The Guy Next Door

“Gee, thanks.” She pushed his hand away. “You certainly know how to make a girl feel good.”

If he told her how beautiful he thought she was at the moment, she would think he’d gone off his rocker. She would not be comfortable if she found out that just this afternoon he’d seen her through new eyes.

The eyes of a man suddenly aware his best friend was a gorgeous, appealing woman.

Disdain for the out-of-character thoughts sent him grasping for a comeback, something funny, a brotherly dig. As a breeze lifted her long hair, blowing the ends across his arm, all clever thoughts fled.

“Hey, best friends look out for each other, don’t they?” he choked out, pulling the best friend card. “Maybe you need an intervention.”

“What I need is to have my priorities, my work, respected. You should empathize.”

Yeah, he did. But it didn’t mean he’d quit worrying about her welfare.

He would head over to the mall late Saturday. Maybe ask her for input on how they could honor his mother. Then he would insist on escorting her to the bank.

It was the least he could do for a friend.

Chapter Two

The next afternoon after a day of work at the lab, Darcy sat across from Grace Hunt, her co-chair for the church’s upcoming missions committee auction. She and Grace, who happened to be Luke’s grandmother, were working to raise money for the Food4Kids project.

The slamming of a car door outside jerked Darcy’s mind away from their discussion.

Grace smoothed her fingers over short, perfectly styled salt-and-pepper hair. “I wonder if that’s my grandson arriving at long last?” she said as if ready to shame Luke for waiting twenty-four hours to show up. “Had to invite him to dinner to make sure he’d come see me.”

Of course they both knew Luke loved spending time with Grace, and that he could do no wrong in his grandmother’s eyes.

Darcy laughed from across the well-worn, scarred oak table. “I imagine it’s him. I think we’ve covered everything we need to do today.”

“We have a good lineup of donors for this year’s auction.” With her tasteful makeup and up-to-date clothes, Grace looked fifty instead of nearly seventy. The energy and excitement she exuded belied her age, as well.

Darcy pushed away the last bite of the sweet, gooey pecan pie Grace had served. The sounds of birds chirping and a dog barking drifted through the back screen door, tempting Darcy to relax awhile.

She couldn’t. The mall job waited. “I should go.”

“Oh, I forgot to tell you,” Grace said. “Food4Kids got an anonymous donation today that will cover the budget for the month of May, enabling us to finish out the school year.”

“Oh?” Darcy fiddled with the pie plate, staring at it as if it were the most interesting thing ever. “That’s great news.”

Grace tilted her head toward Darcy, her speculative gaze making Darcy shift in her chair.

“Funny how the donor knew exactly how much we need right when we needed it,” Grace said. “Didn’t you tell me your new coworker at the hospital—Lois?—has a son who is part of the program and a recipient of the meals? I imagine you’d want to make sure he doesn’t go hungry.”

Steeling herself, Darcy braved looking at the oh-so-perceptive woman. “If this year’s auction is successful, maybe we won’t run out of money next year.”

“You sure are generous, especially considering you’re working so hard to pay off your college loans.”

Darcy’s faced burned. She let out a long sigh. “Lois just graduated and is trying to get back on her feet after a divorce. She’s adamant about refusing charity, especially from townspeople she knows. So please keep this anonymous, okay?”

Grace made a zipping motion over her lips, but then her grin unzipped them. She patted Darcy’s hand. “By the way, I have a plan.” She glanced toward the living room to make sure Luke wasn’t there.

Apparently that hadn’t been his car door they’d heard outside.

Darcy closed the notebook where she’d jotted a list of their project ideas. “Tell me.”

Grace clasped her hands in front of her chest, looking more like an excited teenager than a grandmother. “It’ll be the perfect way to get through to Luke,” she whispered. “My grandson needs a push to get him to move home to Appleton.”

No amount of pushing would change Luke’s mind now that he’d bought the office building. Apparently, Grace had no idea what Luke planned.

“And that push involves the auction?”

A flash of sadness in Grace’s eyes knocked her excitement down a notch. “Since Joan founded the Food4Kids ministry, his helping with the auction would be a connection to his mother.”

“Of course.”

“I’m simply going to suggest Luke work for a good cause, a cause that meant a lot to Joan.”

Darcy herself had experienced moments of sadness at the loss of their committee leader. “You know, I hadn’t anticipated how difficult this year’s auction would be without her. Are you doing okay?”

Her friend sat straighter, pulling together the edges of her ivory cotton cardigan, taking a deep breath. “I’m fine. And hopeful. I truly think if Luke gets involved in the community, he’ll realize this is where he belongs.”

Which is exactly what Darcy had hoped, too—before Luke decided to stay in Nashville after law school. “Sure can’t hurt to try.” She scooted her folder labeled Missions Auction across the table. “He’s welcome to take my place on the committee since I don’t have a spare minute in my day.”

Grace slid the folder back to Darcy. “No, dear. You’re part of the plan, too. A reminder that he has friends here.”

“Seriously, I don’t mind turning over my duties to him. I’ve been working fifty to sixty hours a week.”

“Working too many hours if you ask me,” a deep voice said.

Luke filled the doorway leading to the kitchen, and at the sight of him, her heart gave a stutter.

Heart stutters were not allowed. She raised her chin and gave him a defiant look. “Butting into my business again?”

Grace hopped up and greeted him with a tight hug. “That was you we heard out front!”

“I got caught up talking to your neighbors.”

“I’ve missed you, son. ’Bout time you came home.”

“Thanks, Granny. I’ve missed you, too.” Over the top of Grace’s head he gave Darcy a pointed look. “See, Darcy. That’s how you greet a man.”

Darcy couldn’t help laughing. “Hey, I greeted you like that yesterday, before you started handing out unsolicited advice about my work schedule.”

“Come join us.” Grace led Luke to the chair beside her. “I was talking to Darcy about her second job.”

Grace sat and grasped Darcy’s hand, her grip firm and strong. “Your mother told me you’re worried about finances. Darcy, honey, you need to find a good man to take care of you. You shouldn’t have to shoulder that burden alone.”

Darcy almost laughed out loud. Then she remembered Grace had grown up in a different time, had married her husband at eighteen. “I appreciate the thought, but I haven’t met my knight in shining armor and can’t wait around until I do. I have bills to pay.”

“Goodness, dear. How do you think you’ll meet the man God intends for you if you’re working all the time?” Grace asked.

A problem Darcy had bemoaned for months as her only life outside of work had been fulfilling church obligations.

Darcy glanced at Luke, his rakish grin proof he was enjoying her discomfort over the direction the conversation had taken.

She’d recently accepted the possibility that God planned for her to remain single. Darcy didn’t need Grace shaking up a world she’d begun to settle into.

“It’s not my place to doubt God’s plan for my life.” Darcy slid the folder back to Grace. “Now, here. Give this to Luke and tell him about your idea.”

“Don’t change the subject.” Grace eased the folder to Darcy. “It’s not your place to assume you know God’s plan and give up so easily on love.”

“I’m not giving up. I’m simply being realistic.”

Back and forth, they’d slid the folder. With each declaration, Luke’s questioning gaze bounced between the two of them.

Grace slowly inched the file toward Darcy. “You’re a young, beautiful woman with lots to offer, isn’t she, Luke?”

As she waited for his response, Darcy’s breath froze in her lungs, and she wanted to slap herself silly over the fact that his answer mattered so much to her.

With a smirk on his face, he rubbed his chin and examined her. “She is young, yes…”

Darcy shook her head.

“And has a lot to offer…”

Why did her heart have to beat so wildly? Did she really care what he thought of her?

He leaned forward, his light brown eyes sparkling.

“And…?” She lifted her chin, staring right back, daring him to speak.

The teasing suddenly morphed into something else entirely. The laughter in his eyes heated, holding her captive. The moment seemed to last an eternity.

With one blink, he wiped away the spark between them. He sat back in his chair and looked over at his grandmother. “Granny, I have to admit, now that she’s all grown up, she’s not hard on the eyes.”

The words were something he would typically say in fun, something a brother would jokingly say to disparage his sister. But he appeared to use the words as a weapon against the connection they’d just shared.

A connection they didn’t normally have, one that didn’t fit best friends.

Fear thudded in her chest. At one time, she’d been one of the many girls with a crush on him. For years, she remained on the sidelines with friend status, watching as Luke dumped girlfriend after girlfriend, marveling at how he somehow managed to remain unscathed and commitment-­free, while each new conquest cut her a little deeper. Dating her older sister, Chloe, had been the death of the crush. Falling in love with a girl named Raquel had hammered the nail in the coffin.

She could not let herself go there again even for a moment. Luke would end up stomping on her heart like he had before. Unintentionally, granted. But a stomp was painful nonetheless.

Darcy yanked up the auction folder with a huff and pressed it to her chest.

Grace belted out a delighted laugh. “You watch, Darcy. Some lucky young man will come along and snatch you up someday.” She winked, crinkles of laugh lines forming around her eyes and mouth, as if daring Darcy to try to get in the last word.

“I surrender,” Darcy said. “I’m afraid if I keep refusing this folder, you’ll make me arm wrestle Luke to see who has to work on the committee. Luke, I sure hope you don’t plan to refuse your grandmother’s plea.”

“What plea?” he asked.

“I’ll leave you two to talk about it.” Darcy tucked the auction notes into her tote bag. “I’m scheduled to work a couple of hours at the mall tonight.”

Grace made a tsking sound. “Friday night’s the time for a nice dinner date. Didn’t I hear that boy Joey up the street asked you out?”

“Joey Meadows?” With twinkling eyes, Luke looked at Darcy, a laugh so close to the surface she wanted to smack him.

“No, Grace. Joey didn’t ask me out. His mother asked for him.”

Luke’s bark of laughter bounced off the kitchen cabinets.

“Now, no more pushing me to date. Be thankful I’m leaving with the silly file folder.”

“I am thankful. I think you and Luke will do an excellent job co-chairing the auction for the kids in our community.”

“What?” he asked.

Darcy’s stomach briefly took a nosedive before launching into a fluttery dance. This was Grace’s plan? “What do you mean co-chairing?”

“Luke, honey, I need you to take over my duties for the fund-raiser. I’m simply too busy right now to do a thorough job.”

“Whoa. Wait a minute,” Darcy said. “I thought you were just going to ask him to help.” She’d imagined him picking up donated furniture, setting up tables, manual jobs that required a little extra muscle power.

Grace picked up her Bible and waved it. “I’m leading a new women’s Bible study group as well as volunteering at the food pantry this month. I’d like to completely hand over the reins to Luke.”

“Granny, I—”

She threw her hand up to stop him. “How about we talk more about it over dinner? We don’t want to make Darcy late.”

“Okay. I’ll walk her out.”

Maybe Darcy should tell Grace Luke’s plan to ask Burt to move. What if they put the house on the market and Luke left next week?

No, Darcy couldn’t bear to break the woman’s heart. How could she tell Grace that her plan to lure Luke into moving to Appleton was doomed from the start?

Darcy stood and pushed the strap of her bag over her shoulder. “I’ll see you on Sunday.”

“Thanks for coming, dear. The kids in the community will be blessed by your hard work.”

Darcy smiled as she waved and headed toward the living room. Luke went ahead of her and stepped outside to hold the screen door open. For some reason, the thought of working closely with him on the project made her stomach wrap around itself in a pretzel of dread. So many things could go wrong—namely, the fact that he could leave town at any moment, sticking her with the majority of the auction work.

No, worse was the fact that he didn’t seem to care they’d never see each other once he moved Burt and Grace to Nashville.

Barreling out the front door, she ran into a wall of solid muscle.

She nearly bounced off Luke, and he grabbed her arms to set her upright. “You okay?”

“I’m sorry. I was zoned out, wasn’t watching.”

“In that much of a hurry?”

She looked into his stunning brown eyes and swallowed. Nodded. “Can’t be late.”

“Working weekend evenings must cut into your social life.”

“Not everyone has a hot date every weekend,” she snapped.

His eyes widened, and he held up his hands. “Sorry. I meant no offense.”

Heat swept from her chest upward. “No, I’m sorry. Sensitive subject after that conversation with your grandmother.”

Luke leaned against the screen, trapping her between it and the front door, his lips tilted up in a semi-smile. A knowing, snarky and way-too-appealing smile. “So, no hot dates lately, huh?”

“Spoken by the guy who would date anyone in a skirt.” She laughed at his ridiculously cocky pose and tried to shove him out of her way.

His bulging biceps didn’t budge.

A growl formed in her throat, but she stifled it. “Some of us are more selective than others,” she said instead, staring him down, wondering at her breathlessness. What was wrong with her?

“Touché.” His gaze dipped to her lips.

Great. A smudge of pecan pie filling or a speck of crust must’ve landed on her mouth. She nonchalantly wiped the area, just in case.

Luke laughed and stepped back, holding the screen door open. “I’m just playing with you. So you’re heading to the mall job?”

The extra space between them gave her room to breathe. “A night of selling accessories to the teen crowd at Glitzy Glenda’s. Have to be there at six.” Still trying to gather her wits, she glanced at her watch. “It’s five-thirty already.”

“Oh, well, I won’t keep you. But I do need your input on a matter with my dad. Maybe we can get together this weekend?”

Before she could decide how to answer, he gave a jaunty salute and headed back inside, totally unaffected by their close encounter.

* * *

Luke stepped inside Granny’s house, closed the front door and let his head drop against it. Man, what’s my problem?

Darcy was acting perfectly normal, but he hadn’t been able to since the previous day when she’d first smiled up at him and it hit him how badly he’d missed her.

The last time he was home, Darcy had been his rock, holding his hand through his mom’s funeral and graveside service. Talking to friends and family whenever he choked up, sensing his every need. They’d been more in tune than ever.

As friends. So what had changed?

Maybe he’d been working too hard. Hadn’t been on a date in ages. That had to be the problem. Easily remedied when he got back to Nashville.

Luke shook off the weirdness and headed back to help with dinner.

Bustling around her kitchen, his grandmother tried to fill the space—space his mother would normally fill—with chatter.

Everything felt wrong without Mom in their midst. Empty-chair wrong. Lack-of-her-voice wrong. And wrong for Grace to be preparing dinner without the help of her daughter.

Desperate to ease the emptiness, Luke touched his grandmother’s shoulder. “Will you show me how to make your chicken casserole?”

With a grateful smile and misty eyes, she nodded. “Of course.”

As Granny continued making his favorite dish, she jotted down the recipe and talked him through the preparation. Pulling boiled chicken off the bones and chopping vegetables somehow soothed both of them. Granny chatted about the townspeople and church friends to update him on all the latest news. When she finally popped the casserole in the oven, she settled him at the table next to a freshly baked pecan pie with two slices missing. His mouth watered.

“There’s your dessert,” she said as she sat across from him with a satisfied smile.

“You know, you’re making life tough for my future wife.”

“I love spoiling you, and having you back home where you belong.” Her brown eyes shone with happiness. Time together was good for both of them.

Unfortunately, his ultimate goal would not make her happy. “Granny—”

“Before you tell me everything that’s going on with you, I need to talk to you about heading the auction committee.”

“I won’t be in town long.”

She pushed herself up from the table and grabbed the calendar off the wall. The month of May featured a photo of kittens and puppies snuggled up together. Typical Granny.

As she returned to her seat, she spun the calendar around so he could see the blocks of writing. “You may not know it, but I’m a busy woman. Thought my senior years would be slow-paced and relaxed, but I hardly have a spare moment.”

Her scribbles on the calendar indicated committee meetings and Bible studies and luncheons. Other than Sunday, she barely had a day open each week. Had she guessed why he was in town and wanted to make it clear that she’d never willingly move away?

“Wow. Looks like you’ve got your hand in everything around town.”

“I do. I like feeling needed. And like that I can contribute, giving back to my community and church.”

He nodded and swallowed hard. Here it comes. She’s onto my plan and is going to scold me for it.

“That’s why I need your help,” she said. “Your timing is perfect for this project.” Her smile gentled. “The purpose of the auction is to raise funds for Food4Kids, the program your mother started.”

He pulled in a long, slow breath, trying to control his emotions. “I remember her working on it.” He’d hated to imagine kids having the kind of gnawing hunger that made your stomach dig into your backbone.

“When Joan first started Food4Kids at the elementary schools, the number of kids whose parents weren’t willing or able to provide nourishing meals on weekends was small. No more than ten children. But a growing number come to school on Mondays hungry.”

“How many are in the program now?” he asked.

“Over a hundred kids countywide. More on a waiting list.”

“And you need more funding.” His mother’s face formed in his mind. He recalled her working diligently for those children, making sure each one went home on Friday afternoons with a backpack full of food to keep them until Monday’s breakfast at school. She would be pleased to have his help on her pet project.

If Luke took over this auction and saw it through, the funds would help the community, and possibly comfort his grandmother.

Ensuring this program continued would honor his mother. Perhaps help his dad to heal. “Granny, tell me what I can do.”

Squeezing his hand, she blinked back tears. “You’re a kindhearted man, Luke. I’m proud of you.”

She wouldn’t be so proud when he offered his dad a job in Tennessee. Or when he asked Granny if she’d consider joining them.

Grace popped up out of her chair once again and grabbed a spiral-bound notebook from the small desk near the pantry. She set it in front of him. “Here are all the ideas Darcy and I have jotted so far. And a preliminary list of individual and business donors.”

“Darcy has all this info, too?”

“Yes, she’s been my co-chair and has worked on the committee for a couple of years.”

“Good. She can get me up to speed. I plan to see her this weekend.”

“Perfect.” She shoved the notebook into his hands. “The job’s all yours.”

Later, though, after Burt joined them for dinner and Luke had time to reflect on the arrangement with Darcy, he had a moment of doubt. Six months ago—six days ago, even—he would have said working with Darcy would be fun. He would have been pleased to spend time with his best friend. Content to relive the times they worked together on school or church projects.

But now, he felt uneasy.

He thought of the spark that zipped between them earlier, across the table and again at the front door. Thought of Darcy’s greeting the other day, falling into his arms, so glad to see him. The flowery smell of her silky auburn hair, the brush of her arm against his as she looked up at him, caring, trusting.

Yeah, the trusting part must be what was unsettling him.

He’d come to help his dad prepare to move. Period. He couldn’t let his thoughts run to what Darcy expected from him, or of any disappointment she’d shown over his plan.

* * *

While sitting at the workbench Saturday afternoon, Darcy’s stomach growled. Loudly.

Lois, her coworker in the microbiology lab, giggled. “Almost ready for lunch?”

“All done.” Darcy stacked petri dishes in a large bin and slid it back into the incubator. She enjoyed her full-time job at the local hospital. Loved the challenges each day offered, loved knowing her work helped patients even though she didn’t have direct contact with them.

“You want to go to lunch first?” Lois asked.

“I’ve still got to enter culture results into the computer.”

Darcy pulled over the portable keyboard to record the Saturday morning data. When she got to the last patient, she entered “Light growth beta hemolytic Strep. Isolated for typing and sensitivity.”

This particular patient had been septic. Darcy prayed the organism they’d discovered on a Gram’s stain yesterday wouldn’t show antibiotic resistance.

“Darcy, there’s someone out front asking to see you.” Dr. Violet Crenshaw, the new pediatrician in town who often came by the lab on weekends to check test results of her patients, stood in the doorway of the microbiology lab. “And he’s gorgeous,” she said in a singsong voice.

“Thanks. I’ll be right there.” The mystery man had to be Luke. She’d always gotten that kind of reaction when she introduced him to friends at college or work.

Lois popped up from the microscope and hurried around the workbench. “So? Who is he?”

“No reason to get excited. I’m sure it’s only Luke, an old friend of mine.”

She wiggled her eyebrows. “Only a friend?”

“My best friend since birth.”

“Ooh, is he single?” she practically purred.

“No.” Shock jolted through Darcy at the sharp tone she’d used. “I mean, yes. I assume he is.”

Lois’s surprised expression confirmed her abruptness.

“I’m sorry. Anyway, he lives in Nashville now,” she added stupidly.

“If he’s only a friend, maybe you can introduce us sometime. I love Nashville.” Lois wiggled her eyebrows and headed back to the scope.

“Sure.”

Why did I do that? Lois and Luke would actually be a good match. She was cute and fun. A little quiet, but not afraid to belt out a good laugh when warranted. And she was a struggling single mom with a young son who could use a good man in his life. Luke would like her sweetness. Her generosity. Her dark brown eyes and wavy blond hair.