Laurie

"Momma left to go out with Uncle Seth." I blurted, not only trying to avoid any further awkward conversation with Luke present, but also to clarify that Momma had told Daddy about her date. The look on his face changed from thoughtful to gloom.

"Oh, she did, did she." Daddy picked up his briefcase again.
"Are you going somewhere?" Daddy looked at both of us before turning in the direction of his office.

"Yes, I was going to show Luke around." Daddy smiled at us. "Don't forget to show him our favorite ice cream shop off of Main."
Daddy and I exchanged a memorable look. That was the shop Daddy always took me to ever since I was two years old. It held sentimental value to us.

"Of course, Daddy." I walked over to him and kissed his cheek before he continued down toward his office.

"It was nice to meet you, sir," Luke and he shook hands quickly. He turned to walk toward his office.

"Don't be out too late!" Daddy called.

"I won't." I called as Luke and I walked toward the front door.

"Your dad seems like a cool guy." Luke finally said after we had descended the stairs. I could feel the heat in my face still when Luke held the door open for me. When he held the door open, he had placed his free hand on my lower back to guide me out. Just that touch had sent electrical impulses throughout, and I did my best to try and hide any reaction.

Smiling at him, I replied, "Yes, he's always been there for my family, except for some family issues." I changed the subject.

"Let's go this way." We walked toward the downtown area.

Soon, all the worries and stress from any family drama evaporated as Luke and I grew to know each other. I learned so much about him, such as old friends of his, where he grew up, and a little about his family. I talked with him about some of the town's history, but mostly we just enjoyed each others company. When twilight came, we were sitting in front of a coffee shop not too far from the ice cream shop I had shown Luke.

"I can't believe it's night already." I commented.

"I've really enjoyed spending time getting to know you, Laurie. I'm glad your my neighbor." I turned to him, and our eyes met for a moment. My heart began to pitter-patter again.

"It's nice to have a neighbor like you as well," I shifted my eyes, "I mean, thanks for letting me show you around." I stood.

"We should get back." He held the smile on his face.

"If you insist. We should do this more often."

My heart began to race, was he going to ask me out on a date? Did this mean he was reacting the same way to me as I was to him? All these questions raced through my mind as I simply nodded, waiting for him to say anything more, but he did not.

When we arrived at my house, he walked up with me to the front door. I pulled out my keys, looking through the dark window to the left of the doorway. Where was everyone?

"Is anyone home?" Luke asked me, noticing my anticipation.

Opening the door, I called, "I'm back." The light in the sitting room was on, so I walked toward it.

"In here, sweetie." Momma called. I sighed a breath of relief. "She's home." Luke nodded.

"Could I call you, or should I just come over to see you?" He asked nervously.

"You can call me, here let me get some paper." I ran to the nearest phone where a pen and paper pad were set for messages. I tore a piece off and wrote down my number, taking care to make sure the numbers were legible.

"Here," I handed him the paper, grinning. He took it and just stood, looking at me.

"What?" I tilted my head to the side.

"You have an amazing smile." Then his face flushed, "I should get going. I will call you. Thank you for a nice evening. That was the best tour I've ever had."

"Anytime." I watched as he walked down the front steps and turned to wave. I waved back, and he disappeared toward the house next door. I closed the front door and turned to lean against it. I sighed, smiling happily to myself.

"Who was that?" My eyes snapped open to look at Uncle Seth, whom had his suit jacked draped evenly over his left arm and was reaching into his pocket for his car keys.

"Uncle Seth, I didn't know you were here.

"Oh, it's parked around the side of the house. Your mother wanted me to see the flowers she had put in the other day."

"Oh," I moved from the door, embarrassed. Momma came down the hall toward us.

"Did you have a nice night, honey? What's that boy like?" She turned to Uncle Seth. "She went out with the new boy next door. I think there's something special about neighbors." He nodded.

"Well, you were definitely a treat to have living next door, Janaya." He winked at her.

"Bye lovely Laurie. I will see you both soon, I hope." He looked for a confirmation from Momma before stepping out of the door he opened.

"Yes, of course. We'll all go out sometime." Good. I felt better knowing Daddy and I would go with Momma and Uncle Seth as a family.

Upstairs, Momma told me about her dinner with Uncle Seth as I sat on the love seat adjacent to her vanity table where she was removing her jewelry. Something was not right, I could sense it in Momma's voice. She was behaving years younger than I was used to. I wanted her to act like a mother again, and she was talking on and on like a school girl, explaining to me the restaurant and the waiter that did this and that. Something was wrong. Discovering the cause seemed inevitable.