Waterfront Weddings Read Free

want to go. Luke doesn’t even know about it yet, and I know he’s not going to be happy.” She absently stroked Milo’s head. “But Gram called me on my way home from work and asked me to come.” She smiled. “Okay, she
told
me to come, but she said it nicely.”
    Ashley grinned. Summer’s grandmother was the epitome of a Southern belle. Sweet as the tea they serve at Jestine’s Kitchen, but not someone to be crossed. She thought for a second. “Tell you what. I don’t have anything to do on Friday.” Her stomach lurched for a second at the thought of being out on the social scene. She mostly kept to herself. But lately she’d started to worry that she was becoming a sad, lonely old lady. All she needed were a couple of cats and a flowered muumuu and her face could practically be on the Old Maid card. “So what if we surprise Luke? How long has it been since you’ve seen him play?”
    Summer chewed on her bottom lip. “It’s been ages. Seriously. He wouldn’t know what to think if I showed up to see him.” Her face suddenly brightened. “But that’s a good idea.” She glanced at Ashley. “You sure you don’t mind coming with me?”
    Ashley forced a smile. “I’d love to.” She needed something to get her out of her comfort zone. “Besides, I’ve never heard his band play. It will be fun.”

    Luke pulled his truck into the driveway next to their historic home. Even though he’d lived there for years, sometimes he felt like he didn’t belong. Their house on Legare Street was even on the yearly home and garden tour put on by the Charleston Historic Foundation. It was a far cry from the neighborhood where he’d grown up.
    The outside light came on as he rolled to a stop. For a second, he thought it meant Summer was waiting up, but then he remembered the motion sensor they’d had installed a few months ago. There was a time when she’d sleep on the couch until he got home because she said she couldn’t stand to be in their king-sized bed without him. But those days were long gone.
    He quietly let himself in. The alarm wasn’t set, and Milo didn’t meet him at the door. That meant Summer was letting the big dog sleep in their bed. Again.
    He punched the code and armed the alarm before he went upstairs. Summer forgot to set the alarm more often than not these days. In the old days, he would’ve teased her for being scatterbrained, but not anymore.
    Luke avoided the creaky spot on the next to last step as he reached the top of the stairs. If she was asleep, he didn’t want to wake her. He knew how much trouble she had getting to sleep. A glow coming from their bedroom told him that she’d at least left the lamp on so he didn’t have to walk in total darkness.
    He tiptoed into the master bathroom and closed the door before he flipped on the light. He’d grab a quick shower and save himself a little time in the morning. He worked as a park ranger at Fort Sumter, and his shift started promptly at eight. He’d been late a couple of mornings recently and didn’t want his boss to think he was making a habit of it. It might not be his dream job, but he enjoyed it.
    Luke opened the linen closet door to grab a towel and noticed the overflowing clothes hamper. He’d asked Summer this morning if she’d be doing laundry tonight and she’d said yes, but clearly that hadn’t happened. And he’d worn his last clean ranger uniform today.
How hard is it to remember to do a load of laundry?
    He dug through the hamper and came up with three uniforms. Looked like he was in for an even later night than he’d anticipated. It would easily be after midnight by the time they were dry. He quickly brushed his teeth then grabbed the dirty uniforms. Stepping out into the bedroom, he saw Milo’s head raise from
his
pillow.
Some watchdog
.
    He walked over to his side of the bed and tugged his pillow from beneath the large dog. It was amazing. On his dog bed, Milo slept curled up in a surprisingly tiny ball