6. Six #2
I groaned and flopped on the ground, out of sight.
“I might have accidentally eavesdropped on him talking to Brody and Nathan. They asked for the full story. He didn’t give it to them.
They asked if we ever hooked up. He laughed as if that was the funniest thing he’d ever heard and brought up the Klingon again. ”
“I’m going to punch that guy in his Klingons if he’s not careful,” Lucy seethed.
For some reason, having her on my side — even though she was wearing a sparkly pink cowboy hat and was about to hit me up for plane ticket money — made me feel better.
“We talked about it when we were walking on the riverwalk after,” I added. “We’ve agreed that we’re not going to discuss the past and stay out of each other’s way.”
It didn’t become obvious that I’d said the wrong thing until Lucy fell absolutely silent. She was so quiet, in fact, I assumed the call had dropped. It happened frequently on her ranch. Apparently, they didn’t have great internet out there.
“Luce?” I forced myself to sit back up. She was on the screen still, glaring. “Are you frozen?”
“No.” She looked constipated she was so focused. “I’m just trying to work something out in my head.”
“What?”
“What were you doing on the riverwalk with him? Did you guys go there together?”
“Oh, no.” I shook my head. “I was trying to avoid him, so I took the long way around the restaurant when I left. Turns out, he did the same thing. Thanks to our attempts to avoid one another, we actually ended up in the same spot with nobody around.”
“And?”
And what? “Um … that’s it.”
“It doesn’t sound like that’s it.”
“Well, it is.”
She remained dubious. “Did you hold hands? Was there kissing? How about a few longing looks? I would take that.”
This conversation had gone completely off the rails. “Why would there be kissing?”
“Ha!” She jabbed her finger at the screen. “I knew you still wanted to kiss him. That was your dream, right? When you were 14, you wanted him to be your first kiss.”
I’d told her that on her 21st birthday, when I’d gotten drunker than her. I’d regretted it ever since. “I wanted a lot of things when I was 14, including to join Starfleet. Not everything you dream of when you’re 14 comes to fruition. You should know.”
“I’m going to find my cowgirl,” Lucy argued. “As for you and Huxley —”
“There is no me and Huxley,” I shot back, my temper getting the better of me. She was really starting to irritate me. “There is no me and Huxley, and there never will be.”
“Oh, come on.” Lucy made a face. “You write romance novels. Is this not the plot of the best romance novel ever? Two star-crossed lovers separated by warring families, only to get reacquainted 20 years later and forge the love of a lifetime.” She mock-clutched at her heart.
I rolled my eyes. “I write sci-fi romance, which means he would need tentacles.”
“And a 10-foot penis,” Lucy said. “I read that weird book you wrote about the guy with the tentacles, and a 10-foot penis is just way too much.”
“Inches,” I corrected. “It was 10 inches.”
“That’s what I said.”
I looked at the clock on the wall. “I should probably go.”
“Oh, no.” Lucy clucked her tongue and shook her head. “I think there’s something here that you’re not telling me.”
“I’ve told you everything. Literally.”
“Then tell me why my idea won’t work.” She sounded so sure of herself that I hated the possibility of crushing her. It had to be done, though.
“He brought up Mick,” I said in a soft voice.
Lucy froze. “That was … bold.” She looked lost for words for a beat, which was completely unlike her. Then she shrugged. “That should be water under the bridge at this point. Hasn’t his mother been married 10 times since?”
“I think it’s only been three.” I tried to do the math. “Or four times maybe.”
“Either way, that woman isn’t built for marriage. For her to do what she did after what she did to Mom in the first place …” She trailed off.
I understood what she was saying, and I happened to agree with her. It wasn’t something I wanted to dwell on, though. “He has to be loyal to his mom, Lucy. You know that as well as I do.”
“Fine.” She might have agreed, but she wasn’t happy about it. “I’m still coming to help.”
Of all the things she could have said, that was the one I wasn’t expecting. “What?”
“Change of plans,” she said firmly. “I’m coming to Savannah.”
“I guarantee there are no hot lesbian cowgirls for you to make your soulmate here. Although, weirdly, there’s a bar with a mechanical bull.”
“Oh, we’re definitely going there.” Lucy was firm. “I’m coming to help you get through this Huxley thing. It’s obvious he traumatized you.”
Funny, I didn’t feel traumatized. “I’m fine. We talked things out. We’re good.”
“I’ll look up flights and be there as soon as I can,” she insisted, not backing down. “I’m going to need you to pay for the ticket when I find one.”
Of course she did. “Lucy —”
“You have a guest room and no guests,” she countered before I could figure out what I wanted to say. “To me, that sounds kismet. We haven’t shared a roof in years.”
And I was happy about that. I loved my sister — well and truly — but living with her was way too much work. “Lucy, I’m going to be busy all summer. I’m not going to have time for you.”
“It’s not as if I need a babysitter,” she reminded me. “I’ll be able to entertain myself. We’ll be roommates. It will be fun.”
“A roommate pays half the rent,” I pointed out.
She pretended she didn’t hear me. “I’ll be in touch and let you know my travel plans. I can’t wait until Mom hears about us living together. I bet she’ll visit us for a change.”
I wasn’t sure that I wanted Mom in Savannah when Huxley was running around. What if his mother decided to visit him? That would be a catastrophe to end all catastrophes.
“Lucy —”
“Bye.” She hung up before I could say anything else.
Briefly, I closed my eyes. Lucy being in Savannah was going to make things worse.
I didn’t need her hunting down Huxley and kicking him in the knee because he stole a Kit Kat from her.
That was something she had actually done when she was four.
I had my doubts that Huxley would be happy to see her too.
Although picturing his face when Lucy showed up to give him a hard time made me smile. Maybe having my sister stay with me for a few weeks — just until she found a new gig — wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world after all.