CHAPTER TWELVE
Lucy looked up, "I'm sorry, we always seem to be talking about my problems. What about you? How are you settling in to your new apartment?" She looked around, taking in his minimal furniture and the art on his walls, "It looks really nice. I'm not taking you away from working, am I?"
"Not really. I have a project manager who has been managing the business for the past year, so I'm not really needed," he chuckled.
"But you want to be," she noticed.
"Yeah, I've got a new software idea that I want to get the framework done for but I'm still working out the details in my head. I'm ready to start building bigger and more complex software, now I have the time to dedicate to it."
"Want any help?" she asked. She knew she wasn't as clever as he was, but she could lend an ear and give her opinions.
"Sure. Do you want to do this here or do you want to go out and grab an early lunch?"
She was sure her eyes lit up at the sound of lunch and at that her stomach rumbled, "Lunch sounds great," she laughed. "It's been a while since breakfast."
They ended up at the local burger place again, but this time got a booth in the rear. She liked that they had some privacy this time. It was just the two of them and not all the strangers walking past who looked in.
"So, what are you working on?" she asked, as they dived into their burgers.
"Well, you sort of got me thinking about this," he said, as he looked up to gauge her reaction.
"Me?" she squealed, "How could I have given you an idea? Although, I am pretty awesome," she grinned, fluttering her eyelashes.
Andrew let out a surprised laugh, "Yeah and oh so modest."
She blushed and lowered her head to focus on her food. Why had she said that? It had just slipped out. She wasn't used to flirting. Flirting? Now she could feel her face get even hotter.
"Hey," he said, leaning over the table to tip her chin so she could look at him. "What happened? We were just joking around. Why did you pull back?" She could see the concern in his eyes and couldn't help trying to look away, but he wouldn't let her. "Lucy?"
"I'm sorry, it just slipped out," she said, as she removed his finger from her chin and leaned back slightly. She'd never felt so embarrassed.
"It was nice to see you relaxed around me, and if that's the kind of things you're going to come out with, then I think I've got my work cut out," he chuckled. "I don't want you to censor what you say. I like this carefree and fun Lucy, she needs to come out more often."
"I'm a socially awkward dork. What can I say," she smiled, relieved he hadn't made a big deal out of it. "Thank you for, well, making me feel less awkward." She picked up a fry and dipped it in the ketchup and brought it up to her mouth. "I blame homeschooling," she added, as she popped it in her mouth.
"I'm just as socially awkward. I socialized with my brothers, then was stuck in my room until college." He let out a dramatic groan, "I have no idea how I managed to survive four years at college. And now, I live on my own and nearly everyone I speak to is through a headset. We can learn how to be sociable together. How does that sound? Too creepy?" He held out his hand for her to shake, giving her puppy dog eyes.
She laughed, it felt good to let her guard down and just be herself, or rather discover herself. She put her hand in his and shook his hand, "Deal!" she said, "And only border-line creepy. I'll tell you when you cross that line," she grinned. "So, my idea?"
"Your idea huh?" he said with a raised eyebrow, "Well, I guess it could be a joint idea. It was when you said you'd moved to a new city and didn't know anyone. I got to thinking about creating an app to help you find friends. You can't be the only person who was in that position."
"Yeah, but I was too shy to approach people. Having an app wouldn't necessarily make a difference, sorry," she replied, not liking that she'd shot down his idea.
"Well there are already apps for sociable people out there to make friends, but we could create one for ..."
"Dorks?" she supplied.
"Geeks? Doesn't that sound kinda cooler?"
"Meet a Geek" she chuckled. "I'm sure that would really take off," she said with an eyeroll.
"Hey, don't knock it. Look at Mark Zuckerberg, he's a cool geek."
"Em he's a rich geek, not sure he's cool," she challenged.
"The Big Bang Theory, it wouldn't have lasted as long as it has if geeks weren't cool," he replied wearing a smug look on his face.
"Hmmm, maybe," she grudgingly agreed. "But, you said you thought of it for me, and I'm not a geek. If I saw an app that advertised 'make friends with fellow geeks' I wouldn't download it as I'd not think it was for me."
"Yeah point taken. No geeks. But what would make you download a friends app?" he asked with his full attention on her. For some reason it didn't make her uncomfortable, rather she liked that he was interested in her opinions and listened to them.
She thought about the question, not sure that anything could have pulled her out of her shyness, apart from Indya and the man sitting in front of her. "I'm really not sure. I mean online it is easier for me and I've joined a few Facebook groups that my favorite authors have set up for fans of their books to discuss them and I've made a few friends on there but as for finding local people ... I mean Indya approached me or else I'd be friendless. She's far more outgoing than I am, as you probably noticed!"
"Who would you feel more comfortable around, another dork," he said with a raised eyebrow, "or someone like Indya pulling you out of your shell?"
"When I first moved here, I would have said another dork, but with Indya I came out of my shell, at least with her, oh and with you. I'm fine when I know the person but I'm still shy around strangers but working on it."
*****
Adam grinned at her, "Exactly, but that's the beauty of apps and the internet. It's better to cater for a specific group, rather than being all things to all people."
The waitress came over to ask if they'd finished their meal and took their empty plates away. They decided they'd grab a coffee from the local coffee shop and go back to his apartment to brainstorm this some more. She definitely looked much happier now than she did when he first saw her that morning.
The afternoon flew by and before he knew it, it was nine at night. He'd had far more fun throwing around different ideas with Lucy, than he'd had in a long time. He loved seeing this more outgoing version of her and couldn't believe she was hiding that from everyone.
"I'd better head off," she said. "Thanks for a great day and taking my mind off everything." She stood to leave, and guilt hit him like a sledgehammer.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't help you figure out what you're going to do about your job. Oh, Lucy, that's far more important than my app. I was trying to take your mind off things then got carried away," he was ashamed how easy it was to get caught up in the ideas process with her.
"You are a total geek!" she exclaimed with a grin. "It's fine. I do really appreciate you taking my mind off things and making me realize I'm more capable than I give myself credit for."
"What are you going to do?" he asked, sending a prayer up to whoever was listening that she'd stay here, with him.
"I'm not going to say anything to David or Sylvia right now, because I'm still scared of making waves too soon, but I am going to apply for college and see about teaching. Today has shown me that I don't necessarily have to be a nanny whilst going through school. I could do anything."
"Wow, that's great! I am so proud of you," he said, pulling her in for a hug. "You really can do anything you set your mind to, and I'll be behind you every step of the way. I'll support anything you choose to do." He meant it. In only a few short weeks, Lucy had come to mean a lot to him and there was no way he was letting her go. He'd liked her when he first met her but the more he was in her company, the more he was falling in ... No, no way! It was far too soon for that. He did really like her, but love? He looked down at the top of her head, she was still hugging him tightly, which he didn't mind at all. He had a strange feeling in his chest that he'd never felt before. Maybe it was.
She pulled out of his embrace and looked up at him with a twinkle in her eye, "Thank you. You've given me the courage to step out of my comfort zone and to take a chance. I know if I moved to L.A. I'd always regret not doing this and I don't want to let others dictate my life anymore - no matter how scary it feels."
"You're not alone," he said as he reached for her hand to give it a light squeeze. "If you need help filling in your application then let me know. You've got three months until they move, and I wouldn't have thought they'd replace you until after then."
"Yeah, maybe you're right," she sighed. "It's more a place to live that I need to figure out. Rents are so expensive here, so I'd need to find a job that pays enough to cover all my living expenses and give me time off to go to classes and study."
He took her by the hand and led her down the hall to open a door at the end. He swung it open and said, "Look familiar?"
She looked up at him with scrunched eyebrows, "You've never shown me your apartment before, so no."
She looked adorable with her clueless face. He couldn't believe he was offering this, but it felt right so he was following his instincts. "I have the same layout of apartment as the Delgado's, right?"
"Yeah," she replied, confusion still written all over her face.
"So, in their apartment, whose room is this?" He figured that she would have the smallest room in the apartment so was showing her, his equivalent room. She could have the bigger one if she wanted.
"Mine," she said, slowly as a dawning appeared on face. "Oh, no, Adam! I couldn't. You don't even know me."
"Hey, I know enough about you and I want to know more. I have two spare bedrooms, each with their own bathrooms just sitting here. It's yours if you want it."
The silence was deafening. She hadn't said yes, and he was wondered if he'd overstepped some invisible boundary. She had her back to him, so he tugged gently on her shoulder for her to face him. She was crying. Tears were trickling down her face as she looked up at him. She must have realized that she was crying as she tried to wipe her tears away.
"Thank you!" she said, "I keep saying thank you to you and I really mean it. You've helped me so much and I could never repay you for everything you've done for me. I can't believe you've offered me a room in your apartment!" She hugged him tightly, "This is the nicest thing anybody has ever done for me."
His heart sunk for her. He truly hadn't realized what it was like to be left alone in the world. The Delgado's she'd said had been nice to her, but at the end of the day, they were her employers. Indya was a great friend but she was moving on with her life, not that she'd be totally out of Lucy's life, but she wouldn't be in it as much as she had been. He vowed there and then to fill that void. She'd never feel alone again, and he'd be spoiling her a lot more in the future. She deserved it.
"Maybe you could tell the Delgado's tonight about your decision, so they can make alternative plans? No matter what, you've always got a room here with me."
*****
Lucy crept into the Delgado's apartment still debating whether or not to tell them, when Sylvia called out, "Lucy, is that you?"
Guess that answers that question.
"Yes, it's me," she said, as she went into the living area. They were both lounging on the sofa, looking at her expectantly.
"You were gone all day, we wondered where you'd gone," Sylvia asked. "Did you have a good time?"
She inwardly groaned, making the decision to tell them. "I was with Adam, our new neighbor along the hall. He invited me out for lunch then we went back to his and lost track of the time."
"Adam, hmm?" Sylvia smirked, "I thought you were maybe with Indya. So, what's this Adam like? I've not met him yet, David, have you?" she asked turning back to her husband.
"No, not yet," he replied, his attention didn't waver from the football game on TV.
"He's very nice. A couple of years older than me," she said. "He has his own business, so he works from home." She knew she was stalling but couldn't help herself. She wasn't sure if she was ready for her life to implode quite yet. She snickered. When had she become so dramatic?
"He must be quite successful if he managed to buy his own apartment. What's his surname, maybe we know him," Sylvia asked.
"Oh, I don't know. I didn't think to ask," she cringed. How could she not know his last name? He'd asked her to move in and doubted he knew her last name either. Somehow it didn't matter. She liked him, and she was going to move in and she'd ask his name as soon as she got to her room.
"Harrington," said David, "Saw his name on the mailbox downstairs." She thought he hadn't been paying attention, too fixated on the game.
"Adam Harrington?" Sylvia screeched. "The Harringtons own Harrington Enterprises. It's one of the richest companies in the US. Wow, you've got yourself a catch there." Her face fell as she looked at Lucy, "Oh, but it's not serious is it? I mean, are you still moving to L.A. with us?"
Lucy shifted on her spot, feeling uncomfortable put on the spot like that, even though it was the exact question she'd come in to answer. She sucked in a breath and pulled up her big girl panties to give them her news.
"I've thought long and hard about this, and I'm really sorry, especially after saying yes, last night. I'm going to have to hand in my notice. I'm going to go back to college and become a kindergarten teacher," she said, then held her breath waiting for a reply from either of them.
"Oh," said Sylvia. David didn't say a word, although she could tell he was listening in and letting his wife do all the talking. 'Oh' wasn't much to go on and working here for the next three months under a strained relationship wasn't her idea of fun.
"I am so sorry," she could feel the verbal diarrhea forming in her mouth with the overwhelming need to make things better. She stared at her feet, not daring to look up, "I've always wanted to be a teacher. It was what I was studying towards when I first started working for you. I looked into it again and was going to apply to start in the fall - while still working for you, but then last night you said about the move and I didn't know what to say. I love Tristan and Olivia and I love working for you and I didn't know what to do." She dared to look up and she noticed that Sylvia was smiling. Smiling?
"Lucy, calm down. It's fine," she said, her voice was calm and the smile on her face looked genuine. "We'd all love for you to join us in L.A. but most of all, we want you to be happy. During the past couple of weeks, you've really come out of your shell and it's as if you've been replaced by a happier, lighter Lucy. We had wondered what had happened," she chuckled, "but now we know."
Had Adam made that much of a difference to her? Who was she kidding, of course he had. She couldn't keep the grin from her face when she thought about him, which was often, and she had much more confidence.
"We'd talked about what we'd do if you decided not to come with us, and well we'd like you to stay until we move. We'll approach an agency and get a replacement, who can hopefully come here for an overlap week with yourself, so the children get used to her before we move."
"You're not mad?" she asked in disbelief on how this had played out, which was not how she'd imagined.
"Definitely not mad. Disappointed yes, but we knew you'd not stay with us forever. So, will you stay on for the next three months? You weren't planning on leaving sooner were you?" a frown appeared on her face as she looked at Lucy for confirmation.
"Of course, I'll stay," she replied, relief pouring out of every pore in her body.
She headed to her room to message Adam about what had just happened and Indya, who she'd not told about her teaching dream, just that she was moving to L.A.
She grinned to herself. She liked the new Lucy too.
*****
Six months later Adam was in Woody's with Lucy, who was a few weeks into her college course. With her new-found confidence she'd got a part-time job in Woody's to pay her way through college. She'd flat out refused for Adam to pay for her, no matter how many times he'd offered.
They were there with Marcus and Carly, Alex and Melody and Finn and Willow. They'd pulled two tables together to make room for the large group as they waited for the band to appear. Noah was supposed to be meeting them there later too once he'd finished unpacking his belongings in Adam's spare room. He'd finally completed his world tour with Stroke of Midnight and had booked a local recording studio to start recording their next album. He'd asked to stay with Adam, not wanting to stay in a hotel, or with their parents. He guessed the need for his brothers was catching.
Adam looked over at Lucy behind the bar, laughing and joking with customers and radiating with confidence. He'd never been so proud of her. She was loving her college course and had a weekly Skype call with Tristan and Olivia, to find out how they were getting on.
He noticed Indya come in and make her way to the bar. She'd been a great friend to Lucy and he had a soft spot for her himself. Unfortunately, not long after Lucy had applied for college, Indya split up from her boyfriend. She considered herself lucky that she'd not given her employer notice and moved in with him before she found he'd been cheating on her with a bar maid at his work. She usually spent her day off with Lucy and often used his spare room after a night out.
"Hey bro," said Noah as he slapped his hand on his shoulder. "Thanks for letting me crash at yours."
"No, problem," he said and meant it. He looked forward to catching up with Noah and hearing all about his tour. This had been the longest he'd been away from his family.
"Want a beer?" he asked, then turned to face him. His face was void of expression. "Who's the chick with Lucy?"
Well that was interesting!