Page 36 of Just Like Starting Over
I want sex with Mike, plain and simple.
I just have to figure out how to ask.
11
MIKE
Contrary to what I said to my dad, I work that morning, getting everything sorted for the day before I leave. I also check on that new variety. There’s a touch of yellow on some of the fruit. Bring on the sun.
I turn onto Queen Street that afternoon, intending to pick up Sierra and Sylvia at the café as planned, and find a bustle of activity outside the Odéon theatre. The doors are open and there are teams of workers going in and out, along with a bunch of dust.
On aSunday. I slow down and can hear hammering from inside. I make a U-turn and stop in front of the café, where Sierra and Sylvia are waiting.
“Road trip!” Sierra shouts with enthusiasm. I go around to open the passenger door and she hops into the truck, claiming the middle spot of the bench seat and bouncing a bit.
Sierra seems younger today and I’m glad. I had wondered how Rupert would deal with a jaded teen, but she’s cheerful and enthused. He’ll love that.
I’m still looking across the street at the theatre and my confusion probably shows.
“It’s Luke,” Sylvia says.
“I don’t understand.” What I do understand is that she’s wearing a dress and it’s a better plan for the moment for me to keep my gaze averted. Otherwise, I might want to touch in a way that friends don’t touch. Well, I’ll still want to touch, but I’ll be able to stop myself.
Sylvia’s dress is simple and red, faded a bit and hugs in all the right places. A favorite then, and it looks just right with her flip-flops. Summery. Carefree. Her hair is in a ponytail and she’s not wearing any make-up. She smiles up at me, her eyes alight, and it could have been just yesterday that she left town.
She is adorable, and having her smiling at me – in a dress – is temptation squared. She didn’t even try to cover her freckles today. I could pick her up and carry her off without a second thought.
She seems to be oblivious to my reaction, or maybe she doesn’t care. “Luke bought the Odéon from Nate Thompson. He’s going to restore it.”
“Why?”
“Evidently, he wants to make the world a better place.” She shrugs, indifferent to Luke’s whims, and I try to do the same. Seems to me that restoring the theatre, which has been sitting empty for a while, quietly deteriorating, is a good way to get rid of a lot of money. It’s not as if there are lines of people coming downtown to watch movies anymore. That’s why it closed.
But maybe Luke is richer than I thought. Maybe he’s trying to spend every nickel. Maybe his plan is to make work for a lot of independent contractors. I can’t figure it, but I’m glad that Sylvia doesn’t care.
Because I don’t want to talk about Luke today.
But there is one thing I want to know before we abandon the subject of my half-brother.
I get in the truck and start it, then head past the busy theatre. “He owns the diner, right?”
“Right,” Sylvia agrees. “He’s given Merrie a lease with really easy terms.”
There’s another question I’m not going to ask. “Who paid for the leasehold improvements?”
“Luke. Why?”
“Because I’m wondering about this greenhouse.” That’s the tip of the iceberg, but no one calls me on it.
“I talked to Merrie about it already,” Sylvia says then takes a breath. “She was thinking of asking Luke for a loan. She has this idea of making it a subsidiary business, since no one is growing herbs locally.”
“But she doesn’t have the capital,” I guess as we head out of town. It’s a great day, clear blue skies and a little bit of wind. I have my window down and Sylvia lowers hers, which means that two long ponytails are flying loose in the cab. I know that Sierra is listening to every word. Her attention is as sharp as a knife. “Is Luke maxing himself out?”
Sylvia laughs, maybe confident in the depth of Luke’s pockets. “Maybe. I have no idea what his plan is.”
“Then I’ll back the project,” I find myself saying. I like the idea of having something in Sierra’s life that isn’t under Luke’s influence, and I don’t want to ask him for anything.
“Awesome!” Sierra says with quiet heat.
