Page 83 of Love By a Landslide

“I ate the Jell-O.” Lucy shrugged one shoulder pathetically.

Todd blinked at her a few times before saying, “That’s my point. I know you, Luce. And you’re starving. A few bites will help you center yourself.”

Her traitorous stomach growled as she eyeballed the juicy burger. It’d been days since she had a proper meal. She could have unhinged her jaw and devoured the whole thing in three gulps, but decided to take it slowly, just in case the heavy meal didn’t sit well.

Todd sat beside her, impatiently nibbling a few steak fries. His knees bobbed up and down, eyes boring into her, just dying to get the full scoop. But he didn’t push her, which thankfully allowed Lucy to decide where to start.

“Ok.” She sighed, resigning to start at the very beginning. “The desk clerk at the Wilhelm Haus Inn recommended I have dinner at a local spot called The Rooftop Tavern.”

Over the next two hours, Lucy recounted the tale of seeing Jonathan from across the room then finding out he was her guide for the backpacking excursion and everything else that ensued. Ever the dutiful friend, Todd interjected with all of the appropriate responses, including referring to Jonathan as a cowardly twatwaffle no less than four times. By the end of it, Lucy felt a little better to have unloaded her experience onto someone she loved. Todd was so supportive and would help her make sense of everything.

“If I had known,” he grumbled, eyes narrow, “I would have snatched him by the ear and dragged him back from that elevator.”

“No.” Lucy shook her head. She only wanted him if he wanted her just as much. And his willingness to drop her so easily told her everything she needed to know: Their fling was only just that. “He made his choice.”

“Yeah, to take advantage of you.” Indignation dripped from her friend’s words.

“I don’t believe that.” Her voice was low. She sagged back, feeling the fatigue to the ends of her tangled hair. “We were in this impossible fantasy scenario. Stranded from the real world after almost dying in a freaking landslide. I think it was more about comfort. Or distraction from reality? I don’t really know, but if nothing else the connection helped me stay sane out there.”

“But it was his responsibility to protect you. And as far as I’m concerned, that requirement extends to protecting your giant heart. He was careless, Lucy.”

Her dry chuckle felt prickly in her ravaged throat. “I love you for your rage.” She reached out and squeezed Todd’s warm hand. “But there’s no need. It’s not like we were in love.”

Todd’s appraisal dripped with salty scrutiny. They’d been friends for so long that she knew when he saw through her like a freshly washed window. The sadness and grief were fully on display for his examination, but so was her exhaustion.

“Fine, fine.” He raised both hands in surrender. “I’ll let it go . . . for now.” Leaning over, he untied his shoes, setting them neatly beside the bed, then shrugged off his butter-soft jacket. “Scooch.”

“I don’t think the doctor would be pleased about you staying all night.”

“You need your best friend. Anyone who says anything can bite me. Besides, I have Nurse Marla’s undying affection, so she’d have my back.” His lips quirked up at one corner.

Carefully, Lucy shimmied to the side of the large hospital bed so Todd could crawl in. He looped his arm around her shoulders as she settled onto his chest, her head nestled in the crook of his neck. Comfort was what she needed, and her friend was there for her yet again.

“Thank you,” she murmured, melting against his familiarwarmth.

“Anything for you, sweet pea.”

Thursday: Lucy

Lucy stayed at Wenatchee Valley Memorial one more night for further evaluation. During visiting hours, her folks and Todd kept her company as best they could. Her mother, Sally, fluttered around, fiddling with Lucy’s blankets, wires, and oxygen tube, spending more time in the nurses’ way than out of it. Gentle reminders from her husband, who played cribbage with Todd on a little tray table, that their daughter was in good hands hardly registered to Sally in her worried state. The proximity of everyone crammed together was a welcome distraction at first, but eventually, the tiny room felt claustrophobic.

So when the attending doctor finally gave the all-clear, Lucy was thrilled to trade her open-backed gown for a fresh set of ass-covering clothes. She gathered her things with flowers in hand. But as she reached the bay of elevators, she wondered why she still held the colorful blooms. Striding over to the nurses station, she set them on the counter, leaving them behind along with the sting and memories of defeated romance.

Lucy rode with her mother back to Seattle so her father could follow in her little Kia. Oldies played on the radio. Crooners of love and loss drifted from the speakers, tugging at the still-fresh wounds in her heart.

“I don’t know who I am anymore,” Lucy confessed quietly.

“You’re still you, peanut.” Her mom’s words dripped with the usual chipper reassurance. “The last week was traumatic, butyou’ll see. Give it a few days.”

“No, I mean since Brodan.”

“Breakups are always hard. But I know who you are.”

“And who is that?”

Lucy watched Sally manufacture just the right words. What she once thought was her mother’s superpower began to feel slightly disingenuous. “You’re my sunny, loyal, optimistic daughter. And you gave it your best shot with Brodan. You broke up, but it wasn’t for lack of trying.”

“I think that’s who I was trying to be, but not necessarily who I want to be now.”

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