Page 21 of Code Mages & Empty Pages
Luc’s expression softened again. “I'm sorry.”
“Thanks. We kind of lost touch during my engagement. Everything became about Morgan, his important job at the bank, his colleagues, his wishes. My family just faded into the background. But I’m trying to fix things with Owen. I want to support him, but look at me. I can’t even finish a book to make some money.”
Luc shook his head. “You’re not a bad sister. You’re doing your best. Sometimes life just knocks everything out of order. Doesn’t mean you can’t find your way back.”
“Maybe,” I said softly. “But I still feel guilty.”
We fell quiet for a moment. Luc reached for the cheese, adding a generous heap to his spaghetti.
“We all get it wrong sometimes,” he said quietly. “Family’s fucking complicated. But you’re trying. That counts for something, Dawn.”
His words settled over me like a cosy blanket. I let myself believe him and took a bite.
Chapter 8
Luc
My legs killed me.
Last night my gym coach had finally decided it was time I stopped skipping leg day. Now, every step felt like penance for thirty-one years of avoidance. I grunted as I limped down the hall toward the ancient lift at the far end, trying not to wince.
Dawn was already waiting. She glanced over as I approached and gave me a once-over, one eyebrow raised.
“Tough session?” she asked, pressing the button for the fourth floor. Her tone was gentle, not teasing.
“You have no idea,” I muttered, shifting my weight and trying not to look like I was about to collapse.
The doors slid open with a groan, and we stepped inside. I took the opportunity to lean against the wall and let out a sigh. Dawn smirked but didn’t say anything, she just brushed a loose curl away from her face.
For a few seconds, it was just the hum of the lift and the obnoxious music. I snuck a glance at her. She looked tired but content, her shoulders finally a little less tense than they’d been last week.
Then, halfway between floors, the lift shuddered to a halt.
We both froze.
“Ugh, no,” Dawn groaned, stabbing the emergency button with her thumb.
My stomach dropped. “Shit.”
She spoke into the little speaker. “Hi, this is Dawn Kent from IT. My colleague, Luc Atkins, and I are stuck in the lift, uh… The code is 2437.” She read the sticker aloud.
There was a pause, then a woman’s calm voice: “Try to stay calm. A technician will be with you in twenty-five to forty minutes.”
“Are you serious?” I barked. “Forty minutes?!”
“There’s been an accident in Bromewood Park, and the Gillam Park construction’s a mess…”
Fair point. Frostfire was a nightmare to reach lately.
Dawn just shook her head, lips twitching. “This would make a killer scene for one of my books, you know.”
I shot her a look. “What, two IT nerds sweating it out in a shoebox? I hope you’re not planning another Lupinian main character. The last time you got the anatomy all wrong.”
She snorted. “Maybe you should consult if you want to make sure I don’t mess it up.”
“I’m not sure you could handle that,” I teased, just to see her roll her eyes.
She elbowed me, grinning now. “Want me to dedicate the next one to you? ‘For Luc, who survived the Great Lift Debacle and insisted on anatomical accuracy’?”
