AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Hello?"
"Hello sweet pea, how's the trip going? Did I catch you at a bad time?" Nana Helen's voice was demanding, her teacher's voice that always got results.
She sighed and put it on speaker so she could get out of the now cold water. "Nope, just getting out of the tub."
"Is Mason in there with you? Why did you answer the phone, child?"
Lucy chuckled. "No, he's not in here with me. He's gone to talk to the FBI about the job. Did he tell you or Ray?"
She sighed, slipping on a robe and stepping out into their room as she talked. He wasn't there, so she walked to the balcony and sat on a lounger.
"No, tell us what?"
"Oh, well, I'll have him call Ray tomorrow. It's not looking good for the FBI job, though."
"Oh no, that's not good. I'll tell Ray to call him too. Other than his job, how's it going? Is there anything developing between you two?"
The stars above were brighter than anything in Texas and reflected on the water. She could see the faint outline of an island, and she gasped.
"What is it, dear?"
"It's lava! It's flowing into the ocean. Glowing orange and yellow, twisting like snakes down to the water. It's beautiful."
Helen chuckled. "I wish we could've seen it. Maybe next year we'll take a family vacation. Wouldn't that be nice?"
Lucy sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Sure, Nana. But maybe I can get a room to myself next time?"
"Uh oh. That doesn't sound promising. What's going on?"
She swallowed past the knot in her throat and paused, thinking about how to answer.
"I guess I'll just come right out and say it. We agreed that this would just be a temporary thing. When we go back home, we're going our separate ways."
"That doesn't sound so bad. I bet he won't be able to let you go once y'all get home."
Lucy felt tears prick her eyes as she smiled and leaned her head back. "I doubt it. He really loves his job. Reminds me of dad before he was fired."
Helen's voice was softer now. "He's not your dad, sweet pea."
"I know he's not. But I've been thinking a lot about him and mom this week." She told Helen about throwing the seashell off the cliff, the significance of it. A few beats of silence passed before Helen replied.
"Your parents had one of the greatest, most tragic love stories I've ever seen in real life. But that was a completely different situation, Lucy, and you know it. That has nothing to do with you and Mason. Your mom and dad made their mistakes a long time ago, and there's nothing you could've done to change it."
Lucy wiped the corner of her eyes. "I know, but I can't handle being told what I can and cannot do. Mason decides for me. Like today, we went to Hilo, and he organized the excursions without even asking. Why can't we just have a conversation and do things we both enjoy?"
It was Nana's turn to pause, then she asked, "Lucy, learning to communicate is one of the biggest parts of a relationship. It takes time to figure out."
"Nana, I don't have time. We leave in a few days, and then who knows when I'll see or talk to him again? I thought we were going somewhere real. It felt real. It felt like love."
"So? Lean into that, sweet pea. It's scary but it's so worth it," Helen said.
Lucy rubbed her forehead. "But he's not over his girlfriend's death last summer. It's too soon. To him, this is just a vacation fling, a rebound maybe."
Helen sighed. "I can understand that. If he loved her as much as I loved your grandfather, it might take years for him to grieve and move on."
"Will he though? I can't compete with a dead woman, Nana. It's not fair to her memory or to him, and certainly not to me."
"That's true. You're the best in the world. It might take him time to see it, or he might get caught living in the past. If he does, he's not the man I thought he is. But maybe the bigger question is do you love him?"
