The Guy Next Door

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.”