Book of Luke (Book 2) by Chrissy Favreau

seriously hot. And
nervous. “Hi, Mr. Morrison,” he said with a light wave, breaking
the silence.
    My dad’s smile had evaporated, and by now he
was glaring. “Hi, Luke.”
    “ Paul,” Mom scorned, shooting him a
look. She smiled at Luke’s mom, who seemed to know what was going
through Dad’s paranoid head.
    Mrs. Jacobson reached up and hugged Luke.
“Behave yourself,” she hinted, her eyes gliding toward my
father.
    Luke grinned. “Do I ever not?”
    Mrs. Jacobson pinched his cheek, turning it
red. “Lucky for you I won’t answer that, Lukasz.”
    Burke laughed and patted Luke on the back.
“Leave the boy alone! He’s a… ah…” He struggled as usual to find
the right word, spinning a finger toward the ceiling. “He’s a
saint!” he said, with a snap of the fingers.
    Luke pointed to Burke. “And he’s always right.”
    “Well,” my father grumbled. “I hear you’re
staying in Swiss Montana, at a ski resort there. I got my daughter
her own room.”
    “Awesome!” Luke said. “Now I won’t have to
sleep outside.”
    Burke chuckled. “They will be all right,
Paul. No worries, yes?”
    Dad nodded and looked at me. “I’ll be
checking in often,” he assured me.
    “Dad, I’ll be skiing.”
    Dad’s eyes ballooned. “At night?”
    “ Paul ,” Mom scorned again, eyes
wide.
    “Lukasz is a good boy. He’ll take care of
her,” Mrs. Jacobson told Dad. Then she hugged me. I could feel her
tears on my neck—tears I hadn’t even noticed. She kissed my cheek.
“I’ll miss you, honey.”
    She’s so motherly, I couldn’t resist but to
squeeze her tight. I closed my eyes; her scent was relaxing,
too.
    When I next glanced at Mom, she looked
almost hurt.
    “Mrs. Jacobson?” I breathed, letting her go.
“Take it easy on Lilly.”
    She shook her head. “I’m always easy
on Lilly. I think for once maybe I should be more strict.” Her hand
touched my cheek. “You’re such a good friend.”
    They announced over the loudspeaker that our
flight would be boarding soon. My heart skipped a few beats, and I
looked at Luke. He looked at me almost hungrily—I could tell he was
trying to hide it.
    “They’re boarding,” my father said in a
desperate, quaking voice. He looked to my mom. “Mary, they’re
boarding.”
    Mom rolled her eyes and hugged Luke. “You
have a safe trip, Luke. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to
call, day or night.”
    Luke hugged her uncertainly, still looking
at my dad. “No problem,” he said. “And thank you.”
    Dad’s hand went to his chest. “They’re
boarding,” he wheezed. “He’s taking my little girl away. They’re
boarding…”
    Mom glared at him. “Yes, Paul, they’re
boarding . She’s not a little girl, she’s eighteen years old. Get a grip, ” she growled.
    Sullivan gave Luke a high-five and chuckled.
“Don’t worry, Dad, Luke packed a blow-up doll! Didn’t you,
Luke?”
    Utter. Silence.
    Luke turned white.
    Mom gasped.
    Burke looked like he was trying to figure
out what a blow-up doll was.
    Dad stooped over to catch his breath.
    And Sullivan’s smile shrank.
    “Is her name Megan ?” I taunted.
    Sullivan put his hands up in defeat.
    Mom smacked him over the head. “Guess who’s
cleaning his room all weekend, young man!”
    Sullivan knitted his eyebrows. “Who?”
    Luke snuck up beside me and took my hand,
almost uncertainly. He smiled at my dad. “I’ll take good care of
her, Mr. Morrison. I promise.”
    Dad stood up and forced a smile. “I’m sure
you will,” he grumbled.
    After another of Mom’s glares, Dad said,
“Thank you, Luke.”
    “Have a fun trip, Luke.” Mom nudged her
glasses down the bridge of her nose and looked at me over them.
“That goes for you too, sweetheart.”
    “Thanks, Mom.”
    On the second announcement, Burke grabbed my
duffel bags. “It is time to go, young lady.” He patted my dad on
the shoulder. “My lecture is only one day. I will ah… look after
her personally. She’ll be