Page 53 of Anyone But Her

"It's not love. It's attraction. An attraction so strong I find it hard to be around him."

"Well, hiding in your room all summer isn't an option so I guess you'll just have to learn how to control yourself. Maybe the more you're around him, the easier it'll get."

"I doubt it. Hiding in my room sounds like the better option."

"Taylor! Dinner!" my mom yells from downstairs. She ordered pizza so she wouldn't have to cook.

"My mom's calling me to dinner. I gotta go."

"Okay. Talk to you later!"

I go in the bathroom and wash my face to wake myself up. Then I fix my ponytail and wonder if I should put makeup on. Normally I wouldn't for dinner with the family but if Luke is there, maybe I should. Actually, it doesn't matter. He's just a friend. A friend can see me with messy hair and no makeup.

When I get to the table Luke isn't there. I'm disappointed, but also relieved because having him here would make me nervous. I keep thinking my family's going to pick up on the fact that I like him. I'm trying really hard to hide it but sometimes I can't control how my body reacts, like when my heart takes off and makes me breathless.

"Where's Luke?" my mom asks Cal.

"He's skipping dinner. He's wiped out."

"He hasn't heard from that woman, has he?" my dad asks.

"Albert's daughter?" Cal shakes his head. "Not since the funeral. I doubt he'll answer her calls after that."

Albert, the guy Luke was living with who was basically a dad to him, died a little over a week ago. Cal called and told me before they showed up at my college. When I saw Luke, he looked really sad. I told him I was sorry and asked if he was okay. He said he was but I could tell he wasn't. He still isn't. He's been really quiet and hasn't been eating much.

"What happened at the funeral?" I ask Cal.

"Albert's daughter accused Luke of stealing stuff from the house."

"Luke wouldn't steal. He'd never do that. He's not—" I stop, realizing I shouldn't be making such bold statements about a guy I supposedly barely know.

"He's not what?" Cal asks.

"He's not the type of person who would steal." I reach across Cal and grab a piece of pizza from the box. "I mean, he doesn't seem like he would, but what do I know?"

My family is staring at me but I avoid looking at them. Instead I focus on my pizza, picking off the olives that Cal insists on having whenever we order pizza.

"I can't believe that woman would attack Luke like that at Albert's funeral," my mom says, sounding angry. "How did she even know things were missing? Did she do an inventory of the house before her father died? I thought she never even went to visit him."

"She didn't," Cal says. "But she knew Albert had her mom's jewelry and she couldn't find it."

"Does Luke know where it is?" my mom asks.

"He said it's probably hidden in a box. He said Albert was always hiding stuff in boxes and then forgetting where he put them. I'm sure the jewelry's in the house somewhere. Sandra's just too lazy to look for it. That's probably why she accused Luke of stealing it. He'd have to find it if he wanted to prove her wrong."

"What did Luke tell her when she accused him?" my dad asks Cal.

"Nothing. He just tried to ignore her. He's still really upset about losing Albert but he won't talk to me. I think he needs more time."

My mom shakes her head. "I feel so bad for him. Losing Albert. Losing his home. His parents not even caring what happens to him."

I keep quiet until the conversation switches from Luke to golfing.

"When do I meet with the new coach?" I ask my dad.

"Tomorrow at noon, but it won't be a lesson. You'll just be meeting him and he'll go over any questions he has about your injury."

A couple years ago I twisted my knee and heard something snap. My knee hasn't been the same since. The doctor had me wear a brace for a few months but it didn't really help. They considered surgery but said it probably wouldn't do much. It still hurts sometimes and gets stiff, which affects my golf swing.

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