2. Chapter 2
Chapter two
Lucy
A round one thirty a.m., Lucy secured the deadbolt on the front door of the swanky one-bedroom apartment she and Brodan shared in Belltown. She placed her pumps in the entryway shoe rack, grateful for the usual chill of the hardwood floors beneath her aching feet, and beelined to the kitchen for a glass of water. The wash of cool liquid soothed the burn and aftertaste of alcohol that lingered in her ravaged throat. She’d lost count of the random shots and drinks she’d accepted at The Tackle Boxx and every other club leading up to it. With her next swig, she swallowed an ibuprofen to stave off the inevitable hangover she would undoubtably suffer in the morning.
Lucy padded across the living room, pausing at the large, curtainless window opposite the kitchen and took in the partial view of the brightly lit Seattle skyline. The concrete jungle ahead of her was impressive but didn’t speak to her heart the way being surrounded by trees and mountains did. The city was too loud, too bright, too crowded. Having lived there for more than a decade, she’d become accustomed to metropolitan life while never managing to feel at home.
Leavenworth would be a nice reprieve from the hustle and bustle.
She’d been buzzing with anticipation since Brodan begrudgingly agreed to the getaway. Maybe if she could get him outside, into the woods, somewhere beautiful and awe-inspiring, her city boy would turn into an outdoorsy mountain man. Snorting into her glass, she wiped away the dribble of water that ran down her chin. Maybe “mountain man” was a bit far-fetched. But it didn’t seem out of the question that he might learn to tolerate a hike from time to time.
And that would be enough.
Lucy made her way to the bedroom. She dressed in the new pajamas she’d purchased for her birthday and snuggled under the fluffy comforter beside her boyfriend.
Brodan rolled over and yawned. “How was tonight?” he asked lazily, wrapping an arm around her waist.
“It was . . . fun. But I wish you could have been there.”
“I know. I needed to get some sleep. My brain’s fried after putting together the Tech City proposal. Plus, I’ve got an early start tomorrow.”
“I get it. Just would have been nice.”
“How’s Todd?”
“Great. He says hi. His transformation into Dirty O’Feelya is amazing. We should go support him again soon.”
“Sure.” Brodan nuzzled his face into her hair and kissed the back of her neck. “Mmm. You smell good,” he groaned, his hand shifting to her hip then roaming up beneath her silky camisole.
“Hey, babe?” Lucy murmured.
“Mmm?” His hand firmly cupped her breast, playing with her sensitive skin.
“Thanks again for being such a good sport about our trip. I know you don’t exactly worship on the altar of nature like I do, but it really means a lot to me that you’re willing to give it a try.”
Brodan’s body tensed and his hand stilled. “Uh, about that.”
A weighty disappointment sank through Lucy’s gut, heavy like a jagged rock heaved into a river. “What about that ?” she demanded, words coming out sharper than intended, and flipped on the side table lamp.
He squinted at the warm splash of light, adjusting to it as it filled the room. “This is a really bad time. I think we should postpone it for a while.”
“What?” Lucy’s voice came out in a low rumble. Frustration warmed her cheeks, but she wasn’t exactly surprised by his words. She threw back the blankets and flopped her legs over the edge of the bed.
“It’s just that Roberta wants me to join her at the yearly convention in Atlanta, and it overlaps some of our trip.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” She glared over her shoulder. He lounged back against the pillows, hands behind his head, elbows splayed . . . Completely unbothered. “We made these plans months ago, and now that it’s less than a month away, we won’t be able to get a refund.” She lifted her fingers and massaged her temples. Perfect. A tension headache .
“Roberta wants to promote me to regional sales manager. And that would come with a dope raise, babe.” He finally shifted, kneeling just behind her. Teasing his lips along her neck, he hooked a finger under her camisole strap and slid it down slowly. The attempt at seduction did nothing but stoke her anger.
“Pretty sure your boss wants to give you more than a promotion,” Lucy mumbled as she snatched the thin strip of fabric back in place.
Brodan pulled back, contempt overtaking his expression. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You know Roberta’s been lusting after you since you started there. And she hasn’t exactly been subtle about it either.”
Brodan had worked for Seattle’s largest security system company, Locked Down, for the past eighteen months, and his boss, Roberta, had made her intentions crystal clear. With flaming red hair and nails to match, wearing nothing but tight, low-cut sweaters, breasts lifted high enough to choke herself, Roberta was the definition of a cougar. Honestly, Lucy wouldn’t give a rat’s ass how the woman dressed—flaunt it if you’ve got it—except that Roberta had had her sights set on Brodan from the get-go. The couple attended a work dinner last Christmas, and Roberta’s hands didn’t know how to keep to themselves. They lingered on his shoulder and grazed over his chest. One even landed on his leg and stayed there through the majority of dessert.
Not one to make a scene, Lucy brought it up with Brodan later that night. He’d explained it away, saying that his boss was a flirty person and treated her entire team that way, but what Lucy witnessed that evening hardly supported his claim. Neither did the following social gatherings that played out the same way.
“It’s about you not respecting me enough to tell your leopard-clad boss that you aren’t interested.”
“You realize I’d be kissing my promotion goodbye if I did that, right?”
Lucy’s jaw dropped. “Let’s see if I have this right. You’d be fine with getting a promotion all because Roberta thinks you’ll sleep with her?”
Brodan shrugged. “It’d be, like, a twenty-five percent raise.”
“You’re unbelievable.” Lucy shook her head as the dull ache tightened her scalp and radiated down her neck. I need another ibuprofen.
“I never said I’d actually fuck her.” He flung back the covers with a groan and popped to his feet. Marching around the bed, he stood over Lucy, arms crossed.
“But you didn’t tell her to back off either.”
“You’re acting real insecure, Luce. This isn’t the first time that you’ve accused me of cheating and, frankly, I find it insulting.”
She refused to look up at him. Instead, she stared straight ahead, boring her sights into the wall beside the bed. They’d had this fight before, though typically, Lucy would back off the second Brodan started calling into question her trust in his fidelity. He’s right , she’d tell herself. I should be able to trust him. Otherwise, why stick around? She’d talk herself out of her anger, even turn around and apologize for her accusations. They’d make up, have sex, and everything would return to normal.
Maybe it was the shot of Fireball at The Tackle Boxx or the two sake bombs she’d choked down at dinner, but she had zero intention of dropping it this time.
“I’m not letting you turn this around on me. I’ve seen firsthand how she is with you. And that’s in front of your girlfriend .”
Brodan huffed, “Fine. I don’t care if you don’t trust her. But I’ve never once cheated on you. Even though I’ve been tempted many times over the last four years, I’ve been completely faithful to you.” When Lucy didn’t look at him or respond, he sat down next to her on the bed. He ran a hand up her arm and softened his voice. “Babe, I have to go. Roberta said it’s non-negotiable.”
“Did you remind her that you already have this trip planned?” Lucy congratulated herself on her level, placid tone.
“I didn’t tell her,” he cooed, laying a gentle kiss on her shoulder.
“Why not?” She shrugged off his touch, her harrowing effort at remaining calm slipping away.
He sighed but said nothing.
“Why didn’t you tell her you couldn’t go, Brodan?” Lucy rose to her feet, hands balled into fist.
“Because this work trip is important to me!” he snarled as he stood and faced her. Brodan towered over her by nearly a foot, but she remained toe-to-toe, unwilling to withdraw from the confrontation. Prepared to have it out. Because she was thirty years old, dammit , and it was about time she stood up for herself.
“And our trip isn’t important to you?” she ground out, craning her neck to look up at him. “Us getting to spend time together isn’t important to you?”
The fire in his eyes died away, and he took a step back. “I don’t think it is.”
“The trip or spending time together?” She popped her jaw, refusing to wince despite already knowing the answer.
“All of it.” Brodan scrubbed a hand down his face and let out a ragged grunt. “Look, Luce, this isn’t working.” He walked to the other side of the bed.
“You’re breaking up with me.” It wasn’t a question.
“Yeah, I think so.” He sighed and pulled a shirt over his head. “I’ve been thinking about this for a while now, and . . . we’re too different. Maybe it’s best if we cut our losses and call it quits.”
Lucy was speechless. What the actual fuck? This had been her life for almost four years, and he wanted them to “cut their losses?” They’d been great together. All right, maybe they were good together. Lord knows she made a lot of sacrifices for him, but that’s what you do! Isn’t it? You do what’s best for your partner; in return, they do the same.
“I am going to head to Steve’s and crash for the night,” he said, stuffing a few things into a duffel bag. “I’ll give you some time to get your stuff together. I won’t be back until tonight after work. That should be long enough.”
“Wait, you want me to move out? In less than twenty-four hours?”
“Well, yeah. This was my apartment to begin with, and you moved in. It just makes sense. Plus, your name isn’t even on the lease.”
He tugged on a pair of black jeans and his Vince Sonoma loafers. Running a hand through his somehow still perfectly coiffed hair, his bicep flexed, straining against his fitted white V-neck T-shirt. He shrugged and threw his bag across his shoulder.
“I am sorry to do this on your birthday.”
Lucy watched Brodan stalk from the room. The jangle of keys followed him out the front door as it shut behind him, emphasizing the silence with a quiet snick .
In their bedroom—correction: what was their bedroom until just a minute ago—Lucy stood dumbfounded. What just happened? They’d spent four years together, and though she never could picture herself marrying Brodan, she hadn’t been ready for it to end quite yet.
The notion of going after him flitted through her mind but didn’t linger. Lowering slowly, she sat on the edge of the bed and dropped her head into her hands. She attempted a sob, squeezing her eyes shut, trying to wring water out of a dry washcloth. She had every intention of crying, but couldn’t seem to make the tears fall.