Page 17 of Reuniting with Lucy

She made a dash for the truck, climbed into the cab, and waited while he locked the office door. Everything was happening both too fast and not fast enough.

He climbed into the driver’s seat and leaned over to kiss her. They held hands while he drove to her house in record time. As soon as they crossed the threshold of her condo, he stopped and kissed her again.

“Lucy, we can wait, if you want.”

In response, she unzipped his dripping wet coat and pulled on the sleeves, letting it slide to the floor. Then she peeled her damp hoodie over her head and threw it on top. While he kissed her, she unbuttoned his flannel shirt and added it to the pile. They took off their own shoes and socks. Within seconds, most of their clothing lay in a soggy heap.

She grabbed him by the hand and led him to her bedroom. Sex on a first date was generally off the table for Lucy. In fact, she was very picky about who she slept with. Jack hadn’t even taken her on a date, yet here she was, ready and willing to bend and break all the rules for him. The original pull she felt that day in the quad had only intensified.

After a quick detour to the bathroom to grab a towel and take a few swipes at her hair, she reentered the bedroom and sat on the bed. He sat next to her and took her hand in his.

“You sure about this?”

“Oh, yes,” she said, looking him square in the eyes. He needed no more encouragement than that, and she squealed when he flipped her onto her back.

After what could only be described as the best sex of her life, she slipped out of bed to get a drink of water. He’d asked about birth control, and she’d told him not to worry. The heat of the moment didn’t seem like the right time to mention that she never bothered with the stuff because, for her, it was moot. She would have to tell him about her infertility soon though. It was something any potential boyfriend would want to know. A family was probably important to him, and she wouldn’t mislead him about her inability to produce one.

She threw on a robe and tiptoed to the kitchen. A vibrating noise on the tile floor next to the lump of wet clothes in the entryway caught her attention. Her cell phone must have fallen out of her pocket. Lizzie was calling.

CHAPTER TEN

“Hey, sis. What’s up?” Lucy whispered. She tucked the phone between her ear and shoulder, picked up the jumble of wet clothes, and took them to the dryer.

“What’d you do to Curtis?” Lizzie asked.

“What do you mean?” Lucy said. “I broke up with him, just like we talked about.”

“Well, he’s at the bar right now.”

“Drinking?” Lucy said, alarmed. She set the timer on the dryer and returned to the kitchen. She was dying to tell Lizzie about Jack, but figured that should wait a minute. Curtis relapsing was more important.

“Not exactly,” Lizzie said. “He’s sitting at a table, staring at a hundred-day bronze AA chip, and literally, like out loud, talking himself down from ordering something. Every time I get near him, he starts crying and tells me to stay away. That it’s too soon to see you.”

“What? He knows you look exactly like me. Why would he go to your bar?”

“Cry for help?” Lizzie guessed.

“Crap. What should I do?”

“I don’t know. I’d kick him out, but I’m afraid he’d just go do something stupid somewhere else. At least here, I can keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn’t drink. I told the servers to let me know if he orders anything alcoholic, but I think you should come down here.”

“Man, this is the worst possible time.”

“Why?” Lizzie said. “What are you doing?”

“Jack.”

Lizzie laughed. “That was quick. Good for you.”

“Maybe you could date Curtis. Lessen the blow a little?”

“What? No! That would only make things worse. He’d end up getting dumped by the same woman twice. Cuz you know I wouldn’t stay for long.”

Jack came up behind her, putting his arms around her waist. “Is everything all right?” he whispered into the ear not holding the phone.

“Just sec, Lizzie,” Lucy said, covering the mouthpiece and turning to Jack. “Curtis is at the bar.”

Jack raised an eyebrow as if to say, so what?

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