Page 110 of Bad Luck Club

The pain in his chest was becoming unbearable, and he rushed to his room as soon as the elevator doors opened.

He held his breath as he opened the door, softly calling Blue’s name in case she was asleep, praying she was there so he could apologize. But there was no sign of her, no suitcases. Not even an indention on the bed. It was like she’d never been there. Like she’d completely erased herself from his life.

The ache in his chest was back worse than ever, and he wasn’t sure it would ever go away.

Chapter Thirty

Blue was in such a hurry to gather her things and leave the hotel that she didn’t stop to consider what she was going to do once she’d left. Her only thought was to put distance between herself and that look of horrified betrayal on Lee’s face.

He’d never forgive her.

And a piece of her was broken, maybe forever, because he’d pushed her away again, after everything they’d shared. After everything they were starting to become to each other.

Instead of trusting her, he’d assumed the worst.

Only after she left the lobby with her suitcase and carry-on did she realize she had no idea what to do next. Since a limited number of flights went directly to Asheville, she suspected it was much too late to get a seat on one of them. Which meant she likely needed to fly back to Charlotte, and she had no idea how she’d get home from there—they’d carpooled, bringing only Lee’s car, Finn’s Range Rover, and Maisie’s Jeep to the airport.

She ducked into a nearby café, bags gathered around her, and ordered a dirty chai so she could figure out an exit strategy.

Heart throbbing painfully in her chest, she pulled out her phone. There was no message from Lee, but she saw an alert from Facebook Messenger and clicked through. A teenager whose picture she didn’t recognize had contacted her.

Hattie. This had to be from Hattie.

She clicked through.

Blue, I’m so sorry. Dad found out we were messaging each other, and he forced me to give him my password last week. He grounded me for two weeks. I shouldn’t be messaging you, but I needed to let you know that he’s up to something. I overheard him calling Remy the other day, telling him about Lee and saying it was time to step things up. Just be careful. I love you.

It felt like a weight had lifted off her shoulders. Hattie hadn’t done it willingly. She’d been coerced by their father. His betrayal didn’t surprise her. What did rattle her was that he had apparently been posing as Hattie in several messages. The depth of the subterfuge was hurtful, particularly since he must have read what she’d told Hattie about not wanting to lose Bear. Not wanting yet another father to walk away from her.

I love you too, she responded.Hattie, that is, not whoever’s profile this is (though I’m sure you’re great!). Thanks for the warning. Contact me when you can.

It wasn’t entirely coherent, but it was the best she could do right now. She didn’t bother to tell her sister that the warning had come too late. There was no point in upsetting her.

The rage from earlier twisted back into being within her chest, some of the embers not yet guttered out, and she pulled up her father’s number.

He’d likely blocked her—determined as he was to believe she no longer existed—but it didn’t matter. This wasn’t for him. It was for her.

You said I no longer existed for you,she wrote,and that’s fine. What’s not fine is that you’re still attempting to interfere in my life. Shouldn’t that be impossible if I don’t exist? I will never go back to Remy, and if that means you don’t want to acknowledge me or allow Hattie to speak with me again, while she is under your power, I accept that. But you need to leave me alone.

To her shock, three dots appeared almost immediately, as if he was typing something. But after a moment they disappeared.

Maybe she should feel hurt or broken because he’d failed to respond. Because he still talked about her—to her ex, no less—but not to her. It wasn’t surprising. And it didn’t matter anymore, because time, the Bad Luck Club, and Lee had healed the hurt her father had caused, and because her heart had already shattered into dust.

So she blocked her father’s number—becauseshedidn’t want to hear fromhim, and nothing he could say or do could heal the wrongs he had done to her. When she got home, she would send him that letter she’d written, the one it had taken her so long to write. Because her emotions were important, and maybe it would help him learn that it wasn’t okay to treat people like that. The lesson would come too late to help her, but perhaps it could help Hattie.

Then she called the one person who might actually make her feel better.

Bear answered on the first ring. “Blueberry? Aren’t you supposed to be looking at sculptures and pretending you know what they’re supposed to represent?”

Hearing his voice, so familiar and dear, so full of affection for her, put fresh tears in her eyes, but she willed them back. She needed to be strong now. She needed to be strong for a little while longer.

“Something happened, Bear.” A bitter laugh escaped her. “Maybe the Bad Luck Club doesn’t want to let me go after all.”

She told him everything, right there in the coffee shop, aware that the couple at the table next to her had all but put their date on hold to listen to her story and not much caring. Because she’d lost Lee and the Buchanans, and a little embarrassment was nothing on par with that.

“Well, I wouldn’t call it lucky,” Bear said at last. “But I wouldn’t say you’re a shoo-in for a spot in the club either. Nothing within you has changed.”

She almost laughed at that.Everythinghad changed. But she listened instead. She needed his wisdom.

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