Chapter 4

Four

LUCY

It’s too chilly to sit outside, but I embraced every moment of the brisk walk here. How I enjoy this time of year. In anticipation of cold weather and coming out tonight, I treated myself to a houndstooth pattern hat and matching scarf at a local boutique I discovered downtown.

Still a few steps away, I spot our group behind the Regency Roast Coffee Shop decal at the large table to the right of the door. Before anyone observes me walking up, I notice the addition to our usual group. He’s at the head of the table, sitting next to Oliver. He’s gorgeous. Well, my definition of gorgeous. Sure, Oliver and Finn are good-looking men, but they are young. This man is older than them, older than me if I had to guess. His hair and his beard match predominantly brown with gray strands spread throughout. It’s ruffled like he had been wearing a hat before coming here today. I bet he looks even sexier in a hat. A broad chest hovers over his folded arms on the table in front of him.

Pulling the heavy door open, I keep my eyes on the handsome stranger as I enter. The bell above my head chimes, catching his attention. His brown eyes meet mine and I can no longer remember my name. A connection is made instantly, my body feels the push from the universe. I want to walk right over there and curl up in his lap and then never leave it.

“Lucy! We are over here,” Hannah yells, and my eye contact with the gorgeous man ends. How long was I staring at this man? It feels like it could have been hours, but as I look at my friends there is no sign of awkwardness in their expressions. Okay, act cool , try to act cool, and look friendly.

“Hello!” Careful walking—now is not the time to trip over your own feet . I look around at each of my friends, avoiding eye contact with the sexy stranger for now. Someone needs to speak up and introduce us. I look at Oliver next. He’s sitting next to this man. He’s dropping the ball here. Wait, why am I waiting for an introduction? This isn’t a Jane Austen novel. It’s the 21st century, and I can introduce myself! Yet, I’m having trouble thinking of the perfect flirty line to say when…

“Lucy, let me introduce you to our father, Henry Brooks,” Finn finally speaks up. Their father? He continues, “Dad, this is Lucy Taylor. We told you about her earlier.” Wait. Wait. What? This man is their father. I need to shut down the endless DILF jokes running through my head.

Finally, I return my gaze to my friend’s extremely attractive father. Oh, man. “It’s nice to meet you.” I play it cool and don’t wait for his response, “Does anyone need anything? I’m going to go order.” With a round of “no’s” and “no thank you’s,” I notice Henry has his head down in Oliver’s direction. Mr. Sexy doesn’t need anything. I hang my coat on the back of my chair at the far end of the table and head up to the counter.

“What were you thinking orchestrating this?” Henry asks Oliver, not as quietly as he was obviously intending.

“What are you talking about?” Oliver answers, sounding genuine.

“Is this another one of your setups? You know that type of woman I prefer to date? She’s nothing like them,” his father replies.

Woah…well, fuck you very much, you handsome shallow jerk. I should have known he was too hot to be a decent human being. Also, did he think this is a setup? If it is, Oliver and Finn are playing a long game just to introduce their dad to someone. They wouldn’t do that. At least not without telling me.

“Hi Lucy, what can I get you?” Oh, it’s my turn. I must have zoned out. I rush toward the woman with blue pixie-cut hair and a kind smile.

“Hello, Liz, can I please have a hot cocoa for here and my usual ice coffee to go?” As the weather has gotten colder, I’ve started ordering something warm to drink and an iced coffee for the following day to enjoy from the warmth of my apartment.

While I’m waiting for my drinks, I need a plan of how to act after overhearing that man declare his disinterest for me. Ugh, the universe can be so cruel. Why does he get to be my dream guy in the looks department and with an awful personality? I wonder why he is even here. He must be visiting, but I’ll get more details from Hannah and Mia later. Hopefully, he isn’t staying long. I have no interest in spending much time with a man who feels I’m so not his type that he needs to declare it out loud.

“Here ya go, Lucy.” Liz hands me a mug and saucer with my hot chocolate topped with marshmallows and the to-go cup with my coffee.

I thank Liz and head back to our table. There’s no way I’m going to acknowledge what I heard. These are my friends and I’m going to enjoy my evening. I’ll ignore that cranky, old, attractive man for the rest of the night.

During the next two hours, most of my conversations are with the girls. Oliver and Finn pop in and out of our discussions, but they are mostly focused on their dad. It isn’t until they guess what I’m reading that Henry decides to acknowledge me again. Finn explains the game to his father and prompts him to make a guess and I grab my e-reader from my bag. Henry declines, “I don’t feel it would be right for me to assume Miss Taylor’s reading preferences.”

“Seriously, Dad. Just pick a book genre. Join the fun,” Oliver encourages.

“A dictionary,” Henry says with a smirk on his face. It would be considered a very handsome smirk in a more agreeable context.

Everyone else makes their guesses, then I turn my e-reader to show them the cover of Beowulf . Having first read the epic fantasy novel in high school, I find myself going back to it year after year, like an old friend. Mia wins, and at the next gathering, she will not need to pay for her tea, not that she ever does—Finn always picks up the tab for her. Their mother must be romantic because it’s becoming more clear by the moment that they didn’t get it from Henry.

“ Beowulf . I’m impressed, Lucy. If you don’t mind me asking, what was the book you read before Beowulf ?” Henry asks, showing me more attention than he has since I first entered the coffee shop.

“ Persuasion . It’s a Jane Austen book.” Not many people recognize the title as it is one of her lesser-known novels.

Henry’s eyes begin to roll and are soon followed by his entire head. Someone’s dramatic. “Well, I take back what I said.”

The disgust on my face must be clear, Oliver interjects, “Dad, don’t start.” He turns to me. “Don’t take it personally, Lucy. My father here prides himself on his self-proclaimed fridge heart.”

While Henry continues to scowl at his son, I take this advantage to poke the bear. “That’s a shame. So you’re not a romantic?” Henry meets my eyes.

“Love, as you so call it from your books, and I assume the movies and TV series that you watch regularly are manufactured to appeal to those who believe in such fairytales.”

“Spoken like someone who has had their heart broken,” I reply. His head jerks back in my direction, and his eyes lose their confidence for a brief moment. “I believe in the way Jane Austen’s characters make me feel just as much as I enjoy spending time with Beowulf and Grendel. It doesn’t mean I think they are real, but the enjoyment they bring to my life is very much real.”

For the remainder of the evening, I avoid Henry’s gaze until it comes time to say goodnight. Buttoning my coat, I thank everyone for another wonderful night, then look down at the table to grab my to-go iced coffee. When I look up, those deep brown eyes are staring back at me.

Careful, Lucy, don’t get lost in those eyes.

Okay, I’ve got this. With a small smile that keeps my teeth concealed, I tilt my head as if I am addressing an elderly person, letting my snarky tone come through. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Brooks.” Before he can answer, I turn on my heels and walk out the door.

Since leaving the coffee shop, I feel like I’ve made multiple attempts at shaking Henry Brooks and his beautiful physical features from my memory, but each one was a failure. In an effort to distract myself, I’ve already changed into my pj’s, completed my before-bed routine, and now am trying to decide what to read. I tried to return to Beowulf , but now knowing it is a book Henry approves of, I’ve temporarily lost interest.

As I mindlessly scroll through my e-book collection, my phone’s text alert goes off.

GIRLS GROUP CHAT

Hannah

Sorry about that Lucy.

Mia

We should have warned you.

Be cool, don’t show these girls that you were too affected.

Lucy

Warned me about what?

Mia

Finn’s father. I saw that look you gave him when you walked in and all the looks you sent him throughout the night.

Damn it.

Hannah

Don’t worry, it’s not you. That’s the effect he has on most women. It’s the reason he’s so rich.

Mia

His comment about love being manufactured… *eye roll emoji*

Lucy

Am I missing something?

Hannah

*laughing emoji*

Mia

Let’s just say he’s made a career of making millions of women fall in love lol

Lucy

That’s surprising with his personality. I remember you guys saying he was in the film industry… I can only assume he starred in silent pictures.

Hannah

You’ve got Internet access. Take a look!

Lucy

It’s not porn, right?

Mia

You won’t know until you look. ;-)

Lucy

Fine, goodnight ladies!

I put my phone down and grab my laptop. What if it is porn? Well, I guess I’ll see it in the search before I click on it and open it.

Deep breath and I type “Henry Brooks career” in the search bar.

The results start loading and they are more upsetting than porn sites. I can’t do this alone. The clock shows a little after 12:00 a.m., but back home, it’s only 7:00 p.m. I send a text to Ellie, my best friend.

Lucy

Hey, if you’re free, I need to talk to you ASAP

My phone rings mere seconds later. “What’s wrong?!” she yells into the phone, always the dramatic one.

“Besides the fact that I met the hottest man ever and realized he is the worst person on the planet.” Okay, maybe I am being a little dramatic too. It’s her fault—she brings it out in me.

“You’re going to have to give me more details or at least a name. Also, before we move on, that’s not an emergency. Word your texts better!”

“Henry Brooks. Look him up.”

A pause and a few catcalls come from the other line. “He’s fine. Did he try to murder you? Why is this man the worst to ever walk the world? ”

I start from the beginning and share that Henry is Finn and Oliver’s father and then I go into details about his overdramatic declaration that I am not the type of woman he would date.

“What an ass.”

“Yes, I’ve decided to hate him for all time, but there’s more. Much worse…look at the films he has directed!”

After a brief pause, she shrieks. “How could he!” Now, she understands my pain.

Filling the laptop screen in front of me is a long list of films directed by Mr. Brooks. Among them are some of my favorite romance movies throughout the years. Especially the Jane Austen adaptations. “How does a man like that understand romance so well?”

“Have you looked at what he does in his free time? It looks like this guy has an endless stream of models at his disposal,” she mentions. Figures, I don’t need to look it up myself to have guessed that…but I take a look anyway.

“I know he was married for years to Finn and Oliver’s mother, but all they ever said about it was that it was a messy divorce. I suppose she no longer lived up to his model standards and left.”

“Who knows.” She sighs. “So, should we kill him?”

I laugh, another best friend trait, willing to commit murder the moment a guy insults you. “Not yet. His crimes, while extremely offensive, do not warrant such action.”

“I’m only a call and a ten-hour flight away,” she reminds me.

“I will keep that in mind. Thanks, Ellie. I’m going to try to sleep. ”

“Goodnight, Lucy.”

I’ve already given up on real-life romance, he can’t be the one to burst my love of fictional romance too!

How can a hopeless romantic survive with this knowledge?

How could someone capture some of the most passionate performances in film history and have such a poor perception of love?