“No, I need to go. Enjoy the rest of your evening,” he said as he walked out of my apartment.

5

Luke

I opened the door to my apartment and set my tool box by the closet. I looked at my watch, and it was almost time for Mrs. Clements to bring Charley home. I walked outside to wait for her. Charley takes a dance class after school with her best friend, Allie. Allie’s mom picks the girls up from school, takes them to dance class, and then drops Charley off at my place. When Maddie works the day shift at the bar, she usually doesn’t get off work until 6:00 p.m. She doesn’t work many nights, but when she does, Charley spends the night at my place.

“Hey, peanut, how was your first day of school?” I asked her as I carried her backpack inside.

“It was great, but I’m hungry,” she pouted.

“What do you want to eat?” I asked.

“Grilled cheese,” she smiled.

“One grilled cheese sandwich coming right up,” I said as I got out the pan. “Tell me about your day.”

“I love my new teacher. She’s so nice and super pretty.”

“Is that so?” I asked. “What’s her name?”

“Miss Gilmore.”

I made Charley her grilled cheese sandwich and listened to her as she told me all about her day.

“Uncle Luke, what happened to your hand?” she asked as she looked at the Band-Aid.

“Yeah, Uncle Luke, what happened to your hand?” Sam asked as he walked through the door smiling.

“It’s just a cut from fixing the shower next door. It’s nothing to worry about.”

“Do you have homework, Charley?” I asked.

“Nope. Miss Gilmore said we would all be too tired from our first day to concentrate on homework, so she didn’t give us any.”

“She sounds like a cool teacher,” I smiled.

“She’s really cool, and you would like her.”

I walked out of the kitchen as she said that and sat down on the couch. Sam opened a beer, handed it to me, and sat on the chair across from me.

“How did it go at Lily’s?”

“It went fine, except I cut myself,” I said.

“I invited Gretchen to go with us to the beach this weekend, and I think you should invite Lily.”

I looked at Sam and sighed. “Your hang up with me and Lily is getting old. I’m not interested. If you want her to join us at the beach this weekend, ask her yourself.”

“Fine, I will,” he said as he pulled out his phone.

Charley came over and sat next to me. “Can I watch SpongeBob Squarepants?”

I put my arm around her, and she snuggled up against me. I turned on her show, and looked over at Sam as he started laughing.

“What is so funny?” I asked.

“Lily asked if you were going to the beach, and when I told her yes, she said no. You two are going to kill me.”

I rolled my eyes. I couldn’t stop thinking about how Lily told me that her family was dead. I couldn’t imagine not having my family. I haven’t seen any guys coming around, so I’m pretty sure she doesn’t have a boyfriend. Not that it matters, I’m just surprised that someone as beautiful as her doesn’t have one.

The door opened, and Maddie walked in.

“Mommy!” Charley exclaimed as she jumped up from the couch.

“Baby, how was school?” she asked as Charley jumped in her arms.

“Hey, Maddie,” I said as I kissed her on the cheek. “How was work?”

“It was the same as every other day. I got hit on a few times. A couple of drunken guys grabbed my ass. You know; the usual.”

“Yeah, well I better never see them grabbing your ass, otherwise I’ll kick theirs,” I said.

“Tell Uncle Luke and Uncle Sammy goodbye, Charley.”

“Bye, Charley,” Sam smiled from the couch.

“Bye, peanut,” I said as I held out my fist to hers.

“Later gator,” we both said at the same time.

I walked over and sat back down on the couch. “Do you know anything about Lily’s past?”

Sam shot me a look. “No, but why are you asking?”

“I don’t know. It’s just something she said earlier.”

“What did she say?” Sam asked.

“I asked her where she’s from and she said Seattle. I asked if her family lived there, but she said that she doesn’t have any family and that they’re dead.”

Sam looked at me, and his mouth dropped. “Seriously?”

“Yeah, seriously, dude.”

“Wow, poor Lily, to be all alone with no family. That’s awful.”

Sam got up from the chair to take a shower. He was taking Gretchen out on a date.

I grabbed an ice-cold beer from the fridge and sat back down on the couch. My phone beeped, and there was a text message from Lucky.

“Dude, come to the bar tonight; there’s some really hot chicks here, and I scored us a gig for Saturday night.”

I wasn’t in the mood for the bar tonight. I replied back.

“Sorry, Lucky, not tonight, and thanks for the gig on Saturday.”

I got up from the couch and grabbed my guitar. I sat back down, and as I was going to begin to play, I heard music coming from the other side of the wall. Lily was playing her guitar. The song she was playing sounded familiar. As I strummed a few chords, the music from the other side of the wall stopped. I played a short tune and waited. Lily played it right back. I strummed another tune, something a little more difficult, and then I waited. A few seconds later, she played it back. I couldn’t help but smile.

“Is that a smile I just saw on your face, Luke?” Sam said as he walked by.

“No, and where are you taking Gretchen?” I asked to change the subject.

“I’m taking her to a new restaurant for dinner and then maybe a movie after.”

“Have a good time,” I said as Sam headed out the door.

I strummed a few more chords and waited for Lily to strum back, but she never did. I decided to try and write a new song. It’s been a year since I’ve written anything. Ever since…

6

Lily

“Hello,” I said as I answered Gretchen’s call.

“Guess what I’m doing tonight,” she said.

“I don’t know, taking a bubble bath and shaving your legs?”

“No, Lily, stop it! I’m going on a date with Sam!”

“Ah, so he finally called you. That’s great, Gretchen; I’m happy for you.”

“Try it sometime, Lily. You might surprise yourself and like it.”

“No thanks. I’m happy with my life as it is. I don’t need a man to be complicating things. Have fun on your date with Sam. You better call me tomorrow and let me know how things went.”

“I will, Lily, and try not to have too much fun in that apartment all by yourself.”

“Goodbye, Gretchen.”

“Goodbye, Lils.”

I smiled as I hung up the phone and picked up my guitar. I could hear Luke trying to play something. He kept strumming and stopping. The little game we played just before Gretchen called was fun. He would play a tune and stop, and I would play it back. I couldn’t help but wonder how his hand was doing. Something about him bothered me. On one hand, I couldn’t stop thinking about him. On the other, I couldn’t stand him. I got up and put my guitar back. I had a corner in my living room that sat empty, so I moved my guitar there. That guitar holds a lot of memories for me; some bad and some good.

* * *

The next morning, I stumbled out of bed, tired as hell, and made my way to the kitchen for some coffee. You’d think I’d be used to only getting a couple hours of sleep a night since it’s been over a year. I poured a cup then headed to the bathroom for a shower. I stepped out of the shower and heard my phone beep from the next room. I walked over to it, and there was a text message from Sam.

“Good morning. I need to see you before I leave for work. Can I stop by?”

I smiled because he probably wanted to talk to me about his date with Gretchen. I replied back.

“Sure, the door’s unlocked. Grab a cup of coffee, and I’ll be right out. I’m getting dressed.”

I quickly ran to the door and unlocked it then ran back into my bedroom. As I was putting on my black pants, I heard Sam come in.

“Hey, Lily, it’s just me.”

“Hey, Sam, I’ll be right out!” I yelled.

I put on my shirt and walked out to the living room, rubbing my hair with a towel.

“You look very professional today.” I smiled.

He was wearing a three-piece black suit with a light green shirt and matching tie. Needless to say, he looked hot.

“I have a meeting today with a big client, and he’s the uptight, everything needs to be professional, type of person.”

“So, what brings you here for a visit this early in the morning?” I asked.

“Being a teacher, I knew you’d be up getting ready for work.”

“Follow me to the bathroom. I need to start getting ready,” I said.

Sam got up from the table and stood in the doorway of the bathroom while I put on my makeup.

“I had a great time with Gretchen last night. She’s an amazing person.” He smiled. “I think the four of us should go out.”

I was leaning over the sink, putting on my mascara. “The four of us?” I asked.

“Gretchen, me, you, and Luke.”

“I don’t date,” I said as I looked at my eyes in the mirror.

“I know you don’t, and I’m really sorry to hear that.”

I instantly looked at him. “Gretchen told you, didn’t she?”

“Yes, she told me all about your ex and what had happened at the church.”

“Damn her. Just wait until I talk to her,” I said in anger.

“Don’t, Lily. She’s worried about you. She told me that she’s happy you moved to Santa Monica because then she can keep a closer eye on you. She doesn’t want you to be lonely.”

“I like being lonely. Did she say anything else?” I asked as I ran a brush through my damp hair.

“She told me that your family isn’t dead and that they’re still living in Seattle.”

“My family’s dead to me, Sam. What my sister and mother did is unforgivable. I want you to forget about that conversation, and don’t ever mention it to anyone. Do you understand me? I’m starting my life over, and that’s my story. I never plan on seeing either of them again.”

“Ok, I’ll forget about it, but I want you know that Luke isn’t a bad guy like you think he is. He’s hiding himself, just like you are.”

“I don’t care about Luke, Sam. I’m not interested in men, period. I don’t care who they are. They’re all lying, cheating bastards who break my heart over and over. I refuse to ever let it happen again.”

He put his arm around me and held me tight. “I understand, and don’t worry; your secret’s safe with me.”

“Thank you, Sam.”

“I have to go, or I’ll be late. Have a good day with your students.” He smiled as he turned and left the apartment.

“Have a good, professional meeting!” I yelled from the bathroom.

As I was blow-drying my hair, I couldn’t stop thinking about what Sam had said about Luke; that Luke was hiding himself. I didn’t care about Luke or his life. I threw my hair up in a ponytail and headed out the door.

* * *

The students were wound up, but we had a productive day. I was sitting at my desk as the students were doing a writing assignment when Charley came up to me.

“Miss Gilmore,” she said.

“Hi, Charley, what’s up?” I asked.

“My uncle’s taking me to the carnival Friday night,” she said with a huge smile plastered on her face.

“Wow, what a nice uncle you have.” I smiled back.

“He’s the best! He takes care of me a lot while my mom’s working. He helps me and my mom out since my daddy isn’t around.”

Hearing Charley say those words broke my heart. I knew what it was like not having your dad around.

“Your uncle sounds like he’s an amazing person.”

“He is, and I love him very much. I think you would like him, and he doesn’t have a girlfriend. She died.”

“Oh, Charley, I’m sorry to hear that. I’m sure that I’d like him.”

The bell rang, and the end of the school day had arrived.

“Bye, Miss Gilmore.” Charley smiled and waved.

“Bye, Charley. See you tomorrow.”

The classroom emptied, so I walked around putting things away and straightening the desks. I grabbed my bags, got in the Explorer, and started driving down the road. As I was driving and listening to my favorite tunes, my car started to shake. I quickly pulled over onto the side of the road, and it stalled. I turned the key to try and start it, but it was dead. I sighed and got out my phone. I tried to call Gretchen and Giselle, but there was no answer. Shit—shit—shit! I said as I got out and leaned up against the side of the Explorer. I tried to call Sam, but he didn’t answer either, so I left a message and told him where I was.