Page 38 of Coach Me
“Did you not use the sunscreen?”
“Huh?”
“The sunscreen. Your face is red.”
The redness on her face intensifies…yeah, I probably could have said that in a less blunt way, but oh well. I’m pushing past my attraction to her right now, and I’m not sure how that’s all going to play out. For now, it’s bluntness.
Lucie places a hand on her cheek, I’m sure to feel the heat coming from it. “Oh no, I did. I just sunburn really easily. I didn’t realize?—”
“Maybe bring a hat to keep for the games.”And save me the need to give you one of mine.
“Right, I can do that.” Lucie gives me a slow nod. “So, tomorrow…”
Tomorrow. Fuck, the day she moves in.
Clearing my throat, I look down at the stack of papers on my desk, looking for my schedule that Shannon didn’t giveLucie. Because she needs it, not because I need a break from looking at her. “On the emergency list that Shannon gave you, it has the address and the instructions for the elevator. What time do you think you’ll be by to move in?”
“Probably around ten or so. I have an hour drive, but I don’t have much stuff, so I think I can get most of it packed tonight, then?—”
It takes a minute to process the words Lucie just said, but as I glance at my watch, I see it’s already half past nine. “Wait, you have an hour drive?”
“Yeah, I told you that in our non-interview interview in the hall, remember?”
No, I don’t. I’m pretty sure I blacked out during half of that conversation.
Looking up from my desk, I study Lucie. “So, you’re driving an hour by yourself tonight in the dark after working all day, then turning around and doing it again in the morning? When are you even going to have time to sleep if your plan is to pack?”
“Well, yeah? I’ll manage some sleep, and Will’s going to meet me to help take some stuff in his SUV because it’s bigger. I’ll drive my car?—”
Nope. Not happening.
“Ride with Will in the morning. I don’t want you driving on little sleep. I’ll have the car service take you home and get your car to the apartment tomorrow. Just give me your keys.”
“Dex, that’s not?—”
“I said, give me your keys.” Okay, yep, teetering blunt and asshole territory. Let’s try this again. “The Blues have a car service for many reasons; consider this a perk of the job.”
Lucie’s lips form a thin line before she sighs and pulls out her keys from her pocket, and drops them in my hand.
Now, is calling the car service this last minute a little bit of an abuse of power? Kind of, but I don’t really care.
“Okay, consider it taken care of. I’ll have someone out front in fifteen minutes,” I say. “We’ll see you in the morning.”
Lucie tucks her chin down and gives a soft thank you as she stands up. But as she reaches the door, she spins back around. “I…uh, my turtles? No pressure, I just need to get a plan for them.”
My final answer is going to be no.
Nois what I said in my head when I rehearsed this conversation with her.
But the words that come out of my mouth when I look at Lucie are “I’m not cleaning their tank.”
Chapter 13
Lucie
“And we’re super sure about this?” Will asks as he holds the turtle tank in the elevator on the way up to the top floor of Dex’s apartment complex.
“Yes, we’re sure. I need a job,” I reply, not even looking back at him as I look for the number of Dex’s apartment for the fifteenth time.
