Lucy was woken up from her day dream when a pointy elbow jabbed her in the ribs.
“Ouch!” She scowled at the petite woman sitting next to her.
Piper, the school librarian and Lucy’s best friend, grinned, not the least bit repentant. “What’s got you so goo-goo eyed?” She cocked her head to the side and took a bite of her sandwich while she waited for Lucy to answer.
Lucy felt heat creep into her cheeks and was grateful for her olive skin tone that helped hide the blush. Despite being blonde, she had been blessed with skin that easily tanned. She was never more grateful for that fact than right now.
She cleared her throat. “I wasn’t goo-goo eyed.”
Piper’s eyebrows rose up toward her hairline. “Seriously? You’ve been daydreaming for the last ten minutes. Who is he?”
Lucy’s eyes widened and she looked around the staff lunch room to see if anyone else was listening to their conversation. She groaned inwardly as she realized Charlotte, one of Middleton Prep’s Kindergarten teachers, and Rory, a high school science teacher, were sitting across from her and Piper, listening to every word. When Lucy locked eyes with them, Rory was sitting back with a smirk on her face and Charlotte was biting her lip, as if to keep from grinning.
“Do tell,” Rory said, waving a hand toward Lucy.
Lucy straightened in her chair and picked up her fork. “There’s nothing to tell.”
“Bull—”
“Rory!” Charlotte gasped, covering Rory’s mouth with her hand, only to quickly pull it back with a scowl, wiping her hand on her leg. “Gross.”
“Did you really just lick her hand?” Piper made a face. “What are you, like six?”
“Only when I have to be.” Rory didn’t seem put out at all. “And I wasn’t going to cuss.” She shot a look at Charlotte. “But she’s lying through her teeth. Something, or someone, has put that look in her eye and it’s only fair she share.”
Lucy raised an eyebrow. “Why would it only be fair?”
“Because every one of us has been involved in everyone else’s love lives and you don’t get to keep yours a secret,” Rory huffed. “You have all taken great pains to stick your nose into mine during the last couple months.”
Charlotte giggled, then put one arm around Rory and squeezed. “Someone had to help you see past your stubbornness.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Rory responded. “But be that as it may, she doesn’t get to keep her man a secret.”
“True story,” Piper agreed, then raised a brow. “So ... what’s going on?”
Lucy poked at her lunch, her appetite gone. “There’s nothing going on. At least nothing worth talking about ... yet.”
“Have you gone on a date with him?” Charlotte asked, her blue eyes shimmering with excitement.
Lucy shook her head.
Rory looked around the room. “Which one is he? Or is he eating in his room?”
Lucy cleared her throat. “He, uh ... he doesn’t work here.”
Three sets of eyes stared at her, all wide with shock.
“When did you have time to meet someone that doesn’t work here?” Piper finally asked, a slow smile growing on her face.
“Well ... you see ... I haven’t actually met him?” Lucy’s voice rose at the end as if it were a question instead of a statement.
Rory squinted her eyes and put out her hand in the universal ‘stop’ motion. “What do you mean, you haven’t met him? How can you like someone you haven’t met?”
Lucy’s heart felt like it would push right out of her chest. Just tell them! They’ll support you! “I may have signed up on an internet site.” Lucy’s voice was so quiet all of her friends had to lean in to hear her.
“The internet,” Rory stated.
Lucy nodded, her hands fiddled with her napkin and she couldn’t bring herself to meet anyone’s eyes.
“Like a dating website?” Charlotte’s sweet voice asked.
Lucy simply nodded again, biting her lips as she prepared herself for their reactions. Silence followed her answer and she didn’t know what to do. Taking a deep breath she finally looked up.
Charlotte’s smile was soft and supportive, letting Lucy know she wouldn’t judge her.
Rory had an eyebrow raised, but otherwise didn’t look angry.
Piper just looked shocked and she was the first to break the silence. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.” The edge of her lips tipped down and hurt passed through her eyes.
“I’m sorry Pipe,” Lucy stammered, reaching out to put her hand on Piper’s arm. “I really didn’t tell anyone, except Ruby.”
Piper reared back like she had been slapped. “Why did she get to know and not me? Your best friend.”
“Ruby was the one who told me about the site to begin with, so she knew by default.” Tears pricked Lucy’s eyes. “I promise I wasn’t trying to hide anything per se, I just ... I don’t know.” Lucy ran her fingers through her shoulder length blonde hair. “I just was, I guess embarrassed. You guys,” she motioned to the three other women, “have all found your happy ever afters right next to you. But me—” She paused, unsure how to express what she was feeling without sounding accusing. “I’m just kinda here in left field. There’s nobody at the school who interests me and I hardly go anywhere else. So a while back I got desperate and when Ruby and I were chatting she told me about her signing up and how it was going. So I took the plunge.”
Piper took a deep breath and her face softened. “I’m sorry you’ve felt left out.”
Lucy quickly reached out, “No, no, no. This isn’t your fault, or anyone else’s, Pipe. It’s just life. I’m just a bit slower on the romance movement than anyone else.” Lucy shrugged her shoulders. “I’m super happy for all of you,” she looked around the group. “But I also don’t want to be alone and couldn’t find another way to try and meet someone. Besides ... Ruby has gone on a couple of dates with a guy she met there and things seem to be going ok.”
“I’m sure it’s going to be great.” Charlotte smiled.
Lucy smiled back, but it didn’t ease her tension. She knew they probably thought she was crazy for doing an internet site and she partly agreed with them. But M.K.’s emails were starting to change her mind. For the first couple of weeks, they had only come once every few days, but as time had passed, they had come more frequently. It was now a daily ritual for Lucy to check her email before work and reply to whatever he had written. His words made her smile and she created a picture of him in her mind that was more than pleasing. Tall, dark, handsome ... just what every girl dreams of ... right?
They hadn’t given names yet or talked about meeting in person. True to his word, M.K. was taking things slow, just as Lucy had requested. But as weeks went by, Lucy found herself more and more anxious to move to the next level, she just wasn’t sure how.
“Have you decided whether or not you’re going to teach summer school?” Rory blurted into the silence.
The change in topic caught Lucy off guard, but she grabbed the lifeline, grateful to be off the roasting spit for now. I’ll tell them more when I know more. She assured herself. “Yeah. Uh, I think I’m going to go ahead and do it. I don’t really have any reason not to. Plus, I think they’ve been short handed this year.”
Charlotte nodded, her mouth full of lunch.
“You’ll be around for the fourth, right? We’re having an engagement party and barbecue,” Piper asked, her eyebrows raised.
“Yep!” Lucy grinned at her friend. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Piper grinned back and then glanced at her watch. “Shoot. The bell’s gonna ring in a few minutes, hurry it up ladies!”
They all dug in and finished up, dashing out to their individual rooms moments before the bell rang.