Page 85 of The Damaged Hearts Bargain

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Cal didn’t remember the Tetherington station being that busy. She ducked around a crowd of people standing outside Costa Coffee and skidded to a halt in front of the departures screen. She couldn’t find the train she needed and she was rapidly running out of time.

Screw it. There were only two platforms. She ran out of the door and saw immediately that she was on the wrong side. This platform was empty. But a train was idling at the other side. Taking a deep breath and gritting her teeth, she started sprinting to the footbridge that would take her over the tracks.

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“I don’t see anything,” Lucy said.

George growled in frustration. “Get off the train.”

“Absolutely not.”

Another growl. “Lucy, do you love Cal?”

“Not talking about this, George.”

“Why do you love her?”

The question wasn’t what she was expecting. “Because she gives me hope,” she said quietly without thinking.

“Then for the love of God get off that damn train,” hissed George.

Lucy looked around, looked at the people looking at her. Then she stood up and pulled at the suitcase over her head.

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Cal made a flying leap and slid through the doors just as they were closing automatically. She looked to her left and then to her right and going by instinct decided on the left. Then she started to run again.

She stumbled over people and coats and cases and bags. She pushed through the connecting carriage door, and then, finally, beautifully, relievingly, she saw the back of a dark head.

A dark head that was pulling a suitcase down and turning toward the exit of the carriage.

“Lucy!”

It came out far louder than she’d expected.

“Honestly, this is the quiet carriage,” tutted a woman to her right.

But Cal wasn’t listening. She wasn’t listening because Lucy was turning around. And finally, after a long, long time, Cal knew that everything was going to be alright.

Chapter Thirty Five

“Is this seat taken?”

“Very funny,” Lucy said. “What are you doing here?”

“Listen, this train is about to leave any second now and I’ve made enough mistakes without falling on my bum in the middle of the aisle and making myself a laughing stock.” Cal’s eyes glimmered. “So, any chance that I could sit down?”

Lucy sat down and moved over so Cal could slide into the seat next to her.

“I saw the mural that you painted at the pub,” Cal said.

“Good, I was hoping that you would. I did some digging and—”

“No, hold on,” Cal said. “Let me go first. Let me do this. I appreciate what you did, but my point in being here is, well, it’s that that stuff shouldn’t matter. So let me say my piece first, if that’s okay?”

Lucy bit her lip but nodded. All stress was gone. She knew what was happening here and she knew that everything was going to be fine. It might take a minute to work out the kinks, but having Cal sitting beside her just felt right.

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