Tree of Life releases in less than 10 days! Today, I’m sharing an excerpt; keep an eye out on my Facebook page for more news and info.
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Synopsis
Luke works a job he hates and shares a dirty, small apartment with his roommate, barely making ends meet and envying the successes of his friends. When they all return for a wedding, Luke comes face to face with one of the people he left behind when he took off. Instead of the bitterness Luke expects, Connor invites him on a forty-day, cross-country trip.
They travel the length of route I-90, following the last journey Connor’s father made from Boston to Seattle, recorded in a nearly incoherent memoir. The two of them meet hitchhikers, stowaways, and a collage of people all willing to help uncover the secrets of who Connor’s father was. Along the way, Luke’s hidden past catches up with him when it collides with Connor’s present. With the help of friends and strangers, both of them must learn what home and family mean before Luke runs away again.
Excerpt
Because Luke hasn’t been paying attention, he misses the reason Connor is now saying, “…take about a month, all said and done.”
“What will?” Luke blurts, his admission he’s been in the land of daydreams again.
“Connor’s going cross-country,” Adam says, giving Connor a good-natured punch on the arm.
Connor rubs the spot and laughs. “Sounds like a cliché, doesn’t it? I’m driving from Boston to Seattle.”
“Why?” Luke frowns. “Just a vacation?”
“Nah. My father died.”
“Oh.” Luke realizes that sounds rude, so he adds, “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, really. We weren’t close.”
Jax says, “So did he leave you a bunch of money or something?”
“Not a dime,” Connor tells them. “He left me a collection of his writings, and a lot of them refer to something he was looking for. Before he died, he traveled the same route. I guess…” He pauses and taps his lips. Then he curls his hands into fists and places them on the table. His expression is thin-lipped determination. “I wish I’d understood him better when he was alive. After he and my mother split up, she became bitter and angry. He lost his path, but he was documenting something. I want to know what he meant, so I’m tracing his footsteps to the other side of the country.”
“I have family out that way.”
Luke isn’t sure why he says it. Maybe it’s the alcohol, making him bold. Or maybe he’s latching on to something he has in common with one of them. He hasn’t seen his oldest brother in more than twice as long as he’s been away from Connor and the others. There are sufficient reasons why he’s never visited.
“You do?” Connor sounds puzzled, shaded with a bit of disappointment. Of course. Luke never shared much with him about his family.
“Yeah.”
AJ reaches out to squeeze Luke’s forearm. He knows part of the truth, but none of the others do. They didn’t know him well enough back then. Luke used to tell AJ his secrets, often after sneaking away from the group home to see him and touching each other in the dark of AJ’s bedroom. He still remembers how it felt.
“You should come with me,” Connor says.
When Luke looks around at the others, he realizes he’s been set up. He’s not so self-centered as to think the whole night was for this purpose, but the conversation was engineered for his benefit. Even Jax looks guilty.
“What about my job? My apartment? I can’t just leave them for a month on some whim.”
“You hate that job,” Jax points out. “And I’m leaving anyway.”
Embarrassed now and becoming upset, Luke says, “What am I supposed to do? Quit? Where would I go when I get back? It’s not like I have anyone.”
There’s a stunned silence that follows. It’s Adam who breaks it. “You’ll stay with us. We’ll be home from our honeymoon by then, and we’ll get you set up. We want you back with us, Luke.”
It shocks Luke to discover he’s serious. Adam, who’s always been jealous of Luke, wants him there. It doesn’t make sense to him, unless AJ did something to convince him it’s a good idea.
Luke’s face burns. The remaining guests now all have their attention on the conversation at Luke’s end of the table. He’s not sure what to say. He wants to be angry, especially knowing Jax had a hand in this. His protective but meddling roommate was obviously trying to make sure Luke was taken care of after they left for Boston, but it makes Luke feel like he’s being passed around by babysitters. They’re all so sure he can’t do anything by himself.
“I don’t know,” he says. It’s the only thing he can get out without raging at all of them and ruining the night.
“At least think about it,” Connor says. “I’m not leaving for another three weeks. I have to go home, get my shit together, and drive out to pick up the RV for the trip.”
An RV. Not quite roughing it but more flexibility than hotel stays for a month. The image resurrects memories Luke had thought long dead and buried. He wonders if there’s more to this trip than Connor’s letting on. He’s not interested right now in figuring it out because he’s still stinging from his friends implying he’s useless. Some of the hurt is because he doesn’t entirely disagree.
“Fine,” he says. “I’ll think about it.”
Connor beams at him. “You can let me know at the wedding.”
Two days. That’s all the time Luke has to decide whether he wants to upend his entire life and follow Connor on a hare-brained adventure across the country. Does he want a month with someone he can’t be certain has forgiven him? A small part of him, which he quickly stifles, knows already what his decision will be.
“I’ll think about it,” he repeats.
It seems to satisfy everyone, even though Luke’s head is still reeling. While he tries to wrap his mind around the previous few minutes, an arm slides around his shoulders, interrupting his thoughts.
“Lukey, how about you break out that camera again, hm?” AJ says. “We should get some group shots.”
Luke’s hand drifts to where the strap lies across his chest. Glad for the distraction, he agrees and stands to follow AJ.
Oh, hey, I remember these characters! 🙂 Love how you’re continuing to tell the stories of the other characters who were part of theirs. Great snippet!