Team Lucas (The Saints Team #1) (8 page)

“This is my fiancé, Jason.” She introduced me to an absolute bear of a man. Jason was enormous—tall with dark hair while Sarah was about my height and barely came up to his shoulders. He was wearing loose jeans and a black knit pullover and wiping dishes in the kitchen.

“Poor hen-pecked fiancé,” he sighed, waving the dishtowel in my direction.

I grinned and turned to Sarah. “Well done you. Now could you start working on Lucas?”

They both groaned.

“Have a seat.” Sarah indicated a stool at the bench. “We can watch Jase wipe up together.”

“What will you have to drink?” Jase made a face at her and opened the fridge. “Wine, juice, a beer or your mineral water?”

“The mineral water will be good, thank you,” I said and watched him pour a tall glass for me.

“I’m glad we got a chance to meet you before Luke arrived home,” Sarah said. She took a glass of wine that Jase held out to her and came and sat by me. “I wanted to let you know that if you need to talk or just need to vent or escape, we’re here for you.”

“Really? Thank you,” I said, “but so far so good. We’re not in each other’s pockets too often and I’m quite used to the insults.” I smiled. “I’m trying to match them one-for-one.”

Jase nodded like he knew it too well. He glanced out to the driveway to make sure we were still alone and there was no sign of Lucas’s car.

“You have to look after yourself as the first priority, Mia,” Jase said.

“Jason is right. We love Luke,” Sarah said. “But we’ve been through a lot with him and we know he can be very hard on people.”

“Yes, on anyone in Team Lucas,” Jase agreed.

“Team Lucas.” I repeated the term and sighed. “It does seem that the day revolves around him, but it’s only a part-time job for me with a four-week trial. I might be gone at the end of the four weeks!”

“You’re on track to beat the last minder,” Sarah said.

“Poor Mrs. Compton, she’s the one I feel most sorry for.” Jase sighed.

The pair of them was so lovely and caring, I couldn’t have hoped for better neighbors.

“How did you meet Lucas?” I asked Sarah as Jase grabbed a beer and suggested we sit on the deck and look at the ocean from the third level.

We wandered out to the deck and I stopped; the view was breathtaking. I couldn’t believe people really lived like this.

“You never tire of it,” Sarah said seeing my appreciative sweep of the area. We sat down and Jase continued.

“I went to boarding school with Luke. I was the prefect of our grade and Luke was assigned to my house—Daly House. It was a buddy system and I landed Luke since he was the new kid. We were both twelve and Luke had been boarding in elementary school in the UK and came here to board for the high school years. He was a wild kid—he arrived at that school like he had nothing to lose and he took on any dare, pushed every envelope. It wasn’t until he got into sport and showed promise at soccer and football that he reined it in a bit.”

“How did he fit in with the other kids?” I asked.

“They loved him,” Jase said. “He was a ringleader in no time: a good looking kid with a major attitude. You had to have good friendships in boarding school, those relationships became your family and Luke needed family. In no time at all Luke excelled for the school in sport and that made him grow up a bit, he changed and settled in.”

“Why did he board in the US instead of in the UK near his parents?” I asked.

Jase glanced to the door again. “His father was doing a lot of business here and I think he wanted to have his son at a prestigious American school for the connections. Never saw him once in all of the years of high school. Luke was the only kid who was farmed out every holiday.”

Jase looked to Sarah to continue.

“Jase and I met at a senior dance.” She smiled at him. “I met Luke not long after, so I’ve known him for well over a decade now.” She lowered her voice. “After school, we all went on to college. Luke had a sports scholarship, Jase did law and I did psychology. In all that time I’ve never known Luke to get close to anyone.”

“Really?” I asked. “Not one long-term girlfriend.”

Sarah shook her head. Jase looked at his watch, rose and went to the kitchen. He returned and topped up our drinks, placing some pretzels in front of Sarah and me. I thanked him and listened to Sarah talking about their recent struggles with Lucas, pre-me.

“Up until last year he was like all of us. We’d party, we’d get drunk sometimes, and we’d get over it. He and Jase and Cam—you’ll meet Cameron, he’s the other musketeer,” she said with a smile at Jase, “well Cam got married to Jessica and at the wedding, Luke met a couple of Jessica’s cousins who were a bit wild.”

“They got him into drugs,” Jase cut to the chase. “Last year he pushed all of us to our limits I can tell you. I’m not making excuses for him because he had a hard childhood or any shit like that. There’s a lot worse off than Luke out there and they’ve had to rise about it. He’s got every opportunity at his fingertips and he just has to pull his head in and get his shit together.”

Sarah nodded. “Jase and Cam were at the hospital with Luke a lot last year. They tried to clean him up and straighten him out, but it takes a toll on your own health and friendship and... your relationships.”

“I can imagine,” I said. “He’s high maintenance now, let alone under the influence.”

“But when he’s great, he’s the best.” Sarah smiled.

Jase agreed. “You know Luke might seem full of himself to you now, but he’s a good guy, he’s given a lot back to Cam and me too.”

“Really?” I said, keen to know more about a younger Lucas who noticed someone else beside himself.

“I was always a shy kid... bigger than all the others which made me fair game, brainy, not great at sport and when Luke came to board and got assigned to my house, he fought the guys who gave me a hard time. He put an end to it.” Jase shrugged. “Don’t know why we clicked but we did.”

“Ah maybe a love of cars and all sport helped—even if you were a sideline sports nut and Luke was in the thick of it,” Sarah said, with a roll of her eyes.

“Yeah maybe that was it.” Jase smiled. “Luke clicked with Cam from day one. Cam was always cutting him up, had us all in stitches. All through med school, Luke was like Cam’s live cadaver if there’s such a thing. Every injury he had he insisted on Cam looking at it, even when Cam was first year. Didn’t hurt Cam’s reputation or future practice.”

“And Luke was good to me too. When Jase and I met at a school dance, one of my friends got in trouble.” Sarah raised her eyebrows. “Yeah, that kind of trouble. She was sick with worry, and so was I. She wanted to deal with it without her parents ever knowing and Luke got her the money, no questions asked, no refund expected. He went with her as if he was the father so she didn’t have to go with one of her girlfriends or alone. The guy who did it bolted. So of course we were going to stand by Luke when he got in trouble.”

“But you’ve got to take responsibility too,” Jase said, “and there’s a limit for how much you can help a person.”

Sarah nodded her agreement. “Yes, people have got to want to change. For fear of sounding too much like a psychologist, Luke has all the characteristics of post-traumatic stress disorder of abandonment.”

Jase made an agreeing sound. He extended his arm over the chair where he sat and stroked her shoulder.

“Tell me,” I asked, “like what?”

Sarah shrugged. “An intense fear of abandonment that interferes in forming primary relationships for starters.”

“We’ve never known Luke to have an intense relationship,” Jase said. “You’ve had a glimpse of that already I imagine.”

I nodded. “Chloe, Miranda, Cassie...”

“Exactly,” Jase said. “No one that he can get too attached to and risk losing. He can’t trust.”

Sarah defended him. “He trusts you and Cam.”

“Yeah, but that’s taken nearly fifteen years.” Jase rolled his eyes.

“Did you grow up in a stable loving environment, Mia?” Sarah asked me.

“I did. My parents are split now, but I was always wanted. They couldn’t have kids for years and then I came along so I was adored. About six years later my brother arrived, so we’re pretty tight,” I explained.

“Well Luke has grown up with not one single family member he has ever been able to trust. Different relatives every holiday season, a mother who couldn’t handle him and a father who dumped him in a boarding school in a different country.”

The Lamborghini headlights flashed into the driveway. We heard the car door open and close.

“We’re not telling you this because we’re indiscreet,” Jase said. “It’s just that we hoped you might last longer than the others if you had an idea of where he has come from to get here. If you could keep our discussion to yourself, that would be great.”

“Of course,” I said.

Jase rose to greet Lucas and Sarah leaned closer to me.

“There have been many psychological studies on children who were sent to boarding school. These kids learn it is taboo to express their emotions and learn very quickly to stand on their own feet and be socially active. So you have these adults who can fit in anywhere but can’t express themselves emotionally in their intimate relationships,” Sarah said. She lowered her voice. “Jase is just like that. I’m betting Luke is too. They don’t know how to accept intimacy and when it’s offered, they’re scared it will ultimately lead to rejection.”

I nodded. “It explains a lot, it really does,” I said. “Thank you, Sarah.”

“It’s just research and every individual will be different...” she shrugged. “But Mia, one thing I do know about Luke is that if he feels like he is beginning to trust you, he’ll push you away.”

Chapter 12

The life, or should I say the noise of the dinner party arrived. Lucas raced up the internal stairs and bounded through their door. He looked so alive, so different amongst his friends. And he looked as hot as hell in black jeans, black boots and a white fitted T-shirt that showed off his form and a very defined six pack.

“Luke!” Sarah welcomed him, rising and walking towards him.

“Hey, sorry I’m late,” he said and swung Sarah around in a hug. He kissed her on the cheek, planted her solidly on the ground and clapped Jase on the back. “Welcome home, Man Mountain.” He turned to me. “Minder, I mean Mia.” He smirked.

“Kook, I mean Luke.” I smirked back. I saw Sarah and Jase exchange looks and Sarah hid a smile.

“Where’s Cam and Jessica?” Lucas looked around.

“Cam got called in on night shift and Jessica... well I think she might still be cranky at you,” Jase said.

“Hmm, I’ve got to do some work there.” He frowned.

Sarah turned to me. “Cam’s a doctor and Jessica is a teacher. Luke might have cheesed her off last year.”

Got to hand it to Lukey-boy, when he’s not with his team, he’s in impressive company—a lawyer, doctor, teacher and psychologist—some grounded folk.

Lucas rolled his eyes and turned to me to explain. “I said I’d come to her school fundraiser but I wasn’t... I wasn’t in a good place then...”

“You were a dick who let her down in front of the entire school,” Jase said handing him a juice and hitting Lucas on the back.

“It’s not like me,” Lucas said.

I choked on my mineral water, spluttering loudly. I imagined it was so like him. They all turned to me, Jase and Sarah with amused looks and Lucas with his customary frown.

“Anyway, haven’t you got something better to do, Minder?” he asked.

Sarah gasped and hit his arm. “Lucas, Mia is our guest.”

He made a guttural sound that implied if I wasn’t, he would have eaten me for dinner. I gave him one of my smug looks, a really good one. We both glared at each other.

“Well, we should eat,” Jase said looking from Lucas to me. “I’m guessing you’re starving post-training.”

“Sure,” he said, not taking his eyes off me. He didn’t want to be the first to break the cool stare.

Being younger, but more mature, I dropped his gaze and sidestepped Lucas to help Sarah in the kitchen. I decided that no matter what Lucas threw at me during the night, I was going to be civil and polite so that I didn’t embarrass the hosts and ruin the night.

Boy did he push me though. Luckily Jase stepped in a number of times, saying Lucas’s name just once and in a low voice implying Lucas was out of line. And there were plenty of out-of-line moments throughout dinner such as:

“So Minder, do anything useful today?” Lucas asked.

“Luke,” Jase warned.

“Minder’s improving her resume working on my calf muscles. You can sell that story and pay off your VW, Minder.” Lucas smirked at me.

“Luke,” Jase warned again.

“Isn’t it past your bedtime, Minder?” Lucas worked in after dinner and before dessert in an attempt to freeze me out of the room and down to my own lower level bedroom.

“Luke,” Jase growled.

“Seriously, did you make this pie, Minder? You should give up the physio and become a housewife. You’d be great.”

“Luke, enough,” Jase snapped.

Oh there were many more, but his crowning glory came as we carried dishes to the kitchen.

“Mia can make tea and coffee, she’s good with fluids,” he said.

Jase wheeled around on him. “Jesus, Lucas, enough. Apologize to Mia.”

“Not likely,” Lucas said. “Mia loves it. She’s taking my father’s money, so I’m making her earn it.”

Jase grabbed Lucas and pushed him into the hallway before Lucas had time to react.

“Come on, you need a breather,” he snarled at him, keeping his hand on the back of Lucas’s neck.

Sarah and I heard the bedroom door slam. I looked at her and bit my lip in concern.

“Don’t worry,” she assured me and kept packing the dishwasher. “Jase can handle him. It goes back to their school days. Jase was always pulling Luke out of situations and taking him off to read him the riot act or to get him to cool off.”

I passed some dishes to Sarah.

“Thank you for tonight, you went to a lot of trouble and I really appreciate you inviting me, and the vote of confidence,” I said to her.

Sarah gave me a hug. “It was our pleasure.”