Page 54 of Courting Clemson

I came to an abrupt halt at the front door of our little rental, as an enormous floral arrangement sat on the welcome mat. The cut glass vase caught the sunlight and reflected a sparkling rainbow pattern onto the patio’s wood planks.

I reached around and unlocked the front door and pushed it open before lifting the bouquet to take it inside. The fragrance coming off the flowers was intoxicating, and I buried my nose in the blooms while carrying the thing to the table.

There was a card nestled in the greenery, so once my hands were available, I eagerly pulled it out. My name was on the envelope in neat, precise penmanship. Impatiently, I tore open the little square and read the note.

Luke. How sweet and thoughtful. I dug out my phone and first took a few pictures of the arrangement. I cropped the best one and sent it to Grace with a string of emojis following.

Then, I sent the same picture to Luke with a heartfelt thank you. He responded right away and asked me out for dinner. I was so tired and really just wanted to get into bed and be done with the day, but the more I thought about my schedule for the rest of the week, it was likely I wouldn’t have another opportunity to see him. If I were going to balance two relationships, I had to fit in seeing him where I could.

We went back and forth a couple of times before he finally just called me.

“Hi,” I said, grinning so wide I’d be embarrassed if I weren’t home alone.

“Hello, beautiful. How was practice?”

I appreciated that he always seemed to know what I had going on. If I told him in passing that I had weight training instead of pool practice, he remembered and would ask about it.

If neither of these things I had going on worked out, I’d already learned one thing. I preferred men older than my own peers. They were so much more considerate and confident. And my God, was the confidence a turn-on for me.

“It was fine. Good,” I amended. It wasn’t my performance in the water I was unhappy about today. It was that lecture I was forced to endure by my coach.

“Just good? Something about your tone tells me it wasn’t that good,” Luke observed.

Okay, maybe his attention to detail is too astute.

“Truly,” I assured him, “it was fine. I think I’m just tired.” I chuckled. “When am I not, though?”

“Has Grace come back?”

“Tomorrow sometime. Knowing her, she’ll get on the road the minute she wakes up. She’s been climbing the walls spending time with her parents in close quarters.”

Luke got quiet, and I worried why. He was normally very open and chatty.

“What’s going on? Did I say something?” I asked, ready to take the blame for whatever went sideways.

“No, no it’s not you. I get lost in thoughts about my own parents sometimes. I guess I miss them.”

“I’m sorry. If we were together right now, I’d give you a big hug.”

“If you’re too tired to go out, we can just stay in. Hang out, watch TV, or whatever. Would you rather do that?”

“I am a bit of a homebody. I’d take staying home to going out any day.”

He hummed along in agreement while I spoke. “I hear that. I’m the same way. I think fighting traffic has a lot to do with it for me. I hate commuting, and I’m so thankful I don’t have too far to go. But the freeways that make the most sense for me are some of the most congested in the city. When I get home, the last thing I want to do is go back out.”

“I have to say, if I had a place as stunning as yours, I’d probably never leave. Is there a pool in your building?” I asked. Honestly, not having one would be a deal breaker for me.

“There is. On the roof. I’ll have to take you up there next time you come over. There’s a jacuzzi too.”

“Oh, I’d like that. I bet the views from up there are incredible.”

“They really are. When the weather cooperates, you can see all the way out to the Channel Islands.”

“That’s Catalina, right? My parents used to take us there on day trips. It got kind of boring when we were teenagers, but what doesn’t?” I laughed.

He chuckled too. “Yeah, it’s your basic tourist trap. One time is plenty. People always want to go there, though, when I have guests in town.”

“Try living in LA. People always want to see the Walk of Fame and Pinks. And honestly, the food isn’t worth the line at that place. But that’s just my opinion.”

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