Chapter Fourteen
Colson
The ride to the diner has been quiet except for the radio coming through the speakers at a low volume.
I know I should say something, but I have no idea where to start.
Glancing at Lucy, she looks to be deep in thought.
Her arm is on the window track, fingers resting below her chin as she stares out the window.
Her face is neutral, so I can’t tell what might be on her mind.
I get lost in my own thoughts until we reach the diner.
Placing the truck in park, Lucy is out and shutting the door before I even take the key out. I watch her make her way into the diner before getting out myself. Walking through the door, I see her already getting our order placed to go.
“Want to sit here or wait in the truck?” I shift my weight on my feet.
“Can we wait in the truck?” Lucy looks around, biting the inside of her cheek.
“Sure.”
I motion for her to go first, and she quickly rushes out. I nod towards Sarah, the waitress, and put some extra cash down on the bar, knowing she’ll bring it out to us when the order is ready. Getting back in the truck, I notice a gloss over Lucy’s eyes as she stares at her hands in her lap.
Shit. What happened?
“You okay, Rich Girl?”
Lucy looks at me, and her lower lip quivers as tears fill her eyes.
Fuck. What would Nash or Ren do?
“Hey, Nash is okay. It’s just a bump on the head. He’s had worse.” I shrug at her and let out a small chuckle.
“I’m not crying about Nash, you idiot. I barely know you guys.” Lucy’s voice shakes and the tears start to fall. “I’m glad he’s okay, obviously, but it’s not about him. You wouldn’t care anyway.” She waves me off and looks back out the window, tears falling silently.
“Try me.” I angle my body towards her the best I can.
Turning back to me with a steel glare, she says, “I miss my Nana, alright? We used to come here every Friday after school and at least once every time I would come home to visit after leaving for college.”
“Did you cry when you were here earlier with Ren?” I immediately regret the words leaving my mouth as the anger flashes through her glare.
“No, I didn’t. It didn’t even cross my mind because, unlike you, Ren actually talks to me and is happy when he does.
He is also great at distracting people from their issues and getting them to forget for a millisecond about their issues,” she spits the words out, and I hate to admit that they sting.
I go to speak, and she puts her finger to my mouth.
Her eyes widen for a fraction of a second, like she can’t believe she did that, before the glare returns.
“Save it, Colson. I don’t want to hear what you have to say. ”
I shake my head, and her fingers leave my lips, immediately making me want them back where they were. I rack my brain, trying to decide what to say to help the situation, and come up empty-handed. The silence is deafening, even as Sarah brings us our order, and the entire way back to the house.
After lunch, I can’t stop thinking about what Lucy said. I know Ren and I are different, but I didn’t expect her comment to affect me as much as it did. I find Ren in the kitchen, cleaning up. Nash was sent to his room to rest, and as much as Lucy offered to help, Ren sent her away as well.
“Hey man, think we could talk when you’re done?” I ask, running my hand up and down his back.
“Sure. Let me finish this and check on Nash, and then we can chat. Why don’t you wait on the porch? It’s nice today,” Ren answers but doesn’t look at me.
Did I piss him off too?
“Okay,” is all I say before placing a quick kiss on his cheek and turning to head outside.
Opening the door, I step out onto the porch. The sun is shining brightly, breaking through the small rain clouds. I look out across the yard and notice a dark mass in the sky above the mountains.
Looks like a storm is rolling in tonight.
I turn to walk towards the rocking chairs and pause.
Lucy is sitting there with a water bottle sitting on the small, circular table between the chairs, and in her hand is the thickest book I’ve ever seen.
She looks to be about a third of the way through it, and I admit I want to know what it’s about.
Lucy peeks up over the top of the book but doesn’t say a word.
I make my way towards the other chair and sit as she resumes reading.
Grabbing her water bottle, I watch out of the corner of my eye as she takes a drink and sets it back down.
After a few moments, I turn and look at her, noticing her eyes opening wider and her mouth forming an “oh”.
Something quickly flashes across her face, and I can’t decipher what it is.
Lust? Desire? Excitement? Before I can think too much into it, she speaks up.
“Why are you staring? I’m not going to cry again.” She closes the book, her pointer finger keeping her spot as an angry glare meets my eyes.
“I—” Huffing out a breath, I roll my eyes. “I wasn’t staring. Just trying to figure out when you learned to read.”
She lets out a hard “Ha,” and somehow hardens her glare even more. “Probably before you did, you big buffoon. Want to know what it’s about?”
I shrug in response, but I really do want to know. I want to know what that emotion I saw was. “Sure you can explain it?”
“I’ll keep it simple for you. It’s about a girl getting railed by four guys at once.”
My face must give away my shock because Lucy laughs and stands up to grab her things. Heading back inside, she stops at the doorway. She opens her mouth like she wants to say something, but stops herself. Shaking her head, she continues inside, slamming the door behind her.
I’m still debating on what I did to piss both Ren and Lucy off so bad when Ren steps outside. He sits in the other rocking chair and looks towards the mountains, not saying a word.
“How’s Nash doing?” I glance at Ren, who sighs.
“He’s doing good. He’s taking a hot shower now and then plans on taking a nap.”
Silence wraps around us until thunder sounds in the distance. The storm is moving closer.
“Lucy started crying in my truck today,” I start, looking out the same direction as him.
I see him nod his head from my peripheral.
“She misses her Nana. I guess my being quiet on the way to the diner didn’t help.
” I fill him in on what she said about the difference between him and me, leaving out the part about her finger on my lips and how it made me feel.
He’s quiet for a few minutes, and that makes me anxious. I’m rubbing my hands on my jeans when he finally speaks.
“What did you say to her?”
“Nothing. I didn’t know what to do or say, so I let her cry in silence.” My stomach churns a little at the admission.
Why am I feeling guilty about this? Rich Girl is not my problem.
“So why are you telling me?” Ren pops a brow up looking at me.
“Figured you could say something to her or whatever.” I know Ren is going to make some smart-ass comment, so I quickly add, “I don’t need her crying in my truck again.”
Ren smiles and leans back in the chair, rocking back and forth. “Hmm. You have to know that you are more qualified to deal with this than both Nash and me, right?”
“Huh?”
“Lucy’s grandma raised her. Her dad left the minute he found out about the pregnancy, and she lost her real mother when she was only six years old.
My parents are still alive on the other side of town, and even if they don’t live here anymore, Nash’s parents are alive, too.
” He pauses for a second, and even though I can feel his eyes on me, I don’t look over.
I have an idea of what he’s going to say, and honestly, it’s not something I want to hear.
“You lost the only female figure in your life, Cole, and Lucy has now lost both of hers. I’m not sure how to help in this situation, but you—you know what that loss is like. ”
I suck in a deep breath, but say nothing.
How does he know all of this? When the fuck did they get so close?
A few more minutes pass in silence before he asks, “What happened to Rich Girl?”
"What do you mean? I just told you.” Confused, I look at him.
“You called her Lucy. Not Lucille, not Rich Girl. Lucy.” His smile grows a tiny bit larger.
“No, I didn’t.” Yes, I did, but I’m not admitting that. “Whatever man. Just make sure she doesn’t cry in my truck again anytime soon, alright?”
“Yeah, okay.” Ren rolls his eyes, lets out a laugh, and leaves it at that.