Page 58 of Drunk on Love

“You, um, liking the job at Noble?” Pete asked him.

A question he could actually answer honestly.

“Yeah, it’s been great so far. A nice change from what I’d been doing, that’s for sure.” He shrugged. “I know it’s weird to do it with my background and all, but it’s fun, and the people are great. Really supportive and helpful.”

“It’s a good group there,” Pete said.

Pete had been there with his team every day that week.

“Margot seems pleased with how the landscaping is going,” Luke said.

Pete nodded.

“She’s definitely very particular about what she wants, but I don’t mind that. And she doesn’t do that thing where she changesher mind after we’ve already made a decision. When she wants something, she makes it clear.”

Luke thought back to that first night with Margot, when they’d left the bar. Yes, when she wanted something, she definitely made it clear. He fought back a grin.

His mom popped her head around the corner of the booth.

“I found a gorgeous set of vintage CorningWare. Can one of you bring it out to the car?”

Luke groaned, then laughed at himself. How did he always revert to teenage Luke when he was around his mom?

“Lead me to it.” He reached his hand out to Pete, who was trying to volunteer for this. “I had this job first, Pete. Just give me your keys.”

When he walked back to find his mom and Pete, he heard his mom’s voice before he saw her.

“Well, Luke has only wonderful things to say, too!” She saw him walking toward her and beamed at him. “Oh, there you are! Look who we found!”

He knew, before she even turned around, that it would be Margot. Had he conjured her up, just by talking about her to Pete?

She turned and smiled at him.

“Hi, Luke,” she said. Why was her voice always perfectly normal whenever she talked to him?

Well, not always. It hadn’t been, last week in her office.

“Hi, Margot,” he said. He looked over and saw Elliot deep in conversation with Pete. “Hi, Elliot.” Elliot waved at him and went back to listening to Pete talk about soil.

“Enjoying the fair?” Margot asked him.

He grinned at her.

“Oh yeah, having a blast,” he said.

“Don’t say it like that,” his mom said. “You know you’re enjoying yourself.”

“I am—somewhat—enjoying myself,” he said to Margot. “But please, don’t let that get out. I have a rep to worry about, here.”

Margot laughed, and his mom just shook her head at him and smiled.

“Your secret is safe with me,” she said.

“Pete, good talking to you,” Elliot said. He nodded at Luke’s mom. “Nice to meet you.” He looked at Margot. “There’s some equipment that I want to check out in the warehouse.”

Margot nodded.

“I’ll meet you over there.”

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