Page 1 of Reuniting with Lucy
PROLOGUE
The University of North Carolina—Ten years ago
Little did Lucy Parker know that the Frisbee at her feet would change her life. While returning to her dorm after biology class, humming along to the song in her headphones, the damn thing nearly took her head off before landing next to her size-eight tennis shoe.
Startled, she paused, then bent to pick it up. As she stood, a tall, good-looking man appeared in front of her. Mocha-colored eyes locked onto hers, and the world stopped moving for a moment.
“I’m sorry,” he finally said. “Are you all right?” He had short brown hair and wore a T-shirt that showed off tanned, muscular arms.
In all her eighteen years, Lucy had never seen anyone so handsome. Her cheeks heated.
“I’m fine,” she said, pulling out one side of her wired earbuds to hear him better. A strange sensation washed over her, like she’d met him before. That was impossible though, because there was no way she would have forgotten him.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
“Lucy Parker.”
“My name’s Jack. Jack McAllister.”
He extended his hand. Unsure whether he wanted to shake hands or the Frisbee she still held, she thrust the red disk at him.
“Thanks,” he said. “You live in the dorms around here?”
“Yes,” Lucy said. “That one there.” She pointed to the closest building. “You?”
“Nah. I’m a senior. I’ve got an apartment off campus. We just came to play.”
“Oh.” She tucked her hair behind her ear.
He gripped the Frisbee with both hands and stood up straight. “This might seem forward or sudden, but do you want to go out with me?”
She nodded mutely.
“Tonight?” His buddies were impatient and yelled at him to come back to the game. He ignored them with a wave, not breaking eye contact with her.
“Uh-huh.” Okay, now she just sounded like an idiot.Pull it together, Parker. “Sure, yes. That would be fine.”
“Come on, man. You’re holding up the game,” one of Jack’s friends hollered.
Jack turned and threw the Frisbee at him. “Can’t you see I’m talking to the most beautiful girl on campus? Give me a second, will ya?”
Lucy blushed at the compliment, pushing her long blond hair behind her ear again. A nervous habit she was trying to break. After an awkward silence, he blinked hard and shook his head.
“Well, I guess I better get back to my friends. I’ll pick you up at seven? Which room?”
“Okay. I’m in room 212. See you later.”
She walked away, reeling over the encounter. Too impatient to wait for the elevator, she rushed up the stairs to the second-floor room she shared with her sister and burst through the door.
“Lizzie! I think I just met my future husband.” She fell onto the bed, her arms splayed wide, a massive smile on her face.
“Wow,” Lizzie said. “You were only gone an hour. That’s impressive.”
“Ha. Ha. And fifty minutes of that, I was in biology class. I met him in the quad. Two seconds ago.” Lucy sat. Talking to Lizzie was like talking to a mirror. They were identical twins, and on most days, not even their parents could tell them apart.
“He asked me out for tonight, and I said yes. It was so bizarre, but I immediately felt this connection to him. It was exactly like how Mom and Dad say they met. I looked into his eyes, and something inside me went wonky.”
“Did I just fall into a Disney movie?” Lizzie said, looking right, then left, feigning confusion. “You don’t really believe Mom and Dad fell in love the instant they saw each other, do you?”