Page 14 of Secrets, Scandals and Baby Shoes

“Hey!”

“No, it’s a good thing. You’re a cute nerd.” And he leaned in to kiss her, slow and deep and gentle. In an instant, Lucy wishedthey were in her room instead of on the beach in heavy jackets. They’d never done…that…but Lucy would certainly like a little time alone with Elliot to explore what was between them.

This was enough for now, though. Elliot held her close, his kisses tender and a little minty, his hands warm as they slipped beneath her jacket. Lucy pressed closer to Elliot as his palms skimmed over her lower back. Her arms were around his shoulders.

“You look beautiful,” Elliot said.

“I’m sure I do, in my pajamas with my hair messy,” Lucy answered, but Elliot shook his head.

“No, listen. You’re beautiful, Lucy. And not just that — you’re amazing. I have?—”

Just then, a wave washed over their feet, sending cold water spilling into their boots. They both yelped as Elliot pulled Lucy to safety.

“I thought we were far enough away from the ocean that waves couldn’t sneak up on us like that,” Lucy protested, looking down at her sopping shoe. “What are we going to do?”

“We’d better go back.” Elliot took her hand. “Come on. We don’t want Dominic getting suspicious, anyway.”

“All right.” They started the journey back to the beach house, their shoes squelching slightly. When they reached the house, Elliot opened the door carefully, kissed Lucy goodnight, and sent her upstairs. When she woke the next morning, her boots had been neatly laid out on the radiator and were as dry as ever.

The next day was Thanksgiving. They feasted on Chinese takeout, shared what they were thankful for, and took a fewmore walks. The next few days passed with more of the same. They took a trip to see a local cranberry festival, took lots more walks, watched movies, and hung out. At night, Lucy and Elliot stole a few minutes together, but the rest of the time they were limited to glances and the occasional brush of their hands when no one was looking.

Dominic still seemed off throughout the trip. A few times, Lucy caught him staring out the window or looking at his phone instead of participating in the fun. On the last morning, Dominic pulled her aside.

“Would you like one last walk on the beach?” he asked.

“Sure.” Lucy glanced at Elliot, but Dominic shook his head.

“Let’s go with just the two of us.”

“All right.” Lucy’s heart began to race. Once again, she felt certain that her brother knew about her relationship with his best friend. This wasn’t going to be an easy conversation.

Dominic walked for almost a mile before he said anything. Lucy was so worried that she almost blurted everything out before he could confront her. She’d never kept secrets from her brother before, and this didn’t feel good at all. Finally, Dominic sat on a large driftwood log and patted the space beside him.

“Is everything okay?” Lucy blurted. “I mean, I know?—”

“Lucy.” Dominic put a hand on her arm to stop her. “Lucy Goose. Just listen for a moment.”

“Okay.” Lucy nodded, her stomach clenching. “I can do that.” She sank onto the driftwood beside him.

“This is… hard to say. To you, especially. I never imagined we’d be in this situation, but…” Dominic sighed. Lucy was once again tempted to blurt out everything that had happened between her and Elliot, but she kept her mouth shut.

“I went to the doctor before break,” Dominic said. “It was supposed to be just a regular check-up, but it turns out that I’m sick.” His lips curved into an empty smile. “I have Mawer Syndrome.”

“What is that?” Lucy felt the world crumbling around her. She’d been worried that Dominic knew about her and Elliot, but this was clearly much worse. “I’ve never heard of it. Are you okay?”

“Lucy Goose…” Dominic put his arm around her. “It’s very rare. Apparently, it’s also very… efficient. Most people who have it live less than five years after diagnosis.”

Lucy’s heart dropped past her stomach, past her feet, past the sand, and deep into the core of the Earth. She couldn’t grasp what Dominic was saying, even as dread washed over her like an icy wave.

“What?”

“It’s not great, is it?” Dominic smiled. “But the important thing is that I have five more years, give or take. That’s a long time.”

“It isn’t long enough.” Lucy felt tears building behind her eyes, but with Dominic being so strong, she couldn’t let herself cry.

“It is.” Dominic hugged her. “I’ll make it enough. I don’t want to spend the next five years dying. I want to spend them living. I want to do everything I’ve always wanted to do — start a company. Travel. Be with you and our parents. Run a marathon.”

Lucy nodded, holding her tears back with all her strength. “Of course, Dom. Let’s do it. Let’s do all of it.”

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