Page 18 of Meeting Mr. Adorkable
“Bibi told me. And she’s gone, by the way. Says she’ll see you Monday.”
Lucian said nothing. Tomorrow was Sunday. No work to go to. The day stretched out in front of him.
“Don’t be pissed with Bibi for telling me where you lived. I asked her, so I kind of put her on the spot. If you don’t want to walk back with me, I can arrange for a cab.”
“What? No.” Lucian pushed himself up straight, the note of uncertainty in Arlo’s voice sending a tremor of panic through him.
“I’m not in the least concerned Bibi told you where I’m living. I mean, I can’t imagine you’re some sort of mad axeman who’ll come for me in the dead of night, or would be the slightest bit interested in breaking in when I’m hard at work floristing — which isn’t a word, but I like it, so there. Honestly, I came out here with bugger all, so there’s naff all to steal. Not that I think you’re inclined to theft, as we’ve already established. You never stole my wallet, after all.”
“Okay… I think somewhere in that I’m getting the message that, yes, you’re happy to walk back with me?”
“Erm… would a simple yes work?”
Arlo smiled. “I think so. Come on, let’s go.”
They found their hosts in the kitchen.
“Thank you so much for inviting me. It really was a splendid afternoon.”
Francine battered away his words. “You’re more than welcome, Luci-Ann. Any time. I hope you won’t be a stranger?”
“Thank you. I—I appreciate it.” Lucian coughed to clear his suddenly blocked throat.
Homely and plump, Francine was the polar opposite to his tall, elegant, poised mother, but they shared a warmth and a generosity of spirit. The tug of home pulled hard on his guts, and he didn’t want that, not today, which had been perfect and the first and so far only time he felt he’d truly had a foot in Collier’s Creek.
“I want you to take this home with you.” She bustled over to the fridge and pulled out a huge Tupperware box. “Salads and sides, and some of the angel cake. You’re too thin.” Francine’s expression defied all arguments, her directness leaving him speechless. She put the box into a large carrier bag and thrust it at him. “Return it to me when you can.”
Minutes later, after goodbye hugs, they were out on the sidewalk. They walked for a while in near silence; it didn’t feel awkward, and for once in his life, Lucian had no desire to fill it with nervous chatter. The sky was already turning pink and purple as the sun began setting behind the mountains.
“My mum asked me if I’d been eaten by grizzly bears. Which clearly hasn’t happened. Are there really bears? It’s hard to imagine because the most dangerous wild animals we have at home are probably disgruntled deer.”
Arlo laughed. “We don’t have any disgruntled deer, because the grizzlies ate them all. But yes, there are wild bears in the mountains. Wolves too. Camping in these parts isn’t for the faint of heart.”
“The last time I camped, I was a rather limp and useless Boy Scout. All that outdoorsy stuff really wasn’t my cup of tea. I think I only joined up for the uniform.”
“So, what brought you to a mountain town like Collier’s Creek? If you don’t mind me saying so, it doesn’t seem like the obvious place to find—”
“A dorky vegetarian English toff, you mean?”
“No, that’s not what I mean. Or maybe a little.”
Lucian slid his gaze towards Arlo, who was smiling. Lucian smiled back.
Arlo was so easy to talk to, but owning up to the disaster that was The Shit Formerly Known as Miles was humiliating, along with the final straw that had broken his family’s back when he’d imperiled the business, was too much. He’d only end up looking stupid, because that’s what he had been. The day had been wonderful, and he didn’t want to ruin it by confessing to the mess that had been his life back home.
“I just… wanted a change of scenery. To experience a place somewhere very different from the one I grew up in. And I’ve certainly found it. I’ve got dual nationality. My mum’s American, but I was actually born here. I spent the first couple of months of my life between the hospital and at my late grandparents’ house with my mum. She went into premature labor when she was visiting.” He shrugged. “Coming out here seemed to be the natural place to aim for.”
“Is she from Wyoming?”
“No, California. She went to the UK to study — it was some kind of exchange scheme between universities. She met my father, and within six months they were married. As for touching down in Wyoming, I…” Oh god, was he really going to tell Arlo how random it was he’d ended up here? The man already knew he was an oddball who didn’t engage his brain before speaking, but if he told him, he’d be adding screwball to the list.
“I stuck a pin in a map,” he blurted out. There, he’d said it, and now it was too late to take it back.
“Okay.” Arlo didn’t miss a beat. “It’s as good a way as any other to choose a place, so why not a pin in a map? You could have done a lot worse. I mean, you could have ended up in Bumfuck.”
Lucian laughed. “The home of Eggy Kurt. I really don’t think so.”
Arlo smiled. “It’s good to travel, to experience a different kind of life. I spent years in New York, but I’ve traveled a lot for work. Stints in London. Berlin, Paris. Sydney and Melbourne in Australia.”
