Half Moon Hill (23 page)

And how on earth could he combat that gorgeous laugh? So he just gave up and laughed along with her, and as she pulled out from behind the building and onto the street, late day sun shining down on them, he realized that, suddenly, going to see Lucky and Tessa didn’t sound so bad. And in fact—hell—to his complete surprise, he was even looking forward to it.

“ . . . we will save you in spite of yourself.”

Gaston Leroux,
The Phantom of the Opera

Thirteen

D
uke had been to Lucky’s house on more occasions than he could count, but this time was different. When Anna pulled her Mustang into the driveway, both Lucky and Tessa came out to greet her, but Duke could immediately see Lucky squinting, trying to figure out who was with her. It was jarring to feel like a stranger here, even for a minute.
But that’s the road you paved. You chose to go away, distance yourself from people, even your best friend.
And in that moment he realized, with regret, that he envied Lucky the life he’d built even more now than he had before. Funny how they’d once been at exactly the same starting point but had ended up at such different destinations.

Even as he slammed the door to the convertible and took a few steps toward his old friend, Lucky still didn’t seem to recognize him. Then it hit him that Lucky had never seen him without a goatee, or with such short hair. And then there was the scar, too—which Lucky had seen before, but not since it had healed.

“It’s me, brother,” he said. He’d always called Lucky that—he wasn’t sure how it had started, but Lucky was the only person who’d ever earned that endearment from him.

Lucky flinched, drew back slightly. “Duke?”

“In the flesh.”

But he, understandably, looked no less confused. “What the hell?” Then he looked toward Anna, now rounding the car’s candy apple red fender, and back toward Duke. “What are you doing here, man? And where’s your beard? And—” Once more he glanced at Anna and then back again. “What are you doing with my sister?” He didn’t look angry about the last part, but damn curious, that was for sure.

Duke barely knew how to begin. So he went with “Long story.”

Lucky’s brow knit. “Good thing we got some time then.” After which he shook his head, as if trying to wrap his brain around the fact that Duke was really standing in his front yard—before saying, “Damn, bro—come here.” Then he pulled Duke into a quick but hard guy hug, slapping him on the back.

And though Duke had never been one to do much hugging on other guys, even guys that meant the world to him like Lucky, he couldn’t deny that it felt good. That someone wanted to hug him because he missed him, valued him.

“It’s damn good to see you, brother,” he heard himself say without even planning it.

“You too.” Then Lucky looked to Tessa and Anna—before shifting his eyes back to Duke once more. “Why don’t we take a walk.”

Tessa quickly said, “Yeah, you guys take some time getting caught up. Anna and I can fire up the grill and get the steaks going.”

Duke found himself tossing a glance of thanks in their direction—then he and Lucky headed around the house, past the deck, and toward the woods.

“I don’t know how to begin,” Duke said, “so guess I’ll just spit it all out and see where that leaves us.”

Lucky gave a short nod as they stepped into the dark shade of the trees on the path that led to Whisper Falls.

Funny how, even here, it felt like a safe place to Duke, safer than being out in the open, like shelter, a refuge. It seemed a fitting setting for what he had to say. “I had a hard time after Denny died.”

“I know, man—you sold Gravediggers and went home to Indiana. How could I forget?”

Yeah, maybe that hadn’t needed to be said. But he wasn’t good at this—even after having recently told Anna, this was still hard. Maybe it was hard to let his best friend know how weak he’d become—Lucky was tough, but in ways, Duke had always been the stronger one. He’d always known how to keep feelings from getting in the way of what you had to do to get by sometimes—like that night they’d left the Devil’s Assassins. But then, somewhere along the way, he’d lost that strength.

“Things,” he began, “were maybe even worse than I let on.”

Lucky stopped walking then, looked at him. “How could they be any worse?”

Duke swallowed back what little remained of his pride and said, “I didn’t end up in Indiana. I ended up staying in that old shack you once told me about in the woods beside your sister’s house.”

Lucky just stared at him, mouth slightly ajar.

But Duke simply went on. “I can’t explain it except to say I just needed to . . . be alone. I was . . . having trouble facing people. Or maybe I was having trouble facing
myself
. Either way, it was just easier being someplace where it felt like . . . I didn’t exist.”

Lucky still appeared dumbfounded. And Duke felt like he’d somehow let Lucky down—he wasn’t the strong one anymore. “How the hell did you survive out there?” Lucky asked. “I mean, that place was in bad shape when I was a teenager—it’s gotta be worse now. Can’t be fit to live in.”

Duke shrugged. “Fish in the pond. Some good camping equipment. An occasional trip into town for supplies. I don’t need much to get by.”

“Don’t?” Lucky asked. “As in you’re still living there?”

Another shrug. “Mostly.”

And again Lucky raised his eyebrows. And Duke realized he’d just stuck his foot into an area where he’d only planned to tiptoe lightly.

Though now he had no choice but to go there. Damn, he wished he’d thought more about what to say. “Some nights I stay at Anna’s place.”

Lucky stayed quiet a moment before speaking. “So you’re saying you and Anna . . .”

It was hard to meet his friend’s eyes in that moment—but he tried. “She’s been . . . good to me. Good
for
me. I never planned . . . I just started helping her work on the house and . . . it happened.” And when Lucky only remained silent, casting a steely glare Duke’s way, he decided he’d better keep going. “Look, I know you know how I’ve been with women . . . in the past. But I need you to know I respect the hell out of her, Lucky. In fact, I think she’s pretty fucking amazing. And she and I . . . I don’t know where we’re going, and the truth is, I don’t know if either one of us are ready for anything big . . . but, like I said, she’s been great to me, and I appreciate that. And I hope you don’t think I’m a prick for getting involved with her.”

He watched then as Lucky let out a heavy breath, and the air instantly seemed lighter around them. “Dude, you can relax. I’m not Mike. I’m not gonna try to pry into Anna’s life and tell her who she can or can’t see.”

It was like Duke could breathe again, too. “Well, that’s a relief,” he murmured. “I mean, her name’s on your chest, brother.” Duke had been right there watching as Lucky had had his missing little sister’s name etched permanently into his skin, over his heart, back in California during their gang days.

“And I love her,” Lucky said. “But the fact is, despite that I know everything you’ve ever done and that it should probably scare me for you to be with my sister, it doesn’t. You know everything I’ve ever done, too, and I’m still good for Tessa. And there’s nobody I trust more than you, even if you’re with Anna.” Then he cracked half a grin. “Even if it caught me off guard at first. About like your chin did. Where the hell’s your goat, man?”

Duke laughed. Thank God Lucky was being so cool about this. It was only then that Duke realized he’d been far more nervous telling him about Anna than telling him about living in the woods. “Anna made me shave it off.”

At this, Lucky condemningly arched one brow. As if to imply his little sister had Duke whipped that fast.

“Because I’d let it and my hair grow and I looked like a fucking caveman is all. She wanted me to look less scary if I was gonna work on the house. And I guess I don’t much blame her.”

Lucky tilted his head. “Why are you working on her house?”

Duke offered up yet another shrug. “Something to do, I guess. Forgot how much I like that kinda work, actually.”

From there, they talked more about Duke’s choice to retreat to the woods—and he tried to play it off, but he knew it worried Lucky—and he supposed he could understand why. “Just a thing I had to do,” he said.

“A thing you’re about done with?” Lucky suggested.

Duke thought about the question. “Getting there, I guess. But gotta do it my way, in my own time.”

At this Lucky just nodded acceptedly, and Duke was glad his friend wasn’t going to push him on this.

“Truth is, Anna had to twist my arm to come here tonight. I’m just . . . not used to being around people anymore, man.”

“But this is me. And Tessa. We love you.”

Just as Anna had promised him. And he didn’t know when Lucky had gone all soft to start saying stuff like that—he still had the long hair and the tattoos, but Duke decided the sweet people of Destiny must be having an effect on him. Regardless, though, it was good to hear. Hell, he must be going soft, too.

“I know, brother. But after being alone for so long . . . it’s just a little strange is all.” They resumed walking and shared a companionable silence as they approached the falls. And when they both stood looking out over the top, the water flowing calm and serene toward the drop-off, Duke said, “Glad I came, though. Damn glad.”

T
he four of them sat at a round table on the deck eating dinner as the sun dipped behind the trees, ushering in cooler evening air. Conversation flowed easily, and even if Duke wasn’t as talkative as the rest of them, Anna thought he looked . . . comfortable. And it made her feel happy inside. To have pushed him a little. And just to be there with him—and with her brother and Tessa, too.

“Seems like you’re settling in at the bookstore,” Tessa said to Anna. And she couldn’t deny to herself that maybe Amy’s big plan was working—maybe spending time at Under the Covers was bringing Anna the rest of the way back out of her shell and making her appreciate socializing again.

She nodded, smiled. “I guess I am. It was a good decision, so I’m glad Amy prodded me into it.”

“Sometimes Amy’s proddings,” Tessa said with a tilt of her head, “lead to good things. She pushed me toward Lucky very early in our relationship. And she definitely pushed Rachel toward Mike.”

Though Amy had told Anna she’d given up being the town matchmaker once she’d found Logan, Anna found herself wondering what Amy would think of her and Duke together, or if she’d have any insights to impart.

“Speaking of Rachel and Mike,” Lucky said, shaking his head incredulously, “I still can’t believe they’re having a baby.”

Duke blinked, the news drawing him from his silence. “Mike is gonna be a father? Damn, that poor kid!” And they all laughed.

“Like I said that night after the ball game,” Anna announced, “if it’s a girl, it’s going to be Aunt Anna to the rescue, for sure.”

“But at least maybe this will give him something to do besides monitoring
your
every move,” Tessa suggested with a playful raise of her eyebrows.

“Well, that
would
be a perk,” Anna agreed. Then she gave her head a tilt, thinking of another of their friends. And looking to Tessa, she said, “I don’t know if I should say this, but . . . I’m worried that Jenny isn’t doing well with the news. Given that she’s been trying to get pregnant and can’t.”

Tessa sighed. “Yeah, I don’t think so, either. It’s a tough situation. And tough for Rachel, too—just in a different way. I can scarcely imagine two people less emotionally prepared to have a baby than her and Mike right now. It’ll change their whole lives. And I know they were using birth control, so I understand why they were so surprised.”

After that, Lucky caught them up on his son from a previous relationship, Johnny, who was now twelve—going on sixteen suddenly, according to his father. “Starting to worry me,” he said, “ ’cause I don’t want him turning out like me.”

But Tessa shushed him. “You mean you don’t want him going down the wrong paths the way you did. Otherwise, though, I hope he turns out
exactly
like you.”

“Probably need to get him interested in something where you can keep an eye on him,” Duke said, surprising Anna by adding to the conversation. “If somebody’d done that for me when I was a kid—really showed an interest—might’ve made a difference.”

“I was thinking the same thing,” Lucky said, “so I’ve got him helping me fix up an old clunker I bought from Willie Hargis—a beat-up old Skylark I’m gonna run in the demo derby the last weekend in July.”

“Demo derby?” Anna asked. “What’s that?”

“A demolition derby,” Tessa answered for her husband, instantly looking more irritated than happy. “It’s being held in Creekside Park—the first time Destiny has ever had one, but they’re hoping to make it an annual event.” Finished eating now, Anna’s sister-in-law crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. “Lucky just
has
to be in it. Even though he knows I don’t like it.”

“Look, honey,” he said, “the fact is, riding around on a motorcycle is probably way more dangerous than driving a car in a demo derby.” But then he stopped and glanced toward Duke, clearly remembering what he’d recently been through. “Sorry, buddy—that was thoughtless of me.”

But Duke gave his head a short shake. “Nah, it’s just the truth.” His eyes went a little vacant at the reminder, though, and Anna wished it hadn’t happened probably as much as Lucky did. The two of them exchanged looks, and she wondered if her brother could see in her eyes how much she hated Duke’s pain, how she wished she could take it away.

Then Lucky switched his gaze back to Duke. “You oughta come around some at night—help me work on it. Almost got it running—but trying to teach Johnny about engines at the same time is slowing me down some. Could use the help.”

Duke was slow in answering. “I don’t know,” he murmured, shaking his head softly.

Lucky offered a gentle nod in reply.