“OK,” Lu said.
Lex looked down at his watch. “I should probably get you home,” he said, standing.
Caught a little off guard, Lu stood, feeling both disappointed and relieved. Given a reprieve, she wondered if it would take another eight months for him to ask the rest of his questions or to push for the answers she’d held back. She watched him grab his keys and his phone. Walking toward the front door, he met her there and led her out to the elevator. She wished for the stairs. As they entered, Lex pressed the button. Leaning back against the wall, Lu prayed for a quick descent.
“Lu, just so you know, we’re not done,” he said softly, the words rippling over her like a caress.
She turned to look at him. “What do you mean?” she asked, not really wanting to know the answer.
“I have a lot more questions that I need answers to. And next time I’m not letting you off so easily.”
He met her eyes then and what she saw scared her more than she’d considered. The man who stared back at her was all confidence and swagger. And Lu knew that whatever he was after, she’d have a hard time denying him.
35
Lex didn’t go immediately home when he dropped Lu off at her apartment. Wired from his game and his discussion with Lu, he knew attempting to sleep would prove futile. For eight months he’d done nothing. His life had been in a holding pattern. Even forcing Lu and Nina to move here hadn’t nudged him out of his grief and confusion. He’d ceased to function and thus let everything around him just happen. He hadn’t checked on his investments, hadn’t engaged in his contract negotiations. He’d barely shown up on the pitch for the first quarter of the season. He’d avoided all contact with Lu, pretending that she didn’t even live here while he attempted to get to know Nina. He’d put some effort into his relationship with Nina, but even that had been hollow because he’d had so little to give.
Then came the call from Mr. Seddon. Lex couldn’t, even now, pinpoint what had happened that day that woke him up. But his awakening pained him. When he returned home from Lu’s he cracked open a bottle of Scotch and proceeded to get drunk. All alone. He followed every question he had with a shot as if it were an elixir for the wildfire of truth as it seared through him. For the first time in his life, he wallowed in sorrow. He raged at the unfairness of his father’s death, the injustice of his daughter being kept from him, and the betrayal he felt. He wasn’t pretty in the slop of his dismantled life.
As he came up for air from the worst hangover he’d ever experienced, he looked around and saw that he was alone. It was disconcerting. And that’s when he decided that he needed to take action. He had a lot of issues that needed to be resolved. That’s what had gotten him on the plane back to Sarasota. It was foolish, really. He didn’t have the time and his body couldn’t handle the punishment of the overseas flight, but he felt like his soul couldn’t survive without it. His need to confront Jo had been overwhelming. He knew that Lu had exonerated her, but he couldn’t come to terms with his mother’s following Lu’s lead. Deep down, he knew that she was the conductor of this orchestra. When he’d found her house empty and realized that she’d been at Lu’s graduation, his soul took another knock. His whole family had been there with Lu—everyone except him. He’d been alone for so long that he’d never even noticed that he was lonely. He kind of hated his mother for allowing that to happen to him. Whether it was her fault or not, she’d pushed them all down this path.
The path that everyone had followed her down, even his dad and Pete. While he wasn’t particularly surprised that his mother had attempted to convince everyone that her plan would benefit Lex, he felt astonished that his father had agreed with her and had lied to him for so long. His father’s betrayal hurt almost as much as Pete’s and Lu’s. Mike had kept Lex centered. He’d been his biggest advocate, fan, critic. He’d carved out his own paths for Lex to follow. One of those paths had been to Caroline—another issue he needed to deal with.
Picking up his phone, Lex texted Caroline.
Need to talk contract negotiations. You up?
Caroline texted back almost immediately.
Of course.
Be there in 10.
Lex had always been the model client. He didn’t ask for special treatment, even though he received it because of who he was. Smiling, he thought that was probably why he never felt the need to ask. But he wanted to know where they were with his contract. She could meet with him at midnight for the cut she received. As he pulled into the parking lot, he felt a brief moment of regret for the consequences of all of the deceit. But he reasoned he was merely playing the hand he’d been dealt.