Page 10 of Dirty Doctor
He turns left and we make our way down a narrow, dirt driveway. When we arrive at what I presume to be the house, my mouth falls open.
“Thisis your house?” I ask, sitting up and admiring the large, modern abode in front of us.
The front part of the house is cabin-like, with dark wood and stone walls, a double-peaked roof, large windows, and a balcony that goes all the way around the front of the building. But the back? It’s all glass—modern and gorgeous, with a view out to what I presume to be the forest. The property is gorgeous—large and expansive, quiet and secluded. I turn to face my stepbrother.
“It was a shithole when I bought it,” he mutters, both hands on the wheel as he stares up at his house. “But I fixed it up between shifts, and had a friend help with the glass in the back—”
I hold a hand up. “Wait a second. You renovated this place yourself?”
He frowns. “Yes. Does that surprise you?”
A soft, surprised sound comes out of my mouth, and I fall backward into the seat. “Um, yeah. How did you learn how to… do all of it?”
Luke’s lips twitch and he shrugs. “YouTube.”
And then he exits the car, and I’m left feeling dumbfounded as if I have zero idea of who my stepbrother really is.
He opens my door and helps me out of the car. Again, when he takes my hand, I have to ignore the warmth, as the electric current works down my arm. I quickly pull it away as we walk to the front door.
“You should call Mom,” he says, using his fingerprint to unlock the door. It clicks open, and the smallest black cat I’ve ever seen greets us.
“Oh my goodness!” I squeal, crouching down and scooping the little monster up into my arms.
“I wouldn’t. He’s really—” The cat begins to purr, nuzzling my jaw with his nose. “Heusuallydoesn’t like people,” Luke adds, and when I look up at him, he’s giving us an odd smile.
The cat can’t weigh more than five pounds. I set him down, where he proceeds to snake in and out of my legs.
“I forgot about the cat,” I admit, grabbing my purse from Luke. “I remember Mom telling me.”
Luke sets his wallet and keys down on the table by the door and then puts his hands in his pockets.
“Yep. I found Pip and his siblings while I was renovating. He was the runt of the litter, but he was the strongest and the only one who survived, so I decided to keep him.”
“Pip?”
Luke cracks a smile. “I thought he was a girl. Had him officially sexed, and I’d named him Pippa… so imagine my surprise when I noticed a pair of testicles a couple of weeks later.”
Pip’s purr is loud, and he continues to snake around our ankles. “It’s a cute name.”
“He’s a good boy,” Luke says, picking Pip up as we walk through the entryway.
Seeing Luke holding a tiny cat… I swallow and look anywhere but at my stepbrother who is cradling his cat like a cherished toy.
I take in the rest of the house. It’s quite bare, but I guess as a single guy living alone, he doesn’t need much. There’s an office with double doors, a sitting room, a large kitchen, and an informal sitting room with a large TV that seems to be the heart of the house. There’s also a dining room right off of the kitchen that looks as though it’s never been used. And the view is incredible.
The entire back of the house is floor-to-ceiling windows, so the formal living room and kitchen look out into the forest. There are floating stairs leading up to the second story, and though the outlying rooms are quite sparse, the kitchen and informal living room are quite inviting and homey. The furniture is darker, with dark wood and natural textures. I can tell he must’ve hired a professional to decorate and design this place, because everything is evenly spaced out and enhances each room.
“I still need to get some things,” Luke explains, leaning against the white marble island.
“I could help you,” I offer, looking around and already visualizing how to create his dream house.
Luke looks over at me, and that same look from the hospital passes over his face. It’s a mix of awe and worry, like he’s just now starting to warm up to me after all these years. But maybe he was right—maybe I always pushed him away, and it took me being in my most vulnerable state to realize that maybe I didn’t hate my stepbrother after all.
“I might take you up on that,” he muses, his lips curving upward.
“I mean, Iama professional,” I quip, grinning.
“I know you are,” Luke says smoothly, and suddenly, the room seems too small, like there’s no airflow.
