Chapter 32
Lucy
“Lucy?”
I pause on my way to the apartment door, hand in my purse where I was reaching for my keys, turning to look back at my aunt.
“Yeah?” I continue rummaging through my bag as Aunt Ruby peers up at me from the table. Once more she has oils and extractions around her, little brown glass bottles that turn the living room into a scent warzone.
We’ve been back in the city for a little more than a week now, and I’ve spent most nights over at Dane’s place.
Once, Nico took us all out to his boat where he swore we would have privacy, but there were reporters at the gate, and it freaked me out enough that we ended up calling the whole thing off.
Tonight, Cole has set up a private table for us at a restaurant he promises will be press-free. I’m nervous, but excited at the prospect of having a real date with the three men.
Now, still studying me carefully, Aunt Ruby takes off her glasses and laces her fingers together, resting her chin on the backs of her hands.
“I’m glad you’re having fun, dear. But… it is my job to look after you right now.
First it was just the one man, but now… I just want to make sure you’re being careful. ”
“I’m on birth control,” I blurt, hating how my cheeks flush at talking about something so casual. Most women my age would not blush at the detail of protection, but I will, apparently, never mature. “And we’ve all been tested…”
Aunt Ruby holds a hand up, “That’s great, dear. I just mean… one man can be too much. And these are all high-profile people, right?”
I nod, stomach flipping at the reminder of who it is I’m on my way to see. “Don’t worry, Auntie. I’m being careful.”
She rolls her lips and stares at me for another beat, and I can almost hear the thoughts running through her head.
That I don’t know what I’m getting myself into. If the media gets their teeth in this—these three men dating one woman, years younger than them—it’s going to be a circus. That one way or the other, I’m probably going to end up hurt.
It’s one thing to think that, to logically understand that fact, and another to let it affect me. At this moment, it feels like nothing could curb my enthusiasm for being with them.
Not that I’m going to tell Aunt Ruby that.
Crossing the room, I dip down and press a kiss to Aunt Ruby’s cheek. “I’m being careful, and just having fun. You’ll be the first to know if anything happens, or if I need help.”
That gaze of hers continues to rest on me. “Okay. I love you, Lucy.”
For some reason, the sound of that makes my chest tight.
Of course, my family has been telling me they love me for a long time.
At the ends of phone calls and before bedtime.
But this is different. This is Aunt Ruby looking at all the weirdest parts of me, the sexually deviant streak, the recklessness, and saying she loves me anyway.
“I love you, too.”
With that, I step out into the cool hallway and make my way to the street.
There’s no snow, but the trees are bare, reaching their spindly arms up into the brilliant blue New York sky.
The contrast between the city and the island is stark.
NYC is cold and dry, whereas the island was hot and wet. But still, I love it here.
And I can’t stop thinking about When Harry Met Sally every time I see a leaf drift lazily down from a tree branch.
There’s already an SUV idling at the curb when I push through the heavy old doors of Aunt Ruby’s building. When I near the car, Dane slips out, opening the door and ushering me inside. Once we’re all settled, there’s a stupid moment of just smiling at one another.
Dane even puts his phone down, work forgotten as he shuts the door behind him. I’m between Nico and Cole. Nico plays with the tips of my hair, and Cole rests a hand on my thigh. So casual, so comfortable.
“So, what kind of restaurant is this?” I ask, tugging off my gloves and laying them over my lap.
“It’s a friend of mine that owns it,” Cole says, pulling out his phone and reading from it. “A seasonal, autumnal pop-up eatery with a focus on cherishing the earth and celebrating the fade from summer to winter.”
“Fancy,” Nico snorts, while Dane says, “I didn’t know you had friends.”
Cole glares at the two of them, “You’re right. I don’t.”
But the faux tension breaks when I laugh, and all three men are looking at me again, their expressions soft.
I’d never taken the time before to imagine what my ideal date would look like, but it turns out to be something just like this.
Enjoying the squash bisque, apple pork tarts, and pear crumble with blackberry syrup.
Sipping on champagne while the guys hang on my judgment of each plate.
Teasing Nico when Cole’s friend turns out to be a very famous celebrity chef, and Nico is a little starstruck.
“That’s not funny,” he says, as we push out into the cool afternoon air, tucking his scarf a little more firmly around his neck. “I was ambushed.”
“Good thing I don’t have any friends,” Cole quips, opening the car door for me to slide inside. I wish we could just wander the streets, explore the city in autumn, but I know it wouldn’t be a good idea.
So, instead, we drive to a pumpkin patch just outside the city that Dane reveals he’s rented out for the day. Only the employees are there, and they’ve all signed lengthy, tight NDAs.
We explore the patch together, getting lost in the corn maze and picking through what remains of the pumpkins. At the cabin, we get hot apple cider and sugar-dusted donuts.
And, despite the fact that I’m on a date with three men, and despite the fact that we’re the only ones in the place, it feels wonderful.
That is, until my phone starts to buzz in my pocket.
“Hey,” I laugh when I answer, trying to dance away from Nico, who’s desperately trying to see the name on the caller I.D. “What’s up, sis?”
“Lucy.”
It’s not Mary’s voice, even though it’s her name that popped up on the screen. The voice is deeper, sterner, a note to it that instantly makes my stomach drop.
“Elliot,” I breathe, knowing without asking that it’s my brother-in-law. “What is it? Is Mary okay?”
“We’re on our way to the hospital.” His voice is tight, clipped. It’s completely opposite his normal joking, breezy tone. “Something is wrong with her. Her blood pressure skyrocketed, and she’s in pain. Cramps. We don’t know…”
“Oh, god,” I whisper, hand relaxing on the phone so it nearly slips from my grasp. “I’m… I’m…”
I’m unable to think, apparently. Panic surges through my body like bubbles in a shaken soda.
I take a jerky step forward. When I finally lift my gaze from the dusty, dirt path of the pumpkin patch, I realize Dane and Nico are a few steps away from me, on the phone.
Dane’s voice deep—ready the jet—and Nico’s more serious than I’ve ever heard it—bring the car around.
Cole stands next to me, his hand on my shoulder, his hazel eyes bluer now.
“I have to go. I’ll tell Mary you’re coming.”
Elliot hangs up, and I turn to Cole, my entire body trembling like I haven’t had anything to eat all day.
“Something’s wrong with my sister,” I breathe, lungs seizing.
“Let’s go,” Dane and Nico are there, and the three of them usher me to the place we came in. The car is waiting, and I know without asking that it’s taking us to the flight field, to one of the private planes at their disposal.
Now more than ever, I’m glad to have them at my side.