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“I could come back for you.”
“I’m sure you’re very busy, Lucan.”
“It’s not safe for you to be driving at this time of the night.”
I have to laugh at that. “It’s barely eleven on a Friday night. I’ve been out much later than this before. Trust me, I’ll be fine.”
He offers me an apologetic smile. “Forgive me. I’m from the era where men look out for women.”
“It’s good to know that chivalry is not dead. How about walking me to my car,” I suggest instead.
“Gladly.”
We walk along the corridor and down the stairs, our feet echoing on the hardwood floors. I step outside and he is right behind me. Without a word, he opens the driver’s door and I slide in, putting my bag on the passenger seat. He crouches down to eye level. “Please drive safely and let me know when you get home.”
“I will. But I will need your number.” I hand him my phone, watching as he punches in a few digits. I hear a phone ring and he fishes his phone out of his pocket.
“Now you have it.” He hands me back my phone and is about to stand when I place my hand on his. A tingling sensation courses through me at the small contact. I smile at him softly.
“Thank you for your encouragement earlier. It’s really appreciated. And I just want you to know that wealldeserve happiness, even after being hurt ten years ago. If you ever want a listening ear, I’m here.”
Our eyes meet and hold for a few seconds. I detect a faint smile on his part. He squeezes my fingers slightly before standing. “Thank you. I will take up the offer if I feel the need.”
“You’re welcome. One good turn deserves another.”
He steps back. “Drive safely. And remember to let me know that you’re home.”
“I will.”
I pull away from the steps. I notice that he does not move while I drive away. I lose sight of him only when I go through the gates. As I drive, I reflect on the evening’s events. It is clear that Lucan becomes agitated when Ryan has his episodes. I have seen it very often in my line of work. More than likely, he has no idea what has triggered it. And because he does not know, he does not know how to fix it. Take tonight for example. Ryan, being the particular child that he is, wanted the narrow part of the cake to be facing away from him when the server placed it in front of him. It was off by a few degrees at most. But it was enough to make him hysterical. What added to the hysterics was the feel of the damp fabric against his skin. Both were easy fixes. But Lucan is clueless. I see where I am can give him some tips and pointers in dealing with these foibles of Ryan’s.
My cheeks grow warm at the memory of the conversation with Steven that he overheard. But then, I feel pity for how lonely Lucan must be feeling dealing with his own heartbreak. He is right. For all my defiant talk about never getting into another relationship for the rest of my life, I would have gotten over it and moved on with my life. But he has been hurting for ten years. I had wanted to pull more out of him. But the swiftness with which he had changed topics made me pull back for fear of him clamming up on me. At least he has accepted my offer to talk if he needs to.
Exhaling, I turn on the radio and play some music all the way home, giving the thoughts a rest. When I get there, I take a shower and get myself ready. Halfway through getting ready for bed, my phone rings. I answer without looking at who is calling.
“Hello?”
“Are you home?”
I totally forgot! “Lucan! Yes. I’m home and safe. I’m so sorry I didn’t call immediately. I got caught up getting ready for bed.”
“That’s okay. As long as you’re home and safe. See you tomorrow.”
“Thanks for calling,” I tell him.
I sit looking at the phone in my hand long after the call ends. Lucan Forbes is an enigmatic man. I am tempted to be intrigued. But I remind myself that he is my boss and fifteen years older than I am. He was having his heart broken as an adult at the same time I was starting to find new expressions of love as a teen. We are of two different generations.Andhe is my boss.
With a thump of my pillow, I close my eyes and am soon asleep. My last waking thought is that I hope I do not have a recurrence of thatdreamfrom earlier in the week. It is hard to believe that the first few days of this job have been so eventful. I can only imagine what the rest of the summer holds.
Chapter Six
Lucan
Iamalmostobliviousto the thumping music coming from the room below. I have been working the night club scene since my early twenties and would like to think I am now immune to the high decibels that come with the territory. I watch as Archer flicks a switch and the camera feed fills the screen. He turns to Garfield and me.
“Look at the difference in the angles between the cameras here atFrictionand the one we just had last week atFusionversus tonight.Now does the change make sense?” he asks.
Garfield nods. “The difference is almost non-existent. Who would have thought that going with the smaller model could have made such an improvement.”
