Chapter 44
The town files out with high spirits and guesses in the air about who the second bidder might be. But to my surprise, Lucy isn’t interested. In fact, she’s particularly quiet as we leave the hall and cross Washington Street.
It’s darker than when we entered, the sky now a brilliant dark slate blue with an explosion of stars. This is the kind of sky I want to see every night, not one that glows with the reflection of city lights instead.
I look from the stars to the woman beside me, feeling delighted by the turn of events this evening. But based on the pinch between her brows that peek out from her bangs, I might be the only one.
“Am I wrong, or are you not happy about this?” I ask, slipping my arm around her shoulders.
“It means you’ll leave,” Lucy murmurs. Her voice is quiet, muffled even by the way she tucks her chin into her coat. “A second bid means you might lose and then you’ll have no reason to be here.”
We turn down the alley behind the main strip of businesses, a short cut back to my apartment. But this route also affords us a hint of privacy from the dispersing crowd, and I stop walking, wrapping my arm inward and bringing her with it until she’s pressed against my chest.
“Luce,” I breathe, tipping my mouth down to skim hers. “I’d still have a reason to be here.”
Her bottom lip wobbles and I place a kiss there.
“I need you to know that.”
“I hoped,” she says with a shy smile. “But how would that work?”
With her hand settling in mine, we continue on our way. Glancing up ahead, I consider her question as I watch the halo of light above my apartment door blink in the distance. It comes in and out of view as nearly bare branches are jostled by the wind.
“Well,” I start, “I think this has been working already. Don’t you?”
“Being just Jake and Lucy, sure.”
My mouth hooks up in the corner. “I’m glad you agree.”
That earns a smile from her as well. And an eye roll. “But you know that’s not what I mean.”
We step from the narrow road up onto the walkway to my door, and I wait until we stop at the threshold to turn and face her once more. The soft glow from the light casts a warmth over her cheeks and highlights a twinkle in her eyes.
I can’t help staring into them as I say, “I feel more like myself here than anywhere else. Even if I’m not sure where that leads, seems like a good place to start.”
“You and fate,” she teases, her voice heavy with affection. It causes my smile to widen.
“Besides.” I cross my arms and lean in the door jam. “Carpenter Collection hasn’t lost the bid yet.”
“Speaking of, how are you going to break this news to your dad?”
My face falls. “Now that is a fair question.”
“I heard once that they make these cartons this way so that they can fold out to a plate,” Lucy says between bites of lo mein.
She’s nestled into the couch with her feet propped up on the coffee table—clad in my socks.
The sight of it all sends a pang through my heart.
She’s at home here, with Bear laying underneath her legs and the tiny white takeout carton in one hand, chopsticks in the other.
I love it. I love everything about this night since we left town hall and every other night we’ve had like this.
But it feels different now that Taylor’s moved out. There’s a quiet contentment to our evenings that I wouldn’t trade for anything.
Taking a crisp bite of egg roll, I shake my head. “I can assure you, they do not.”
“Really?”
“Not all of them at least. I know from experience.”
Lucy pinches a pea pod between the chop sticks and points it in my direction. “Is this an embarrassing story? You don’t have many of those—not like some of us.”
“I have plenty.” Polishing off the egg roll, I lean over and prop my elbow on the back of the sofa behind her. “Want to hear it?”
“Of course.”
I smirk at the way she turns her whole body towards me with gleeful interest. “It was my first week in the vice president role, and I was leading a meeting for a fairly significant merger. We ordered lunch for everyone, and as Tad puts the carton in front of me, he says the same thing you did.”
A little giggle of anticipation slips from her, and I feign a scowl. “And you decided to prove it then?”
“I did. Slowly, I went for the sides, starting to untuck them, and it made the whole bottom give out.” A snort escapes me as I remember what came next. “Soy sauce ruined the merger contract I hadn’t thought to move aside. It was the only copy I bothered to make too.”
“No,” she gapes.
“As the other company’s executive worked to wipe soy sauce splatter off his shirt beside me, I had to explain to him how I needed to call the law firm that wrote it out for us and have them prepare another copy.
And at the same time, Tad was trying so hard not to laugh at me, he starts choking on a shrimp and ends up spitting it back out, right onto the table. ”
“Okay,” she says with mirth in her gaze. “That’s embarrassing.”
I snatch a piece of chicken out of my fried rice container and pop it in my mouth. “Told you.”
“But what if—” Lucy starts before the trill of my phone echoes through the room.
I glance over to check the caller ID. Richard Carpenter. It’s as if he can sense I’m delaying my obligation to give him the news from the village trustees.
Or maybe he can sense that I’m enjoying myself and far too happy in this moment.
“He’s relentless.” I sigh. “If I don’t answer he likes to keep calling.”
“Are you okay with me being here?”
“I prefer it, actually.”
She grabs the takeout once more, hiding her face behind a heaping pile of noodles. I just barely catch the hint of blush forming on her cheeks. It’s adorable.
“Or maybe I just unplug the phone from the jack,” I mutter, my eyes drifting along the cord to where it connects to the wall. The idea is more tempting than I care to admit, and I’m seriously considering it when I hear her click her tongue in disapproval.
Turning back to Lucy, I watch her arch a brow. “Isn’t it best to just get it over with?”
The ringing continues to taunt me, bursting the perfect bubble of this evening. I reach for the phone and answer. “Dad, hey.”
“Jake, haven’t gotten a status update from you since you went back to that little town.”
“Well, there was a meeting tonight.”
Beside me, Lucy slurps in a noddle and I crack a smile. It turns out that her presence makes these calls significantly better. I relax back into the sofa until our bodies are pressed together in a line from shoulder to knee.
“A board meeting? Why would they have another one?” my father grumbles.
“Because Carpenter Collection is no longer the only bid entered on the property.”
The line goes eerily silent, and I imagine him sitting in his office growing red in the face. Finally, he speaks again. “How could you let this happen?”
“Excuse me.” I laugh drily. “What would you have liked me to do?”
“Focus on the matter at hand, for starters. What are you even doing with all your time there if you haven’t formed enough of a relationship with a board member to know this was coming?”
My fingers reach out to brush Lucy’s hair back over her shoulder then cup her jaw. She tips into my embrace with a spark of curiosity in her eyes.
“I’ve been making excellent use of my time,” I assure him.
She smiles and I feel it in my chest.
“Apparently not,” he scoffs. “Maybe you need to get back to the office, and I should come handle things out there myself.”
“That won’t be necessary.” My voice dips an octave and my brow darkens. The last thing this town needs is Richard Carpenter in it.
“Find out who is responsible for this second bid or I will, Jacob.”
“Understood.”
I don’t tell him that I’ll have no trouble identifying this second bidder. I also don’t tell him I have no intention of stopping it.