“Oh,” Lucas said, turning to face Libby. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow evening, then.”
“Okay,” Libby said.
Lucas disappeared into the house, and Libby walked back to the truck to put her things inside.
“We’ll see you tomorrow, Libs,” Riley said.
“Alright. We’ll see you then,” she answered, opening the door and getting in the truck.
“You just remember. You’re happy, we’re happy. You’re not, you need to let us know because we will not tolerate you in a situation that doesn’t make you happy. We’re always here for you,” Riley said.
“I know, Riley. Thank you for being my family,” Libby said as she turned the key and listened to the old truck rumble to life.
“Always, Libs. Family for life,” he said.
Libby smiled brightly and nodded.
Riley watched Libby turn around then drive back toward the highway, pausing to let the gates open before she drove through on her way back to Travis’s house. Then he turned and started back to the house.
“So, what now?” Lazarus asked.
“Now, I give Sebastian back to his Mama, and we’re going to decorate the diner next,” Riley said. “I want all this damn decorating over with so I can relax and enjoy the holidays.”
“You do know that your mate being who she is, even if we think we’re finished, she’ll find something else to buy for us to decorate with,” Lazarus said.
Riley smiled. “I know. It’s all good. It makes her happy, so it makes me happy.”
Riley walked into the house and followed the sound of voices from the kitchen. When he got inside he found Maia sitting at the table across from Lucas. Cristie was sitting on Lucas’s lap while she had her afternoon snack.
“Baby, can you take Sebastian so we can get on the diner real quick?” Riley asked.
“Of course, I can,” Maia said, reaching out to take Sebastian when Riley unstrapped the papoose and handed him to her.
Sebastian, seeing that his Mama was taking him, started kicking and gurgling in his own little language as he held out his teething biscuit for her.
“What is that all about?” Riley asked.
“Watch,” Maia said, getting up with Sebastian on her hip and going to the refrigerator. She took out the butter dish and ran Bastian’s biscuit along the butter, then handed it back to him. As soon as she’d replaced the butter in the fridge and turned to face Riley, Bastian held it out to show his Doddy, then promptly stuck it in his mouth.
“You have already made him think he needs butter on everything,” Riley said, shaking his head.
“He does,” Maia responded.
“Unless it’s bacon. Then bacon is good on its own,” Cristie commented.
Riley looked over at Lucas and realized that the man was completely lost in his own world. He sat across from Maia with his fingers wrapped around a cup of coffee while he stared into the dark rich liquid.
“You see that, Lucas?” Riley asked, forcing Lucas to interact.
Lucas looked up at the sound of his name. “I missed that. What’d you say?”
“I said wake the hell up and get your ass in gear. You moping around feeling sorry for yourself is not going to make you seem attractive to the right female when she happens upon your pitiful ass,” Riley said.
“That is not what you said,” Lucas replied.
“No, but it was what I was going to say next anyway,” Riley countered. “You have to realize that Libby wasn’t ever going to work out.”
“I did. I do. I got used to having somebody there, ya know. Now I’m all alone again. I used to like being alone. Now, not so much,” Lucas rumbled, staring into his coffee again, basically pouting.
“And what did I tell you?” Maia asked.
“That I’m to come here and be with ya’ll. And I listened! I’m here,” Lucas said, defending himself.
“I know it’s hard not to feel dejected, but the image you want to project is one of a strong, self-assured male. If you’re simpering around, no strong female is going to notice you,” Maia said. “You have to make them crave your company. What about this” she said, waving her arms in his direction, “is something you’d want to be around.”
Lucas lifted his head and looked at Maia. “I know. But still, where am I going to meet anyone? I am not the bar type. So unless someone that might happen to find me appealing wanders into the diner, I’m pretty much out of luck, unless I go searching. And I don’t want to leave. This is home now.”
“Lots of opportunity coming up,” Maia said. “You’re off until after the New Year. You can help out in the diner. The Christmas tree farm, village, festival thingy that Travis’s family used to have every year is starting back up, and from what I understand it’s always been very popular in the past. You could help out over there. Lot’s of people going to wander through there.”
“You think?” Lucas asked.
“Travis has no problem with you as you. You’ve gotten along together. His problem was with you and Libby. Now that she’s leaning toward him, if you don’t have a problem, he won’t either,” Riley said. “If you’re not sure, ask for yourself.”
“Here,” Cristie said, holding up half of her last cookie. “You can have half my cookie,” she offered.
Lucas smiled down at the little girl sitting on his lap. He leaned over and clamped his teeth closed around her cookie, leaving only the section that she was holding. When his teeth made a clacking noise and ate almost all of her cookie, Cristie started laughing, which made Sebastian laugh.
Riley caught Maia’s eye and they shared a smile.
“Me and Lazarus are going to start on the diner. We only doing the lights on the outside and at the pumps. The inside stuff is up to Richie and them. When you’re done here, come help,” Riley said to Lucas.
“Alright. I’m right behind you,” Lucas answered.
When Riley left the house, Maia looked over at Lucas. “You know, there’s a reason you haven’t found your mate yet.”
“Yeah, because I pushed them all away after just a night, and I probably discarded her somewhere along the way,” Lucas said.
“No, it’s because you’re meant for that one special female. And if you’d have encountered her before now, you would not have recognized her. So, the gods waited until you were ready. It won’t be long now, you’ll see,” Maia said.
Chapter 14
Libby got back to Travis’s and wasted no time getting to work. She threw together a quick pot of chili and a pan of cornbread for Travis and Roman to eat when they came in hungry. Then she made herself comfortable on the sofa with her laptop, trying different layouts for the fliers she was making before settling on the designs she felt best caught the eye. Just as she saved them, the timer went off for the cornbread.
She was halfway to the kitchen when the front door opened.
“Oh, man. Is that your chili I smell?” Travis asked.
“It is. I thought it would be a good, warm meal for ya’ll since you're working outside in the cold today,” she answered. “And I’m sorry, Roman. I completely forgot to pick up pizza. But, I did make a pot of chili,” she said, smiling and shrugging slightly.