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“I was there, and yeah, it was pretty obvious. I’ve never seen two people fall in love right in front of me. It was like one of those time-lapse videos where you watch a flower bloom in a matter of seconds, but it’s really two weeks or whatever.”
She grinned. “That’s an absolutely lovely way to describe it. You always have the most unique take on things.”
“I do?”
Jerry glanced at us in the rearview mirror. “You two are in for a treat. Crescent Moon Ranch is a popular place.” He went on to tell us there was water in the cup holders for us and bags of pretzels or chips if we got hungry. After that, he carefully pulled out of the airport and we were on our way.
I pretended to be interested in the scenery so that she didn’t catch me staring at her. Being this close to her made me a little dizzy. I wanted to ask a thousand questions, but again, I didn’t want it to be obvious that I worshipped her, so I was quiet. Not completely unusual for me. I’m not good at small talk. Or any talk for that matter. However, Luci brought out a different side to me. I couldn’t shut up when I was around her. She didn’t seem to mind that I talk slow and not often enough.
“Anything new?” Luci asked.
“Not really. You?” My stomach tightened but I had to ask. “You still dating the same guy?”
Her expression darkened. “No, I broke it off a while back. He wasn’t as wonderful as I first thought.”
“Yeah? How come?”
“I don’t know if I should tell you.”
“Why?”
“It’s embarrassing.”
“It’s just me,” I said.
Her expression softened. “Yes, it is just you. He got violent one night.”
“Are you kidding me?” I could barely get the words out. “What did he do?”
“He hit me.” She shrugged. “Too much to drink. But let’s just say it was the last thing he ever did to me. We were finished.”
“Did he hurt you?”
“Not really. It was more of a shove than anything. I told him he had two options. Either he took a cab home or I called the cops. He took the cab.”
The idea that someone would lay a hand on Luci was impossible to fathom. Who would hurt such a lovely person? Such a selfless person?
“Luci, you have to be careful. There are a lot of bad guys out there.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve learned my lesson. No more surgeons.”
A surgeon. I’d been irrationally jealous when Jack had mentioned she was dating some hot shot doctor. But it had made sense. That was the type of man Luci deserved. Someone stable, brilliant, and successful. A man who didn’t live half his life on the road making his living with two sticks. I’d been wrong, though.
“You okay, though?” I asked, gentler than I currently felt.
“I’m fine.” She glanced down at her hands. “It’s good he showed his true colors sooner than later, right?”
“I guess.”
She placed her hand on my arm for a split second, leaving behind sparks that traveled through my entire body. “What about you? Anyone special?”
Only you.
“No. No one special. Or otherwise,” I said.
“You must have girls throwing themselves at you wherever you go.”
I shrugged, uncomfortable with the subject. “Sort of.”
