Page 123 of The Matchmaker Club
“Yup. Once he made enough money to give them the life they always talked about, he showed up. Only, she was gone by then.”
“But he was engaged to someone else, that’s why she left.”
Charlie leaned back against the booth. “It wasn’t an engagement, but a courtship. Times were different then, and he felt the pressures of expectations. Foxx was old money, and there was pressure for him to court his daughter. When it came down to it, he couldn’t propose to her because he was in love with your great-grandmother. He was willing to give it all up—a potential empire—to have her back.”
My heart ached for both of them. “That’s so sad.”
“Yes.” He took an envelope out of his pocket and slid it across the table to me. “But maybe there can be a happy ending for a Reed and a Freeman this time around.”
Charlie smiled at me, and it was like the whole world stopped spinning.
Lucas.
I tore open the letter.
I realized I still had two more items left on my list. If you still love me and want to figure this out together, play my scavenger hunt game. I’ll be waiting for you at the end.
Your first clue: Never Have I Ever hid a gift in a tent.
My stomach must’ve flipped at every word, my heart banging against my ribcage. I looked up at Charlie. “Lucas is here.”
He laughed. “I know. Now go get him.”
I got up and beelined it to the door.
Shit. Work.
I spun around. Mack, Ben, and Thelma were watching me with identical huge smiles.
“You guys knew about this?”
“Yup.” Ben slung his arm around Thelma.
Mack shooed me away. “Whatcha waitin’ for? Go!”
I didn’t hesitate and ran toward Blush. I hopped in and banged my head against the steering wheel when I realized my pockets were empty.
“Looking for these.” Thelma jingled my car keys. “Are you going to be alright to drive?”
I swiped them from her hand. “I’m better than alright.”
“Good luck with your hunt.”
It took every bit of willpower to drive the speed limit, but the moment I pulled into Ben’s driveway, I ran full speed into his backyard. My tent was pitched in the same spot it had been that night we played Never Have I Ever. I crawled inside to find a copy of Stephen King’sThe Body. Another note was tucked inside.
When I opened the book, he had written something to me on the first page:
Thank you for giving me back the childhood and youth I never had. They say you’ll always remember your firsts. I had many with you, and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
Love, Lucas
I pulled out the note and read it as I hugged the book to my chest.
You’ll find your next item in a woodsy spot. Be careful not to get a rash. ;)
He didn’t!
There were a few parents and kids splashing around in Whittemore Lake when I got there. I found the tree, and to my relief, the poison ivy was gone. On the ground was a bottle of calamine lotion with a note attached to it. I picked it up and read my next clue.
