The Weight of Perfection: Grand Harbor - Book Three Read online

  “What makes you think I’d ever be wrong?” I smirked, trying to lighten up this very heavy conversation before I cracked and tears fell out.

  “Spoken like a true woman,” he snickered. “Touché. What I mean is, say the words and I will be your person – someone who is always on your side, no matter what. I know when we met, we didn’t know where this was going, and maybe you still don’t, and that’s okay. But I just want you to know, I’m here – whatever happens. I see the concern for your brother all over your face, and I just wanted you to know I think that’s one of the most beautiful things about you. Everyone should know they have a person like that. I’m just saying, if you want me to, I would be that for you.”

  He glanced over at me with such a genuine, sweet grin on his face, and I loved everything about the way he looked at me.

  “You make me feel happy and safe,” I said softly.

  “So then keep me.”

  “That’s my intention.” My entire body tingled as his fingers grazed gently over mine, and I knew there was no turning back now. Luke wasn’t a rebound. He wasn’t a temporary reckless decision I’d made. I mean, maybe he was for a fleeting moment in the beginning. I’d never planned for this when I first saw him in a crowd of people, but the way his eyes consumed me – the way he spoke from his heart and comforted me and made me feel like we could get through anything together – it was perfection, and I never wanted to lose it.

  Chapter 12

  “Where are you taking me?” I stared out the passenger window, checking out the unfamiliar surroundings.

  “On an adventure.”

  “Everything is an adventure with you,” I snickered. “Care to be more specific?”

  “Remember how you made me promise to take you camping on that abandoned beach we found while kayaking?”

  “I think you’ve botched this. I’m pretty sure that beach is a solid thirty minutes the other direction. We’re going the wrong way.”

  “Well, we’re not actually headed there. This is more like practice camping. You know, just to make sure we’re suited for real camping. I also don’t own a tent, so there’s that. Baby steps.”

  “So we’re kind of camping, without a tent. Did I hear that right?”

  He nodded with playful, animated eyes. “Let’s hear it for the best night of your life.”

  I laughed, staring out the window, still trying to figure out where we were. “Are we in Oak Shores?”

  “Yeah, about that. I still have to give my grandpa his medicine around nine, so I thought we could eat, watch the sunset, take care of the grouch, and then set up on the ridge. It’ll be one of the prettiest Oak Shores sunrises your eyes will ever see – mainly because moving forward I hope to keep you from seeing any more sunrises here.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I got the job.”

  “What?” I narrowed my eyes, trying to read him.

  “The coaching job at the high school in Grand Harbor. I’m just the assistant coach. But I obviously need a place in town since I’ll be at the school six days a week. I’ll still help out at my grandfather’s place during the day – hopefully it’ll be done in a month. But at least by moving your way, it’ll make things a little more convenient than having to drag you out here.”

  “Oak Shores isn’t so bad, you know. At least from an outsider’s perspective.”

  “Bite your tongue. This place is going to kill me.”

  “How so?”

  “You’ve met the old man. He literally wants me dead. What was his comment to me this morning? Why don’t you drink rat poison and leave me alone already? Half the town wants to murder both of my brothers too, so I’m constantly defending that. At least now I know once the house is fixed up, I’m out of here for good. Oh, but there’s Sunday…” He hesitated.

  “What happens on Sunday?”

  He parked the truck outside a small taco stand, looking at me apologetically before he began. “There’s a party. Well, it’s more of a barbeque – for Satan.”

  I laughed. “What?”

  “My grandpa is turning eighty-three, and my mom is coming down and a few other family members. Everyone knows he doesn’t have a lot of time left – he may not make it another year, so they feel like they need some kind of celebration, especially before he moves out of the house.”

  “I’m sorry, did you just call your grandfather Satan?”

  “Yep. I did that. I stand by it.” He shrugged. “He’s going to be miserable the whole time. Everyone knows it. But it means a lot to my mom, so, that means I’m going. Which means, I was kind of hoping I could talk you into joining me?”

  “Pointers – you need to start off sweet. Tell me you’re having an awesome barbeque bash for your grandpa’s big day. Tell me you want me to meet your family. Tell me there will be cake – any of that will sell me on it faster than inviting me to Satan’s birthday party.”

  “Yeah, clearly I need to work on my delivery. But…is that a yes? Or you want to think about it?” He raised his shoulders and offered a sly smile, as if he was going to beg. “I can’t get through it without you. He smiled at you, remember? Kind of. Or his lips were at least straight instead of a frown, so I think he likes you. You have to be there. It’s the only thing that will make the party bearable. Please come.”

  “Of course I will. I would love to.”

  He reached over and squeezed my hand. “Thank you. It really means a lot to me.”

  “I’m in this no matter what, remember? Come what may? What’s the worst that could happen?”

  “He could set me on fire. Or he could really put rat poison in my drink. Or he could drive my truck off the ridge. I can actually think of a lot of worst case scenarios.”

  “Stop over thinking it,” I replied with a laugh. “I’m sure it will be just fine.”

  “I told you that you’re a good person. This is what I’m talking about, walking into the flames with me…”

  I laughed. “Stop it.”

  “Wait here, I have an order to pick up.”

  A few minutes later, Luke climbed back into the truck with a giant bag of food. It smelled amazing. We drove up the ridge and he maneuvered the vehicle in backwards like he did before. In no time we were sitting in the back of his truck, eating nachos, watching the sun sink lower. Everything about this was comfortable. We laughed like old friends and sunk down next to each other in the blankets as the sun dipped further down. The night was perfect.

  Shortly after nine, we made our way down the hill back to his grandpa’s place. I opted to stay in the car this time, not wanting to upset Cliff with my presence. This night was too perfect for all of his negativity. I listened to some country music on the radio and within ten minutes, Luke was on his way out of the garage, loading a bunch of stuff into the back of his truck. A few minutes later, we were headed back up the ridge.

  “What did you load up in the bed?”

  “Supplies. You know, camping stuff.”

  “Camping stuff that doesn’t include a tent,” I teased. “Sounds official.”

  “I told you, I have to see how well you do out here under the pines first, before I spoil you on some exotic, secluded beach.”

  “Right.” We drove up the ridge and he parked the truck facing the opposite direction. “Why are we facing this way this time?”

  “The best Oak Shores sunrise you’ll ever see, remember?” He winked at me. “That’s the best part about this spot. You get them both all in one place, the sunrise and the sunset. It doesn’t get much better than that.”

  “So you’re admitting that you do like this town? At least a little bit?”

  “Only with you in it.” He pulled me in and kissed me intensely, and I knew he was right earlier – this night was going to be perfect. “Your job – make a playlist.” He handed me his phone, already set to the music app he had on it. “I’ll set up the back. Give me a few minutes. No peeking.”

  As I selected songs from his downloaded music library, put
ting them in queue, I heard all sorts of noises coming from the bed of the truck. Machinery? A hammer? Then finally, a victorious yelp when it was finished.

  “All right, it’s ready! You can come out now.”

  I finished adding one more sweet, soft country love song to the playlist, then opened the door of the truck. As I stepped around the side, I couldn’t believe what I was looking at.

  “Did you seriously just hang string lights over the back of your truck?” He had wooden rods running up the back by the tailgate so that the lights would zigzag about five feet overhead. There was an air mattress all set up in the back as well, covered by soft blankets. A speaker sat nearby, along with a white box I could only guess contained peanut butter pie.

  “Welcome to Camp Beckett.”

  “This is beautiful. I can’t believe you just put this altogether. You have a gift.”

  “I’m not just all looks you know,” he teased. “Let me help you up.”

  We climbed into the back of the truck, sitting down on the air mattress. The sky above was perfectly clear, and the stars were magnificent hanging over our heads like a thousand possible wishes. It was breathtaking – simple and magical all at once.

  “How do you do this?” I said in awe.

  “What do you mean?” He opened the box of pie and handed me a fork.

  “Look at all of this. It’s perfect.”

  “Perfection is a trap. It doesn’t exist.”

  “I used to think that way too. Until now. I feel like you’re proving that theory wrong. Everything about this is absolutely flawless. I know all too well that people aren’t perfect. I’m far from it myself. But you make me think that with the right person, the most ordinary moments can feel as close to perfect as the ones full of outright magic. I mean, look at us. Two people, sitting in the back of a truck under a night sky, eating pie – there’s nothing unreasonable about that. Nothing out of reach – nothing unobtainable – literally anyone in the universe could be doing this right now. But somehow I sense that it doesn’t feel this amazing to just anyone – like it’s just ours. I don’t know, does that make sense?”

  “I understand what you’re saying. At first I kind of felt like bad luck around you, but now – everything feels pretty perfect. I just hate the pressure of that, you know? It’s not all midnight skies and pie. Sometimes it’s arguing over what to eat for dinner and getting angry about the other person Netflix binging without you.”

  “Oh my gosh, you would Netflix binge without me?”

  “No way, I’m not a monster. That sounds more like one of your crimes.”

  “From this day forward, Luke Beckett, I promise not to leave you out of my Netflix binges without fair warning, and I promise I will eat peanut butter pie with you any time you want.”

  He leaned in and kissed me, and I never wanted this night to end. He pulled away and I stared up into the starry sky, marveling at the beauty all around us. The glow of the twinkle lights was soft, and he looked as handsome as any man I’d ever looked at.

  “Did you see that?” I pointed up to the sky as a shooting star passed by.

  “Let me guess, you’re the wishing type?” He smirked.

  “Why, what’s wrong with that? Is that such a bad thing?”

  “I don’t know, do you think they come true?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know, I’m not five-foot-nine yet with lots of money, but I’m still holding out. What about you? Even when you were a kid you never wished on shooting stars?”

  “Nope. My mom always told us those were other people’s wishes. Instead she made us say something we were thankful for. She called them ‘gratitude’ stars, as cheesy as that sounds. Since someone else got their wish, we had to pick one of ours that had already come true. I think it was just her way of always wanting to tell me she was thankful for me.”

  “I think that’s a sweet story. Do you still do that? Do you still think of something you’re thankful for when you see one? What about that first night we hung out, watching the meteor showers from my balcony?”

  “I may have thought of something I was grateful for then, yeah.” He blushed, like he didn’t want to admit it. “I guess I still do that. I just keep it to myself. It sounds stupid.”

  “I don’t think that’s stupid at all. I think it’s kind of sweet. And I think I like your mom, too. She sounds wonderful.”

  “She’s one of my gratitude stars for sure,” he said softly. “See, that sounds so dumb when I say it out loud.” He laughed softly, then redirected the conversation back to me. “So, what did you just wish for? I know you’re not supposed to say it out loud, but you should. Then I can make it come true.”

  “I can’t say it.” I felt shy all of a sudden, and I couldn’t say what I was thinking.

  “You can say anything to me. I’ll never judge you for it.” He reached out and grazed my cheek with the side of his hand. “Tell me anything, and I’ll make it happen for you.”

  “I don’t want this to end,” I whispered. “I hate feeling like it might. I want everything to stay just like this.” It was the truest thing I’d ever said. I wondered in that moment if I ever truly wanted anything more than this.

  “I won’t stop trying to make that happen.” He pressed his lips to mine, and I never wanted to believe in anything more than those words.

  “You know what I’m grateful for?” He pulled his lips from mine, still keeping them close. “I’m thankful that you took a chance on me. I’m going to spend every day thankful for that.”

  He kissed me again and this moment was pure, utter perfection. I wondered if I would ever again have a moment as genuine and real as this. I knew it wasn’t possible to hang onto a moment in time like this forever – if you could, perhaps you would stop finding the magic in it. But I knew I would never in my life forget this exact scene with the two of us together under the stars – as close to perfect as anything could ever be.

  Chapter 13

  The sunrise was every bit worth waking up early for. We laid underneath the big cozy blankets on top of the air mattress, watching orange streaks spread across the morning sky. Luke was right when he promised me a perfect night – every second of it was surreal.

  “Are you going to come play volleyball with me this afternoon before the party? I think Olivia said everyone is heading there around noon.” I traced a finger around his chest as we laid there, wrapped up in each other.

  He groaned. “I’m never going to get my grandpa’s house finished with you tempting me away all the time.”

  “It’s still pretty early. What if you work on it all morning?”

  “You’ve seen the place, it’s a pit. It needs so much work. Three or four hours of work will barely look like I’ve touched the place. Plus I have to help my mom get ready for the barbeque tonight. It’s at five, so you know she’ll have me moving tables all afternoon. Why do you make it so hard to be responsible?”

  “I’m probably supposed to encourage you to get your work done, right?”

  “But what do you really want?” He paused, looking back at me.

  “I really want to stay wrapped up with you in these blankets all day. Except that in about two hours, it’s going to be hot and it won’t be nearly this comfortable.”

  “I want to spend every night with you like that,” he said softly, trailing his fingers down my arm. “Tell me things will always be this simple. Promise me a hundred more nights like that.”

  “What happens after a hundred?”

  “I’ll buy a real tent,” he said with a laugh.

  *****

  Luke and I finally separated, which felt agonizing and stupid all at once, given I was going to be seeing him later. I was always annoyed by lovesick girls like that – I never understood them. Yet here I was, unable to shake the dumb grin off my face as I thought about staying with him again for another night after the party. The cruel reality this time was that I had to be to work early the following morning – my first shift since the robbery, but
I didn’t care. It was far from my mind at the moment. All I cared about right now was getting to see him later.

  “Why do you look stupid right now?” Olivia gestured at my face as she said it.

  “What? Do I have sunscreen smears that I didn’t rub in?” I instinctively rubbed under both of my eyes.

  “No, that’s not what I meant. You’re standing under this beach umbrella totally alone, holding a volleyball, and you’re beaming like you’re watching the Men’s Sand Volleyball Olympic finals. You’re giddy. What the hell is going on?”

  “Oh, that.” I’m pretty sure I blushed. “Luke may have something to do with it.”

  “And where is he?” Miles added, realizing he wasn’t with me.

  “He’s fixing up his grandfather’s cabin,” I explained.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Sophia interjected. “The muscles and hot face and all that and he helps old people? He sounds too good to be true. Keep him forever.”

  “Right?” I let out an animated sigh. “Did I look this stupid when I was falling for Nathan? Is it the same every time, and you just forget that feeling? Or is this different? It feels different.”

  “Nathan was…vanilla. Beige. A water chestnut, if you will,” Olivia began.

  “What kind of an analogy is that? A water chestnut?” I raised up my arms in a dramatic fashion, begging for her to explain herself. Everyone was laughing.

  “All crunch, no punch,” she continued. “Bland. Boring. Safe, stable, blah. Nathan was the bench on the carousel at the park. Luke is the gold unicorn.”

  “I’m going to pretend I’m not listening to this conversation,” Miles said with a laugh, grabbing the volleyball out of my hands. “Lance, let’s warm up on the court before we find out what kind of circus animals we are.”

  “Olivia is correct,” Sophia added, “and I barely ever say that, right? But this…Luke – he’s good for you, I can tell. I was a little nervous at first when you told us about the concert and how he was escorted away by the cops and all that, but after seeing you now – the way you get all fluttery and nervous when you talk about him – I think that means something. I can tell you’re happy. That’s all that matters.”