I find myself smiling before I can stop it. There’s something about Luke—easygoing, genuine, refreshing like a glass of lemonade on a hot day. Maybe it’s the relaxed way he moves, or the constant hint of mischief in his eyes. He just radiates sunshine.
Then I remember the scars on his wrists, and my smile fades.
How much of that sunshine is real? What if it’s all just a mask? People do that—hide pain behind humor, hide sorrow behind charm. The scars looked old. Self-inflicted? Maybe. But perhaps all that’s in the past. Perhaps he’s completely overcome his demons now. Perhaps. Maybe not.
A quiet knot tightens in my chest. I want to know what happened, what pushed him there. The thought of him going through something like that alone makes something in me twist.
“It’s none of your business.”I tell myself.
That’s why I haven’t asked, even though I want to, even though the words have been pushing at the seam of my lips. If I don’t want him prying into my life, then I don’t get to pry into his, no matter how much I might want to.
“Sierra.”
I start, realizing he’s looking right at me, along with the two other men in the kitchen, one of whom has a shaved head and prominent facial tattoos.
“You’re here for breakfast?” Luke wipes his hand on a rag and walks toward me. “You’re a little early, but I can whip something up?—”
“Nah, that’s okay.” I wave him off. “Actually, I’m here for something else. I wanted to ask about my car.”
“Yeah, it still wouldn’t start this morning. If it overheated yesterday, it could’ve caused some damage, so we towed it back and we’ve got someone taking a proper look at it now.”
“A mechanic?”
He smirks. “Something like that.” Before I can step back, his finger brushes my cheek, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “I’m still making breakfast, but we can go check on it when I’m done.”
“Oh, you don’t have to. I’m sure you’re busy. I was going to take a walk around the compound anyway, so I can just stop by and talk to whoever’s working on it.”
Luke shrugs. “Okay. It’s in the shed. When you’re done, if you don’t have anything else planned, how about a Reiki session? A few of our clients are doing one this morning. You can join them.”
“Not likely.”
He smirks again. “Hey, it’s not fair if you don’t even give us a chance to brainwash you.”
“Yeah, but I don’t feel like lying on a hard table pretending my energy’s shifting when I feel nothing. I’ll check on the car, and then maybe I’ll do some sunrise yoga in my room. Speaking of which, is there any way to get faster Wi-Fi?”
He shakes his head. “Sorry. Signal’s not great up here. That’s kind of by design. We could set up something like Starlink, but that would defeat the point.”
“Yeah, I figured.” I sigh, then glance past him at the other two men watching us with open curiosity. I offer them a smile. “The meal last night was amazing, by the way. Seriously. Incredible.”
The tattooed one grins. “Yeah, Luke mentioned how much you enjoyed it.”
“He told you I ate my serving and his?”
The other man laughs. “He didn’t mention that part, but it’s good to meet a fellow gourmand. I’m Micah. This idiot here is Tom.”
“Nice to meet both of you. I’m Sierra.”
Tom makes a strange face at my name, like it sparks a memory, but Micah cuts in before he can say anything, winking. “Nice to have you here, Sierra. I don’t blame you for skipping the Reiki session. I hate it when they mess with my chakras.”
I can’t tell if he’s serious, but I nod anyway. “You know what? Me too.”
We chat for another minute or so before I slip out of the kitchen and head down the hallway toward the main entrance. As I walk, I hear low voices drifting from some of the treatment rooms. Reiki sessions, perhaps.
One door is cracked open just enough for me to glimpse inside, and I catch sight of a pair of large hands moving slowly through the air.
My steps falter.
I recognize those hands. Large, veined, with long, almost elegant fingers. I watch as they glide just above the body of the client, hovering, seemingly tracing some kind of invisible pattern.