Page 54 of Bad Luck Club

Her hand covered his again, and when he opened his eyes, tears were streaming down her cheeks. “None of us are perfect, Lee. Not me. Not Beau. Not your father, or your sisters and brother. And not Blue.” She patted his hand softly. “But most of us are doing the best we can. You included. Not everyone is as narcissistic as your father.”

He pulled his hand away. While the veil had been pulled from his eyes, Lee had spent thirty-two years worshipping the man, and old habits died hard, not to mention loyalty ran deep in his veins. “I need to go, and I’ll likely be gone for most of the next two weeks, but thank you for agreeing to meet with me.”

“I’m always here for you,” she said. “I think of you four as my own grandchildren, even if you might find that presumptuous. I love each of you and want nothing but happiness for you all.” She leaned closer. “And you’re worthy of it, Lee. Even if you think otherwise.”

He shook his head. What was she talking about? He’d spent the past month trying to piece his life back together so he could be happy. Of course he thought he was worthy of it.

“Thanks,” he said, scooting out of the seat. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a brewery to save.”

“Just remember it takes a village, dear,” she called after him.

Maybe so, but when the wolves were creeping outside of the town, it was the hunter who slayed them. Georgie and the others might make the product, but it was pointless unless they got better at selling it.

And Lee could sell raincoats in the desert.

Like father, like son.

Chapter Sixteen

Blue hadn’t expected a response from Lee right away, but she’d told herself hewouldrespond, in some way. Because even if he didn’t realize it, he was a man of integrity.

Only he didn’t respond to the text she’d sent him with her challenge. Not even with anOK. Or aYeah right. Or aLeave me alone. One day rolled past, then two. Three. Then four. Suddenly, it had been almost a week. His ability to ghost someone was apparently on par with her sixteen-year-old sister Hattie’s crush, who had kissed her at a bonfire party she’d snuck out to, only to walk past her, arm in arm with another girl, the next day at school. They’d bonded a little over that, swapping social media pictures of Lee and Garage Band Boy. Hattie had made fun of Lee’s serious expression, making Blue squirm by saying he had the same non-smile as Remy.

Adalia gave her worried looks at the studio, and she kept trying to talk to her about what had happened in the Bad Luck Club to set such a fire under Lee’s butt.

Because apparently he’d made good on his decision to return to his sales position at Buchanan Brewery, and he was motivated in a way he hadn’t been since before his life had imploded.

That was good. If one meeting of the Bad Luck Club had done that, she supposed she should be happy for him. But she hated that he’d misunderstood her. That he’d thought she was only interested in him because he was some charity case.

Her interest in Lee went far deeper than that. That moment in her car…she’d thought of it every night, feeling a stirring she hadn’t experienced in years.

Only…she’d felt passionate about Remy in the beginning—not like this, her mind supplied, because her mind was a traitor—so maybe it was good Lee wanted to stay away. Her vulnerability was the only thing that kept her from texting him again. From saying that she wanted him in her life regardless of whether he wanted to return to the Bad Luck Club. As a friend. Because it would be stupid, beyond stupid, to want anything more.

Part of her wondered if Bear had given her the date challenge because he’d seen something between her and Lee—or if he’d literally seen them in the car. Because, really, could it be a coincidence?

Another part of her thought that was only what she wanted to believe.

In the interim, she had plenty of other worries vying for her attention. Because although Maisie and Adalia had sold more of her art last weekend than she’d sold in the previous three weeks combined, she was still hurting. She’d only made two sales over the past five days, and her collection fishbowl at yoga this week had contained a handful of change, three five-dollar bills, a Snickers bar, an IOU written on a Walmart receipt, and a thank-you card with a bunny on it.

A business was supposed to grow, wasn’t it? To provide at least enough money for a person to get by from one year to the next, and hers was barely breaking even. This week she was actually in the red. The alimony payments had lasted her two years, but what was she going to live on when the last of the settlement slipped away?

Her mind shifted to her designer dresses and the overpriced car in her driveway. She wouldn’t mind selling them, but she didn’t have the first idea how…hence her current problem.

It was like Remy knew she was struggling, because he called her on Saturday evening, before her drinks date with Adalia and Maisie. She’d invited Harry to come at their insistence that she introduce them to one of her new friends. Her heart thumped as fast as Buford’s when she saw the name flashing on her phone:Controlling Dick. Do Not Answer.Adalia had reprogrammed it for her after she’d told her friends about the divorce.

He didn’t leave a message. Because of course he didn’t. He’d much rather leave her in suspense. He’d keep calling until she eventually answered, she knew that.

Last time, he’d called with information about her sister, because he knew, he goddamn knew, she’d been cut off from Hattie. He didn’t know about the Facebook messages, of course, and he was the very last person he’d ever tell.

She’s going to apply early admission to UPenn, he’d said.Your father thinks she’ll be a shoo-in. You know, we still talk, Blue. We still dream about what could have been. It’s not too late to come home.

“What am I going to do, Buford?” she whispered, urging him over to his pen with a fresh carrot. He nuzzled her hand before taking the carrot. Lee, she imagined, would tell her the rabbit was just after fresh produce. Lee was sometimes as grumpy as the gramps Nicole had accused him of being. The thought made her smile, briefly, before the smile slipped off her face.

What had he done with the octopus she’d given him? Had he thrown Thaddeus away?

A sigh gusted out of her. “Everything’s falling apart.”

Maybe she was projecting, but it felt like it had started with that owl Dottie had seen in her leaves.Sickness. Poverty. Deceit in love.

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