Forever Love, Inc. - 10/12

[ladysalieri]

10/LUKE

“End of the day, Luke! Any big plans for the evening?”

Luke looked away from his study of a tree branch scratching up against his office window in the sway of a light summer breeze and focused in on the blonde standing at his doorway. “Hmm?” he questioned.

“Do you have any plans for tonight?” Katie repeated.

Luke shook his head. “No. Noah’s working late again.” Almost without thought, Luke’s eyes drifted back toward the window.

Luke heard a heavy sigh followed by a rustle of fabric, and when he turned his gaze back again, he found Katie taking a seat on the opposite side of his desk, a look of concern darkening her pretty face. Luke blinked at her in a somewhat hazy surprise.

“Is something wrong, Luke?” she asked, her gaze sweeping over him with a careful scrutiny. “You seem… distracted lately. Restless.”

“Wha-? No, I…” Luke closed his eyes and took a deep breath, feeling as he exhaled as if he were expelling not only air but also the last sparks of energy giving life and animation to his cells. “What am I doing here, Katie?” he asked, tiredly. “I talk about forever love like it’s some kind of… resort location, and I can just plot out a course and send people off to their happy-ever-after. But you and I both know, finding happiness that actually lasts is more about luck than anything. It takes good timing and the right circumstances and-and having the wisdom to see something for what it is before you’ve gone too far in the wrong direction. And how can I even pretend to help people with that when I can’t even…”

Luke trailed off with a distressed grimace and looked down at the personal check resting beside his computer keyboard, a bright sticky note still attached to its surface. He’d spoken to Kevin Campbell earlier this week, and he knew that the man’s date with Reid Oliver had ended with the neurosurgeon’s abrupt and unexplained departure from the Metro. With no further contact from the doctor, Luke could only assume that the neurosurgeon had abandoned his goal of finding a date for his upcoming gala, and Luke couldn’t bring himself to cash a check from the man he’d failed so badly in such a simple request.

Luke had spent the past few days staring at the phone in his office, hoping the doctor would call and offer him another chance-wondering if he should reach out and contact the neurosurgeon himself. He could wait for the surgeon to pick up the phone, and then he’d say Dr. Oliver, the clock is still ticking, or What was your problem with this guy? …or maybe he wouldn’t even mention the dates, but would simply say I just wanted to hear your voice again. But in the end, Luke hadn’t really known what to say, and so the phone had remained untouched.

“I act like I’m the expert,” Luke continued sadly, his hand moving across the desk to touch the cramped writing on the concise thank-you note, “but I don’t really know anything. Maybe all I’m doing is setting people up for a disappointment.”

“Oh, Luke, that’s not true at all!” Katie replied loyally. “You’ve done amazing things with this company; you’ve helped so many people!”

“And for every person I helped, there’s another hundred I let down,” Luke retorted.

Katie gave an indignant huff. “No, there isn’t; there’s… Look, even when our customers don’t find a match, it doesn’t mean you let them down! Come on, this doesn’t sound like the Luke Snyder I know and love. It’s not like you to be so-so defeated.”

“Maybe,” Luke shrugged. “Or maybe it is, and I’ve just done a good job of hiding it all this time.”

Head bowed to stare sightlessly at his desk, Luke gave a startled jump when Katie reached across the desk and took both of his hands in hers. “Okay,” she said seriously, gripping his hands with a gentle urgency, “so maybe you can’t just point a neon arrow in the direction of forever love. But you can give people the strength to keep searching, and Luke, that’s what you do so well.”

Katie ducked her head to capture Luke’s eyes with her smiling gaze. “You know, I don’t work here because I’m a sucker for low pay and long hours,” she continued, with a flash of humor. “I work here because I believe in the work you do. You take people who’ve been disappointed-people who are sad and hurt and ready to give up-and you give them hope again. Okay, sure, there’s a lot of luck involved. But it’s also about keeping your heart open, and Luke, you inspire people to be ready for love whenever it comes along.”

“But…”

“No buts,” Katie cut in, tightening her grip on Luke’s fingers. “Look, when I left Chris, there was a moment where I thought that’s it, I’ve had it with this love business, all I ever do is get hurt. But then I thought about all our customers who’ve had bad experiences, and how you gave them the courage to try again-and I thought, I just need to find that courage in me. And now here’s Simon back again, and maybe it’s too early to think about forever-but I’m starting to feel like maybe love isn’t such a bad idea after all.”

“I’m glad, Katie,” Luke said, giving her hands a squeeze in return. “You deserve to be happy.”

“You deserve to be happy too, Luke,” Katie replied solemnly. She paused for a moment, as if carefully considering her next words, and then a look of determination crossed her face and she plunged on.  “Do you remember when Simon first showed up in town, and I didn’t even want to see him? You gave me a really good piece of advice.”

“I gave advice to you?” Luke said, with a snort of self-deprecating laughter. “That’s hard to believe.”

“Well, believe it, buster,” Katie said. “You’re a pretty smart guy, even if you don’t seem to realize it.”

Luke smiled, and ducked his head blushingly.

“Anyway,” she continued, “you told me the only way to find happiness is to follow your heart wherever it leads-even if it’s somewhere you never expected, somewhere half the world thinks you’re crazy for even trying. And even if it takes you down the wrong path, and you end up getting your heart broken-you said it’s better to make that mistake a thousand times than to spend the rest of your life wondering what might have happened if you hadn’t let fear stand in your way.”

Katie tugged on Luke’s hands, bringing them together over the desk as if guiding him in a combined prayer. “I think that’s good advice for you too, Luke,” she said, her gaze holding Luke’s. “Sometimes I worry about you. I’m afraid you might be ignoring the signs on your path.”

Luke remembered that past conversation with Katie, remembered feeling an overwhelming sense of rightness in his words as he nudged Katie in a direction that every instinct told him was the path to her forever love-but having the words turned back at him, hearing the sound of them echo in his ears, all Luke could feel was a thrill of terror in his spine at the thought of veering off into the unknown.

There was a certain safety in taking a familiar path. Even when the road was hard, when he’d lost his way or been thrown from the path far too many times, in the end Luke’s choices had always seemed to lead him back to the same destination. And after so many years of fighting to stay the course, could he really abandon it now? Even when the detour was so bright with promise, and seemed to call to him like nothing else ever had….

“I’m not ignoring the signs, Katie,” Luke said slowly, thoughtfully. “I’m just… trying to figure out if I have the courage in me.”

Katie looked into Luke’s eyes for another moment, then nodded her head, apparently satisfied by what she saw in them. “Well, don’t take too long to figure it out,” she warned. “You said it yourself; the right timing is crucial.”

Luke gave Katie’s hands another friendly squeeze and then slid his hands free and straightened in his seat. “So what about you?” he asked pleasantly, moving away from the heavier topic. “Girls night out with Margo again?”

“No,” Katie answered, straightening the stack of folders on Luke’s desk with a suspiciously casual air, “she and Tom are going to some big hospital event tonight, something about an opening for a new wing?”

Luke’s heart abruptly plunged to the bottom of his shoes. “That’s tonight?” he asked wretchedly.

“Mm-hmm.” Katie gave a small chuckle. “That’s one of the very few things I miss about being married to Chris. There’s nothing like strolling around a fancy reception with a hot doctor on your arm…”

Luke reached out and caught Katie’s hand again. “Katie,” he asked urgently, “do you know where the hospital gala is being held?”

==========

Luke stood in the parking lot of the Oakdale Greens, anxiously brushing at his suit jacket. The lot was bustling with activity, with well-dressed couples stepping from luxury cars and calling out to other equally well-dressed acquaintances as they wound their way over to the gabled front entrance. The hospital had clearly spared no expense in its selection of venue for the celebratory gala, and judging by the conspicuous affluence of the guests streaming into the facility, the event was apparently the social event of the evening for Oakdale’s elite.

Luke was unfortunately not on the list of attendees for the hospital gala, and he briefly fretted that he might have come this far only to be turned away at the door for lack of an invitation-but he stiffened his shoulders and headed to the door anyway, reminding himself that he couldn’t truly call himself Lucinda Walsh’s grandson if he couldn’t brazen his way into an exclusive country club with little more than the quirk of an imperious eyebrow.

But to Luke’s surprise, the valets at the door barely spared him a glance as he entered, perhaps swayed by the expensive suit Luke had hurriedly bought just a few hours ago. Stylish and modern, yet with the refined cut and fit of old-world tailoring, Luke’s white suit jacket and pants looked sharp even in the summer heat, and made an eye-catching contrast to his black button-down top as well as the slightly golden hue of his skin.

Deciding not to question his luck, Luke followed another group of party-goers through the lobby and over to an open set of doors, where a wide staircase led down into a lushly appointed banquet room. From his viewpoint at the entrance, Luke scanned over the heads in the crowded room-till he spied a slim man in a navy blue suit standing far off to Luke’s left, his back turned to the entrance, his ginger-brown hair curling ever-so-slightly at the nape of his neck. Luke’s heart leapt in his chest at the sight of his target, followed closely by an irrepressible tickle of laughter as he realized the neurosurgeon had perched himself over the long buffet table at the side of the room. A small plate rested in one of Reid’s hands, piled heavily with hors d’oeuvres, and as Reid moved along the table, he alternated between layering more items on his plate and stuffing food directly in his mouth.

It was such a perfect illustration of the innately unorthodox man that Luke had found himself so drawn to, and Luke felt again the same tug in his stomach that had haunted him since the day he first met the neurosurgeon-but this time, he made no effort to resist its pull. He jogged down the staircase into the banquet room and began winding his way over to Reid.

Luke was just a few feet away when he caught sight of a familiar silver-haired man in a conservative black suit move to intercept Reid at the end of the table. Luke quickened his step, and drew within earshot just in time to hear Bob Hughes say, “So where is this boyfriend of yours, Dr. Oliver? I don’t need to tell you how much I’ve been looking forward to meeting him.”

Reid raised his chin and squared his shoulders with all the bravado of a man facing a firing squad. “To be honest, Bob,” he said, clearing his throat determinedly, “there is no b…”

“No excuse for how late he is,” Luke broke in, stepping forward and slipping a hand around Reid’s elbow. “Sorry, Reid,” he said, directing his warmest smile at the stunned neurosurgeon. “You know how picky I am about finding the right thing to wear.”

“Ah-”

“It’s Luke, isn’t it?” Dr. Hughes asked, startled. “Luke Snyder? You’re one of Casey’s friends, aren’t you?”

“Yes, sir. It’s good to see you again.”

“It’s good to see you too!” the older doctor said, reaching out to shake Luke’s hand vigorously, his wizened face creasing into a big smile. “Dr. Oliver’s been so mysterious about the new man in his life, I was starting to think you were a figment of his imagination.”

“Ah-” Reid attempted to interject, before once again seeming to trip over his own tongue. Luke trailed a pacifying hand down the neurosurgeon’s back, enjoying the curve of Reid’s spine even as he marveled at his own audacity.

“I guess I’ve just been trying to keep Reid to myself,” Luke replied smoothly, “but I hope you’ll see more of me in the future.”

“And so do I,” Bob said, smiling in earnest agreement. “I’m afraid I need to make the rounds of our guests, but I’ll hope to catch up with you later. Dr. Oliver,” he said, nodding down at the man’s heaping plate, “be careful you don’t give yourself a ruptured stomach; you still have a speech to deliver.”

Left alone with Reid, the surge of adrenaline that had carried Luke through his frenetic preparations for the evening and sustained him in his brief conversation with Memorial’s Chief of Staff abruptly deserted him; Luke awkwardly scratched the hair at the base of his ear as he lifted his eyes up to meet Reid’s. “Uh, s-so… I…”

“You look good,” Reid said gruffly.

Luke blinked at the comment. “Good?” he repeated, uncertainly.

“Great. Wow.” The neurosurgeon seemed to be having trouble pulling air into his lungs.

Luke felt the nervous tension in his chest deflate in a whoosh of mingled relief and delight. He remembered the end of his practice date with Reid, the charged moment that might have ended in a kiss-that he’d wanted to end in a kiss, even knowing all the reasons why it couldn’t, shouldn’t be. The parking lot had been too dark on that night for Luke to see into Reid Oliver’s eyes, but he imagined that they might have looked like they did now, fiery and roiling and hungry in a way that had nothing to do with food.

“Wow?” Luke asked, all but preening under the heat of the other man’s stare. “Wow is good. You like?”

Reid reached up and tugged at the lapel of Luke’s jacket, as if smoothing some nearly invisible wrinkle, then flashed an endearingly crooked smile up at Luke. “Who knew you could clean up so well, Mr. Snyder?” he said huskily.

Luke took a half-step closer, reached up to straighten the doctor’s tie. “I looked for something in a horizontal stripe,” he teased, directing a coy look at Reid as he traced the faint line of striping on Reid’s silk tie, “but the tailor said they sold out of those about forty years ago.”

Reid’s smile deepened, and his head leaned infinitely closer to Luke’s.

Luke felt a slight jostle in his shoulder, and he glanced away from Reid to see a portly man that Luke recognized as a slight business acquaintance of Lucinda’s pass heedlessly by on his way to the buffet table. Luke turned back to Reid expectantly, but the disturbance seemed to have called the surgeon’s mind back to his surroundings, and Reid took a step back with a shake of his head.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, placing a hand on Luke’s upper back and guiding him away from the food display.

“You hired me to find you a date for tonight, Dr. Oliver,” Luke offered, with a beaming smile. “I can’t risk you going around telling people I didn’t live up to my obligations, now, can I?”

Reid gave a snort of amusement. “I don’t think you need to worry about that, Mr. Snyder. The story of how a professional matchmaker couldn’t find me date in this town wouldn’t do me any more favors than it would you.”

“Well, then maybe it’s just a matter of professional pride,” Luke suggested. “I don’t like to promise something and not deliver.”

“You’re offering yourself up as my date in order to spare your ego?” Reid asked, disbelieving.

“Can you think of any other reason why I’d want to date you?” Luke asked. He snatched a crab phyllo roll from Reid’s plate and popped it into his mouth, lips lingering over his fingers as he directed a daringly flirtatious look at the doctor.

Reid’s eyes darkened at the sight. “I can think of a few,” he answered, swallowing visibly, “but I can’t really demonstrate them here.” He looked significantly around at the crowded room-and then a look of pained remembrance crossed his face and he lowered his gaze.

“With your rich boy pedigree, you must travel in the same circle as some of these folks,” Reid said in a tight voice. “Don’t you think someone might tell your boyfriend about this?”

Obvious as the question should have been, it nevertheless caught Luke completely off guard. “Oh, I-I…” he stammered awkwardly, “that’s something I should, I just didn’t have time… not if I wanted to… b-but I’m not…” Luke clamped his mouth shut, took a moment to collect himself, and then attempted to offer a more sensible response. “Dr. Oliver. Reid. I know I’m going about this all wrong, and I shouldn’t even be here like this, much less talking to you first, but… you see, there isn’t going to be any… Noah?”

Luke directed a look of complete bewilderment up at Reid, before stepping away from the doctor and moving in the direction of the dark-haired figure standing several feet behind Reid, his back turned away from Luke but still instantly recognizable in his well-worn black sports coat and khaki pants.

“Noah?” Luke called out again, as he drew closer.

Noah Mayer spun around at the sound of his name, and he gave a visible start of surprise as his eyes met Luke’s. “Luke!” he exclaimed sharply. “What are you doing here?”

Luke huffed. “That’s what I was about to ask you, Noah. I thought you were working late tonight!”

Noah turned his head briefly to direct a gaze back over his own shoulder. “Uh… This is working,” he said, turning back to face Luke and shifting uncomfortably on his feet. “The hospital gave a few comp tickets to the university arts department, and we figured we could use the opportunity to drum up support for the film, maybe find some new financial backers.”

“We?” Luke asked, eyes narrowing in expectation of the answer.

“Mason and I,” Noah confirmed. His face twisted in an unwelcoming scowl. “Look, Luke, I know you don’t understand this, but networking is an essential part of working in the film industry. You have to…”

“I understand networking, Noah,” Luke cut in impatiently. “What I don’t understand is why you couldn’t have been more upfront about what you were doing this eve…”

Luke’s voice dried up at the sight of a man’s arm sneaking around Noah’s shoulder, a glass of red wine dangling from his hand.  “Hey, babe,” Mason Jarvis said, planting a smacking kiss on the underside of Noah’s jaw, “the open bar closes in fifteen minutes, so you better drink up now.”

A wordless noise of outrage and offense slipped from Luke’s mouth. Noah stiffened, and Mason looked up, apparently only then becoming aware of Luke’s presence before them. “Oh,” the man said, looking more smug than apologetic.

“Luke, don’t freak out,” Noah soothed, shrugging Mason’s arm from his shoulder and putting his hands up palms out in a conciliatory manner, “I wanted to tell you about Mason and me; I just… didn’t know how. We were just working together on the script and then all of a sudden, we happened. I was just waiting for the right time to let you know.”

“From what I can see, I’d say you missed the right time by a mile!” Luke snapped.

“C’mon, Luke,” Noah chastised, “you can’t pretend this is a complete surprise. You and I haven’t seen eye-to-eye on a lot of things lately. There’s your money and your job and….”

“There’s nothing wrong with my job!”

“See?” Noah shrugged, as if Luke’s retort had only proven his point. “Look, it’s not all your fault-we just want different things, that’s all. And I need something more, someone who understands me. I was going to tell you a few weeks ago, but you’ve been trying so hard lately, I just didn’t have the heart. I figured, once we finished the film, I’d have to go to L.A. to shop it around anyway, so why not leave it till then?”

“Why not…?” Luke choked. “You-you total asshole! What you mean is, you thought you could run away so you didn’t have to deal with me after you told me you’d been cheating on me all this time! Well, I’m happy to make it so you don’t have to deal with me even now, and you can start by taking your… your cheap suits and your pretentious film collection and moving the hell out of my apartment, before I throw it all into the fireplace to watch it burn!”

By the end of his speech, Luke’s voice had risen to a bellow, and he blanched as he became aware of the crowd of people nearby who’d had no choice but to witness the outburst. Some stood watching with raised eyebrows and intent eyes, blatantly taking it all in; others, more discreet, averted their eyes as if unaware of the scene unfolding before them. And then there was Reid, standing slightly behind Luke, his handsome face pinched with anger.

The air in the room seemed suddenly too thick to breathe, and Luke felt a dark flush of shame rise up in his skin. His every instinct screamed at him to escape before he did anything to make an even bigger fool of himself.

“Sorry,” he whispered as he passed Reid in his headlong flight for the exit.

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