Page 5 of Reuniting with Lucy
“Yeah,” Lizzie said, smiling. “Do I know you?”
“I think I’ve met your sister.”
Lizzie’s eyes widened, and her smile fell. “Holy crap.”
“What?”
“Nothing,” Lizzie said quickly before mumbling, “This should be interesting.”
Jack’s world shifted when he realized the repercussions of what Lucy having a twin could mean. Was it possible she wasn’t the one he’d seen making out in the lobby?
As he began to wrap his mind around it, the coffee shop doors whooshed open again. There was no mistake this time. It was Lucy. The angel he remembered, and just as beautiful as before—blond hair flowing in the breeze, blue eyes that shined like the sun. And that smile. It lit up the entire room when she entered.
Oh shit, he thought.I may have made a terrible mistake.
She greeted the baristas behind the counter with a wave and said hello to a table of three old men before making her way to where they sat.
“Hey, guys. Sorry I’m late. I—” Her words stopped abruptly when she landed on him. They held each other’s gaze for a long pause, and everyone else faded into the walls.Oh, yeah. I’m in trouble again.
“You what?” Lizzie said, pushing Lucy and breaking the moment.
“I…I don’t remember,” Lucy stammered. She looked away, shook her head, and regained her composure. “I had a cat barf emergency. Mind if I grab a cup before we get started?”
“Nah, we’ll wait,” Adam said.
Jack was glad for the few extra minutes to compose himself. He wasn’t sure she remembered him, but he was determined to play it cool. When she returned, she took the seat as far away from him as possible.
“I think you know everyone but Jack,” Adam said, hitching a chin in Jack’s direction.
“Nice to meet you,” she said, verging on curt. Her smile was forced, and her eyes had lost the radiant glow. All he saw was pain and a dash of anger. What did she have to be upset about? He was the one who’d been wronged. At least, that’s what he’d been telling himself for the last decade. After finding out about Lizzie, it was looking more and more like maybe he’d stood Lucy up that night. And if that were the case, of course, she’d be bitter.
“Lizzie, you wanna sit in?” Adam asked. “These will probably be the same guys that handle your project.”
Lizzie looked at Lucy and crooked an eyebrow. Lucy gave a barely perceivable shake of her head.
“Nah. I’m good,” Lizzie said.
“You’ll get used to it,” Adam said to Jack.
“Used to what?” Jack said.
“The telepathy thing they’ve got going on. They can look at each other and have whole conversations without saying a word,” Adam said.
Jack would give his family’s fortune to be able to read Lucy’s mind right now. Each time he tried to catch her eye, she looked away.
Adam took the lead and started the meeting. They talked timelines, ideas, materials, and structural needs. Lucy relaxed a little and showed excitement over the prospect of a drive-thru. She’d made some crude drawings of her ideas for decor and had a good eye for design and traffic flow. Jack liked that she knew what she wanted. And he didn’t get the vibe that she’d be a real ballbuster either.
After an hour, they took a break, and she excused herself to get another cup of coffee.
When she was out of earshot, Jack leaned over to Adam.
“Lucy and Lizzie look so much alike,” he said. “I imagine if they both had blond hair, it would be impossible to tell them apart.”
“Oh, yeah,” Adam said. “I didn’t know Lizzie as a blond, but I do know the entire family was very relieved when she went dark. Otherwise, there’s no way to tell who’s who.”
Jack nodded. Question after question popped in rapid succession. What if it had been Lizzie he’d seen in the lobby? What if Lucy had been upstairs waiting for him, wondering why he never showed? That would explain the sour looks.
Was everything he thought he knew based on a simple misunderstanding? One he could have resolved had he not been a stubborn ass? Could the last ten years of his life been completely different? Would he have joined the military? Married Paige?