Page 31 of Keeping You
“I am so, so sorry.”
He turns his hand over, lacing our fingers together, giving mine a gentle squeeze. “Thank you.”
We sit like that for a few moments, the quiet only broken by the hum of the refrigerator and the faint ticking of the kitchen clock. Then, before I can think better of it, I ask the question that’s been burning since he returned. “Why did you leave without saying goodbye?”
He sighs, squeezing my hand again. “My dad found out it was me stealing the cars. He found out when I was returning the truck after dropping you off that night.”
“What?” I gape at him, mind spinning to process this revelation. “But I thought the truck belonged to a friend?” Everyone in Cupid’s Creek had been buzzing about the string of vehicle thefts over the past year. Cars would be hotwired, taken for joyrides, and left in Juniper with the keys in the ignition and a handwritten thank-you note on the dashboard. The mysterious thief even earned the nickname The Gentleman Joyrider.
Sheriff Caldwell had been losing sleep trying to catch the culprit, conducting stakeouts, questioning every teen in town, and even bringing in a county specialist. Nothing worked. Meanwhile, the thefts became something of a local legend. And now, sitting beside me, the sheriff’s own son is confessing he was behind it all.
“That’s what I told you,” Luke admits, eyes downcast. He runs his thumb over my knuckles. “Couldn’t exactly tell you I was the Gentleman Joyrider, now, could I?”
“Oh my God.” I yank my hand back, staring at him in disbelief. “I can’t believe it.” I’m not sure whether to be shocked or amused. “Your dad was on the local news, swearing he’d catch whoever was doing it, and it was you the whole time?”
Luke winces, a sheepish, almost guilty grin tugging at his mouth. “Not my proudest moment.”
“How did he find out? Did he catch you red-handed?”
He nods. “He followed me when I was dropping the truck off while he was out on patrol.” Luke shakes his head. “I wasn’t thinking straight.” He winks, and my cheeks flame. “I didn’t see him until I turned around, and there he was, standing there, looking like his whole world had collapsed.”
I try to picture Sheriff Caldwell learning the truth. The shock of discovering his own son was the thief he’d been hunting for months would have crippled him.
Luke runs a hand through his hair. “I barely passed high school, Callie. Had no clue what I was going to do with my life. Dad gave me a choice. I could go live with my uncle in Chicago and straighten up, or he’d press charges and make sure everyone knew what I’d done. His quiet disappointment nearly knocked me off my feet.”
“So you left.”
“I left. I couldn’t face you before I went. Couldn’t tell you your first time was with a thief.” His eyes search mine. “I was a coward. I should have found a way to let you know. To say goodbye, at least.”
“You broke my heart,” I whisper. My fingers trace the rim of my wine glass, memories washing over me in waves, sometimes gilded with nostalgia, occasionally sharp with pain. His hands on my skin, his lips against mine, his voice calling my name under the stars. And the sting of waiting by a phone that never rang. My body remembers the pleasure; my mind recalls the abandonment. But my heart has always known the truth. That night meant far more to me than it did to him.
“For what’s it worth, your dad never said it was you.” We all assumed the thief had moved on or decided to end their crime spree.
“I know. And somehow that made it worse. But I need you to know, Callie, that night with you was the only thing that felt real to me back then.”
I study his eyes, searching for honesty. I think I see it. “I never told anyone. Not even Harper. But I think she knew.”
“If she did, she would have killed me. She was always protective of you.”
I laugh, a short, bitter sound. “Until she wasn’t.”
Luke shifts closer, his thigh brushing mine. “I don’t think she meant to hurt you. She got caught up in something she couldn’t control.”
“With my boyfriend.”
“She told me she didn’t start dating him until after you broke it off.”
“And you believe her?” I ask incredulously.
“She’s my sister, of course I do. Frankly, for as long as you’ve been friends, I’m surprised you don’t.”
His words make me back away, unease pooling in my stomach.Could I have been wrong?
I stare at my hands, piecing memories together like a deck of shuffled cards. The receipts, the lipstick smudges, his distant withdrawal. “I know Kirk was cheating,” I say firmly. “Too many signs to ignore. But that night...” I peer up at Luke, vulnerability making my voice tremble. “She was with him, Luke. At Pete’s. My boyfriend and my best friend, deep in conversation, heads close together, like they’d been a couple forever. It felt like the ultimate betrayal.”
“The ultimate betrayal? She was your best friend, Callie. And him? He doesn’t deserve you. Neither of you.”
I’m taken aback by the vehemence in his voice. He’s so near I can see the silver flecks in his eyes and count each eyelash. “I don’t want to talk about Harper and Kirk anymore.”
