Lex and Lu(75)

“What do you mean surprises? Were you going for plural?”

“He was here Sunday night.”

Suddenly, it was Lu’s turn to flinch. “What do you mean here?”

“I mean he showed up at my door Sunday night, needing a place to crash,” Willa reported matter-of-factly.

“O … K,” Lu said slowly, struggling to understand this turn of events. She didn’t want to sound like a petulant middle-school girl with a crush who nagged for information about the guy she liked. “Did you talk?”

Willa paused. “Yes and no.”

Again, Lu restrained herself. Willa could take secrets to the grave. Her vault of gossip and facts that had been handed to her over the years overflowed with both trivial and important secrets. If Lex told Willa something in confidence, Lu would never be able to pry it out of her. A tiny fissure of jealousy snaked through her. Willa and Lex had a good number of confidences that Lu had never been privy to. It hurt her that when he needed someone, he’d shown up on Willa’s doorstep.

“Did you make up?” Lu asked, thinking that perhaps Willa would feel that she could answer that question.

“To be honest, Lu, we didn’t talk much. He showed up saying he needed a place to crash. And I could never turn him away. Not you, or him, or Pete. Too much history.”

“It’s not like he couldn’t have stayed at a hotel,” Lu remarked snidely.

“No doubt. But I think he needed to be some place familiar.”

Again, Lu reined in her hurt. Seeking solace from the loneliness creeping into her, Lu told Willa her other news. “Mr. Helms invited me to a soccer game tomorrow night.”

“Well that ought to be interesting and fun. Will you actually be with him? Because that could be promising,” she said, winking at Lu.

“I’m not sure about with him. As his guest. But here’s the rub …”

“Come on, spit it out, Lu.”

“His club is playing Lex’s. Tomorrow night I’m going to watch Lex play soccer.”

Willa’s head dropped to the table. Banging it lightly a couple of times, she picked it up, blue eyes dancing and peering into the phone as if she could get into Lu’s face. “I give up. Just be careful.”

Lu pulled back from the phone again. “What? Who are you?”

Willa shook her head. “Lu, I can tell you what to do. I can tell you what to not do. I can keep trying to control the universe. Unfortunately, I keep getting outmaneuvered. I tell you not to have sex with him. You do it anyway. I tell you not to go to England. You do it anyway. You were drunk texting with him the other night. What the fuck was that about? I mean, shit, Lu.” Running her hand through her short hair in frustration, Willa looked at her sister. “Then he shows up here—Lex but not Lex. Not our mischievous, laughing boy, and he kinda breaks my ever-expanding heart.”

Lu didn’t say anything, just peered at her sister through the lens of her phone, vaguely wishing they weren’t able to have this conversation face to face. She wanted to speak, but had nothing to say.

“Here’s the thing,” Willa continued, “when I slept with Pete this weekend, I cut the cord. I can’t take on your burdens anymore—”

“I have never asked you to—”

“You didn’t have to ask, Lu. I love you dearly, but I need to put my energy into Pete—not you and Lex. You two have to figure that out on your own.”

“Point taken.”

“Call me after the game, OK?”

“Yup,” Lu said, detached. “Talk to you tomorrow.” Lu was about to disconnect.

“Wait!” Willa cried.

“What?”

“I know I said I wouldn’t interfere but—he’s hurting. So go easy on him.”

Lu almost fell out of her chair. “Seriously?”

“This is what sex has done to me. Turned me into a big ball of mush. Take advantage. You know this shit won’t last.” With a wink, she disconnected, leaving Lu feeling like she had stepped into an alternate universe.





32





“Big game tonight,” remarked the guard as Lex made his way off the pitch, into the locker room.

“Yes, sir,” Lex remarked, offering him his patented smile. He’d been on the field for a while. As was his habit, he arrived early in the day and conducted his own pregame warm-up prior to the team workout. Today was no different, even though he was suffering from a nasty case of jet lag. He wasn’t quite sure what made him think to make that trip this past weekend. He’d been shocked that his mother had attended Lu’s graduation, as he thought he’d find her at home, with the Knights’ house empty beside theirs. Shaking it off, as he’d done since their conversation ended, he continued on his way.