Page 20 of Wild Card 13

No way.The thought hit first.

Then the recognition slammed in hard enough to hollow my chest out behind it.

LucyfuckingThomas sat halfway down the long conference table beside Sarah Yu with an open laptop in front of her and a legal pad lined up perfectly square against the edge of the wood.

She looked up at the sound of the door opening.

And Jesus Christ.

That part was worse.

Because I knew that face.

I knew every version of her face.

Laughing so hard she snorted hot chocolate through her nosesophomore year. Half asleep in the passenger seat of my truck with Fleetwood Mac playing low through the speakers. Crying in my driveway the night everything ended while I stood there like the world’s biggest fucking coward pretending that letting her walk away was somehow noble.

I knewher.

But the woman sitting in front of me looked at me like she didn’t.

Not surprise.

Not anger.

Not even discomfort.

Professional acknowledgment.

Like I was just another player walking into another meeting.

It damn near knocked the wind right out of me.

Sarah glanced up from the folder in front of her. “Ty. Thanks for coming.”

I barely heard her. My eyes stayed locked on Lucy.

She held my stare for exactly half a second before looking back down at the papers in front of her with terrifying composure.

No visible reaction.

Not even a flinch.

Sarah frowned slightly. “You okay?”

I laughed once before I could stop myself. Not because anything was funny. My brain just genuinely did not know what else to do.

“No,” I said automatically. “I—” My voice cut off.

Lucy finally looked at me again. Cool enough to freeze the entire damn room. “Mr. Burns,” she said evenly, “please have a seat.”

Mr. Burns.The words hit harder than a stick to the knee.

I stared at her.

This can’t be real.

Not here.