Page 31 of Lucas

After I hadbreakfast with Mrs. C, I lost myself in my music for the rest of the day. My mind checked out, and I just focused on the words, the melody, and played from memory. Other than that, I didn’t utter a single fucking word for the rest of the day. I know it was a shit thing to do being our last practice before packing up everything for the audition tomorrow. But I just couldn’t breathe. Knowing that if I fail at the one thing I’m great at, I have nothing left to fall back on. No Plan B, and Mrs. C doesn’t get everything she richly deserves.

I’m not stupid. I heard Trevor and Willow whispering behind my back, wondering what the hell was going on. I never answered Trevor’s question yesterday so I think it’s safe to say his mom answered for me. Yeah, I know we have our weekend gigs, but they won’t last forever. Eventually we’ll all need to get a real fucking job again if we can’t make a living with our music.

What I really should do is return Landon’s texts to find out what the hell he wants. It’s the last thing I want to do, but it’s important to have all the details in place so my monthly check pays all of Mrs. C’s medical bills. He best not argue because it’s not up for negotiation. If he refuses to do it, I’ll find another damn lawyer who will.

I quickly dial his number before losing the nerve. It would have been a lot easier to shoot him a text, but I’m certain he’d just call me back. Complaining that talking is easier than typing. Whatever. I count four rings and I’m ready to end the call when a familiar voice answers. “Did that sexy woman tell you I was banging on your door?”

Since I have no fucking clue what the hell he’s talking about, I get to the point. “First off, you’ve been blowing up my phone with your harassing texts. So I’m going to make this short and sweet. From now on, I want my check deposited into Mrs. C’s hospital fund. I don’t care how you need to set it up, I don’t want her to receive another bill in the mail. Do you understand, Landon?”

“What the hell, Lucas? Why the fuck would you throw your money away on a family that has more baggage than us? Seriously? I will not do something stupid so you can change your mind a few months down the road. Now that I have your attention, did your sexy girl with the emerald eyes tell you I was there?”

Abby stopped by? I’m squeezing my phone so damn tight that I just might break the screen. All I can envision is his neck with my hands wrapped around it. Squeezing the fucking life out of the man who’s made my life a living hell. My only wish is that I had found out he was merely my half-brother years ago.

“Look, just do this one last thing for me and I’ll never bother you again. You can forget you ever had a bastard brother. The sooner you can do this, the better I’ll feel.”

“Lucas, you do not get to call the shots. I do! In case you hadn’t noticed, I’ve been trying to get in touch with you. I even stooped so low as to stop by your loft. That’s when I met that sexy thing of yours. She is fucking hot and so not your norm. I’d bang that and I…”

“Stop right there, Asshole! She has nothing to do with this conversation. I won’t think twice about fucking you up if you even breathe the same air as her. So let’s get this over with. You do what I asked and whatever you want from me, I’ll do it. After that you can stay the fuck out of my life and my business. Got it?”

“Easy, tiger. You don’t have a clue what I wanted in the first place, and you’re willing to hand it over without knowing? Wow, I never thought a woman would have your panties in a bunch, but I guess this one does. The great Lucas Knight is whipped!”

The only thing that’s stopping me from ending this all and throwing my phone across the fucking room is Mrs. C. And the timing couldn’t have been better since she walked into the room just a second ago. Our eyes meet and she knows I’m torn and oh so pissed. A few deep breaths later and I’m calm enough to entertain him a bit longer. “Tell me what you need, Landon.”

“Just like that, huh? If I knew it was this easy, I would have done it years ago. I’ll draw up the papers if you do what I ask. It’s the right thing, anyway…”

What am I doing? Before he even says another word, I stop him dead in his tracks. “Forget I called, Landon. You’re fired! I’m going to hire another lawyer and he’ll handle all of my business from here on out. If that trust fund is from my biological mother, then you shouldn’t have a fucking thing to do with it since I’m over eighteen and have been for many years now. I know you would have dangled it longer, but now that I know, I’m cutting you the fuck off! You’ll be hearing from my lawyer very soon.” Ending the call, I glance around to see everyone staring back at me. Wonderful, this is not the time for an audience. Tomorrow during the concert might be, but not today.

“What was that all about?” Willow might be the quiet one of the bunch, but she’s also the most caring person I know.

“Something I should have done years ago. I’m hiring my own attorney so I can cut ties once and for all from the Knight family.”

***

Abby

Blindsided doesn’t even come closeto how I’m feeling after Adam’s betrayal. He doesn’t see it that way, but I do. A heads up or a “hey, I think I want to sell the shop” would have been the right thing to do, since all the employees who work here will need to find employment in the next month. He assured everyone that they’d be able to collect unemployment, and he’s generously giving everyone a severance package. How noble of him!

I know Adam paid me more an hour than a normal barista, but I also managed the shop along with doing the books. There’s no way I’ll make the same money somewhere else. This is why I feel like my family is trying to sabotage my happiness—they can’t respect my wishes. Forcing my hand and pushing me toward a business career that I’m really not interested in anymore. Damn him!

I’m so angry that I’d love to vent, blow off some steam, but I can’t go to my parents and I can’t call any of my friends, either. I love them, but they’ve all secured jobs in their field. I’m the only stray in the bunch, which makes me realize that no one has ever had my back where my job was concerned.

I know a handful of patrons will miss the shop since I had their order ready before they even arrived. One of them being Lucas. Where else is he going to go to grab a coffee after a long night of fucking? I don’t know, and, truthfully, I don’t care. He still hasn’t replied to any of my texts, so I need to move on. Either he’s avoiding me or he’s found a ‘new flavor of the week’ as his brother pointed out. I thought I meant more to him than that, but I might have read something that wasn’t there. I’m not going to sit around and feel sorry for myself. I need to find a job before Java Joe’s closes at the end of the month.

Now that most jobs are posted online, I check out the most prominent sites. It can’t hurt, and it would be great to have something sooner rather than later.

I type in “barista” in the search bar. I’m surprised and ecstatic when I see a bunch of openings listed, but when I check out the ones who list the hourly rate of pay, I deflate. There’s no way I’ll be able to pay my rent and other monthly bills on such a cut in pay. What the hell am I going to do?

On copilot, I delete that search and type in “business analyst” and hundreds of pages pop up. Why did I know this was going to happen? Damn Adam! If I were a betting woman, I’d say he knew about this before he came in to tell me about the sale. He knew I’d easily find employment, and he would give me a glowing recommendation to boot.

I idolized my brother when we were growing up because he knew exactly what he wanted to do. Which is one reason why I got my business degree. Maybe I didn’t pursue it because I didn’t think I’d be able to live up to his standards. I guess we will never know unless I fill out a few of these applications. I feel so lost right now. I just want to crawl back into bed, pull the covers over my head, and go to sleep. But I know if I do that, it will be so hard for me to pull myself out of the rabbit hole.

After checking my phone one last time, I slip it into my pocket, shut my laptop, and head out the door. I need to walk and clear my head. When I get home, I’ll do what I need to do to survive. Even if it means filling out those damn applications.

The city is alive as I walk down the busy streets, and the best part is passing all the shops and restaurants on the way. The aromas are tantalizing as I pass and set my stomach to growling. Hell, it can’t hurt if I go inside and satisfy myself. I’m used to being alone, so sitting at a table won’t bother me at all.

Walking inside, I wait to be seated by the hostess. I can’t help noticing the pity in her eyes as I tell her a table for one. It doesn’t matter, I’m used to it. She slides the menu towards me and mumbles something about Daphne being my server and she’ll be right over. I nod and open my menu, dismissing her. I don’t want anyone feeling sorry for me. This is the way I live my life. I don’t need anyone tagging along, I like my own company.

Daphne comes and goes and I’m in the middle of eating my salad while scrolling through my phone. A flicker of movement catches my eye and I see someone approaching. My heart skips a beat until I look up and it’s not the person I was hoping it would be. God, I got it so damn bad. This needs to stop right here and now!

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