Page 25 of His Build

When Lucy realized she was bickering with herself, she almost laughed. She must be missing Sadie, who she could talk to about ridiculous things like contemplating moves to the country. Who she could bounce those ideas off of and then promptly shut them down once she heard them out loud. She took another sip of the hot, bitter brew.

So why not call her?

Sadie picked up on the fourth ring. “Hello?” She sounded like her mouth was stuffed with cotton.

“Good morning, sunshine!”

“What the hell time is it?”

“Early.”

“Yeah, early. My alarm hasn’t even gone off yet, I—”

Lucy could sense Sadie pulling the phone back. Then she heard her swear.

“It’s not even seven o’clock, you monster!” Sadie cried.

Lucy laughed. “Sorry, I just miss you!”

Sadie grunted. “I guess I miss you too. Not while I’m sleeping though, if I’m being quite honest.”

Lucy smiled and took a sip of her coffee. “So, are all my houseplants dead?”

“Only half,” Sadie said.

Lucy laughed.

Her sister yawned, but she was awake soon enough, able to ramble on with her Sadie-efficiency about everything that had been going on in the city. Her boyfriend Cliff blew her off for his friends again the last night, but was so cute about it she forgave him instantly (puke) and went out to see the latest movie starring her celebrity girl crush instead (SO good). She also helped Mrs. Devonshire find her cat.

“Aw, how’s Blinky?” Lucy asked. Lucy wasn’t even a cat person necessarily, but she missed Blinky and his bad attitude.

Lucy heard the sound of her espresso maker gurgling on the counter.

“I could get used to staying here, you know,” said Sadie. Lucy got the sense they’d do this same little back and forth each time they talked. But she didn’t mind.

“Don’t get too used to it—I’m home in a month, now.” As she said it though, Lucy felt a little jab in her stomach. It felt like she’d been here so much longer than she had. And she was going to be leaving so soon. She looked out over the lake, thinking of a man with a scar along his jaw.

“So, how’s Graydon Mitchell?” her sister asked.

Lucy startled, and her coffee sloshed from her mug onto her leg. “Ow,” she said.

“That bad?”

“What? No, I—how do you know his whole name?”

“You only say it in every other text you send to me. Lucy, I’ve never seen you do that before. You must have acrushon him!”

Sadie was using the voice she used when they were teenagers, when she wanted Lucy to blush crimson.

“What are you, fifteen?” Lucy said, her voice terse.

Sadie gasped. “Youdo! It’s a big one too, I can tell because you always get super defensive when I hit the nail on the head.”

Lucy pinched her lips together, gripping the phone hard enough that the buttons on the side dug into her fingers. “I’m not defensive, and you’renotright.”

“You’re bright red right now, aren’t you?”

Lucy didn’t have to see herself to know she was. She growled. “Sadie, for god’s sake, grow up. First of all, I’m an adult. Adults don’t have crushes. Second of all, you know I don’t feel anything except passing attraction for men.”

---