Page 100 of Coach Me
She’s not serious, she can’t be.
“You came here, not to see me, but to steal a plant, act like it’s completely my fault for also not seeing you, then you throw a backhanded comment like that?”
Reagan waves her hand. “That’s not what I meant to do, but come on, Luce—have you really thought this through? He was divorced, what, seven months ago? Seven months to his nearly five-year marriage. Not to mention the marriage that includes their child…who you nanny and are supposed to start homeschooling.”
Okay, I get how Dex’s divorce seems like it could be an issue from her perspective, but with what Dex has told me actually happened between him and Kate, I don’t feel like I’m this rebound or means to make her jealous. Granted, I can’t tell her any of that. Dex told me that in confidence, and I won’t betray that.
“Rea, don’t you think that if Dex wasn’t a good fit for me, that Will would have said something?”
Reagan snorts a sarcastic laugh. “Will’s got rose-colored glasses now that he’s with Callie. He’s still in thatblinded-by-lovephase. Does he even know about you two?”
Shoot, I can’t say with confidence that he does. I mean, everything is so new between us, but I still think Will would have said something. He’s bound to at least be suspicious.
Will’s never even mentioned anything bad about Dex ever actually. Boss or potential boyfriend, Will would have said something to me if he thought I was getting into something messy.
“That’s not the point?—”
“It is the point, actually,” Reagan huffs. “Listen, I’m saying this as your older sister, as the person who has always looked out for you. Sweet angel sister Lucie sometimes doesn’t see the full picture, so it’s my job to do that for you. If Dex is actually serious about you, then great, I’d love that for you. But maybe you should also consider that you could be just a fling. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with being a fling when feelings aren’t involved, but you and I know that’s already off the table for you.”
Rage rolls through and out of my body. I could argue until I’m blue in the face, but it won’t change the words she’s already said.
“Just take the plant, okay? I don’t really want to talk about this with you if you’re not even going to listen to me.”
Reagan shrugs, then walks around to look out Dex’s window. “This view is awesome.”
“Reagan, seriously!” Okay, rage coming back.
Reagan doesn’t flinch or even change her casual tone. She looks completely uninterested in hearing anything I have to say, and that’s what’s hurting me the most.
“Look, I really don’t mean to be harsh, but I’m just looking out for you, Luce. We aren’t glued to each other’s hips anymore, but I’m still your older sister. If I can’t tell you the things you don’t want to hear, then who can?”
I scoff a breath. “Yeah, well, you’re wrong.”
Reagan finally steps back to me and rests her hands on my shoulders. “Maybe I am, but I also can’t help but think that this is why you’ve been avoiding me. You knew I’d see your feelings even though you know it could end badly and that I would point them out.”
I step back from her touch. “We just started this thing between uslast night. Maybe you’re just being pessimistic.”
Reagan snorts. “Considering you just called it a ‘thing’instead of clear terminology tells me enough already. You also didn’t develop these feelings overnight. I can’t tell you to be cautious if I don’t see it for myself.”
“Let’s not forget that you were the one who ditched me all week before I took this job, and it was you who didn’t return my text.”
Reagan folds her lips together. “I’ve been busy. You know that.”
You know what, egging this on will get me nowhere. “Just take the plant, Reagan.”
Reagan sighs. “I’m just looking out for you, Lucie. You know I love you, and I don’t want to see you lose the job you were excited for and get your heart broken at the same time.”
Her words cut through my chest. I see that point. I really do appreciate her wanting to look out for me, but her execution could have been so much better. “Thanks, I love you too, but in all fairness, just take the plant and go. Please.”
Reagan nods and turns to grab the pathetic little plant that looks about how I feel right now, then leaves without another word.
When the door clicks, my sanity snaps. I want to be angry at her and tell her she’s wrong about everything she said. I want to cry a little because I hate that, while I don’t like her words, could there possibly be any merit to them?
No, she’s wrong. I’m not a rebound or a fling. Granted, I don’t know entirely what I am. Part of me wants to walk right up to Dex and ask him straight up, “What are we, exactly?”
But we literally started this last night. I told him I could be patient. This has been my whole thing to begin with, letting Dex lead. Letting Reagan’s words affect me thismuch isn’t fair when I have no real reasons to believe her words either.
I’m patient, but not a pushover. Just because I don’t feel like I need to get an answer out of Dex right now, doesn’t mean I won’t ever ask him.
