Chapter 28
Lily
Are you available to talk? And are you alone? (or at least no Lucas), I texted to Stick the Monday after the last swim lesson.
A moment later, he answered yes to both, and I called him.
“Do you know Lucas’s boss, Frank?” I asked him.
“Yeah. He’s from the neighborhood. He’s, like, my dad’s age, so it’s not like we’re buds or anything, but yeah, I know him. Why?”
“Think he’d do a favor for you?”
“Hell no, he hates my guts.”
I was going to ask if Stick had stolen Frank’s car, but decided not to. I needed him. “Think he’d do a favor for Lucas?”
“Hell yes, L is Frank’s boy.”
“Great. Here’s what I want to happen…”
I told Stick my plan and gave him exact instructions on day and time for it all to go down.
“I thought your dad made—”
“Things have changed,” I said.
A small pause and then Stick said, “Well, thank Christ. I don’t think I could have stood his melancholy ass too much longer.”
“So, you’re pretty sure he would want to…see me again?”
Stick’s snort of disbelief sounded like Beethoven to my ears. “Uh…that would be a yes.”
“Because I can just leave it alone…” The idea of being able to date Lucas but him already having moved on was devastating. But I knew that, regardless of Stick’s answer, I was going to see my plan through. The “person I am today” was someone who was brave and followed her heart.
“Don’t leave it alone. Make your play.”
“Thanks, Stick,” I said. I was about to hang up when I added, “Not so Basic now, am I?”
He laughed. “There was never anything Basic about you, Lily,” he said, and then hung up.
And I started thinking about tomorrow night.