Page 2 of Reuniting with Lucy
“That’s the way they tell the story.”
“Well, sure. But don’t you think they dramatize it a little? You know, to spice it up?”
“No,” Lucy said. “I get that you don’t believe in love at first sight. I’m not positive I do either. I’m just saying things felt weird the second I laid eyes on him. His name’s Jack. Oh, Lizzie. I was so nervous I pulled out the finger gun when I said goodbye.”
“You didn’t?”
Lucy shrugged. “Still think he’ll show?”
“I don’t know.” Lizzie shook her head. “The finger gun could be a deal breaker. Tell me you didn’t make a clicking noise and pull a fake trigger.”
“Ugh. I don’t remember, but I can’t make any promises that didn’t happen.”
“Yikes.”
“What are you doing tonight? Will you be here to meet him?”
“I’ve got a date,” Lizzie said.
“Of course you do. You gonna make out with this one too?” Lucy teased. Her sister had been burning through boys since they arrived last fall.
“Hey, you gotta kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince,” Lizzie quipped, and they both laughed. “The boys don’t seem to mind.”
“Oh, I’m sure they don’t,” Lucy said.
After Lizzie left, Lucy curled her hair and applied her makeup meticulously. She dressed in her nicest, most flattering pair of jeans and a pretty pink blouse. Then she waited. And waited.
When Lizzie returned around midnight, Lucy was still dressed and sitting on the bed.
“Hey, how’d it go?” Lizzie asked, mistakenly assuming she’d gone and come back from her date. “Are you engaged?”
“He never showed,” Lucy said, swiping at her eyes, irritated at the tears. “I’m such an idiot. He was probably playing a joke on me. I’m sure he got a great laugh out of it with his friends.”
Lizzie wrapped her in her arms. “I’m sorry, sis. Boys can be so dumb.”
She’d known Jack McAllister for all of five minutes, but it had been a life-changing five minutes. She didn’t know if they would just be friends, date and break up, or get married and spend the rest of their lives together, but she’d felt certain he would be part of her life somehow.
Positive he’d felt it too, she worried something might have happened. What if he’d been hit by a bus? Or forgot about an important homework assignment due tomorrow? There were any number of things that could have kept him.
Or was her mind just playing tricks on her? He didn’t have her phone number, so if he had an excuse and still wanted to see her, he’d have to come by. She vowed to stay in her room as much as possible for the next few days.
“Well,” Lizzie said. “At least you weren’t in love with him.”
Lucy nodded but wasn’t so sure. Her heart ached a lot. A lot like maybe shehadbeen in love with him.
CHAPTER ONE
“Lucy Parker. Will you marry me?”
Lucy sat at her parents’ dining room table. She’d been blissfully enjoying her mother’s homemade enchiladas when Curtis, her boyfriend of two months, announced that he wanted to ask Lucy something. Her family halted all conversation to give him their full attention, and all eyes turned to her. A trickle of sweat slid down her back. A proposal? Already?
She glanced around the room. Lizzie’s eyebrows shot up to her forehead. Her sister Emma sat beside her new boyfriend, Dirk, and smiled sweetly. Her oldest sister Kate and her newlywed husband, Adam, stared at her with faces devoid of emotion. Rounding out the table, and the dumbfounded looks, were her parents and her grandmother—everyone here to witness this, minus her baby sister Daisy.
Usually, it was a battle to get a word in, and the sudden disconcerting quiet made it hard for Lucy to think. Time had stopped, but Curtis was waiting for an answer. The expectant looks on her family’s faces said they were just as interested in her response.
Lucy looked down at the handsome man on one knee and the diamond engagement ring he offered. They’d only been dating for two months, but he was sweet and funny and treated her well. They liked a lot of the same things and had grown close in the short time they’d been together. He would make a fine husband, and she couldn’t think of any reason to say no.
“Yes, I’ll marry you.” Lucy smiled. The timing surprised her—it seemed so soon—but no matter. They could have a long engagement to continue to get to know each other. She relaxed a little at the thought.