2. Lucinda

2

LUCINDA

L ucinda Everett looked out the car window. God, it is hot in America. How do people live like this? Only layers and layers of trees greeted her. She wasn't used to nature surrounding her like this. She had grown up in London and very rarely left unless it was to travel to Paris. The best of the best hospitals didn't often frequent the countryside.

Phoenix Ridge was very different compared to London. The sky didn't have that dull-gray hue she was accustomed to seeing every day. It was bright and clear, thousands of miles of blue sky no matter which direction she looked. It felt daunting. She was no longer caged by pubs, office buildings, or tourists. Just sky, trees, and hot air. Lucinda wondered if she would evolve to like it or if she would stay the same cold and drab woman she had always been.

Well, she didn't think she was cold, but all of her past girlfriends did.

Ice queen, they called her.

"So, we'll be meeting the city council tomorrow at 9 a.m.," Aleria Rhodes said, checking her rear view and side mirrors again , even though there was no one even following them on these dirt backroads. Her glasses were pressed impossibly close to her eyes. Her salt-and-pepper hair was swept out of her face.

Lucinda would think she was handsome if it wasn't for the absolutely abhorrent way she drove. Or the fact that she had already asked her if 9 a.m. worked for her three different times. She was a nervous wreck, which she guessed made her the perfect person to be city manager. She also never stopped talking. Rhodes had picked her up from the airport and talked the full thirty minutes to the fire station. She didn't enjoy small talk, but she nodded politely.

"Yes, that works for me. Already in my calendar." She tucked her dark curls out of her face to hide her annoyance .

"We'll be coming up to downtown just around this bend. Thank you again for dropping off that paperwork to Chief Thompson." She glanced at her from the side of her oval glasses.

"It wasn't a problem." Aleria nodded as the car rolled over a hill, revealing the small city of Phoenix Ridge. Skyscrapers were centered in the city's hub. Her shoulders eased at the familiar look of the city, hoping her luxury apartment would be just as pleasing as her one in London. The suburbs had started to make her nervous about what she had signed up for.

"So what made you want to move across the pond?" Rhodes said the phrase with an exaggerated English accent, like something out of Mary Poppins .

She found that every American liked to practice their general British accent when she spoke. Almost like they were saying, "What do you think? I could pass for a local!" She ignored it mostly, but it had already happened three times that day.

‘ Ello governor!

Bad weather, innit?

Lucinda sighed and smiled politely. "Just needed a change. I want to travel, you know? See the world. "

What she didn't say was that she had just broken up with someone, her job was stifling her, her parents were constantly in her house asking when she would get married, and honestly, she just wanted to feel the sun against her skin.

Rhodes checked her mirrors before turning onto Main Street. "Well, you came to the right place! Phoenix Ridge is really starting to get popular. Heard we might get a reality TV show and everything."

"Really? What would that even be about?"

"I'm hoping about that bakery that just opened up on James Avenue. I would love to know how the sausage is made!" Rhodes chuckled.

Lucinda thought that was a terrible idea for a show, but who was she to judge?

Lucinda looked out the window and saw all the people enjoying the beginning of summer. The streets were full of shops, breweries, and grocery stores. Nothing too different from home. She did notice, however, that the people smiled here. They stopped their neighbors on the street with a coffee in hand as if they had nowhere to be. They had the luxury of time. Working in the hospital, Lucinda often felt like she only had the last two specks of the hourglass sand left .

"Oh, this place just opened!" Rhodes pointed at a bistro on the corner. A glaring red sign that read “ Cattle Battle” hung above the door. Lucinda had never heard the words "bistro" and "battle" in the same sentence together.

"They have the best chicken and waffles," Rhodes continued.

"Chicken and waffles?" Lucinda asked incredulously.

"You never had it? I guess you lot just eat blood pudding and beans." She laughed at her own joke, not noticing that Lucinda didn't join along. "It's fried chicken served on top of Belgian waffles. Sometimes hot sauce is infused in the syrup. It's a delicacy." She kissed her fingers.

"And this is a...dinner item?" she asked cautiously.

Rhodes put her hand up, silencing her. "Breakfast, Doctor. Or brunch."

"I see." But she still didn’t understand it.

Lucinda tried not to turn her nose up at the thought of fried chicken smothered in spicy maple syrup. Americans would honestly eat anything.

"Alrighty, I think this is your stop!" Rhodes stopped the car in front of a polished glass building reflecting the blue sky in its windows .

Lucinda stepped out of the car, grabbing her cat's carrying case from the backseat. Rosalind meowed begrudgingly.

"Almost there," Lucinda cooed to the animal.

Rhodes pulled out her suitcase from the trunk and dropped it on the sidewalk next to her, putting her hands on her hips like she had overcome a great obstacle.

"Thank you so much for your hospitality, Ms. Rhodes." She offered her hand.

Aleria grasped it and shook it like she was strangling a chicken. "Anytime, Dr. Everett. And I'll see you?—?"

"Tomorrow at 9," Lucinda answered.

"A.M.," she clarified.

"A.M." Aleria smiled before jumping back into her car.

Lucinda’s pleasant mask slipped off her face now that she was finally alone. She hated small talk, especially with someone so...cheerful.

Lucinda pulled her suitcase inside the lobby before checking in at the front desk to get her key. The doorman was happy to bring her suitcase up for her and informed her that her car had been delivered the night before. A bit of tension released from her body as she realized everything was falling into place.

Lucinda pushed open her apartment door on the thirty-first floor. The movers had delivered the small amount of items she decided to bring that morning. A sleek, black leather couch sat in the middle of the open-concept living room. She spotted a mattress leaning against the wall in the back bedroom. The floor-to-ceiling windows looked out over the rest of downtown. She glanced down at the street. The people and cars looked like an ant farm scuttling from here to there.

Yes, this would do.

Lucinda wanted to switch up her life but not her lifestyle. She still needed to have marble countertops and a rainfall showerhead. If she was going to spend hours at the hospital, she needed her home to be her oasis, her sanctuary.

She set down Rosalind's crate and let the calico cat slowly ease into their new home. Rosalind immediately bolted to hide in a closet. Lucinda hoped she wasn't too traumatized by their international journey. She assumed the cat would ignore her for a few days and then would warm up to their new living arrangements. Rosalind and Lucinda were very alike in that way.

Lucinda opened her phone and started playing a jazz playlist before unpacking . She didn't bring much from London. Most of her keepsakes were in her parent's garage, but she kept the necessities: diplomas, pictures, old sweaters that she was curious if she would even need in this kind of climate. Maybe she could go shopping this weekend to find more appropriate summer attire.

She sliced her box cutter through the tape and removed the bubble wrap and miscellaneous soft towels from the top. She placed her medical books on the built-in white shelves in the dining room and spread out some old knick-knacks from her travels abroad. She ran a finger across the shelves, scowling at the amount of dust that had collected on her finger. She needed to hire a housekeeper immediately.

Lucinda rubbed her hands on her pants before continuing to go through her boxes.

"Hell," she cursed.

A picture of her ex-girlfriend Iris glared at her from the package. She picked up the silver frame, deciding what to do with it. Iris's long black hair was swept into a braid. Her smile was bright and expansive as her face was pressed to Lucinda's cheek. Lucinda was wearing her reading glasses, obviously bent over her work until Iris interrupted her. Iris always thought she worked too much.

“ When am I supposed to see you?” She would always whine.

It's not that Lucinda didn't want to spend time with her; it's just the time spent with Iris never outweighed Lucinda's work. That made her sound bad. Iris was fine—nice, even—but there had been no chemistry between them. No ravenous heat or connection.

She hoped that Iris didn't think she had moved from London to escape her. Their breakup wasn't bad, per say. It just fizzled out. Lucinda woke up one day and decided that they weren't a good fit. Iris was shocked; she thought Lucinda was going to propose, even though Lucinda told her time and time again she never wanted to be married.

Lucinda had been engaged once before but...

A chill washed over her.

Iris was a placeholder to fight against loneliness. That's all she ever was. It was a shame that Iris had refused to believe her.

She could hear her voice echo in her memory. “ You're really an icy bitch, you know that? ”

She dropped the frame into the trash can, ignoring the shatter that rumbled throughout the apartment.

After a few hours of meticulously arranging the living room and kitchen, Lucinda looked over tomorrow's proposals with a glass of dry red wine.

She got to the end of the file, saw Chief Rebecca Thompson’s name, and internally cringed.

The chief wasn't exactly what she expected. She had imagined some wrinkled American gunslinger who hated any sort of progression. Not her. Thompson was tallish and muscular with messy reddish- gold hair laced with strands of silver that fell at her chin. Her body looked like she could jump out of a burning building single handedly carrying three people. She looked strong and Lucinda had always had a weakness for strong women. Lucinda could barely catch her breath as the firefighter had leaned against the doorway, her warm green eyes focused fully on Lucinda. Her heart had raced from the chief's heated glare. Lucinda liked it so much that she had decided to bait Thompson by skipping over her title.

That was not professional. She bit the end of her pen .

But the look on Thompson's face had been worth it. Her eyebrows raised, and her muscular arms crossed over her chest as she watched Lucinda saunter down the hallway and barked “It’s Chief ” to her retreating figure.

Maybe Lucinda had let her hips sway more than usual. She knew her ass looked great from behind, especially in that skirt.

Those simple five minutes she was in Thompson's office enthralled her to no end. She was unsure exactly why. People often went with whatever Lucinda wanted. She was so put together that she often had ten backup plans put together before the first had even failed. But Thompson was so ready to question her, and that was infuriating. And intriguing.

Lucinda flipped through the file. Thompson's work was impeccable, though. Very much the opposite of her explosion of an office. Everything was thought out, clearly listed, and neat. It made her blood buzz with satisfaction. Or maybe that was the wine.

The heat between her legs when she recalled Thompson's glare was definitely the wine.

Lucinda shook the memory away. She needed to bloody focus on the task at hand. This opportunity could be everything if she let it.

Her mobile buzzed beside her, scaring Rosalind. The cat bounded from the couch and into the bedroom, but not before she glared at Lucinda for interrupting her slumber.

Lucinda accepted the video call. "Hello, Mum. You're up early."

"More like you're up late, sweetheart." Her mother, Angelica, held the phone too close to her face as she spoke into the camera. "What time is it there?"

Lucinda looked at her watch. "12:30. Mum, you don't need to hold the phone directly in front of your nose."

Her mom dropped the phone into her lap and then quickly recovered it, now holding it a decent distance away. Lucinda could see her silver hair and half-moon glasses. Her pink robe was bundled around her.

"Better?"

Lucinda chuckled. "Much."

"How was your first day? Tell me about your new place. Have you made any friends?"

"Well, technically, my first day is tomorrow," Lucinda clarified .

"Damn time zones," Angelica mumbled. "Have you seen the hospital yet?"

"We passed by it momentarily. But I'll be seeing my office tomorrow." Lucinda sipped her wine.

"Wine at this hour will give you heartburn, darling."

"Lucinda's drinking at six in the morning?" Lucinda's father's voice cut from the background.

"Time change, Richard!" Angelica yelled.

"Oh! I was about to say, 'This job has already pushed her to drink?’'" His loud laugh rumbled through Lucinda's empty apartment, already making it feel warmer and like home.

"And how's your flat?" Her mother craned her neck to try to see whatever was behind Lucinda. Lucinda flipped the camera to show her mother the living room and kitchen. "It's lovely. I can see all of downtown during the day."

"We'll have to come and visit next month."

"Angie, you just saw the girl two days ago!" her father said. "Give her some time to get adjusted. We already have a trip planned for Christmas."

"Alright, alright!" Angelica waved Richard off. "Well, I just wanted to check in with you and make sure you're all settled in." Her mother smiled. "I'm making your favorite biscuits today to celebrate your new job."

Lucinda scrunched her eyebrows together. "You do understand I'm on a different continent and I won't be able to eat them, correct?"

Her father's voice interrupted again. "Doesn't mean we can't eat them in your honor."

"Alright, well, symbolically save me one."

"That is the plan. Love you, LuLu!" Richard called.

"Love you, Dad."

"I'll let you get back to it. Have an antacid before bed!" Her mother kissed the camera, leaving visible chapstick marks. "Goodnight, dear."

"Bye, Mum."

The call ended, and the warmth and laughter escaped through the floorboards. She enjoyed her own company, which was why she hadn't been too upset to leave Iris in England. Iris was too loud and rambunctious. She never had a care for personal space, and Lucinda preferred to be alone. But she sometimes thought it would be nice if someone were home waiting for her besides her aloof cat.

She cast her papers on the coffee table, drawing her robe tight around her as she got up. Lucinda looked out the window; orange and white lights blinked in the buildings opposite of her. Only shadows cast against the wall gave her any indication that people lived there. The city was quiet, and just a few stray cars were finally rushing home.

She wondered how it would feel to have somebody hurrying home to her.