Page 16 of Secrets, Scandals and Baby Shoes

Elliot sank onto his bed, the picnic and movie he’d set up suddenly looking silly and shallow. He should have just talked to Lucy instead of making a grand gesture. Maybe if he’d told her how he felt, she wouldn’t have said they needed to break up. Even now, she surely hadn’t meant it. If Elliot could just talk to her, they’d be able to sort everything out.

That night, he ate the Chinese food alone, picking at his container of orange chicken with wooden chopsticks and wishing Lucy were there. He sent her a message asking her to call him when she was ready to talk, but she didn’t answer.

The next day, Elliot met Dominic, Sunil, and Mike for lunch. Usually, Lucy would have joined them, but today, she was conspicuously absent. Elliot went back and forth about asking Dominic about her, eventually deciding that he couldn’t. His worry grew.

That night, after basketball practice, he went to the armchairs in the library where he and Lucy often met to study. She wasn’t there, either. Torn between needing to talk to her and wantingto give her as much time as she needed, Elliot sent her another message asking if she was okay and waited in the armchairs until the sun set and the library closed for the evening.

The following day, Elliot decided that enough was enough. Lucy needed time, but the longer they waited to sort things out, the harder it would surely be. After class, he stopped by her dorm room. When he knocked on the door, though, her roommate Karin answered.

“Is Lucy here?” Elliot asked. He flashed Karin his award-winning smile and tried to peer around her into the room for a sign of Lucy.

“Sorry. She’s not in.” Karin shook her head and shrugged.

“Well, could you tell her to call me when she gets back? I’m worried about her.”

“Um…” Karin glanced behind her, then stepped into the hallway and shut the door behind her. “I’m sorry, Elliot, but she doesn’t want to talk to you.”

Just then, the door opened behind Karin, and Lucy stepped out. Her blue eyes were misty, and she had dark circles under them.

“It’s okay, Karin. Thanks.”

“All right.” Karin glanced between them, then withdrew into the dorm and shut the door behind her. Lucy crossed her arms and faced Elliot.

“Lucy, is everything okay?” Elliot asked.

“Yes.” Though she didn’t look okay. “But I meant what I said in your room, Elliot. We can’t be together anymore.”

Seeing Lucy standing in front of him, her face set, repeating what she’d said before, brought everything crashing down for Elliot. He could no longer blame this on a misunderstanding or an overreaction. Lucy really wanted to end their relationship.

Perhaps Elliot should have asked her why. He should have told her that he still cared about her and that he hoped they could stay friends. He should have finally told her how he felt. Maybe, if she knew, she would choose differently. But instead of any of that, Elliot felt a different emotion rise up — anger. How could Lucy give up on their relationship? It was all so sudden, and she wouldn’t even give him a good reason. Well, if she didn’t care about him, he wouldn’t care about her anymore, either.

“Great. I just wanted to check,” he said, his tone biting. Lucy’s eyes sparkled with tears again, but she nodded.

“I’m sorry, Elliot. I really… what we had was special.”

“Maybe for you.” He shrugged. “There’s no need to be sorry. I’ll move on quickly. There are plenty of girls who appreciate my charms.”

“Right.” Lucy nodded and reached for the door handle. “Bye, Elliot.”

“Bye.” And Elliot turned and strode away before he could say anything else. He knew, even as he hurried back to his dorm, that he’d made a mistake. He shouldn’t have spoken to Lucy like that, no matter how hurt he was that she didn’t want to be together anymore. It was too late, though. Everyone only got one chance at a love like that, and theirs was over.

Elliot would have to do as he’d said and move on.

CHAPTER 7

LUCY

TEN YEARS LATER

Lucy jumped off the edge of the pool and dove in. The cool water enveloped her like an old friend as she kicked her legs and stroked her arms. It felt good to be swimming again, as though she were removed from the world. As though she were herself again.

It had been a while since Lucy felt like herself.

Her beloved brother, her confidant and best friend, had died a few weeks ago. He’d lived almost twice as long as the doctors had predicted, largely in good health until a few months ago, when things had started to decline. Everyone, including Dominic, had known that the end was near, but that didn’t make it any easier when he passed away. Since then, Lucy felt like she’d been living with cotton balls in her ears. Everything was muffled, from the strains of Dominic’s favorite eighties rock song at his funeral to the condolences of family and friends to the way coworkers had reached out, telling her to take all the time she needed.

Now, finally, in the water, Lucy felt the cotton balls begin to wash away. Dominic had made her promise a hundred times that she would keep living well after he died. For the first fewweeks, she hadn’t been able to keep her promise, but she felt strong enough now. Swimming today was the first step. After she got out of the pool, going into the office would be her second.

Dominic may have only lived to be a little over thirty, but his legacy would live on far longer in the company he’d built. Borderless, a travel and tourism app he’d begun developing at the end of his senior year, had flourished. It was now a multi-million-dollar company with a few hundred employees and a choice office in downtown Manhattan. After her graduation, Lucy had joined the company as creative designer and now headed the design department. It was hard to imagine returning to the office without her brother, but she had to do it eventually, and now felt like the right time.

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