I laughed as I rinsed my mouth and spat in the sink. “I don’t even have a cat.”
“Not yet, you don’t, but you’ve been talking about maybe getting one.”
I smiled and smacked her on the arm as I left the bathroom. I grabbed my black cowboy boots from the closet and put them on. I twirled around the living room.
“What do you think?” I asked.
“I think you look hot, and Luke isn’t going to know what hit him when he sees you.” Giselle smiled. “There’s nothing sexier to a man than short jean shorts, tank tops, and cowboy boots.”
I tilted my head. “How do you know that?” I asked.
“I dated a cowboy once.”
“Oh yeah, that creepy guy from Montana that wouldn’t let you take your boots off during sex and wanted you to ride him on a bull.”
“Yep, that’s the one.” She laughed.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. The second I opened it, Luke looked me up and down.
“What did I tell you?” Giselle whispered in my ear as she walked by me. “Have fun everyone, and Lily, make sure you call me tomorrow.”
“Hi, Charley,” I said as I patted her head. “Hi, Luke.” I smiled.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked.
“I sure am. Just let me grab my purse and camera.”
I turned around and headed towards my bedroom. I could feel his eyes staring at me as I walked away. You know that feeling you get when you know someone’s looking at you? That’s the feeling I had. I grabbed my purse, put my camera around my neck, and walked back to the living room.
“You look really pretty, Miss Gilmore,” Charley said. “Uncle Luke, doesn’t she look pretty?” Charley asked as she tugged on his pant leg.
“Yes, Charley, Miss Gilmore does look pretty,” Luke said in embarrassment.
Charley looked at me and winked. I needed to watch out for this little girl. We climbed into Luke’s Jeep and headed for the carnival.
“Nice camera. I take it you like to take pictures,” he said.
“Yeah, I love taking pictures. Photography has always been a passion of mine. Someday, I’d love to work for a big magazine.”
“You mean like National Geographic or something like that?” He smiled as he looked over at me.
I nodded my head. “Yeah, something like that.” I smiled back.
***
Charley’s eyes lit up the moment she saw the lights. “I can’t wait to get inside!” she said with excitement as she grabbed onto our hands and dragged us through the parking lot. Luke looked over at me and smiled. We got to the gate, and I pulled out my wallet to pay for my ticket.
“I got your ticket,” he said.
“I can buy my own ticket, Luke.”
“Charley invited you, so I’m buying your ticket.”
We stepped up to the window, and he purchased three wristbands. I tried to give him my money, but he wouldn’t take it.
“If I let you buy my ticket, then this becomes a date. I don’t do dates,” I said to him.
He stared at me for a minute. “I can assure you that this isn’t a date. I don’t do dates either.”
“Will you two stop it and hurry up,” Charley said with an attitude.
“I’ll make you a deal,” Luke said. “You can buy the food.”
“Deal,” I said as I held out my hand to him, and we shook on it.
We both held one of Charley’s hands as we walked around the carnival. The lights were bright, and the music coming from the games was loudly blaring through the speakers. Charley saw a ride she wanted to go on, so we waited in line.
“Do you watch Charley a lot?” I asked as I looked at Luke.
“Yeah, I do. I try to help Maddie out as much as I can. It’s hard being a single parent.”
“I’m sure it is. I could only imagine,” I said.
“What about your parents?”
“They help out a lot. Right now, they’re on a month long cruise.”
“They own the apartments?” I asked.
“Yes. They’ve owned those apartments for over twenty years. I remember them buying the building when I was seven years old. It’s where Maddie and I spent most of our childhood. What about you?” he asked.
I didn’t want to talk about my childhood or my family. It wasn’t a topic that I was comfortable with. The only thing I ever wanted was a normal, happy childhood. I can thank mommy and daddy for not giving me that. I felt horrible for having to lie to Luke about my family, but I didn’t want him to know about how horrible they were. I didn’t want to be judged for their actions. And as far as I’m concerned, my family is dead.
“I grew up in Seattle with my parents and my sister. They died a couple of years ago in an accident.”
Luke looked at me, and I could see the empathy in his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he said.
“Thank you. I don’t like to talk about it,” I said so he wouldn’t ask me any other questions.
Luke nodded his head. We finally arrived to the front of the line, and Charley got on the ride. We stood there, waving to her as the car she was sitting in sped by us.
“She’s a great little girl.” I smiled.
“She’s the best,” Luke said. “She’s a huge part of my life, and I will do anything to protect her.”
I looked at him and smiled. The ride ended, and Charley got off. She grabbed onto our hands once again and led us over to the games.
“Miss Gilmore, do you like to play games?” she asked as she looked up at me.
“I love to play games, Charley.”
“So does my uncle Luke.” She winked.
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Charley, when we’re not in school, you can call me Lily.”
“Really?!” she asked in excitement.
Luke looked over at me and laughed. “Just remember though, she’s Miss Gilmore during school hours,” he said.
“Ok, I’ll remember,” she said as she led us to the game that had the huge, stuffed purple cat hanging from the tent. “I want that cat, Uncle Luke,” she begged.
I laughed as we approached the milk bottle toss. There was no question that Luke was going to win that cat for Charley. He paid the guy behind the booth as he handed him three baseballs. He told Luke to stand behind the line. I looked at him and frowned.
“That seems pretty far back,” I said.
“Nah, it’s fine. I used to play some baseball in high school. I can do this.” He smiled.
Luke threw the first ball and knocked down the milk bottles. There was something about watching him throw those balls that made my heart beat faster. I was scared, because I suddenly saw him as almost perfect. As promised, he won Charley her cat.
“Here,” he said as he handed me the baseball. “Try it.”
I shook my head. “No, I can’t throw. I’d just embarrass myself.”
“Just try it for fun.” Luke smiled.
I sighed as I stepped behind the line and threw the ball. I almost hit the man behind the counter. Good thing he ducked when he did. Luke and Charley started laughing. Suddenly, Luke was behind me, and he grabbed my hand.
“Here, let me help you,” he said as he continued laughing.
He brought my hand up over my head and counted to three. His touch was amazing, and my impulses were starting to go crazy. My heart was rapidly beating, and the sensation deep below was back. I closed my eyes for a moment. On the third count, he helped me throw the ball. Needless to say, I knocked down all the milk bottles. I jumped up and down, clapping my hands as Charley was cheering with excitement, and Luke was smiling at me. The carnie told me to pick which animal I wanted, so I picked the smaller version of Charley’s cat.
“Look, now we match,” I said as I held my cat next to Charley’s. “Can you do me a favor and hold it for me while I take some pictures.”
“Sure I can!” she said excitedly.
I brought my camera up and started taking pictures of Charley walking in front of us. I would call her name, and she would turn her head right before I pushed the button.
“Why photography?” Luke curiously asked.
“I love to capture people in a way you normally wouldn’t see them when they’re standing in front of you. Pictures capture true emotions. You know how people say that ‘a person’s eyes are the window into their soul’?”
“Yeah,” he responded.
“That’s how I feel about pictures. I feel photographs capture the true nature of a person at that moment. The people don’t just become images, they become stories. If you know what I mean.”
“Yeah, I think I do.” Luke smiled as he looked at me.
“I see the world differently through the lens of a camera.” I smiled.
I felt comfortable talking to Luke. Too comfortable in fact, and it was scaring the shit out of me.
9
Charley wanted to go on the Ferris wheel. In fact, she wanted all of us to go together. I hated Ferris wheels because I’m afraid of heights, and the thought of being stuck at the top scared the shit out of me.
“Come on, Uncle Luke and Lily; let’s go on the Ferris wheel!” Charley squealed in excitement.
“Ok, Charley, we’re coming.” Luke smiled as he tried to catch up with her.
“You two, go ahead. I’ll watch from the sidelines.” I smiled.
“You don’t like Ferris wheels, do you?” Luke asked with a small grin on his face.
“No, I don’t. I’m scared of heights.”
We got up to the gate, and Luke grabbed my hand. I looked at him as he smiled at me.
“Luke, what are you doing?” I said in panicked tone as he pulled me through the gate.
“Face your fears, Lily. It’s the only way you’ll get over them.”
“Luke Matthews, I’m not getting on that Ferris wheel,” I said as I tried to loosen the tight grip he had on my hand.
“Just like you weren’t getting on my bike?” he asked.
He stopped pulling me, turned around, and our eyes met. “You’ll be safe; I promise.”
Just like with the motorcycle, I trusted him. I took in a deep breath as the three of us climbed into the seat of the Ferris wheel.
“Lily, since you’re scared, you can sit next to Uncle Luke,” Charley said.
I sat in-between Luke and Charley. The ride started to move, and I gripped the bar so tight that my knuckles turned white. My heartbeat quickened as my panic grew, so I closed my eyes, wishing that the ride would end before it even began; then Luke took my hand.
“Take slow, deep breaths, Lily,” he whispered as he gave my hand a gentle squeeze.
The touch of his warm hand soothed me as my racing heart began to slow down, and a sense of calm slowly washed over me.
“Now, open your eyes. You can get some great pictures,” he said.
I slowly opened my eyes to see Charley was staring at me.
“Are you ok, Lily?” she asked.
“I’m fine, sweetie.”
The time had come for the ride to end, and of course, we stopped at the top. I gasped. Luke looked over at me and smiled.