5. Chapter Five Lucy
Chapter Five: Lucy
E ven though I tell Eric that I don’t have time to grab a coffee with him, he insists on escorting me to the inland residential streets where the Lee household is located. Gigi just confirmed via text that I could stop by and see with my own eyes that she’s got everything in order for the wedding. She’s a lot more understanding about my control-freak tendencies than Mrs. Whitten, thankfully. As a former professional chef and current catering genius, she’s also a big fan of double- and triple-checking things.
Take that, Mrs. Whitten.
“I remember these streets,” Eric muses as he walks alongside me. He points south. “Isn’t your house down that way?”
We’ve just taken a shortcut behind the Siren & Sword that allows us to bypass most of the chaos of Main Street. Still, even with the brightness and noise behind us, I feel like I’m stuck in a time loop where I keep running into Theo Danvers over and over again. My mind refuses to stop replaying the memory, intent on driving me insane.
I blink fast, forcing my brain to focus on the current conversation.
“No, it’s actually in the opposite direction,” I inform Eric.
He chuckles easily. “Ah. Well, anyway, I feel like this town hasn’t changed at all since I was last here.”
“Honestly, it really hasn’t,” I admit fondly. I like that Mermaid Shores hardly ever changes. Sure, certain things modernize and the occasional new business pops up every once in a while, but everything else is stable and dependable. It’s comforting.
“Have you been living here this whole time? I mean, since you graduated from BU?” Eric asks.
“Yep. And where have you been?” We lost touch before Eric finished at Dartmouth, so I never really paid attention to where he ended up after the fact.
He shrugs nonchalantly. “Here and there. I worked for a small marketing firm in Portsmouth for a while, then went down to New York to see if the big city suited me.”
“Did it?”
“Not really. Technically, I still live there, but I’m thinking about moving soon.”
“Oh? Where to?”
Eric grins. “Wherever the wind takes me, Lucy.”
“And did the wind take you here to Mermaid Shores?”
“Kind of. Well, actually, I’m not supposed to be here.” He offers me a wicked smile. “Do you want to know a secret?”
I can’t help laughing at that. Eric has such a playful nature that it’s totally effortless to be around him. He was the same when he was a teenager, if even more wild. It’s one of the reasons why I was so determined to kiss him that summer.
And the other reason… I’d rather not dwell on that.
“I love secrets,” I tell him.
“Good, because it’s juicy. See, I’m here for a wedding, and I’m definitely not crashing, but I do think my presence will be unexpected, because…”
And then Eric launches into an elaborate story that has my jaw on the ground for the entire walk to Gigi Lee’s house.
As he tells it, Eric wasn’t just in town that summer twelve years ago because his family decided out of the blue to vacation in Mermaid Shores. The truth is, his mother brought them here in an attempt to smooth over a broken bridge with Mrs. Cromwell—Elijah’s mother.
Because Eric’s mother is apparently Elijah’s aunt. On his father’s side.
Everyone knows that Elijah’s father left before he was born. Mrs. Cromwell was seven months pregnant when he left for a lobstering trip and never returned. Not because he died at sea or anything dramatic like that, but because he was a flighty idiot who couldn’t handle the pressure of impending fatherhood. All the locals praise Mrs. Cromwell about how incredible she was at being a single mother.
The point is, Elijah hardly knew anything about his father and knew nothing at all about his father’s family. He didn’t even know he had an aunt on that side of the family. Not until Eric’s mother brought them to town twelve years ago and tried to patch things up with Mrs. Cromwell, hoping to introduce her nephew to Mrs. Cromwell’s kids. Hoping to bring the cousins together.
“At the time, I didn’t know anything about it,” Eric tells me. “Neither did Elijah. It’s crazy, isn’t it? I mean, we hung out quite a few times and we didn’t even know we were related.”
“Why didn’t your mom say anything?”
He shrugs. “I think she was nervous that Elijah’s mom would tell us to get lost. Or something like that. Honestly, I don’t even really know the details of what happened. My mom isn’t the most personable of people, so she probably didn’t approach Mrs. Cromwell in the best way. I don’t know. From what I understand, they got into an argument, agreed to never speak to each other again, and that’s why our vacation ended earlier than expected.”
We round the corner of Pepper Lane, where the Lees have lived for my entire life.
“And now you’re here?” I ask. I don’t remember an Eric Ascott being on the list of wedding guests when we ordered the invitations. Maybe Elijah snuck him in there at the last minute.
“I reached out to Elijah a couple years ago,” Eric explains, “after I found out the truth about our families. I didn’t really expect him to respond, but we’ve been keeping in touch. My mom is still timid about the whole thing, though, so I didn’t tell her I was invited to the wedding. Even my sister doesn’t know, but I don’t think Natalie would care anyway. She’s still as self-centered as she’s always been.”
“Wow. So, Elijah has a cousin. Two cousins, I guess.”
Eric grins. “We don’t look alike at all, do we?”
Elijah is a few inches taller, and Eric is stockier. They have different hair, different eyes, and different personalities entirely. Still, I guess there is something in the shape of their jaws and the particular curve of their noses that speaks to a shared ancestry.
“Not really,” I admit. “Maybe a tiny bit, if you really look for it.”
We stop at the Lees’ front gate. Eric shoves his hands in his pockets.
“Well, anyway, it’s good to see you, Lucy,” he says. “And it’s cool to know you’re the maid of honor. I can’t believe I’m only now putting it together that Elijah’s bride is your cousin. We’ll be seeing a lot of each other over the next few days, I suppose!”
“Yeah…”
Is he flirting? Do I want him to be? Does it matter?
There’s no spark. In all honesty, there wasn’t much of a spark when I was a teenager, either. The kiss we shared was just a silly, one-time thing. One of those major stepping stones you just want to get over with and then move on. At least, that’s how I saw it.
“I’ll let you carry on with your day,” Eric continues. “See you around, Lucy. Oh, and by the way, I promise I don’t have mono this time.”
I force a laugh, wondering why he would feel the need to make a joke like that. Is he thinking about kissing me again? Seriously? We barely know each other. It’s been twelve years!
“See you later, Eric,” I reply, choosing to ignore the comment entirely.
He starts walking backwards away from me, waving cheerfully as I push open the gate and walk up the gravel path to the Lees’ front porch.
Am I happy to see Eric again? I don’t know. Truthfully, I feel pretty neutral about it. I’m glad that Elijah has reconnected with one of his estranged family members, and it’s nice that Eric will get to experience the wedding. But other than that, it’s not like I’m excited and thrilled and over-the-moon about his return to Mermaid Shores. Weirdly, I feel almost nothing at all.
But Theo, on the other hand…
I feel my lips curve into an automatic frown at the thought of him. I definitely feel something about his return to town, and it’s not positive.
I wonder if I could convince Sam Dechaine to banish him. She’s the mayor, after all. Surely, she has the power to do that. Except, banishment is probably no longer a thing. Pity.
Whatever Theo is doing here, I know for a fact that it can’t be for the wedding. I would know if he knew Elijah.
So, at least I’m safe from running into him again at any of the upcoming wedding events. It’s a small mercy.
Before I can worry much longer about what could have possibly brought Theo Danvers, of all people, all the way to Mermaid Shores, a familiar head of bright red hair pokes out past the front door of the quaint blue house before me.
“Hey, Lucy!” chirps Mabel Lee—Gigi’s daughter and the assistant manager at the Siren & Sword, where she’d been a waitress for over a decade. Mabel was a few years above me and Josie at school, but we always liked her. Everyone always likes Mabel.
“Hi, Mabel. How’s it going?”
“Oh, you know… off to the restaurant. Same old, same old. I’m looking forward to the wedding this weekend, though. It’s been ages since I’ve set foot near Blakeley Manor. That’s usually rich tourist territory.”
I laugh, climbing the steps as Mabel comes out onto the porch with her trademark smile. She’s insanely pretty and a notorious flirt, but she’s also been single for as long as I can remember. Just like me, I guess, except I’m nowhere near as gorgeous as Mabel and also not great at flirting.
“Tell me about it,” I reply with a grin. “But Josie’s been dreaming of having her wedding there forever, so Elijah was determined to make it happen.”
Mabel chuckles. “I swear they could make Josieandelijah’s love story into a movie. Maybe we should pitch it to one of the Hollywood folks hanging around here this summer.”
“Now, that’s an idea.”
A voice, slightly brisker than Mabel’s, calls from inside the house, “Is that Lucy? Come on in, hon! Mabel, stop gossiping!”
Mabel snorts and shakes her head, stepping aside for me to reach the front door. Her keys jingle in her hand and I can see the royal blue apron from the Siren & Sword poking out of her bag. I swear she never takes a day off.
“Are you bringing a date?” Mabel suddenly asks.
“What?”
“To the wedding?”
“Oh… no. No, I’ll be too busy doing maid-of-honor stuff. Montgomery Events stuff, too, I guess. Do you have a date?”
Mabel laughs heartily. “No way. You know me. This little birdie flies solo.”
I assume it’d be rude to ask why, so I just respond with what I hope is a knowing chuckle. Mabel salutes me, then marches down the porch steps. I duck inside the house.
Gigi, all curves and warmth and wild red hair, bustles into the entryway the second the door clicks shut behind me.
“Good, you’re here!” she sings, practically dragging me into the kitchen. “I need you to try this bruschetta. It’s a new recipe, and I’d like your approval before I finalize it for the reception. Oh, and there’s a steak marinade that I’m not quite sure about for those adorable little frites we agreed on. Plus, I know we’ve got the wedding cake and all that, but I thought it might be nice to offer a vegan gelato alternative, if you approve. It’s blueberry. You’ll love it. I hope you’re hungry…”
I allow myself to be swept into the chaos that is Gigi Lee’s kitchen, my stomach grumbling at the delicious aromas floating around the house. Josie would approve of everything without a second thought, but I’m delighted that Gigi understands the importance of the tiniest details.
This wedding will be perfect. Or else.