Page 22 of The Shift Between Us (Covewood #2)

Chapter Ten

Olivia

“ I had no idea you were related to the McCallisters!” I gasp as we pull up to a huge craftsman-style house.

Luke rolls his eyes at me, a grin pulling on his lips, as we pull into the driveway. “You’re exaggerating. Nonni’s house is not that big.”

He tugs the last bit of our luggage out of the trunk while I stand outside of the car, my mouth gaping as I study the home. It’s decorated with white Christmas lights and wreaths on the doors and poles outside.

“Compared to most homes in Covewood, this place is like a mansion.”

It’s at least ten degrees colder here than it is back home. I tug my coat closer to my body, pressing my lips together to keep my teeth from chattering. It doesn't work. The icy wind whipping past us has me shivering to my core. The scent of snow in the air excites me.

There’s movement from one of the windows by the front door. Someone is peeking through the blinds, clearly watching us, and my excitement morphs into nervousness. Davis is in there somewhere. It could even be him watching us, and the thought alone is unsettling.

I can only imagine how Luke must be feeling.

I turn to look at him, taking in the way his jaw clenches and how white his knuckles are around the luggage he’s holding.

I wish there was something I could do to help take away his anxiousness, to encourage him to enjoy this time with his family, anything but this helpless feeling I’m currently experiencing.

I hear a sound at the front door, but when I twist around, expecting the front door to be open and Luke’s grandmother to be waiting for us, I see no one. That’s odd. My skin begins to itch with the feeling of being spied on.

As I turn around to offer Luke a lending hand, my feet slide out from under me, and my face smacks against Luke's firm chest. The impact sends us both tumbling to the ground, our suitcases falling beside us. We lie still for a moment, frozen in place, my body sprawled on top of his.

Luke groans and lifts a hand to the back of his head. I quickly check to see if he landed on something hard but am relieved to feel nothing but soft grass protecting his head. I scan his face, searching for any damage I might have caused with my skull.

He holds my gaze before he speaks. “Are you okay?” Something about the rasp of his voice causes my skin to flush.

“Yeah.” The word comes out in a whisper.

He reaches up, his callused fingers rough against my cheek as he pushes a lock of hair behind my ear before scanning my face.

As he pulls his hand away, he reveals a clump of grass, and his face transforms into something spectacular.

Lines crinkle at the corners of his eyes and mouth as his laughter fills the space between us. The sound wraps around me.

A laugh snorts out of me as I stand up and take Luke’s hand to help steady him until he’s up on his feet.

“Sorry, I’m always such a klutz. ”

“Tell me about it,” he chuckles.

We share a laugh again, bumping into each other’s shoulders as we make our way up the steps and onto the porch. Luke lifts a hand to knock on the front door, but before he can, it swings open, and we’re met with three sets of eyes, all staring at us.

We blink at each other for an awkward moment until Luke says, “Hey. We made it.”

More silence. Why aren’t these women saying anything?

I take them in, each of them sharing the same dark-brown eyes as Luke’s.

I recognize his grandmother, Nonni, from photographs he’s shown me before.

She has shoulder-length peppered dark hair, more gray than dark, tanned skin, dark bushy brows, and is way shorter than I thought she’d be.

Luke bends over to give her a hug, and the sight makes my insides feel gooey, like biting into the middle of one of my freshly baked cookies.

“We?” one of them exclaims, her eyes widening a bit as she takes me in.

I wave with a wobbly smile. “Hi, I’m Olivia.”

“You didn’t tell us you were bringing a girl with you, Luke.” His grandmother shouts and swats him in the arm playfully.

We both wince from the sudden movement. I turn to look at Luke and ask, “You didn’t tell them I was coming?”

“It must have slipped my mind.” He holds his hands up in defense.

The three women all mutter something in Italian back and forth, leaving Luke and me to stand and stare. For a moment, I wonder if Luke can understand what they’re saying, but from the way his shoulders stiffen and eyes widen, I know he can.

A shiver runs down my spine, and his grandmother notices. She mutters something else in Italian before ushering us to come inside. I glance over at Luke, silently asking if this is okay, and he nudges a chin toward the door. Here goes nothing.

Once we cross the threshold, I’m hit with an aroma that can only be described as Christmas—sweet and spicy, like cinnamon and clove wrapped in warm vanilla.

It’s familiar in a way that makes my chest ache.

The calming feeling only lasts for a moment, until the three women go back to conversing in a language I don't understand.

“Olivia, this is my Nonni,” Luke says.

I grin, reaching out to give his grandmother a handshake, her excited eyes taking me in for a second time before she slides her hand into mine.

“And this is my Aunt Andy and her daughter, Dani.”

“It’s nice to meet you all.” As soon as I say the words, they all squeal.

Faster than a blink, the women are bringing me into a tight hug, somehow pinching both of my cheeks in the process.

“Wow, she smells good.”

“Hmmm… like Nonni’s sugar cookies.”

“Welcome home, sweetheart.”

Once I’m out of their embrace, Luke tries to hide his smile and rubs my cheek, revealing red lipstick on his thumb. When did one of them kiss me?

“Oh, you’re so beautiful,” his aunt says.

“Luke hasn’t ever brought a girl with him before,” Dani exclaims.

“But it’s about time he’s settled down. I want more great-grandchildren running around here,” his grandmother adds as she brings Luke into a tight hug. “Oh, I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Yeah—” He stiffens in her grasp.

There’s a pinch in my chest at the sight of him being uncomfortable.

I know part of it is because Davis is in this same house.

That, and these women are a bit much. Still, I hate seeing him guarded, like he’s waiting for something to go wrong.

I want to fix it, to step between him and whatever’s making him shrink like this.

“So how long have you two been together?” Dani asks, a smile growing on her slightly wrinkled face. The three of them stare at us, practically sharing matching hearts in their eyes.

Luke starts to shake his head and says, “We’re not?—”

“Oh, I can tell it’s still new,” his Aunt Andy adds, “just look at how he lights up when he looks at her.”

Those words freeze me in place. ‘Can’t you see how he lights up when you're around?’ The words Wren said to me a few nights ago ring in my mind. I turn to look at Luke to see if it’s true. Does he light up when he’s with me? What does that mean?

His grandmother takes my hand into hers as she says, “She’s the one. Isn’t she, Luke? It’s why you’ve brought her here.”

“Let me go get my camera.”

“They’re going to have such beautiful babies, aren’t they?”

“Oh, look at how nervous he is. It’s so sweet,” Dani squeals, pinching his cheek.

What they think are nerves, I know is actually Luke’s composure starting to crumble. I’m not sure that they notice the tightness of his shoulders, as if he’s bracing for impact, or recognize the way his eyes are darting between the four of us.

I can sense the moment Luke is about to lose it. Sweat is beading on his forehead, and his chest is rising quickly. Most people wouldn't notice, but I do. I’ve seen him on the edge, barely holding it together, and something in me reacts.

I know what it feels like to have no one notice you unraveling and I refuse to let Luke feel that way. Maybe if his family thinks we’re together, they’ll ease up. So before I can second-guess myself, I open my mouth, and I lie for him.

“It’s still really new,” I say, cutting in before anyone else can speak.

“We haven’t told anyone yet—not even his mom.

But I came because I wanted to be here for him.

” I glance at Luke, wishing I could take the edge off the panic I see creeping in.

“I figured if I was here, it might take some of the pressure off. So please, if you’re curious about anything, I’m happy to answer any questions.

Just…maybe give Luke a little room to breathe first.”

Luke looks dumbfounded. Some far recess of my mind is shouting, what did I just do ? I can feel heat creeping up my chest and onto my cheeks.

A look of sympathy washes over his grandmother. “Oh, of course. I’m sorry, we can be a bit presumptuous. Here, let me show you both to your room and give you some space to get settled before dinner.”

Luke pales like he’s seen a ghost. He grabs our things and follows his grandmother down the hallway without looking my way. I follow closely behind, and by the time we reach the bedroom, panic is already rising in my throat.

What if I read him wrong?

What if he’s angry that I suggested we were dating?

What if I just made everything worse for him?

I look around, seeing that she is gesturing to one room. One. Room.

“Oh, um, we don’t have to share a room. Is there somewhere else?—”

“We’re modern here, sweetheart. It’s not a big deal in this house for you two to share a bed. Plus, we didn’t know you were coming, and all the rooms are taken.”

Of course they are. This place is huge and could house twenty people easily, but there's no extra space for me. Before I can plead with her to let me sleep on the couch, she practically shoves us through the doorway into our shared bedroom.

“We gave you one of the master bedrooms. We wanted to make sure you were comfortable, Luke. I figured you’d appreciate not having to share a bathroom with…” Her thoughts trail off, but we both knew she was about to say Davis.

“Yeah. Thanks,” he says, swallowing loudly and peering over at me.

“Well, I'll leave you to it. I’m glad you both are here.” She wiggles her bushy brows at us before disappearing behind the closed door.

I pace the room a few times, biting the edge of my thumbnail, contemplating on what to do or say. Lord, I could use some of that wisdom you promise us right now, because clearly my brain isn’t working like it should. I walk over to the bed and take a seat.

“So…” Luke stands in front of me now, one eyebrow arched.

“Your family is…nice,” I offer, giving him a fake smile that washes away under his stern gaze.

"You know what you just did, right?"

"Yes," I say sheepishly.

"You told them we're dating."

"I did."

"And you know what that means to my eighty-year-old Italian grandmother, right?"

"Wedding planning?" I wince.

"Wedding planning!" He plops down on the bed next to me. "Do you have any idea what Italian women are like when they start planning weddings?"

"I panicked, okay? I could see that you were internally freaking out, and I said the first thing I could think of to try to help.”

He watches me for a moment, a wrinkle forming between his brows. “Are we going to lie all weekend, then?”

“I mean, yeah. I refuse to have your grandmother hate me. She is terrifying. Plus, it might take some of the pressure off you.”

“And that’s why you want to fake a relationship with me? Because you’re trying to help me out?” His brow lifts.

“Of course.” My voice is a mere whisper as he leans closer into my space. With him this close, the air feels thinner, like we're standing on top of a mountain and not sitting together on his grandmother’s spare bed .

“And you're sure about this?”

I nod my head, afraid of how weak my voice might sound. Because I’m not sure. How can I pretend to date my best friend? Especially with all these confusing thoughts and feelings swirling around inside of me. But it’s Luke. My best friend. I’m doing this as a sort of favor. It’ll be fine.

Luke’s eyes soften to warm, rich puddles of brown. “Maybe you’re right.”

Now it’s my turn to arch a brow at him. “I am?”

“Yeah. This could be a good distraction from everything else.”

I stare at him, dumbfounded that he’s being so chill about this. A laugh rumbles from his chest. He watches me carefully until my body seems to relax.

“It’ll be fun.” I do my best to smile at him and ignore the way my stomach is clenching from nerves. “We might need to establish some rules.”

“You know that rules never work when it comes to fake dating.”

I roll my eyes. “I don’t want things to get weird between us. You have to promise me that it won’t.”

“You’re the one who suggested?—”

“I mean it, Luke.”

He holds his hands up. “Okay, okay. I promise.”

I nibble on my bottom lip, contemplating what to say, when his eyes shift down to my lips. It’s only for a split second, but I catch the movement, and bad memories from our kiss in the past come creeping back into my thoughts. A lovely reminder of how one kiss can cause a lifetime of pain.

“You can’t kiss me.”

“Even if there’s mistletoe?” His mouth quirks up with a grin.

“I’m being serious. I know you don’t remember that night, but kissing you almost cost us our friendship. I can’t?—”

He places his hand onto mine. I count one, two, three before releasing his hand and staring down at the burgundy-colored carpet. “Everything will be okay,” he promises.

Luke and I have seen each other through every stage of life—the good, the bad, the ugly, and a lot of the embarrassing. We have this way of reading each other in a way that doesn’t require words.

He smiles, bumping into my shoulder, and my worries seem to drift away.

This weekend isn’t about us, I remind myself.

It’s about Luke finding closure with his dad.

And I’m here to support him in that. He’s going to need a little comic relief, someone to lean on, and let's face it, he could really use a dose of Christmas spirit. I can be that person for him. That’s why I’m here. That’s my focus.

Not the fact that we have to pretend to date, and I’m terrified it could cause a shift between us.