Page 56 of Halstead House

“It doesn’t have to be to that way. You’re always welcome here,” he replied matter-of-factly.

A bubble of pure happiness rose in me at his words. Somewhere in my mind I’d thought of this as an all-or-nothing experience. I’d been desperately trying to soak it all in because I thought I’d never see it again. Lucas had freed something with his statement, and it was all I could do not to laugh out loud like a crazy person.

“You’re right.” I turned to him with a mega smile growing.

“I think you’ll find I usually am.” His eyes crinkled, and I rolled my own playfully as I shifted to stand.

He got to his feet before I could and reached a hand down to assist me. I took it without any qualms, releasing it as we turned to walk back, both of us lost in our own thoughts, this time in companionable silence. He wanted to be my friend, and said I could come back any time I wanted. My head said I wanted to be his friend too, but when I’d gazed into his eyes and shook his hand, my heart had whispered something decidedly different.

CHAPTER 14

I had come to truly love my Mondays off since arriving on Lavender Island. To be fair, it wasn’t like I was being worked to death the other days. I certainly had plenty of free time in the evenings to spend around the mansion immersing myself in everything it had to offer. Still, Mondays were for adventures, and it felt like playing hooky after so many years of having Saturdays off instead.

Rather than dreading Ana’s plans like a kid staring down a needle, I had begun looking forward to them. Perhaps the biggest change of all, though, was that I no longer made plans for myself. No dry cleaner, no banking, no tidy little lists to follow. Instead I cheerfully made my way to breakfast to see what she had up her sleeve for the day. This week I was not disappointed.

She told me her plans before I’d even opened my mouth to ask. “I’ve rented us E-bikes to take a self-guided island tour. We start along the seawall, make our way to the Historic District where we’ll have lunch, then along to the harbor side. We can also do a ferry crossing, but I think Friday night’s little... situation... has motivated me to pass on that.”

I pursed my lips, but otherwise ignored the crack about my harbor tour melt down. “E-bikes are what, exactly?”

“Electric bikes.”

Huh. “Are you talking motor scooters? Like a Vespa? Because I’ve seen the way you drive a car, and I’m not sure you should be on something with that type of speed and only two wheels.” Actually, between us, I was totally picturing Ana flying along with her legs stuck out to the side trying to keep her balance while pedestrians ran for their lives... and it sounded hysterical.

Ana pulled a face. “You’re a scaredy cat.”

“No, I’m a woman who values human life,” I responded with a laugh.

“E-bikes look like a normal bike. They pedal and handle the same. You still have to use your legs to make it go, but it has a motor that helps with things like hills and headwind. Pedaling is easier, and you can bike farther without getting as tired.”

“That sounds doable.”

“Yeah, well, I’m in pretty good shape since I’m on my feet all day, but you...” She shrugged as her words faded out.

“Gee, thanks for keeping my weak desk-job legs in mind. Have you done one of these bike tours before?” I asked.

“No. Locals aren’t really into the touristy stuff.”

“Ah, so this is just for my benefit?”

“Your hair is still stubbornly in buns at least seventy-five percent of the time, so I’m still pushing you into new things.”

“I appreciate you being so willing to suffer for my hair’s progress.”

Ana stood and gave a theatrical sigh. “The things I do for your golden locks.”

She left the kitchen after telling me to meet her at her car in thirty minutes. It didn’t give me much time to eat and get dressed properly, but I wasn’t going to cycle around the island on an overly full stomach anyhow. It wasn’t supposed to be a tour of island restroom locations.

I was surprised to see Lucas coming down the hallway from his bedroom when I reached the top floor landing. The only other time I’d seen him upstairs was when he’d dropped some paperwork off to me one night. I wasn’t sure where he spent all his time, but he was very rarely around at the same times as me.

He was dressed in what I thought of as his fishing clothes. Shorts, a t-shirt, baseball cap, and sandals, carrying his tackle box. He looked a million miles away from the business luncheon host of the week before. I liked him this way.

We hadn’t really spoken since agreeing to be friends, and I wasn’t sure if that was the kind of thing you jumped right into, or if it would take some time to grow. I’d never officially agreed to be friends with anyone. Thankfully he spoke first.

“What are you up to today?” he asked.

Well, that seemed like a chummy thing friends would ask each other. The easy question helped me relax. “Ana is taking me on another of her therapy adventures. Her mission to stop me from being me, and start being someone a little more normal, is still full steam ahead.”

“I see.” He paused and his expression changed to something a little puzzled. “No, I don’t, actually. What exactly was wrong with you being you?”

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