Page 40 of Be Your Anything
“No, Paige, what were you going to say?”
She sighs, seems to mull her words over a little bit, and then it feels like she changes direction. “Lucas, you keep saying she’s going to come back, but…are you sure Remmywantsto come home?”
I look away, across the restaurant and out to the marina beyond the massive windows.
The truth is, I don’t know what’s going to happen with me and Remmy. That ball has been firmly planted in her court for years, and I’ve just been waiting around for her to work through the things we talked about way back when.
“I’m not sure,” I finally say, hating how it makes me sound.
How it makes me feel. Like an afterthought.
Paige is silent for a minute, and we both nibble on our lunches.
“Does it make you feel like shit?” she asks me. “Waiting around for someone to realize you’re enough?”
I say nothing, choosing instead to pick up my glass of whiskey and toss the rest back in one glug.
Paige continues to watch me, her fingers tapping melodically on the tablecloth, a rhythmicthud, thud, thudthat matches the steady throb of frustration in my mind.
In this awkward moment, I wish we could go back to her fuming about Giroux and Nadine.
But instead, I feel the weight of her attention. I don’t want to examine her words too closely, don’t want to feel whatever it is she’s trying to make me feel or understand whatever point she’s trying to make.
So we finish off our meal in relative silence.
CHAPTER8
LUCAS
I look at my phone again, making sure I’m not running late.
When Hannah told me she wanted to get dinner and a movie tonight, I was thrilled, but I also had a meeting planned with a potential Elite X connection that went a bit long.
Seeing that it’s seven on the dot when I pull into my garage, I let out a sigh of relief.
Part of the wholemaking Hannah a prioritything is always showing up on time, something I’ve struggled with my entire life.
“I’m here!” I call out as I walk in the front door, keeping my keys in my hand.
I spot Hannah on the couch, a book in her hand, a pair of headphones on. She doesn’t realize I’m home until I’m just a few feet away. She startles with surprise, pulling the headphones off and giving me a smile.
“Hey, I didn’t hear you come in,” she says, laughing, a hand on her chest.
“Sorry for scaring you,” I reply. “And sorry I’m running late.”
She shakes her head. “No worries. I didn’t even realize what time it was.” She motions to her book. “I got distracted.”
I lean forward and take a look at the cover:The Ultimate Travel Photographer Handbook.
I glance up. “Well, that’s new. I thought you wanted to photograph weddings.”
She grins. “I do, but I was on my way back from work a few days ago and passed by that bookstore on the pier, the one that has the five-dollar books on the cart outside? And this was just sitting there, beckoning to me to read it.”
I smirk. “Beckoning, huh?”
She nods. “I figure it never hurts to keep absorbing new information. Who knows? Maybe I’ll finally be able to be a photographer with my new camera and I’ll travel a lot to get to my brides.”
Her positive attitude makes me happy.
