“Maybe it needs to be simpler. And less colorful,” she suggested softly. The flyer looked more like a haunted carnival than a kiddie tea party.
“Here.” Leah surrendered the rest of the flyers. “I trust you. Can you make a new one by the end of today? I want to hang it in the shop window and outside.”
Lucy nodded. She could have it done in fifteen minutes. Leah set her up in the dining room–office at her laptop and left her to it. It felt important to be sitting in her boss’s leather chair at her desk, but also a little strange. Each time the chandelier flickered overhead Lucy swung her gaze up. Brad swore it was the captain’s daughters. Lucy was pretty sure it was just the old house, but she said a silent prayer just in case. She was printing out the new sample when her boss showed up in the doorway. “Luce, someone is asking for you out front.”
“For me?” A short distance behind Leah stood a teenage boy. Right away Lucy recognized the lanky figure of Jep Parsons. He stared back at her from beneath the hood of his sweatshirt.
Lucy froze. There was no way she could tell Leah who he was, because that would mean explaining things. Things she desperately needed to keep separate from the Sandy Page. But she also couldn’t escape.
Leah remained in the doorway, looking at her oddly. “Everything okay?”
Lucy swallowed hard. “Yes,” she lied. “Here, I just finished this.”
Before she could change her mind she handed Leah the new flyer and ducked past her. She strode through the storefront, right past Jep Parsons who followed swiftly after her. Once safely outside, Lucy tugged the shop door closed behind them and spun around to face him on the sidewalk.
“What do you want?” she almost shouted. “Why do you keep coming here?” The boldness in her voice was a surprise even to her.
Jep’s brown eyes widened. “Lucy, I’m sorry. But I have to talk to you.”
“Well, I can’t talk to you!” Warnings flashed in her mind: her father’s fist on the kitchen table the night before; the confrontation in the hospital hallway; the lawyers in their dark suits in her living room. And Ella, lying in the hospital bed. All because of Jep Parsons.
“This is my job. You have to stop coming here!”
“But there’s something I have to tell you.” Despite his obvious distress, Jep Parsons was even better looking up close. His dark hair flopped over his brow in a boyish way that made Lucy almost feel sorry for him. But she couldn’t allow that. Not for a second.
“I’m going back to work,” she said, spinning away from him. She was done. But Jep wasn’t.
“Please. I have to give you something.” He reached for hand, and Lucy jerked back. Desperate, he grabbed the hem of her sweatshirt.
“Don’t touch me!” she cried, tugging her sweatshirt out of his grasp and breaking into a run. She sprinted around the side of the house and pushed through the side door to Leah’s office, slamming it closed behind her.
How dare Jep Parsons try to grab her? What did he think he was going to do? Heart pounding in her throat, Lucy leaned against the door, willing it to slow. She didn’t want anyone at work to see her like this. But she had to tell someone.
Ella. When life was recognizable, Ella was the person that Lucy would share something like this with. Only she couldn’t. Not anymore
Not her parents, either. Now Reya was the one person who she could turn to. If only she could leave work and tell her.
Should she tell Leah? Her boss seemed so open, so cool; Lucy had witnessed plenty of Leah’s own personal moments opening the store. But this was her store, and she wouldn’t want any drama going on here. Plus, she was still a grown-up. And grown-ups told other grown-ups when things went down, like Lucy’s parents.
At that moment, Leah strode across the store toward her.
Lucy straightened, swiping the hair out of her face and trying to look normal. Had Leah seen what just happened out-side?
She held the flyer aloft between them. “This is fantastic!”
“Oh, good,” Lucy managed, her whole body flooding with relief.
Leah was beaming at her. “You are so creative, Lucy Hart. I’m going to print these out and hang them up.”
Before Lucy could reply, Leah closed the distance between them, pulling her in for a quick tight hug. “Thank you so much. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
In Leah’s embrace Lucy felt something give. “You’re welcome,” she managed, choking back a sob. When what she really wanted to say to Leah was, Thankyou.
She’d arranged to leave work early, telling Leah that she had an appointment. To her relief, Leah did not ask any questions. Except for one.
“Not my business, Luce, but I must say that boy who came in earlier was pretty cute.”
“He didn’t buy anything,” Brad added tersely. “He’s been here three times. Clearly not for the books.” He leveled Lucy with a teasing expression.
