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My fork skittered across my plate as Liam nudged me. “Dude, what crawled up your ass? Why are you so quiet?”
Swallowing my bite, I clarified. “I’m not quiet. Just letting everyone chat is all.” Not meaning to, I had retreated, observing everyone.
He gave me an animated skeptical look. “Right,” he drawled. “And the reason your girl is over there…?” Liam at least had the decency to lean close and lower his voice for the latter question.
I went for my water glass and took a long drink. “She can sit where she wants, dude.” I wasn’t her keeper, and though I would have preferred to have her by my side instead of Liam at the moment, it was evident that whatever had Lucy bothered, it definitely had to do with her sister.
E and Lauren’s conversation had turned to fashion. “…but I really don’t care how my feet feel at the end of the day, stilettos are my absolute favorite,” E told her.
Lauren bobbed her head in understanding. “I get it, but if I’m being honest, the red carpet is the only place I’ll end up wearing them. I’m kind of a sneakers and sweat pants kind of girl.”
Suddenly, Lucy sat taller in her chair. “E wears heels all the time and she can evenrunin them. Seen it with my own eyes. She’s kind of crazy amazing like that. I’d fall on my face if I wore them,” she admitted.
“Girl, if I didn’t have to wear them, I wouldn’t. And trust me,” Lauren told Lucy, “I’ve had some pretty close calls myself.”
Lucy gave a half smile to Lauren, appreciating the commonality. But what was interesting to me was how Lucy sat with baited breath, waiting for E to comment. But she never did.
The more Lucy tried to engage with her, E pulled back. I doubt anyone but me noticed; everyone was either tucked into their food and drink or engrossed in other conversations.
Lately, I had felt Lucy becoming distant. As much as I wanted to bury the thought, it had been at the surface all along. I just didn’t know why.
Did E have it figured out? Perhaps giving Lucy some distance would allow her to seek me out. I hated playing games, but until I could pin her down and talk to her about our plans when we got back to California, I was willing to try.
So, ignoring Liam’s own observation, I remained quiet for the rest of the meal.
Chapter 29
Lucy
San Antonio
Family dynamic wasa strange thing. I’d give my left tit for E; if she needed anything, I’d be there for her. And I knew the feeling was reciprocated.
There was a time in grade school where a boy was threatening her. A circle of kids had gathered around the two of them on the playground quickly. The boy shoved E and she fell on her ass in front of everybody.
I pushed my way through the crowd to find her; there she was, biting her bottom lip, holding back tears. She would never cry in front of them. She would never give him the satisfaction.
I yelled the bully’s name, and he turned to face me. With malice on his mean mug that matched the fury on my own, I, as an eight-year-old girl, wound up and punched him square in the jaw.
Was it right to hit him? Probably not, but the point was,Icould make fun of E,Icould push her about, but if anyone else tried, my inner gladiator came out. It had always been that way.
Had I done wrong by E? Yes. That I knew.
Did I need to fix it? Yes.
Was I embarrassed at dinner by all of her slights?Hell yes.
I had felt the dynamic shift. E knew how she was handling herself: polite to others and minimal contact with me. Had I really caused such a rift between the two of us, and maybe even crossed into the unknown with her?
There was a lot to discuss, but before I could grovel my way back and get in her good graces, there was another matter of importance.
Feeling guilty for focusing all of my energy on E throughout dinner, I had in turn ignored Jake. It was unintentional. The dinner was our last on the road and there was a bittersweet feeling to it all.
Though the time Jake and I had so far was nothing, if not short, there were plenty of memories that would last me a lifetime. Fond ones, funny and adventurous times and of course a whirlwind romance that was one for the books.
Jake was absolutely unlike any man I had ever been with—any man I had really even been around before.
His eyes held a warmth that rivaled the sun, while his gaze made you feel like you’d just been kissed by its rays.
