42. Chapter 42
Chapter forty-two
Two days later: Lucy
“ T o the OG Brunch Bunch!” Todd bellowed, lifting his mimosa high in the air.
“Can you say that a little louder? I don’t think the salon next door heard you.” Lucy chuckled, raising her Bloody Mary anyway. She, Todd, and her—until recently MIA—friends Lydia and Kylie clinked their glasses together.
“Nonsense. Brunch is for celebration. Everyone knows that.” He waved dismissively then downed the drink. “The bottomless mimosas alone are cause enough, but I have truly missed being with you lovely ladies.”
“We’ve missed you both too,” Kylie agreed, securing her long blonde hair into a tight bun before digging into her frittata. She took a massive bite then wiggled in her chair as she chewed. Lucy loved food, but Kylie really loved food. So much so that the fervor with which she ate made Lucy enjoy her own meal that much more. “How are you feeling lately, Luce?”
“Physically or emotionally?” Lucy snorted then winced at the lingering pull in her ribs. Her fracture was healing nicely, according to her doctor, and the bruises and scrapes had all faded. What managed to remain was the dull throb inside her chest, where Jonathan had removed her heart, chopped it up, then reassembled it into a bastardized version of a Picasso before ramming it back in place. It still managed to ache with each beat, but she’d gotten more adept at faking her way through the pain. “ I’m hanging in there.”
“Have you hiked at all since . . .?” Lydia trailed off as she refilled her and Todd’s champagne flute with the table’s communal carafe of mimosas.
“Since I got stranded in the woods for four days and fell ass-over-tea-kettle into a river?”
There was no sense in beating around the bush. Lucy had survived some apocalypse-level shit, but she was getting tired of people tiptoeing around her like she might melt into a weepy puddle at any moment.
“A few. I did an easy one last month with my dad since I was still regaining my strength. We did the Franklin Ghost Town Trail, and he scuttled around me for the entire two miles like a concerned mother hen. It was pretty sweet at first, but eventually, I had to tell him to back off a little.” The hike had been beautiful and provided a healthy dose of nostalgia, reminding Lucy of when she was a kid and used to hike with her father often. However, it also brought up more recent, raw memories of Leavenworth. At one point, she’d been crying and hadn’t realized until her dad wrapped her in a gentle hug, cooing words of comfort and reassurance. Then the floodgates really burst open as fellow hikers strode by, refusing to make eye contact and uncomfortably pretending nothing was amiss.
Ok, maybe there was still a minor risk of collapsing into a blubbering mess.
Over the last two months, Lucy had physically healed (for the most part), practiced moments of doing things just for herself, and informed her boss that she’d be traveling more while she worked remotely. Her first extended stay was scheduled for later this month: three weeks in a tiny home on Orcas Island, nothing too far from civilization but removed enough from the big city that it’ll feel like an adventure. Her brothers, Garrett and Oliver, visited for a long weekend the end of July. The siblings made a trip up to the Paradise side of Mount Rainier to hike Skyline. It was Lucy’s first major hike since healing, and though they had to turn back early, she loved every minute of it. The reconfiguration of her life was coming together in a satisfying tapestry yet remained incomplete due to a single abrasive snag.
Jonathan.
She stopped bringing him up to others because what was the point? It had been two months, and she hadn’t heard a peep from him. And while it wasn’t surprising that he’d cut ties completely, she couldn’t help but feel resentful that he hadn’t at least checked in to make sure she’d healed. Had she meant that little to him? Perhaps she’d been delusional and fabricated this elaborate romance in her mind to cope with their dire stranded-in-the-woods situation.
I don’t know what this is, but you must feel it. There’s no way you don’t.
Jump with me, sunshine.
Bullshit, all of it. Pretty platitudes spoken against the backdrop of isolation, trauma, and proximity. They didn’t mean anything. They were just . . . words. But god, they had felt real. Lucy shook herself and snapped back to the present. Her body had repaired itself; her heart would eventually catch up and follow suit.
“We should all plan something once you’re back to full strength,” Lydia suggested, drumming her short, peach manicure on the side of her glass.
Lucy grinned at her only other nature-loving friend and nodded. “I’d like that.”
“I think I’m busy that day,” Todd quipped, popping a grape into his mouth.
“Yes, yes, we know how much you hate nature.” Lydia snorted, rolling her eyes.
“I love Mother Nature as much as the next, and I respect her enough not to make a fool of myself in her presence. But I’m happy to meet up for drinks afterward.” He paused, nose crinkling in distaste. “After you all shower.”
The group erupted into giggles.
This was good. Lucy’s heart felt a little less broken whenever she surrounded herself with loved ones. There were full minutes where she didn’t feel the sinking grief that had taken up permanent residence in her chest or think of the grumpy guide that had been living rent-free in her mind since he’d dismissed her that day in the hospital. She was healing.
“Brunch is good for one more thing too,” Todd mentioned with an air of forced casualness. His eyes flitted around the table at each of the women then back down to his chicken fried steak.
“I’ll bite,” Kylie said with cautious curiosity. “What else is it good for?”
“Well, since you ask, I need a favor.” He rushed to continue. “It’s super tiny for you but would be huge for me.”
Lucy put down her fork and looked seriously at her best friend. The person who had supported her as she limped—literally and figuratively—through the last two months. He had been her foundation, keeping her from sinking in on herself, and provided harsh truths and comforting hugs in equal measure.
“Todd,” she began, reaching beside her to grip his hand. “There is nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”
He beamed and Lucy thought she spied a glimmer of a tear brimming in his eye. But he cleared his throat and threaded his fingers with hers.
“It’s settled, then. Be at The Tackle Boxx at ten o’clock sharp. I need the three of you front and center for my newest performance. I’m quaking in my favorite eight-inch boots and will feel much better with all of you gazing lovingly upon me.”
Lucy giggled. “I could never imagine you nervous, especially in drag.”
“This number is outside of my usual. I’m taking a big risk,” he stated then smiled in his typical mischievous way. “But the payoff will be enormous .”
Lydia leaned in, keeping her voice low. “Give us a hint—”
“No spoilers,” he cut in. “Say you’ll be there?”
All three women agreed, deciding to meet up at Lucy’s at eight to get ready. Later that evening, Lydia and Kylie descended on Lucy’s apartment, insisting they pick out what she should wear. Begrudgingly, she’d donned the little forest green dress they selected but drew the line at having her makeup applied by either of them. After taking a few minutes to line her eyes and apply mascara, she snatched a tinted lip gloss and shooed the others out the door.