Page 25 of Reuniting with Lucy

He returned with a key card and led her to a massive suite on the top floor.

“Dang,” she said. “Between the plane, the town car, and now the suite, this must be costing you a small fortune. Construction must be pretty lucrative.”

“I do all right,” he said with a wink.

The floor-to-ceiling windows offered a magnificent view of downtown Chapel Hill. As she stood, admiring it, he approached her from behind and put his arms around her waist.

“It’s so beautiful,” she said.

“Not half as beautiful as you.” He turned her in his arms to look into her eyes. “When I think about how much time we’ve missed out on, it makes me sick.”

“Me too. So, let’s not think about it. We both had other things to do, other lessons to learn. Now is our time.”

“I’m glad I found you again, Lucy Parker.”

In response, she kissed him and shoved all of her pent-up feelings into it, hoping he would feel what she couldn’t yet say. She was already falling in love with him, but after a date and a half, it was too soon to tell him that.

“Best first date ever,” she whispered.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Jack had been hard at work all morning, and his stomach let him know it was time for a break. He picked up his phone, hoping Lucy was free for lunch.

“Hey, Lucy. How—”

“Ah,” she interrupted. “I’m so glad you called. Can you come over? Right now? It’s an emergency!”

He was already on his feet and grabbing his keys. “What’s wrong?” he asked, striding toward the door.

“There’s a gigantic spider in my living room.”

Jack slowed, leaving his hand on the doorknob. “What?”

“I tried my dad, but he’s in a meeting, and his secretary won’t bother him,” she said, exasperated.

“Understandable. You do realizeI’mworking?”

“Oh, I didn’t even think of that. You’re probably surrounded by weapons. Good thinking. Bring a hammer,” she said before hanging up.

He chuckled and took his time getting into his truck. When he arrived at Lucy’s, he wasn’t sure what to expect. He heard a cry of relief at his knock, and the door flew open. “What took you so long?” she screamed.

She had an oven mitt on each hand and held a spatula. Her hair was bunched up under a baseball hat, and she wore a raincoat zipped to her neck. A foot-high pile of shoes lay next to the wall under a nickel-sized spider.

“What’s with the shoes?” he asked.

“I was throwing them at it but kept missing. It only made it run up higher. I tried to take care of it myself, but thank God you’re here. Can you kill it?”

“I can, but why would I?”

“Uh. Because it’s a vile, uninvited, unwanted guest,” she said.

“I’ll just take it outside,” he said, walking toward it.

“With your bare hands?” she screeched. “No. If you only take him outside, I’ll forever suspect he’s looking for a way back in. Plus, then you give him a chance to multiply. Death is the only acceptable option.”

“So violent. Fine, give me that.” He took the spatula, walked over to the spider, and with one whack, squished it.

“Oooh. Gross.”

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