Chapter Twenty
Lucy
Lucy cursed under her breath as she drove. She’d nearly lost her mind when Dylan started massaging her head, and all she wanted to do was spend the whole afternoon kissing away the worry lines around his eyes. Worry lines he probably didn’t even realize were there.
But the text from Mom, while short on words had been full of meaning: Why aren’t you home?
Before taking off, she texted, I went to Braum’s for milk. Which now meant she had to buy milk on the way back. It’s crowded.
M: We have milk
L: Ice cream. I meant ice cream.
Mom hadn’t answered that one, and when Lucy walked into the kitchen with a bag full of sundaes and a gallon of milk, Mom was sitting at the kitchen table, waiting. Lucy had gotten The Stare. Her mother knew her well enough to never take a simple answer when a more complicated one was just as likely.
“Where were you really?” Mom asked, pausing when Otis ran in, yelling, “Ice cream? You’re the best sister ever!”
Guilt stabbed through Lucy’s gut. She should’ve been home working, or tackling the sink full of dishes her mom had obviously tried to start before tiring out. Her eyelid was twitching slightly, and the pinched lines of her face hinted at the beginnings of a migraine. Lucy put away the milk, resolving to start on the laundry and finish the dishes instead of seeing if Serena wanted help at the farm.
And if she felt stifled, it was her fault for seeing Dylan instead of staying home. She couldn’t be sorry about it, even if she wished things could be different. What would she give for a quiet, lazy summer? Almost anything.
“Lucy? Are you going to answer me?” Mom asked.
Lucy waited until Otis took off with his sundae before sitting across from Mom at their old, wooden kitchen table. “If I tell you, will you keep it to yourself?”
Mom’s eyes widened. “Should I be freaking out right now?”
Lucy shook her head and looked through the kitchen door to the living room. Otis must’ve gone to his room, because it was empty. “I met Dylan. For lunch. I didn’t tell you because it came up suddenly and you were at the shop—”
“With Otis. I understand it now.” Mom sighed. “Lucy, you don’t have to feel guilty for liking that boy. He seems like a great kid.”
“I know.” Lucy ran a hand over a nick in the wood. She’d made that trying to cut her own pork chop when she was seven. She’d burst into tears for hurting the table. Dad had given her a hug and told her he was proud she’d tried it herself first before cutting her meat into tiny bites. “But it’s hard. If I screw things up with his coach, Otis won’t forgive me.”
Her chest tightened. She missed her dad so much. His gravelly voice, his big presence, the way everything was always okay when Dad was around. He was her safety net—she saw that now—and she was having a hard time hanging on without him here to support her. But she had to. Mom and Otis needed her. She had obligations.
But what if she messed everything up? What if she disappointed him?
“We all want to shield Otis from distress, but we’re not doing him any favors.” Mom took a bite of ice cream. “I’ll keep it quiet, though, until you and Dylan decide to tell him.” She paused. “I’m making some assumptions, aren’t I? That this is a thing and not just lunch?”
“It was just lunch, but I think it’ll be a thing.” Heat flooded Lucy’s cheeks at the memory of his fingers in her hair. “He’s different.”
“I’d like to meet him for real some time, but I’m glad. You haven’t had anyone in your life for a while.” Mom smiled, and it erased some of the pain lines around her eyes. “I hope it works out for you.”
“Me, too.” Lucy got up to put her ice cream into the freezer. Now that the farce was over, she wouldn’t have to choke it down after her lunch. “How are you feeling?”
“Better, but there’s still a twinge or two. Thanks for taking care of everything.” Mom stood and came to give Lucy a hug. “I talked to Dad this morning. He said to tell you he’s proud of you.”
A lump rose in Lucy’s throat. “I wish I’d been there to talk to him.”
“He’s going to try to call again in a few days.” Mom kissed the top of her head. “You probably have work to do. I’ll let you get to it.”
Lucy nodded and went to her room. Her knees still felt a little shaky from her time with Dylan, but her hands were perfectly steady, and she settled in to work.
Sunday morning, after their usual pancake breakfast, with fresh eggs from Serena’s farm, Lucy shot her mom a loaded glance. “I have plans this afternoon. I’m going to Serena’s then out for a bit. I’ve finished the laundry, and I’m almost done with the wedding dress. Do you mind?”
Lucy had stayed up until one-thirty to work on the wedding dress and had only quit because her eyes kept crossing. She was close enough that she could finish it tonight and start on the other projects tomorrow. She’d also finished the laundry and the dishes, and with the shop closed today, she felt like she’d earned the break.
Otis looked up from his syrup-smeared plate. “Where?”
“Out with friends.” Lucy hoped he’d drop it. “Nothing special.”
Mom gave her a wry smile. “Fine with me. Home before ten, okay?”
Ten? Was she serious? Yeah, based on her expression, she was. Lucy nodded, knowing better than to argue about this one. “Before ten. Got it.”
“Can I come? I haven’t been to the farm in a long time. I can help,” Otis said.
Lucy’s heart constricted, and she forced herself to be logical—Otis was a big help, but she could take him some other time. She had every right to go out by herself without guilt. “Sorry, not today. Besides, you need to rest up for camp tomorrow.”
Otis frowned, and Mom stepped in. “I have an idea. Why don’t you invite a few friends over? I’ll make brownies, and you guys can play on the trampoline, or ride your bikes.”
Otis brightened immediately, and Lucy mouthed, Thank you over his head at her mom. Mom winked and went back to washing dishes. She seemed a lot better today. Good. One less thing to worry about.
Lucy went to her room and threw a hodgepodge of things into a bag: towel, rubber boots, a straw hat, sunglasses, and flip flops. At the last minute, she grabbed some sunscreen, too. No telling where she’d end up today, but she’d be prepared.
Lucy laughed. Prepared. Not a word she’d use for herself all that often. Must be Dylan rubbing off on her.
When she got out of the Jeep, Serena’s dad was hooking a hose up to the spigot on the side of the house. He waved at her, pointing at the house. “We’re filling up some kiddie pools for the hens. Serena’s out spraying down the runs. There’s some frozen squash in the cooler by the first pen. Mind handing those out?”
“On my way.” Lucy tugged on her boots. After helping out for two years, she knew really hot days were bad for the hens. They’d get sick fast when overheated.
Serena’s family had already erected shades over the runs to help cool things down, and the hens weren’t frolicking like usual. Even the flock’s rooster had a sluggish strut. Lucy dug out a dozen pieces of frozen squash and scattered them about. The hens were more enthused by that and started pecking at the cold cubes.
She made her way through two more pens before running into Serena, who was plugging a fan into an extension cord. She nodded at the cooler. “Guess you ran into Dad? We need to cool them off before we lose any.”
Lucy didn’t bother answering, instead hurrying off to finish handing out squash to the rest of the overheated chickens. By the time she circled back, the first flock was starting to show more signs of life. Serena handed her another cooler. “Frozen strawberry slush. They love it.”
So Lucy made another round, dropping doughnut sized disks of strawberry ice into each pen. It took so much care to keep a flock like this going. It wasn’t just to provide people with organic eggs— Serena’s family truly loved what they did. Her mom was a physician’s assistant, giving her dad the time and means to manage the farm. It was such a shame that the town was going to force them to sell the flock.
She didn’t think the sit-in would change the council’s mind about letting them stay, but that didn’t mean they shouldn’t try.
When she dropped the empty cooler up by the house, Lucy found Serena sitting in the shade of a giant oak, chugging a bottle of water. She flipped one to Lucy. “It’s two-thirty. Didn’t you have somewhere to be at three?”
Lucy glanced at her phone. Where had the time gone? “Yeah, but he’ll understand if I need to stay here and help.”
Serena raised an eyebrow. “There’s a hot baseball player waiting for you at the lake, and you want to stay here with me and a bunch of chickens? Did you hit your head or something?”
“No…but if you need my help, I can stay.”
Serena shook her head firmly. “We’re good, now. Besides, my beloved is on his way over. If we need anything, he can help.”
Lucy gave her a disbelieving look. “Didn’t he trip over a rake and fall in a mud puddle last time?”
“Yeah…he’s adorable, smart, and very sweet, but he doesn’t know the first thing about working outside.” Serena laughed. “Still, it’s cute when he tries.”
Lucy patted Serena on the leg and stood. “Okay, then. I’ll go.” She paused. “Do you think I’m the worst sister ever?”
“For going out with Dylan?” When Lucy nodded, Serena rolled her eyes. “No. You’re a good sister for even worrying about it. But, seriously, forget about Otis for a while and enjoy this.”
Enjoy it. Right. She could do that. “Okay. I will.”
“Go change out of those nasty farm clothes in the shed before you go. And I want a full report tonight!” Serena called after her. “No skimping. All the details. You hear?”
Lucy gave her a thumbs-up and, after changing into her swim suit and a sundress as ordered, she climbed into the Jeep, wondering what Dylan had in store. A flutter started up in her stomach. Butterflies always sounded like a silly way to describe it. Zombie butterflies she could live with. Something with panache, and little weirdness. Moths, maybe.
Whatever it was, she couldn’t squash the feeling. That’s how she knew it was true: she was falling for a type-A athlete.
Whoever would’ve thought?