Page 92 of Wish You Were Mine
She shrugged, not meeting my gaze. “Almostbeing the key word.”
“Now you’re just being humble. That’s incredible, Lucy. Seriously.”
Her eyes flicked up to mine, cheeks flushing deeper, and I caught a glimpse of something raw there like she was still holding onto some disappointment.
Which made me wonder if her recent frustration with anything short of first place wasn’t just about the present but about what she’d missed. Like she was still chasing something she didn’t quite catch at sixteen.
But making the Olympic team? There were, what, five girls in the whole country who could manage that? Only five girls, every four years.
It was an insane standard to measure your worth against.
And yet…I had a feeling she did.
Deciding to change the subject, I asked, “Did you apply to any other universities, or was Eden Falls always the plan?”
“I applied to a few.” She nodded after swallowing her bite. “Southern Utah—which is about the same size as here and has a great program. Then also University of California and LSU.”
I raised my brows. “Impressive lineup.”
“Says the guy who went to Yale.” She gave me a small smile. “In the end…I chose here.”
“What made you pick Eden Falls?”
“Honestly?” She hesitated, stabbing a piece of chicken. “Mostly because I wanted to stay closer to home. I might have a bit of separation anxiety.” She gave a sheepish shrug. “The idea of going months without seeing my family? I just didn’t think I could do it.”
“There’s something to be said for having family close by,” I said, and didn’t miss the subtle ache that came with those words.
What I would have given to be able to call my dad whenever I needed advice. Or text my sister when I had good news. At least I had Asher. And Ian. And Evan, Miles…that whole ragtag group of brothers-by-choice.
“What about you?” Lucy tilted her head. “Where are you from?”
“I grew up here, actually,” I said. “My dad had a good job, so we lived in a nice neighborhood. Not sure if you know where the Hastings place is, but we were just a couple of houses down from them. Made it pretty easy for Ian and me to pal around all the time.”
“That’s fun,” she said with a wistful little smile. “I’ve always wanted friends in my neighborhood. Not that I would've had much time to hang out with them since most days I went straight from school to the gym.”
“Sounds intense.”
“It was,” she admitted, her shoulders dipping just a bit. But then she perked up, like she’d caught herself. “Good thing I love it.”
Though, loving something didn’t mean it was always easy. Especially when it started to feel more like work than joy.
“Have you lived in Eden Falls most of your life?” she asked, shifting the focus back to me.
“I lived here until college,” I said. “Left for my bachelor’s, then came back to teach at the Academy for Asher’s senior year. So…all but four years, I’ve been here.”
“Does that mean your family still lives here?”
I paused.
There it was—the part of every conversation that took a sharp left turn.
The moment when everything got real. Where small talk ended and the air got heavier. I usually tried to avoid it, but with her…I didn’t want to hide. Even by omission.
“Uh, no,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “It’s just me here. I already told you that my brother Asher lives in New York now. And my dad and sister…they died in a car accident.”
Her eyes widened, and she gasped, covering her mouth. “I didn’t realize you lost a sister, too.” And when her eyes met mine again, I didn’t see pity—just this quiet kind of heartbreak. Like she’d felt loss, too. Like she knew.
I nodded once, feeling the usual tightness wrap around my lungs.
