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Lucas looked at me. "You okay?"
"Oh, you know...I just cursed out the queen of the wrath of the wigs, ran away from the head of the finance department, and hopped into a car with a complete stranger, who I'm pretty sure has been following me."
Lucas blinked. "Well, that's a lot to unpack. First of all...complete stranger?"
Even though there was a chill outside, heat flushed my cheeks. I leaned over and adjusted the vent so the A/C blew in my face. It felt so refreshing that I stayed there, bent over, my hands folded on my legs.
I pressed my cheek against my arms and looked up at him. "I meant that you looked like a complete stranger to the wigs. But between that and baby daddy who I just fucked the other night, stranger seems to work better."
Lucas chuckled and opened the center console, revealing a mini-fridge in the back seat and handed me a bottle of water.
I sighed, shook my head, and took it. "Of course, you have a fridge in your car."
He studied me with a small smile. "So who exactly are the wigs?"
Gulping down the half the water, my shoulders started to relax. "Rachel Carlyle, my nemesis." Lucas cocked his head. "Rachel Carlyle Carter?" My blood froze. No fucking way. "Rachel's married to Senator Carter?"
"Yeah," Lucas nodded. "I thought I recognized her."
Of course she was. Senator Carter, as in the man for whom Jessie Isaacs had hired his bodyguard to keep an eye on. If Lucas caught my shock, he didn't let on. "And what were you saying about running away from the head of the finance department?"
I cocked my head and leaned against the leather seat. "You didn't address the last part of my statement."
He avoided my gaze and pulled out his own bottle of water from the cooler. "Which part?"
"The part where I said that the stranger—AKA you—has been following me."
Twisting off the cap, he took a swig of water. "Ahh. That part."
"Yeah. That part. I saw this car outside the school yesterday. Have you been following me, Lucas?"
"I was going to talk to you at your apartment yesterday, but when I saw you and Claire walking to school, I admit that I had my driver follow you. But only because I wanted to talk to you. And then I guess...I guess I chickened out."
Well, I definitely didn't like that. But it was nice to know that I wasn't imagining the car tailing me...or that it was just Lucas and not someone...worse. But that didn't answer my question. "Why are you here, Lucas? Why'd you come to talk to me?"
"Adam came to see me."
I clenched my jaw. "He did?"
"He admitted everything. That he was the one who wrote the breakup letter. That he thought he was protecting you by getting me out of your life."
"Which is bullshit."
Lucas chewed his bottom lip. "Either way, this is where we are, Olive."
Oh, hell. This was why he was here. My shoulders tensed, and I twisted to look at him. "Lucas, please. Please don't tell me you're going to try to fight me for custody."
His brow furrowed, and he leaned forward. "Olive, I would never do that. That's not what this was about at all."
Relief rippled through me, but I was still on edge "Then what's it about?"
"I'd like the opportunity to get to know Claire, if you'll let me."
I studied him, not buying how still he was being. If there was one thing about Lucas, it was that he didn't know how to lie. "What are you not telling me?"
He clasped his hands together. "You were right about why I invited you to Jessie's."
"You needed arm candy?"
