Page 63 of Synced to Us

My throat goes thick. It takes all my talent to keep looking her in the eye. “Those are such kind words. I don’t deserve them.”

“So modest. So beautiful and sweet.” May lifts to her tiptoes and kisses my cheek. “I hope to see you soon. Please don’t be a stranger.”

My smile is tight at the edges, and I can’t bring myself to answer back. Instead, I look past her at the flash of movement, noticing Lucy heading my way.

She too throws her arms around me, wrapping them tightly around my neck and crushing me to her. “‘Bye, Dee. This weekend has been something else.”

I nod into her neck. “I couldn’t agree more.”

“I was wondering.” She steps back. “Maybe I could come visit you one weekend. We could go out, have some fun, and maybe you could advise me on some things. Like opening my dad’s contracting business back up, once I get my certifications.”

She says the last part under her breath, in case May overhears, but May’s too busy fussing over Wyn to notice.

“Lucy, that’s amazing,” I say, and I mean it. “I’d love to help out in any way I can.”

Until the anvil drops in my gut. With Wyn’s current attitude over my patio maintenance takeover this morning and Brad’s uncovering of my working girl past and his mother’s inevitable discovery of it, he may not want me anywhere near his family once our agreement’s finished. I don’t care what he says, a mother learning about her son’s girlfriend’s former involvement in prostitution would not go over well. Add to that her experience with people in finance…I doubt I’ll be welcome here again.

Wyn’s right, though. May’s too delicate to get so attached to me, and Lucy…Lucy has become too much of a friend.

“My schedule’s looking really packed from taking this weekend off,” I amend. “I’ll have to call you.”

The eager light in Lucy’s eyes flounders. It kills me to watch it go. “Of course. You must be so busy. Here I’m asking for your professional time like it’s nothing.”

I lay my hand on her arm. “Your decision to take your future in your hands isn’t nothing. I want to be there for you. Just let me look at a few things, shift my calendar around.”

“Absolutely.”

A child’s shout distracts Lucy and she whips around. “Scout, you better not be biting your sister’s toes again!”

“Babe, come in here! I can’t handle them when they’re like this!” Brad shouts back.

Lucy sighs and turns back to me. “It was lovely meeting you.”

“And Brad,” I can’t resist adding, “You can always call and talk to me if he—if it becomes too much for you.”

Lucy pulls me into another hug. “Thank you. I’m so glad Wyn found the right person.”

“Me…me, too.”

Lucy waves at Wyn behind me and then disappears around the kitchen. May follows soon after, dabbing her eyes with a tissue as she says a final goodbye.

“Let’s go,” Wyn opens the front door.

He leads the way out of the house where a waiting cab idles beside Brad’s pickup.

The truck we had sex in.

The space where everything changed, and a fake relationship turned into making love.

Wyn props open the cab’s door on his way to the trunk, ostensibly for me to slide in. I do, holding my head high. I’m shocked at how much I wish for the time when we made the trip to Thicketville and Wyn ate a bagel over my head, dropping sesame seeds and garlic salt into my hair.

I’d hated it then—hated it so much that in hindsight, I loved every minute.

The ride to the station is uncomfortably silent. My attempts at conversation are answered with one word or short sentences. Wyn’s not being rude, but he’s certainly not being himself.

After the fourth attempt at small talk, I stop. I can read a room just fine.

We find seats on the train, Wyn’s large body almost pressing me into the window, but I don’t complain. I’ll receive the warmth of his arm if I can’t have his words. He pulls out his phone once we start moving, and I decide to do the same. I end up spending the entire hour catching up on emails, fielding calls from my assistant, and sinking into work mode with little response from Wyn. There’s nothing more from Dennis, but I have no doubt I’ll be dealing with him as soon as I step back into the city.

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