Love In Between(18)

I looked at the clock at it was 6:40 a.m. “I have to go. It was nice meeting you, Gretchen,” I said as I walked out the door and up the stairs to get Charley. Just as I reached the top step, she was coming out of her apartment.

“Morning, Uncle Luke.” She smiled.

“Morning, peanut,” I said as I patted the top of her head. “Do you have everything you need?”

“Yes, Uncle Luke.” She sighed.

We walked down the stairs as Lily was coming out of her apartment. “Perfect timing!” She smiled as she held up her coffee cup.

“This is so cool that I get to drive my teacher to school!” Charley shrieked.

Lily looked nice. Oh hell, she looked beautiful. Every time I looked at her, I felt like I’ve met her before. Her long, blonde hair was straight, and she was wearing a long cream-colored skirt with a light pink top and high heels. Damn, I wish my teachers looked like that when I was growing up. She’s going to give those boys their first hard-ons. When she smiled, her bluish-gray eyes lit up.

“Good morning you two,” Lily said.

“Morning,” I spoke back.

“Good morning, Miss Gilmore,” Charley said as she took Lily’s hand and led her to the Jeep.

Charley climbed into the back as Lily sat in the passenger side. She looked at me and smiled.

“A Jeep Wrangler fits you. I like it better than that motorcycle you ride.”

“Thanks.” I smiled back. “But I like my bike, so you’ll get used to it.” I winked.

“Keep dreaming.” She smiled.

I pulled into the school parking lot. Charley got out and leaned over to kiss me on the cheek. “Bye, Uncle Luke.” She waved.

“Bye, peanut, have a good day.”

Lily got out of the car and slung her bag over her shoulder. “Thanks for the ride, Luke. Have a good day,” she said as she started to walk away.

“Hey, Lily!” I yelled out. She stopped, turned around, and looked at me. “I can pick you up at the end of the day and take you to the garage to get your car.”

“Sounds good; I’ll see you later.” She smiled as she turned around.

I caught myself staring at her as she walked into the school. For the first time in over a year, a woman made me smile. Sam was right. Lily’s a nice girl—a very nice girl—and I can’t stop thinking about her. I found myself thinking of her in ways that I haven’t thought about since...





8

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Lily



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I sat quietly at my desk while the students were having their daily reading time. I was trying to concentrate on grading papers, but the only thing on my mind was Luke Matthews. Why does he have to be so damn sexy? Why does the universe have to light up every time he smiles? Why does he have to have such a great body? Why does he have to live next door?

I found myself thinking about him more and more; that was something I didn’t bargain for when I moved to Santa Monica. I was distracted by the chiming of my cell phone. I looked over at the screen and saw a message from Giselle.

“Gretchen had a date last night with Sam, but she never came home. I guess she got a piece of that hot man!”

“Lucky girl,” I replied back.

“Do you want to meet up for dinner and drinks tonight?” Giselle asked.

“I can’t. I’m going with Luke and Charley to the carnival.”

“Who’s Charley?”

“She’s Luke’s niece who also happens to be one of my students.”

“We have some catching up to do. Call me later, and let’s set up dinner.”

“I will. Bye.”

I immediately sent Gretchen a text message.

“Did you have sex with Sam?” I asked.

A few minutes later, she replied, “Yes I did. It was wonderful, Lily. He’s a GOD in bed.”

I smiled at her reply. “I’m glad you had fun. Are you still at his place?”

“Yeah, I’m getting ready to leave. I have a photo shoot across town in an hour.”

“Is Luke there?” I asked.

“No, he’s not. Why are you asking?”

“I was just wondering. I have to go; reading time is over.”

I wondered why Luke didn’t tell me that Gretchen stayed the night. After all, she’s my best friend. The rest of the day went quickly, and before I knew it, the bell rang, and the children scurried out of the classroom. As I stood by the door saying goodbye to the students, Maddie walked in.

“Hi, Maddie.” I smiled.

“Mommy!” Charley exclaimed as she came running from the other side of the room.

“I saw Luke outside. He’s taking you to pick up your car?” she asked.

“Yes, he is.” I nodded my head.

“That’s great. It’s good to see that Luke’s helping you.”

I thought that was an odd thing to say, and I wondered what she meant by it. My mind went back to what Charley had said about Luke’s girlfriend dying.

“Bye, Miss Gilmore, I’ll see you later!” Charley smiled.

“Bye, Charley. I’m looking forward to it.”

“Have a good time tonight, Lily,” Maddie said as she took Charley by the hand and left the classroom.