Page 21 of The Art of Loving Lacy
He held her gaze, and Lacy could see that he was waiting for an explanation of some sort. She sifted through her mind, reaching for something, anything that might explain why the fear returned at that moment—but she drew a blank and finally looked away. “I don’t understand any of it.”But I know now that it’s a problem—a big problem.
“We’re all afraid of something,” he said.
Lacy inched away from the safety of his arms. It wasn’t fair to allow him to be close to her. After what she’d just experienced, she was keenly aware that the fear was bigger than any emotion she could control. Or maybe even overcome. Dane deserved to be with someone he could share his life with, and his life meant his work, his travels—his career.I can’t let myself fall for you any more than I already have. We can’t be together. I can’t ruin your life. Heaven help me.
Chapter Eight
IN THE SAFETY of her room at the inn, Lacy flopped across her bed facedown and buried her head under a pillow. Less than five minutes later, she was startled by several frantic knocks on the door. She groaned into the mattress.
“I know you’re in there, Lacy. Open up.”
Kaylie.
“Go away,” Lacy yelled into the mattress. She didn’t really want Kaylie to go away, but she didn’t want to get up from the safety of her hiding place. If only she could hide there forever.
“Open up or I’ll tell housekeeping that I’m afraid you’re committing suicide and they’ll open the door.”
Lacy reluctantly climbed off the bed and threw the door open. “You are such a drama queen.”
Kaylie rushed in, grabbed Lacy’s hand, and pulled her over to the bed, where they sat side by side.
“How did you even know I was here?” Lacy asked, wanting to crawl beneath her covers and hide again.
Kaylie’s skin had already turned golden brown from just one afternoon in the sun. She wore her hair in a high ponytail, which swung from side to side with each of her fast movements. “Savannah texted Josh and told him that Hugh was bringing the boat in and asked him to find me and Danica. She was worried about you.”
Lacy groaned and fell backward on the bed, covering her face with her hands. “I’m mortified.”
Kaylie got up to answer another knock at the door.
“Where is she?” Danica pushed past Kaylie and rushed to Lacy’s side. “Are you okay? How are you feeling? What happened?”
“Give her time to breathe,” Kaylie said with a sigh.
“I just want to go home.” Lacy sat up and faced her sisters’ concerned glares.
“You poor girl,” Danica said. She sat down beside Lacy and wrapped her arm around her shoulder.
“She had a panic attack. She didn’t break a leg,” Kaylie said. She plopped down next to Lacy. “She’s embarrassed, not hurt. She flipped out in front of Dane. Wouldn’t you be embarrassed?”
“May I just remind you that I passed out on my wedding day?” Danica cast a harsh glare at Kaylie.
“Yeah, yeah. And I went into labor at my baby shower.” Kaylie’s twins, Lexi and Trevor, were now three years old.
“Can we focus on me for a minute?” Lacy said louder than she meant to. “Danica, what the heck happened to me? Savannah was talking about seeing sharks, and suddenly I was seven years old again. I don’t get it. After twenty years? Why did it all come back like that?” Lacy shook her head and twisted out from between her sisters. She rose to her feet and crossed her arms over her chest, pacing in her cover-up and bathing suit. “What am I going to do now?”
“What do you mean? It’s almost four o’clock. Shower, dress, and we’ll go to the family function, have dinner, and move past it,” Kaylie said. She walked to Lacy’s closet. “Want me to help you get ready?”
“Geez, Kay. Give her a minute to figure this out.” Danica rose and leaned against the dresser. “Lacy, it was a panic attack. That’s not all that uncommon, and there’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”
“Oh, right. A guy like Dane doesn’t need to deal with a girl who’s afraid of the one thing he deals with every day. A guy like Dane doesn’t need someone who freaks out without any warning. A guy like Dane—” Lacy swallowed past the growing lump in her throat. When had she begun to care so much?
Danica stood before her, stopping her from her frantic pacing. “A guy like Dane cared enough to ask me to check on you.”
“A guy like Dane is lucky to date you, sis,” Kaylie said. “I don’t care if he’s gorgeous and wealthy. You’re stunning, smart, funny, and incredibly sexy.” She winked, and Lacy couldn’t help but smile.
“You’re my sisters. You’re supposed to make me feel better.” She covered her face with her hands and groaned.
“Don’t worry. I’m right here, and I’ll stay with you all night if you need me to,” Danica assured her.
