Page 5 of The Long Way Found

CHAPTER 3

LUKE

Luke hadn’t been able to talk with Mara before it was time to head to her parents’ house for their weekly extended family dinner. He was eager to tell her about Jack’s visit and get her take on things.

He stopped at the market for sparkling cider on the way to the Ellis house, a white Victorian on Prospect Street with forest green trim. For Luke, it had always been a sanctuary, usually filled with the comforting scents of cinnamon and old wool. He'd spent countless nights there amid the chaos of his parents' divorce, his father's departure, and his own shaky return from L.A.

This family that had informally adopted him couldn’t love him more: Patty from the lodge, Mr. Ellis, and their daughter, Mara, Luke’s BFF since middle school. Mara and her husband, Julio, now had two kids. Luke expected the usual group to be there tonight.

With Marley, the chocolate lab, in the passenger seat, Luke arrived at 5:45, fifteen minutes early, as usual. Before he could even knock, the front door swung open for him.

"There's my boy!" Patty exclaimed, pulling him into a tight hug. "Come in, come in. I bought the foam roller you recommended. You have to show me how to use it."

Inside, the parlor glowed with lamplight and the fire Mr. Ellis had burning in the stone fireplace. Marley trotted over to greet the Ellis family’s mutt, an arthritic lab mix named Pepper, who couldn't be bothered to get up from her spot on the rug.

"Uncle Luke!" Nita yelled, racing around the corner, six years old and all knees and elbows. "Teach me a cartwheel?"

"After we eat, okay? Your grandma needs my help with something first."

Patty was already on the living room floor with the foam roller, eyeing it as if it might explode.

"Okay, so you're going to lie on your side," Luke said, demonstrating by rolling his hip over the dense foam. "It's going to hurt at first, but that's normal. You're breaking up the fascia, the connective tissue."

"The what?"

"It's what's sore after skiing."

Patty tried it, winced, and said, "Lord, have mercy."

"That means it's working."

"That means I'm old."

"You're not old," Luke said with a laugh. "You're just tight. There's a difference."

Mr. Ellis wandered in from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a dish towel.

"A putterer's work is never done, Luke,” he said with a chuckle. “You wait till you're retired. There's always something that needs fixing."

"I'll keep that in mind," Luke replied.

In the kitchen, Mara stood at the counter, chopping vegetables with her usual focused intensity. Her husband, Julio, stood at the stove, seasoning a pan of chicken breasts and legs.

"Smells amazing," Luke said, leaning against the doorframe.

Mara looked up. "You're early."

"I'm always early."

"That's true." Mara smiled, nodding toward the plates, silverware, and napkins that her mom had left on the counter. "Set the table?"

“Why eight settings? Your mom invited Mrs. Jennings again?”

“Dunno,” Mara said. “Maybe she made a mistake.”

He started to tell her the story. “You won’t believe who came into the Ridge today.”

Marco appeared at his elbow. "Uncle Luke, can I help?"