Chapter 20

Twenty

LUCY

“Your turn,” my mom says as she hugs me from behind while I’m clearing the empty bottles from the kitchen counter and restocking the sweets.

“Already? Did you lose that quickly?” I didn’t expect her back so soon from the card game she was playing with my cousins and Ellie.

“Ellie is too good. Are we sure she isn’t related to us somehow?” Mom has always believed our bloodline holds a great ability for winning. She assumes others “just don’t have it .” It’s too bad that it was limited to cards and board games.

“All right, I’m going to see which games are starting next.” I walk out into the parlor and straight into John. I had assumed he would come—he and his family have been coming since they moved into the neighborhood when we were kids. I was just hoping to avoid him this evening.

“Just who I was looking for.” He moves out of the doorway, sliding his arm around my waist and pulling me to the side to allow his parents to greet my mom in the kitchen. After exchanging pleasantries with them, I move out of John’s hold.

I hate to refer to it as a tradition, but since high school, after the Thanksgiving festivities died down, John and I typically end up spending time together. Only once did things go too far—most years, we would just hang out, talking all night. This year, I have no desire to continue with this custom. Hopefully, leaving it in the past for good.

“Grab some food, and enjoy the evening.” I move to walk away, but he grabs my hand.

Looking back, he leans in to say, “I didn’t come for the food or the games. I just want to spend time with you.” I huff in disgust as he continues, “Maybe even convince you to move back home. And you know, I can be very convincing.”

At that moment, as if I planned it, my phone rings from the back pocket of my jeans. I grab it to check who is calling, and the photo of Henry holding up his copy of Northanger Abbey takes up the entire screen. John has the perfect view, and I’m so delighted I set that as his caller ID photo for more reasons than one.

“Sorry, John. Henry’s calling. I’m going to take this.” I pull my other hand out of John’s and swipe to answer. Knowing John is listening, I put on a show. With a smile, I say in my attempt at a sexy voice, “Hi, Henry. It’s so nice to hear from you, I’m missing you terribly!”

John’s face falls, and he turns back into the kitchen. I run upstairs to my room so I can explain my odd behaviors to Henry in private .

“Hello, Lucy.” Of course, he gives me his sexiest voice. He must think I have him on speakerphone.

Once I close the door behind me, I explain, “Sorry about that. My ex was standing next to me when you called—I wanted to put on a show.”

“Yes, of course.” Henry clears his throat.

“What are you doing up this late?” I ask.

“I couldn’t sleep, and I knew you had your big occasion this evening. I thought it would be good to call, let everyone see that I’m checking in…missing you…to follow through on our story.”

“Oh, smart idea.” We hadn’t planned this, but I’m thankful he did it anyway. “I just came up to my room for some privacy, but I’ll be sure to brag about you the moment I get back downstairs.”

“Well, there’s no shortage of topics in that area.” He is confident at first, and then his tone changes. “So your ex comes to your holiday dinners?”

“Well, it’s a less formal gathering with friends and family. His parents are here too. I don’t think it will be much of an issue.” I feel the need to declare there is nothing left between John and me to Henry, but he wouldn’t care outside of our arrangement. I doubt he’s even considering that anyway.

“All right then,” he pauses, “And you’re all right?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“Splendid, enjoy your evening. Send your family my best.” Hesitation is in his voice.

“Thanks, I will. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” he says and quickly hangs up. His caller ID photo fades, and my phone screen returns to the background photo filled with lilacs.

Before I can stand up, there’s a knock at my bedroom door. “Lucy! I’m coming in,” Ellie yells as she comes through the door.

“How’s your hot director boyfriend?” she asks as she lies down on the bed next to where I’m sitting.

“Ellie, he’s fine. I just made a big deal of it to try and shake John off.”

“Oh, that’s right! He’s probably looking for a hookup tonight. Well, I think you shook his confidence a little bit. When you came upstairs, he came to talk with me. As if I would help him in any way. That man is delusional.”

I don’t want to deal with this any longer. “Hey, Ellie…how about a sleepover at your place?”

She sits up and yelps, “Yes!”

“All right, I’ll go let my mom know, and then we can slip out before John even notices I’m gone.”

“And we’ll need to silence your text alerts, at least the ones from John. Don’t want to miss any from your British boyfriend!” She yells those last two words down the staircase. I’ll have to remember to change my lock code on the phone before I go to sleep tonight. I don’t need her texting Henry while I’m sleeping.

Friday morning begins earlier than we would have liked after Ellie and I stayed up far too late last night. It doesn’t matter how much older we get—we revert to those teenagers who stay up all night talking when we are together.

Now, armed with our extra-large amounts of caffeine, we are on to the first stop of our shopping trip. Ellie has a drink that is almost the color of milk due to the copious amounts of cream and sugar in it. I ordered my usual—cold brew, black. It works quicker this way and I plan to sip on it between the many shops we plan to visit.

After hours of shopping and too much caffeine in our systems, we reach the last of our stops. “How are you going to get all this back to the UK with you?” Ellie asks as she looks at the numerous shopping bags filling the back of my mom’s SUV.

“I don’t plan on taking any of it back home with me. It’s all staying in my bedroom here until Christmas.”

“Did you just say, ‘back home’ when referring to London?” Her shoulders drop, and sadness covers her face. “Lucy, here is home. I am home.”

“Ellie…” After closing the back hatch, I pull her into a hug. “You are home. You always will be.”

She pulls away, and we move to get back into the car. Once she is situated in the passenger seat, she says, “I don’t blame you if you make London your home with your new boyfriend.”

“Ellie, he’s not my boyfriend. You know the truth.”

“Oh, I think I do know the truth… It’s you that’s trying to convince yourself otherwise…” She gives me a knowing look.

“Okay.” I try to appraise her. “Let’s go. It’s nap time and then take out for dinner and wrapping these gifts at my mom’s place if you’re up for it. ”

“Yes, as long as there is wine… Wrapping grates on my nerves. I need wine if we are doing that.”

“Well, then, I guess we have one more stop on the way home,” I say while switching our driving route to the closest winery.

After a much-needed nap, Ellie arrives at my mom’s and we begin our evening of wrapping presents. My mom has offered to wrap the presents I ordered online for Ellie when they arrive, so I don’t need to hide anything from her tonight.

“I can’t believe you are leaving already, Lucy. It’s as if you just got here,” Ellie whines as she selects a roll of wrapping paper with baseballs on it. She must be starting with a gift for her dad.

“I know. I’ll miss you, but I’ll be back in a month. Then, in the New Year, you must come to visit,” I insist.

“That’s true—a month isn’t that long to wait. And I’ll try to get a trip in before the season begins.”

My phone is buzzing again, I look down to check it to find more texts from John. He’s quite upset that I disappeared last night “before he could say goodbye” and is insistent on seeing me tonight before I leave.

“That guy is persistent, but that’s something we already knew.” Ellie doesn’t pick her head up from her current present. “It feels different this time…”

“What feels different?”

“You and John. You’ve been mad at him before, even ignored him, but it doesn’t seem to be affecting you as much as it once did.” I wait for her to bring up Henry, but she doesn’t. “Who knows what the future holds for you, but I’m getting the feeling that this might be the time John finally remains in the past.”

“Thanks, El. Me too.”