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“Get out of town?” I say, leaning back with a smirk.
“I also could have gone withshut the front door.” He shrugs as I laugh, grateful for the small respite.
“You’re funny, but they both suck, and so do you. As does new Lucy.”
Carter pauses for a second before looking to the ceiling. He’s seemingly lost in thought until he has some kind of epiphany and starts clicking his fingers in front of me.
“Did that hurt?” I ask before he can fill me in on his excitement.
“What ifnewLucy isoldLucy!” he exclaims until he realizes he shouldn’t be excited by that prospect and his brows furrow.
I have to admit, the thought crossed my mind.
After everything went down all those years ago, curiosity got the best of me, and I looked Dylan up online. He attended Heartwood U. Grew up inthistown. If Lucy had still lived here when I met her then she’d only have been an hour or less away from our hotel. And yet, I never contacted her.
Sure, she may have moved since college, or high school. But did I throw my laptop across the room in annoyance anyway? You bet I did.
“I considered that for a second. But then someone mentioned that her surname was Kelly, and my theory went right out the window.”
Carter raises an eyebrow as he stares me down, clearly waiting for me to catch up on his thoughts. Umm…OhFuck, unless she’s married.A sharp pang runs through me, and I almost grip my chest from the pain. Goddammit, it’s been years.Get the fuck over it.
I’m on edge the next day, because despite spending most of the night trying to convince myself it was a coincidence—that this Lucy wasn’t the same asmyLucy—I failed. Of course she’ll fucking be the same. That’s the story of my life.
I should have marched my ass over to the therapy rooms first thing this morning, but I’m too chickenshit to find out the truth. I’d rather live in denial.
Fuck, that girl really did a number on me. To think I had trust issuesbeforemeeting her, and now…
Running my hands down my face, I shake off my thoughts and try to concentrate. Unsuccessfully. For hours.
My boss raps his knuckles on my partially opened door in the early afternoon and gives me a pointed look. I pretend to finish reading the document in front of me, then look his way. “What’s up?“ I ask as though he’s interrupting, when in reality, I have no idea what the document says. It could very well be a takeout menu.
“I want an update on the QB issue. You’ve got five minutes. I need a coffee first.”
He disappears down the hall as I roll my eyes. He was the only one missing from the meeting when we collectively made the decision. If he’d bothered to check his email he’d get the answer, but he’s the athletic director, so I follow him anyway.
“I’ve already emailed you about this,” I say, walking into the staff kitchen behind him. “We’ve decided to go with—” I freeze.
Oh, hell no.
Sitting at the round table in the center of the room is my worst nightmare and dream come true.Fuck, fuck, fuck!I was really hoping I was wrong.
“Nope, no. Uh-uh. I’m done. I’m taking a personal day. Bennett’s the new quarterback. Check your email. I’m outta here.”
With that I turn around and storm out, needing to put as much distance between myself and that room as physically possible.
Chapter Fourteen
Lucy
I’mfrozen,sandwichraisedhalfway to my mouth, shocked to see Wes standing in front of me on my first day back at work. When my brain finally catches up with my vision, a soft smile starts to form. That is until he speaks.
“Nope, no. Uh-uh. I’m done. I’m taking a personal day. Bennett’s the new quarterback. Check your email. I’m outta here.”
With that, he’s gone and I can’t breathe.What the fuck just happened?Why is he here? My eyes flash to the other man in the room. He’s somewhat familiar, but I can’t place him. He frowns as he looks between me and the door Wes just vacated, almost as confused as I am.
I’m about to apologize, though I’ve done nothing wrong, when it hits me. Wes is here.
My chair falls to the floor as I aggressively push it back before running for the exit.Wes is here.
