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“I’ll tell her you said that. She’s been practicing.”
“The Blackwells are such a lovely family,” Gladys added. “So warm and welcoming. I can see why Lucy enjoys working with you.”
I glanced over at Lucy. She was trying not to smile.
“So, Lucy,” Gladys continued, “Harold and I will be in town for a few more days. I was thinking we could meet up tomorrow. Maybe do some shopping, have lunch, catch up properly.”
“I’d love that, Gram. Absolutely.”
“Wonderful. I want to hear all about Alaska. The pictures you sent were stunning, but I want the full story.”
I saw Lucy’s grip tighten slightly on the steering wheel. “There’s not much to tell. It was cold. Very cold. But beautiful.”
“Mm-hmm,” Gladys murmured. “We’ll see about that.”
The rest of the drive passed in easy conversation. Harold talked about his plans to see some of the California sights while they were in town. Gladys asked about the Blackwell Couture campaign and whether there would be more shoots in exotic locations. Lucy navigated the traffic easily, occasionally glancing at me with a look I couldn’t quite read.
When we pulled up to the hotel, I hopped out to open the back door like a chauffeur.
“Thank you again,” Gladys said, pulling me into a hug that surprised me. “For everything. You’ve made this old woman very happy.”
“It was my pleasure.”
She pulled back and looked at me with sharp eyes that saw far too much. “Take care of my granddaughter, Jeremy. She’s more fragile than she lets on.”
“I will.”
Harold shook my hand, and then they were heading into the hotel, leaving Lucy and me standing on the sidewalk.
“So,” Lucy said. “I should probably get you home.”
“Probably.”
We climbed back in and headed north.
“That was nice,” she said finally. “The whole day. All of it.”
“Yeah. It was.”
The radio played softly, some jazz station that Lucy liked. I watched her profile in the passing streetlights and wondered why it took Alaska for me to let myself really look at her as the beautiful woman she was. I always saw her as my friend and manager. There had always been the equivalent of an invisible wall between us. After Alaska, the wall was down and I saw her for real.
When we pulled into my driveway, she put the car in park but didn’t turn off the engine.
“Well,” she said. “Here we are.”
Silence stretched between us. I should get out. Say goodnight. Let her drive home and put some distance between us so we could both think clearly. I felt like there should be some regret about that kiss. We had danced all over that line we weren’t supposed to cross.
Instead, I said, “Do you want to come in?”
She turned to look at me. I could see the war playing out behind her eyes. The professional part of her brain telling her this was a bad idea. The other part, the part that had kissed me on that patio, wanting something else entirely.
“Yes,” she said.
27
LUCY
Ifollowed him inside before I could talk myself out of it. Ocean air slipped in through the open windows. The low hush of waves filled the quiet. Jeremy dropped his keys in a bowl by the door and didn’t bother with the lights beyond the kitchen. One lamp. That was enough.
