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CHAPTER EIGHT
Later, when Lucy got home, she called Jamie. “Hey, what are you doing?"
“I just finished up a meeting with my father and I’m getting ready to have dinner with him and my mother.”
“Oh, so you’re on the Island now?”
“Yeah…are you okay? Do you need me to come up there?”
She smiled. He wouldn’t even need to take his private jet. He could just hop on a flight from San Diego and be on her doorstop in a few hours. His eternal willingness to be there for her, no matter what he was doing or what she needed, tugged at her heart like nothing else.
“No, you stay where you are and enjoy your meal with your parents. But I do have something I need to discuss with you. I saw the attorney today and he said that Mason’s family has probably hired a private investigator to dig into my background. They’re making allegations…”
“What kind of allegations?” he asked, his tone grim.
“Nothing I wouldn’t expect in a game of dirty pool. I’m a lush, whore, danger to society. Take your pick.”
“Those bastards,” he said. “Let me call my lawyer—”
“No, no. Don’t call your lawyer. I don’t want you involved in any of that. It’s not fair, and not what you signed up for.”
“So what are you saying?”
“We have to call this silly engagement off. I’ll win them over another way. And if I can’t, then—”
“Forget it.”
She jerked at the emphatic tone of his words.
“Excuse me?”
“We’re not calling this off. I already invited Mason’s family to my sister’s wedding. They were ecstatic. I know my plan is going to work, and we agreed to do whatever it takes to get the baby, didn’t we?”
“Yes, but that was me being selfish. I appreciate you, Jamie, so much. I don’t ever want to take advantage of your good heart. I’ll post on Facebook in the morning that we’ve decided to call it off and I’ll give you the ring back when you get back to town.”
“Lucy, listen to me—”
“No, Jamie. I’m tired and I just want to go to bed now. There’s no sense in arguing about this. I’ve made up my mind. Have a good night.”
She hung up the phone and wondered why she had tears rolling down her face. It wasn’t as if she and Jamie had truly been engaged. Chastising herself for acting like a silly schoolgirl, she washed her face and went to bed. It was only eight in the evening, but she was truly exhausted.
Sometime later she dreamed that someone was pounding on her door. She ignored it, and then her phone began to ring. She ignored that too, and then the banging started again.
Lucy pulled open her eyes and looked at the clock.
It was just past midnight. Who the hell is banging on my door?
She staggered out of bed, pulled on her robe and padded out to the living room. When she got close to the door, the pounding started again, making her jump. “Who is it?” she called, annoyed and a little bit frightened.
“It’s Jamie.”
Lucy sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. Then she smiled. He’d done exactly what she’d thought he could do earlier—jumped on the first plane to get to her.
She knew why he was here. To convince her to go forward with their plan.
And she knew if she let him in, he’d be able to do it.
“It’s kind of late,” she said softly.
