Beck came to mind. Maybe it was overconfidence on Patrick’s part. Maybe it was impatience. Whatever the cause, he knew it was time to make a call.
“Lucy?”
She turned and looked at him with question in her eyes. “Yeah?”
“I’ll call Beck.”
She came to a full stop and then nodded slowly, her eyes on his. He could see the vulnerability in her eyes. “Okay.”
* * * *
Standing in his kitchen, feeling like he’d been hit by an eighteen-wheeler, Beck cringed as his cell phone began to ring. His body had recovered from the flu symptoms but the instant he’d been able to move around the house without passing out, he’d gone back to work. Anything to keep his mind off of…stuff. Losing Chloe. Hurting Lucy.
He’d known it was too soon to go back to work and he’d slowed his full recovery. On top of that, he’d been plagued by tension headaches. But work needed to be done, or at least that was his excuse. Between preparing for the upcoming honey harvesting season and carpentry work for his online beekeeping supply business, he was busier than he’d ever been.
He knew he needed to call Lucy but every time he thought of it, his heart ached for the way he’d treated her and he was filled with embarrassment. So far, he’d put that call off and now it was the middle of March. She was probably furious.
The headache he’d awakened with that morning, which had hung on for several days, was better but it still felt like razor blades in his ears when the phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and accepted the call as he lowered himself into one of the chairs at the kitchen table.
“Hello.”
Road noise came over the line as Patrick said, “Hey, it’s me.”
“Hey. What’s up?”
“How’re you feeling? Did you take something for your headache?”
“Yes, Mother,” Beck growled as he rinsed the empty cereal bowl in the sink and reached for a glass to fill from the tap. He popped a couple of Tylenol while he was at it so he wasn’t lying outright. “Calling to check up on me?”
“I know the last few weeks have been hard. The other day I could tell you’re losing weight.”
“You tell that to Lucy?”
“No. I don’t want to worry her any more than she already is. I just saw her a minute ago.”
“Oh yeah? She ask about me?”
“No.”
No?
“She was distracted by me.” Beck heard the edge in Patrick’s tone and wasn’t sure what to make of it.
“Where’d you see her?”
“Twisted Bull. She was at her class.”
“Class?”
“Striptease class. Remember?”
Beck vaguely recalled listening to the girls talking about their dance classes Valentine’s night but he’d forgotten all about it after what had happened later that night at the club. He tried to shut it out of his mind because he was sick of hurting. “So she decided to give it a try?”
Patrick chuckled. “She’s doing more than giving it a try.”
“Doing good?” he asked as he shuffled back to his bedroom. He was sick and fucking tired of feeling like an old man. Moving like he was ninety years old. He had shit to do. A miniscule smile came as he imagined what Lucy would say to that. “Well, then stop acting like an old fart and piss or get off the pot.” That was what he liked about Lucy. She told it like it was, sometimes when he least expected it. An even bigger smile crossed his face as he imagined her giving a go at doing a striptease. As sassy as she sometimes was, he’d bet she would be good at it.
Patrick snorted. “Good? Yeah, I’d say she’s a natural.”
Of course she is. She’s good at just about everything. “What were you doing in Morehead?”
“Meeting with a client. I happened to run into her. Listen I wanted to let you know she’s coming over tonight.”
“Oh yeah? Pizza and a movie?”
“No. Chinese, a bottle of wine, and then bedtime.”
“What? What about Patrick Junior?” he asked to cover up his surprise that Patrick was telling him this. The guy wasn’t the type to brag. He didn’t even know they’d become intimate.
“I’m on my way to get him from Maizy right now.”
“And Lucy is staying over?”
“She is. I’m calling you because I wanted to let you know you’re welcome to come over, too.”
“Nah, man. If you’re planning to spend some time alone with her after Patrick hits the sack you probably don’t want me around. I’d be like a third wheel.”
Patrick sighed deeply on the line. “Beck?” Frustration was clear in his voice.