Page 150 of Lucky Mother Pucker

I open my mouth to say something, but I don’t. Because he’s right. Lucy’s not just a friend. She’s so much more than that to me.

“She’s not ready for anything serious,” I say. “She wants to take things slow, and I don’t want to pressure her.”

“But if you had it your way, she’d be your girlfriend, right?”

“Yeah,” I say through a breath.

He’s quiet for a second. “Look, I’m not a relationship expert. But I know what it’s like to have feelings for a girl who isn’t ready to make the jump from friends with benefits to an actual relationship. It’s hard. You don’t wanna push, but you want to call her yours more than anything.”

“That’s exactly what I want,” I admit.

“Then just be patient. Give her space, but show her that you’ll always be there for her. And keep being there for her. Show her that you can be the rock she can lean on, no matter what. She probably needs that after what she’s been through.”

I nod, feeling a little more settled after Blake’s pep talk. And surprised at how insightful he is.

“Thanks, man. I needed to hear that.”

Before I can start my car, I see someone waving at me from across the street. It’s a woman who looks like she’s in her sixties.

She walks up to my rolled-down window, offering a friendly, warm smile.

“Is Richard moving out?” she asks me

“Uh…” I’m caught off guard by how this lady just came right up to me. I clear my throat. “Not exactly.”

“Oh.” She sounds so disappointed. Wait, does she not like him? They’re neighbors, so I assumed they’d be on good terms with each other.

A guy who looks around her age walks out of the front door of the house she just came out of and waves at us.

“I have to say, I’m a little disappointed. I was hoping you were getting rid of him for us.” She chuckles.

Okay, yeah, she definitely doesn’t like him. I guess that makes sense. She seems like a nice lady, while Richard is a fucking monster.

“Sorry, no, I was just here picking up a few things for my friend. She used to live here,” I say.

Her face lights up. “Oh, you’re friends with Lucy Bailey?”

“Yeah. Do you know her?”

“Know her? I watched her grow up.” She chuckles. “I’ve known her since she was a sweet little baby.”

“Oh.” The tension in my body starts to fade when I hear that.

She tells me her name is Lydia Poulos. I introduce myself and Blake.

“I just stopped by with my friends to pick up some things of hers,” I say to Mrs. Poulos.

“That’s so nice of you,” she says brightly. “You’re such sweet young men to do that.”

“She’s our roommate,” Blake says. “We’re just trying to help her out.”

“I’m so glad you boys showed up here. That Richard is a real jerk to Lucy. Poor thing has been waiting to get her parents’ things back from him for ages.”

She points to the house across the street. “My husband and I have been holding onto some items that belonged to her parents in our garage.” She glowers in the direction of Richard’s house. “He left it all on the curb like it was trash. Such a low-life jerk.”

She shakes her head, that hard look on her face fading. She starts to smile again. “Will you tell Lucy hi for us?”

“Yeah, absolutely. And maybe later we can come by with Lucy and pick up the rest from your garage?”