Page 56 of Speechless

“Whoa, hey to you too, Lu. What is this place? Apparently, you upgraded after you left Boston. Don’t tell me you’re dating someone new already?”

“Okay, first of all, no. And if I was it would be none of your business.Youleftme, remember? And don’t call me Lu. What do you want?”

“Lu. Lucy, I’m sorry. I made a mistake; I know that now. Do you know how hard it was for me to find you here? You haven’t answered any of my calls.” He plasters on one of his perfectly polished grins, like that’s all it should take for me to come crawling back into his arms.

“I don’t care. And I don’t care if you miss me. We’re divorced, or did you forget?”

I do wonder how he found me here, I haven’t told anyone where I’m living except for my agent and Sarah.

“Okay, I wasn’t expecting you to be this angry with me. I thought we understood each other. I never wanted to break up, but at the time I didn’t think I had much of a choice, you know? I realize now that maybe we ended things too soon, so I’m willing to talk, have a real discussion this time. I think we could make something work.”

“Maybe? Willing? Jack, you’re delusional. Youhurtme. When I hadno one, nothing, youleftme. I wasn’t the only one who got bad news that day. And I couldn’t just walk away from it. There’s nothing to discuss, not now, not ever.” I turn to go back inside and Jack pushes through the door with me, with more force than I was ever expecting.

“Jack, what the hell! Get out of here.”

“Not until we talk about this. I’m your husband. Was your husband. I’m not ready to give up on us. Just hear me out, we can make this work again.”

“It’s too late for you and your white horse.” The lyric flies out of my mouth. I always loved that song.And I was never a princess. “This was never a fairy tale.” I say the last line almost under my breath, but his look of confusion tells me he hears every word.

“Huh? What are you talking about, Lu?”

“Taylor Swift is so wise. Too wise for you, Jack. Now please, just leave.”

“Fuck Taylor Swift. I’m here for you.” He reaches out to grab my shoulders but never gets the chance.

I hadn’t realized Graham had been hanging behind me just out of sight until he comes charging through the foyer and shoves Jack out the door so hard, he topples to the ground.

“Get the fuck out, mate. No one wants you here.” A loud huff escapes Graham’s mouth. “And Taylor Swift is a damn hero!”

He slams the door shut, locks it, and makes a motion of wiping the dirt off of his hands.

“Well, that was fun. More Bravo, or do you plan on bringing any more drama to the house yourself?”

24

Henry

She had no one,nothing, and he left her?What did she mean by that? It’s only been a few hours since I overheard the Jack incident, and I can’t get those words out of my head. She told me she was going through a tough time. I knew she needed support, a mate, something, but did I actually ever know the extent of what she’s been dealing with?

I want to kill him. The pain in her voice when she spoke to him, it made me feel physically ill. I almost chased after him once Graham tossed him out, but I didn’t want Lucy to know I’d been listening. I’m a coward. I know I’ll have to tell her eventually, though considering she’s avoiding me like the plague, I’m not sure when that will occur.

I just can’t make sense ofwhyshe’s avoiding me. I didn’t push her, or pressure her. She kissed me back, wrapped her legs around my waist so tight I barely had to hold her. I know she has feelings for me. I refuse to believe it’s all in my head.

That kiss was magic.

I’ve been sitting at the piano for hours when she wanders in. “That sounds really beautiful. Is it for the new show? Doesn’t seem very dragon-y.”

“No, just tinkering a bit.” I hadn’t even realized I’d been playing. Every time I think of her, my hands have a mind of their own. I stop and look over to see her face turned down toward her feet. Her fingers are fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. She must still be upset over her unexpected visitor.

“Could we talk? Grab dinner, maybe? I was thinking Fish Grill. I really want something deep fried.” Her eyebrows knit up while her mouth pinches sheepishly.

After the day she had, she deserves all the fried food on the planet.

“Let’s do it.”

I’ve determined Lucy likes to ramble when she’s nervous. She spends the entire car ride talking about Graham’s obsession with the rugby team from New Zealand, and his apparent fetish with tribal tattoos. But once we get to the restaurant, her mood abruptly changes. Quiet Lucy is one I don’t know how to read at all.

We grab our fish and chips to go and cross the street to walk down to the beach. Once we’ve chosen a spot to sit down, she starts attacking her chips with a fervor I’ve never seen from her. She must be starving. She eats through half her plate, with her head down, barely acknowledging me. It’s strange, so unlike her typical effervescent self. I wonder if I should bust out the rap we came up with on our last trip here. Finally, she looks up and then swallows several times before speaking.

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