Page 16 of Reuniting with Lucy

“Curtis will understand,” Emma said. “It was a very quick proposal. Just tell him you’re not ready.”

“Be nice, but don’t leave any room for doubt or hope,” Lizzie added. “Be direct enough that he won’t walk away thinking you might reconsider later.”

“How do I do it? I can’t do it,” Lucy said. “It’s too mean. Ijustagreed to marry him. Lizzie, this is all your fault. You have to pretend to be me and do it.”

“If I had a nickel for every boy you made me break up with, do you know how much money I’d have?”

“A dollar thirty-five?” Lucy guessed. “You’re so good at it though. Use the emergency wig.”

They’d purchased it as a joke, but the blond wig, the exact shade of Lucy’s hair, had come in handy on a number of occasions since. When Lizzie wore it, they were once again indistinguishable.

“Breaking up with someone you’ve been dating is one thing,” Lizzie said. “Ending an engagement is a whole other ball game. What if he wants to knock one off for old time’s sake?”

“Gross,” Kate and Emma said together.

Even after Lucy begged, pleaded, and pouted, Lizzie refused. Her sisters gave her advice and wouldn’t leave until she’d texted him to say she “needed to talk.”

“By using that phrase, he should already know what’s coming,” Lizzie said. “Half the work’s already done now.”

“I hope you’re right,” Lucy said, putting her phone away after telling him she’d stop by his place that evening.

Lucy had never actually broken up with a man before. She and her boyfriends had either parted ways by mutual, friendly agreement, or she’d had Lizzie do the dirty work. It was too hard, especially for a people-pleaser like Lucy.

She liked Curtis. He was a nice guy, and they’d had some fun times, but as hard as she’d tried to convince herself, she wasn’tin lovewith Curtis. Not the way she should be anyway. And staying engaged to him, especially now that she was having thoughts about Jack, wasn’t fair to either of them.

Later that evening, after rehearsing over and over again what she’d say, she told Curtis how she felt and laid the ring on the coffee table. She didn’t mention Jack. That would be cruel, and it wasn’t the only reason for the split. She stuck to the truth—she didn’t love him enough to marry him. He’d tried to talk her into a long engagement and, when that didn’t work, into breaking the engagement but continuing to date. She was tempted to give in to the latter to spare his feelings, but Lizzie’s pep talk beforehand gave her the gumption to just end it altogether.

“I knew you were way out of my league,” he said with a sigh. “I suppose I should be grateful you gave me a shot at all.”

All in all, he’d taken it pretty well. There was no yelling or screaming or anything. After finally accepting it was over, he choked up and, with tears in his eyes, asked her to go. Which worked out fine, because by then, she’d been dying to get the heck out of there, but didn’t know how to say that final goodbye and leave.

Driving away, she was relieved but nervous. Her next stop was to tell Jack, and she had no idea what he’d say. Or even what she wanted him to say. He’d mentioned a second chance, but what exactly did that mean?

The rain came in droves, making it seem like midnight. The wipers on full blast still weren’t enough to keep the windshield clear. She pulled into the construction site parking lot and parked next to Jack’s pickup. She cut the engine but didn’t get out. What was she going to say? Had she come all this way just to tell him she was single? It had seemed like a good idea after leaving Curtis’s, but now she wasn’t so sure.

Her headlights must have caught Jack’s attention because the porch light came on, and the door opened. A gorgeous, frowning man filled the doorway.

No turning back now. She got out of the car and stood next to it in the pouring rain. Soaked within seconds, she didn’t care.

He looked at her as if she were crazy. “What are you doing?” he yelled.

She held up her left hand and wiggled her bare ring finger.

“You broke the engagement?” he asked, stepping out into the rain, his gaze locked on hers. They stood, staring at each other, oblivious to the fact they were getting soaked in the downpour.

Lucy nodded.

“Because of me?”

She shrugged.

He blinked twice and shook his head in disbelief before grabbing both sides of her face and kissing her hard. She threw her arms around his neck and met the kiss with equal desperation. He grabbed her around the waist and hauled her inside. He shut the door and backed her against it, never breaking the kiss.

“Lucy, we can’t do this here. Come back to my place with me? Or we could go to yours.”

She didn’t give it a second thought. She’d waited ten years for him and wasn’t about to wait one second longer. “My place,” she said.

“Get in the truck,” he said gruffly, opening the door. He pulled his keys out of his pocket and used the key fob to unlock the truck from where they stood.

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