley out of the pool and set her down on the patio. Maddie told her to go inside the house, change into dry clothes, and then go watch TV while the grown-ups talked. She whined a bit, but I could see how tired she was.
27
Luke
I changed out of my bathing suit, rushing to get back to Lily and the others to announce that I’d be buying Bernie’s Bar. I couldn’t believe that I was actually going to do it, and I knew it was going to be a lot of hard work, but with Lily by my side, it’ll be worth it. As I walked down the stairs, I saw Charley curled up on the couch, watching cartoons. I walked over to her, kissed her on the head, and as she looked up and smiled, her eyes were ready to close. As I grabbed a beer from the kitchen, I sat down next to Lily, taking her hand in mine.
“I have an announcement that I’d like to make”—looking around the room—“I’ve decided to buy Bernie’s Bar.”
“Dude! That’s awesome!” Sam exclaimed.
Lily looked over at me, smiled, and put her hand on my cheek. I knew she was happy.
“Luke, my boy, that’s wonderful news. If you need any help, let me know,” my dad said proudly.
My mom got up from her chair and hugged me. “I’m so proud of you, son. You’re finally going to put that settlement money to good use.”
Maddie stood up and high-fived me, because she’d be managing the bar once I take over, which meant better hours for her. I leaned over and kissed Lily on the lips.
“It makes me happy that you decided to follow your dreams,” she said.
“It’s because of you, babe.” I smiled.
My good news didn’t last long as my father decided to say something to Maddie about Charley’s dad.
“Charley tells us that her dead beat dad is coming to visit in a couple of days.”
Maddie looked at him and said she didn’t want to talk about it right now. Maddie was good at avoiding things, believing that it she didn’t think about it, then the issue didn’t exist, but Charley’s dad does exist, and she needs to learn to deal with it.
“He said he’s changed; that he’s off the alcohol and the drugs, he wants to form a relationship with his daughter, and he wants a better relationship with me,” Maddie said.
I didn’t believe it for a second because I knew Adam too well. We used to be friends in high school, until he started hanging with the wrong crowd. Maddie was infatuated with him because he was the bad boy with the tattoos and piercings all over his body. I warned her to stay away from him and told her he was trouble, but she didn’t listen. They went on a few dates, and she ended up pregnant. He was her first, and I’ll never forget the night she told our mom she was pregnant. Of course being the dead beat that he was, he denied the baby was his, and my mom cried all night while I went out and beat the shit out of him. Lily sat there and didn’t say a word while we went back and forth about what a loser he was. As I got up from my seat, I asked Lily if she was ready to leave. It was getting late, and I just wanted to spend time with her alone.
The next morning I found Lily arranging bagels and muffins on the kitchen table.
“Good morning, babe,” I said, kissing her.
“Good morning.” She smiled.
“What’s all this?”
“I went out and grabbed us some breakfast,” she said as she held up the plate to me. “We have blueberry, banana, and chocolate chip muffins on this side. Now, on this side”—turning the plate—“We have plain, salt, and cheese bagels, with your choice of regular, honey-walnut, strawberry, or non-fat cream cheese.”
“Who’s going to eat the non-fat cream cheese?” I asked.
“Gretchen will, because her and Sam are coming over. They should be here in a few minutes.”
“Do I have time to jump in the shower?”
“Yes, just make it quick,” she said as she kissed me.