Fitting The Pieces (The Riverdale Series Book 3) (14 page)

           
“I love him.” She said and suddenly felt awkward, like
she didn’t want to get out of the car and have the day end.

           
Luke watched her intently and decided he wasn’t ready to
let her go. Even though she drove him crazy the minute he picked her up until
the minute they arrived at his parents, when they were surrounded by the
family, he barely had a moment with her. Nick’s words rang in his ears, that, he
was playing with fire, yet he couldn’t get himself to listen.

 
          
“I’ll
bring your car by first thing in the morning.”

           
“I don’t want to put you out any more than I already
have, Luke. I can take a cab over to the shop and get it myself.” She said with
determination in her voice. “I know you’re just being you and wanting to help
make everything easier for me, but I can’t rely on you for everything.” She
looked at him thoughtfully. “I need to learn to stand on my own two feet, and
once for all.”

           
He glanced down at the steering wheel and after a moment
he nodded, understanding. His eyes found hers and she smiled at him softly, and
damn him, his gut clenched. She grabbed the handle on her door and tucked Benny
into the crook of her arm. “Cara…” He paused. He knew she hadn’t been in her
apartment yet, and that would be the true test of her strength. “There isn’t
anything…” He stopped himself, not wanting her to think he didn’t trust her. He
was just concerned that there might be something there that could cause her to
relapse. He looked out the window towards the apartment trying to figure the
best way to say what was on his mind.

Cara’s
eyes followed his and it dawned on her that he was concerned about her being
alone. “Luke, you don’t have to worry. There’s nothing in the apartment that
would tempt me to go down that road again.”

“You’re
probably sick of me saying it, but I’m still going to. I’m proud of you, Cara.”
He said in a gruff voice.

           
“You’ve been doing that an awful lot.” She said and with
her finger she signaled to his throat. “That gruff voice thing… I bet it drives
all the ladies crazy, Stud Muffin.” He shook his head at her and laughed
slightly. “You must be tired, although before when it happened you weren’t
tired.” She squinted suspiciously at him. “You’re a tough one to figure out,
Luke Lanza.”

           
“Not really… I’m afraid I’m so transparent you’ll see
right through me.”

           
“Would that be such a bad thing?”

           
“You have no idea, Cara.” He said evenly before blowing
out a breath. “I’ll get your suitcase. Do you think you can manage everything?”
He said, motioning to the sleeping child in the backseat.

           
“I’ve got it.” She said as they both climbed out of the
truck. Luke walked over to the back and pulled out her suitcase, lifting up the
handle so it would be easier for her to wheel it and hold Benny at the same
time. He rolled it to her side, unsure what to do with himself, he shoved his
hands in his pocket.

           
“Goodnight.” He said.

           
“Goodnight, Luke.” She leaned up and pressed her lips to
his cheek. “Thanks again… one day I’ll pay you back. I promise.” She said and
as the words left her lips she realized that she wanted more than anything to
live up to her promise.

Dear
Jake,

You
are never going to believe this, but your brother bought me a puppy! I can
barely believe it myself. After he picked me up from Lakeview we picked up Ava
and went to your parent’s house for dinner. That’s where he gave me Benny.
That’s his name. He’s a beagle and oh my God, Jake, he’s the cutest little thing
ever. He tends to chew things, though. I think he ruined your father’s favorite
loafers. He doesn’t bark like regular dogs he just kind of howls. I think I’m
in love.

Love
always and forever,

Cara

           
The next morning Luke was even grumpier than usual. He
chalked it up to the lack of sleep, he hadn’t gotten much the night
before.
 
He yawned as he slid back
underneath the Thunderbird he was working on.

           
“You know you can’t avoid me forever.” Luke heard Nick
say. Great, just what he needed another lecture. The man gets engaged, and all
of a sudden he knows everything. He slid out from underneath the car and eyed
Nick.

           
“What is it?” Luke said irritated.

           
“I’ve been thinking about your situation.”

           
“Don’t exert yourself, Nick. I’ve got it all under
control.”

           
“You bought a fucking puppy.”

           
“You make it sound like I bought her a ring.” Luke said
sarcastically and rolled back under the car. Maybe he would get the hint.

           
“You bought a woman a dog, Luke, a cute one too.”

           
“Did you just call Cara cute?” Luke asked as he tweaked
something with a wrench.

           
“The dog, asshole. The dog is cute. You’re missing the
point.” Nick blew out an exasperated breath and looked around the garage. Fuck
it, he thought, grabbing a mechanic wheel board, he laid his back on top of it
and slid under the same car Luke was underneath.

           
“Are you kidding me?” Luke asked as he continued his
work.

           
“Well, this is the only way I can get you to listen to me
for fuck’s sake! Look this thing with Cara worked while she was in rehab. I
mean I get it, she needed someone, you were there, but that’s just it. You’re
always looking to rescue a woman.”

           
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

           
“Come on Luke, give me a little credit. I’ve been your
best friend for over two decades. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. Whatever
floats your boat man, but Cara isn’t just your typical damsel in distress.”
Nick said and handed him another tool, knowing the wrench wouldn’t work the way
he needed it to. “You said yourself you’re agonizing over that night the two of
you had and for no other reason but that you’d do it again if you could. What
does that tell you?”

           
“It tells me I’m fucked in the head. Maybe at first it
was about rescuing her and making sure that she was okay. Maybe I was drawn to her
by my promise to my brother, but now I don’t know man. She’s all I think
about.” He slid out from underneath the car, letting his confession weigh heavy
on him.

           
Nick slid out as well and peered up at Luke. “Are you
actually thinking about pursuing something with her?”

           
Luke shook his head and wiped his hands on the front of
his shirt. “I know I can’t have her. She could never be mine for so many
reasons.” He ran his fingers through his hair roughly and looked over at Nick
in agony. “I sit at night and I wrack my brain trying to figure why in God’s
name, Jake ever asked me to take care of her. He of all people should’ve known
the effect she has on someone.” He swallowed hard against the lump in his
throat. “Her fucking laugh alone sends chills throughout my body. When she
rambles because she’s nervous, I just want to kiss her to stop the rambling.
She teases me and I fucking blush like a pansy.” He sighed heavily and looked
at Nick. “I know I’m playing with fire. I don’t need a reminder, be a friend
though will you? When I go up and flames grab a fire extinguisher.”

           
Nick didn’t say a word for a number of reasons. The first
being, he had no idea what to say. The second being, Luke wasn’t about to walk
away. That was perfectly clear. The thing was though, his friend was angry
about something. Something was eating away at him and instead of dealing with
that, he chose to ignore it and drown himself in Cara. Nick suddenly felt
helpless, as if his friend was on a collision course and all he could do was
sit back and watch him crash.

           
A cab pulled up in front of the garage and Luke watched
longingly as Cara paid the driver and made her way out of the taxi, Benny in
tow. Tearing his gaze from her as she bent down to grab something else from the
cab was a struggle, but Luke turned and looked at Nick sternly.

           
“Act normal.” He ordered.

           
“There seems to be a lot of that going around lately.”
Nick muttered under his breath before walking towards the office feeling
defeated.

           
Cara walked towards Luke with Benny tucked under her arm
and a large tote bag dangling from her other shoulder. She blew at the strands
of hair that flew into her eyes and handed Benny to him.

           
“You won’t believe the morning I’ve had.” She said as she
dug around in her tote bag looking for Benny’s leash.

           
Luke scratched Benny between the ears, earning him some
affectionate licks, as he looked at Cara. “What happened?”

           
“You know the old man across the hall from me? Well, he’s
a grump! Benny must’ve had a hard time adjusting to my apartment or maybe he
missed you and Ava, but he had a bit of a rough night. It included a lot of
wailing, and eventually I let him crawl into bed with me.”

           
Lucky dog, Luke thought as he glanced down at him. He
decided that his life had taken an all-time low, seeing as he was jealous of a
puppy.

           
“Anyway the old grump, called my landlord. I am currently
not allowed to have any pets. I tried finding a copy of the lease, but who the
hell knows where Jake would’ve kept that. So anyway…” She took a deep breath.
“I told him I’d be out by the end of the month. Which probably wasn’t the
smartest idea I’ve had, considering I now have what two weeks to find an
apartment?”

           
Luke calculated the date in his head and nodded.
 
“Not even.”

           
She threw him a look and pulled out the leash. “Thanks
for pointing that out.” She clipped the leash onto Benny’s collar. “You can put
him down now. Anyway…” She went back to rambling. “Benny needs a place to sleep
at night until I find a place for us.”

           
Luke bent down and set Benny on all fours and then rose
to his full height and glanced down at Cara, he reached out and tucked a strand
of hair behind her ear before placing his hand into his pocket. “So you want
Benny to stay with me and then what you pick him up in the mornings?”

           
She frowned. “It sounds ridiculous doesn’t it?” She
looked over at Benny and he started to investigate his surroundings. “Think of
it like joint custody.”

           
“Okay.” He said because he simply couldn’t say no to her…
ever.

           
“Really?” She said, holding back her smile until he
nodded shortly. She threw her arms around his neck. “You’re the best!! I
promise he won’t be any trouble.” She pulled back and looked at Benny. “Benny
did you hear that? Daddy said you can spend the night with him and sissy!!”

           
Luke’s eyes widened and he looked at her incredulously.
She turned her attention back to him and burst out laughing.

“Just
kidding. Oh my God, that was great! You should see your face.” She pinched his
cheek affectionately. “Man, Luke, you kill me sometimes.”

He
shook his head and let out a long breath. “Likewise, Spunky.” He reached into
his pocket and pulled out his key ring. “Here, take this. It’s the key to my
house I have a spare in the office. That way you can let yourself in and out
with Benny. I get home all different hours depending on Ava’s after school
activities, so you won’t have to wait around for me, if you have plans or
whatever.”

She
raised an eyebrow and wondered if he knew he was rambling. She wondered if it
was because he was nervous. I mean she knew a man giving a key to his house was
big, even if it was just out of convenience to a friend. You don’t mess with a
king and his castle, at least that’s what Jake had instilled in her. She never
had a key to his apartment until they were a couple. She shook her head and her
thoughts disappeared as she took the key he offered to her.

“Thanks.”
She said softly, staring at the key in her hand.

Luke walked over to the
far wall in the garage that had a rack holding all the keys of the cars that
they were currently working on. He found the key ring to Cara’s car and swiped
it off the hook. When he returned to her, she was still playing with the key to
his house in her palm.

           
“Come on, I’ll show you your car.” He said and dragged
her out of her trance.

           
“Right. I almost forgot about that. Come on Benny.” She
said tugging gently on his leash so that he would follow them out of the garage
and into the parking lot. They walked towards the first spot where her car was.
She looked at it in shock one would never know that this car had been in an
accident. She glanced up at him. “You do good work, huh?” She said before she
ran her fingers over the sleek hood of the car. “It looks brand new.” She said,
noting that her little Honda Accord probably didn’t look that good since the
day it left the showroom. Not that she would know how it looked then, she
bought it used.

           
“It runs better than it looks.” Luke added. He didn’t let
her in on the fact that he had almost rebuilt the entire car, making sure that
it was safe for her to drive. He even put a new set of tires on it to get her
through the treacherous winter the almanac was calling for.

           
She turned around and their eyes met. “You’re racking up
quite the list of paybacks. I will be an old lady by the time I pay you back
for everything you’ve done for me, Luke.” She frowned. “What have I done for
you? Not a damn thing.” She said, hating the fact and turned her head.

           
“Hey… look at me. Friends help one another don’t they?”

           
“Yeah, but I feel like I tapped you out of favors.” She
said offering him half of a smile. “I have a new rule for the friendship that
is Luke and Cara.”

           
“What’s that?”

           
“You are not allowed to do anything for me until I do
something for you. I mean it Luke.” She raised an eyebrow and waited for him to
agree.

           
He bit the inside of his cheek and just looked at her for
a moment. “Fine,” he agreed, not really comfortable with the idea.

           
“Good, now that that’s settled. I have to go or I’m going
to be late.”

           
“Where are you headed?” He asked curiously.

           
“Riverdale Ink. I’m getting a new tattoo.” She smiled
wickedly and loaded Benny into her car.

           
“You’re getting a tattoo?” He asked, surprised and not at
the fact that she would get a tattoo. From what he remembered, she had a bunch.
But he also knew that every tattoo she had, Jake had done for her. Maybe he was
reading into it too much, but the fact that she still would get a tattoo by the
hand of someone else made him wonder if that was a sign of her moving on. Yeah,
he definitely thought he was reading into it too much.

           
“Yes, on my ribcage.” She shut the door once Benny was
loaded into the car and reached up on her tip toes to tousle Luke’s hair. “You
really are tall.” She said as if was the first time she noticed. “I’ll see you
later, Sugar Plum.” She hurried to get into her car before she let the grin
claim her lips.

*
 
*
 
*
 
*
 
*

Cara
pulled into a parking lot directly in front of Riverdale Ink and remained
perfectly still once she turned the car off. She stared at the shop, the familiar
pang of heartbreak gnawing at her. She had walked into the shop a dozen or so
times since Jake’s passing, each time to score pills, most of the time already
high. It was then that she realized she had never stepped foot inside the
tattoo parlor consciously aware, Jake, who was the heart and soul of Riverdale
Ink, was gone. She let out a heavy sigh and prepared herself for the loss.

The
door chimes sounded, signaling her entrance and her eyes immediately went to
Jake’s station. Sadly, he didn’t look up from the piece he was working on to
glance at her. Nor did his eyes light up at the sight of her, and there
definitely was no grin from him that stopped her heart or a wiggle of his
eyebrows that made her smile. She swallowed the lump in her throat and stared
at the empty station until she felt an arm on her shoulder, pulling her out of
her trance.