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The rest of our lunch is subdued, and I barely talk even though Rory tries her best to engage me in conversation. As she begins pulling at straws, I ask the waiter for a take-home box for my meal. Outside the restaurant, I hug and hold Rory in my arms until she complains she can’t breathe.
“Sorry, it’s been a long time since I hugged anyone.”
“You can hug me all you want if you’ll stop being so stubborn. Call Lexi. She really wants to see you.”
“I promise I will.”
I hold my arm out for Rory to take, and we walk the few blocks together until we have to go our separate ways. I keep an eye on her as she heads towards the apartment she shares with Hunter before I return to the loft.
When I arrive, I change into my workout clothes and run on the treadmill for a half-hour. After I was done, I lift some weights. If I planned on getting back the body I had before Cassie got sick, it was time for me to get serious.
Sitting on the couch, I anxiously toss my cell phone between my hands. Rory had texted me Lexi’s number during my workout, and I’d been contemplating calling her since showering, which was twenty minutes ago. Preparing myself, I finally punch in the numbers and hold my breath while the phone rings. When Lexi’s soft voice comes on the line, I can’t stop smiling.
“Hello?”
“Uh, Lex, Alexa, this is Lucian.”
“Luc, oh my god, how are you? Rory said you were in town.”
“I’m okay. Doing fine.”
“Lucian, I was so sorry to hear about Cassie. Did you get my card?”
“Yes, thank you. I had lunch with Rory this afternoon. She told me to call, but I thought you might not want to talk to me.”
“Why? Because of Noah? I let that go a while ago. I’m happy, and I’m sure he is too. Plus, we’re going to be family in a way.”
“I just thought you wouldn’t want to see me because of it. Also, Megan and I didn’t exactly end well.”
“That’s in the past. Everyone has moved on. You probably know that Megan is engaged and has a little boy, CJ. So Olivia tells me that you are now part-owner of the company she works for. Is that true?”
“Yeah, the owner, Zane, is an old college friend. He asked if I could invest, and I said sure. I needed something to do, and I didn’t want to go back to my father’s company. I wanted something different.”
I’m not about to tell her that I couldn’t bear to be back in the offices where I met Cassie and where we worked together. I tried that route, and the pain was just too great.
“That’s wonderful. I’m so glad that we’ll be seeing each other regularly, right? You should join us for dinner on Fridays. It’s nothing formal, usually pizza, pasta, and wine. And good conversation with good friends and family. Say you’ll consider it?”
“I will. I’d like to see you before I join everyone if that’s okay. Would it be possible to get together for lunch one of these days? My schedule is flexible.”
“Sure. What about tonight for dinner? We have leftovers, and I’m sure that JC would like to see you. Technically you will be family since Rory is marrying JC’s brother.”
“I-I’m not sure.”
“Don’t make me twist your arm, Lucian. I could invite Olivia if she’s free. Would that make you more comfortable?”
That would make me more nervous, and I have no idea why. Before I can decline, Lexi is asking JC in the background if it’s okay, and I hear him agree.
“So, say around six-thirty? Bring your appetite.”
“Thanks, Lexi. Can you give me your address again? It’s been a while.”
“Right, and we moved to a bigger apartment but in the same building.”
She rattles off her address, and I commit it to memory. Like Rory’s, it’s only a few blocks away from mine, so it makes things easy.
“Thank you. Can I bring anything?”
“Just your appetite. We have plenty.”
