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How far was she supposed to fall?
She slumped into the pink chair behind the desk and flipped through a stack of mail. When she saw an envelope from one of her favorite publishers, she opened it immediately. It was an invitation for a weekend in New York to discuss trends in women’s fiction. “Oh, wouldn’t that be lovely?” A trip would be just the thing to lift her spirits. Before she could give the idea further thought, the front door clattered open, and she saw her grandmother enter with a flourish. “Good morning.”
Margret held up two cups. “I come bearing coffee.”
“Thank you.” She took the cup and pressed a kiss to her grandmother’s cheek. “I just received an invitation to visit the Big Apple.”
“How exciting.” Margret sat on a glossy yellow stool and crossed her legs. “I think a change of scenery is just what you need.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” She sipped from the steaming cup and stared out the window. “It’s taking more than a minute to get over Linc, so perhaps it’s time to get out of town and speed my recovery along.”
“I don’t want to stick my nose into your business, but….”
“Since when?” Lucy said with a laugh. “You are the most meddlesome person I know.”
Margret lifted her shoulder and appeared unconcerned. “Darling, it’s my civic duty to share the wisdom I’ve acquired and make sure people are heading in the direction that will most benefit them.”
A rusty laugh escaped, and she was grateful for her grandmother’s rationalizations since they were so entertaining. “Go ahead, tell me what I should do to regain my spark, wipe that sexy beast of Buddha from my memory, and clear my chi so that every thought in my head doesn’t lead down a dark road of regret.”
Margret covered Lucy’s hand. “Everyone makes mistakes, and I think the one that Linc made is not unforgivable. His intentions were in the right place, even if his execution was off the mark.”
She played with the lid of the coffee cup. “I don’t want to fall into the trap of ignoring red flags again.”
“This was barely a yellow one,” Margret snorted. “I think you’re using this snafu as an excuse to run away from love. Linc overstepped, so what? You can share your expectations and work toward a solution.” She shook her head. “We both know that’s not reason enough to end a relationship with so much promise.”
“But I’m scared, Grams.” She stood and started pacing. “The man could devastate me.”
“He could also be the love of your life.” Margret reached out her hand and took Lucy’s. “You have never avoided a risk, a gamble, or really anything that promised a rosy outcome. Don’t let this be the exception to the rule.”
Realizing that Grams was correct in her assessment made her wonder why she was being so stubborn. Had she finally come across a man she couldn’t bear to lose?
The thought was too disturbing to consider because if she was truly that frightened, she probably had some big feelings that she was denying.
Good Lord, did she accidentally fall in love with Linc?
Was he the one for her?
She dropped silently into the pink chair. “I guess I have a lot to think about.”
Grams picked up the envelope from the publisher and slipped it into her pantsuit pocket. “I will leave you then to ponder the possibilities.”
Lucy looked up and nodded faintly as her grandmother strolled out of the store. If she did, in fact, love the man, she needed to do something about it.
“Love wins. Love wins.”
“Slow your roll, Horace. I haven’t yet made peace with the new developments.” A soft pink book cover caught her attention, and she strode over, picking it up. The tagline asked: what happens when you fall for him but are afraid of heights?
Damn.
She had fallen for the inked-up anti-prince and was genuinely terrified of tumbling into the abyss. Linc Hawker wasn’t a man that you got over. He was someone to hold onto.
Turning toward her feathered companion, she smiled. “Bird, it’s time to come up with a plan.”
“Sexy scheme. Sexy scheme.”
Smiling like a proud mama, she nodded and knew their time together had finally paid off.
TWENTY
