“What’s the matter?”
“Hmm? Oh, nothing.” Lucy looked away, but Mel could tell something was wrong. The other woman was seldom quiet for long.
“Come on, tell me. Are you feeling air sick? Because if you are—”
“No! No... It’s just...well...I was wondering what he was up to.”
“Ryne?” Mel sat up straighter. Why was Lucy thinking about Ryne? Hadn’t she been assured there was nothing between them?
“No! Armand.”
“Armand?” Mel couldn’t keep the surprise from her voice. She hadn’t been expecting that.
“Yeah. He was sort of upset that I was leaving.”
“I thought you said he was okay with you taking time off?”
“He was... It’s just that when I went to leave, he...well...he kissed me.”
“Oh.” Mel absorbed the information. “And...?”
“Armand’s never kissed me before.” Lucy picked at an invisible piece of lint that must have been resting on her pant leg.
“You mean, you and he never...?”
Lucy made a wry face. “Nope. We never.”
“But I thought you said you’d...well...you know...with everyone.”
“Well, almost everyone, but not Armand. I’ve teased him and ignored him and practically thrown myself at him, but he never responded. I’d actually wondered if he might be gay or celibate or something, but now, I don’t know what to think!”
Mel sat back and frowned. “Gee Lucy, I don’t know what to tell you. Maybe he’s had a secret crush on you all this time.”
“Then why did he have to wait until I was leaving to do something about it?” Lucy folded her arms, her face a study of consternation.
“Well...maybe he needed the idea of you leaving to shake him up a bit.”
“I don’t know... I suppose it’s a possibility.”
Studying her friend’s face, Mel watched the myriad of emotions that passed over it. Hmm... it appeared that Lucy had a crush on the bearish man but now that he seemed to be finally returning her interest, she didn’t know what to do about it, especially given the timing. “How would you feel about it, if Armand had his eye on you?”
Lucy furrowed her brow, considering the idea. “I’m not sure. For years I’ve been saying that I want out of Stump River so I can make a fresh start, but then again Armand is really good to me...” She gave a confused whimper. “I just don’t know.”
“Well, this week away might be the perfect time to get things in perspective.”
“Yeah, maybe so.” Lucy was silent for a moment, before turning the tables on her companion. “And how do you feel about leaving Ryne?”
“Ryne?” Mel snorted and turned away, folding her arms across her chest then wincing as her arm protested the motion. “I don’t want to ever see him again. He’s nothing but a lying bastard.” Something inside her quivered as she spoke the words, almost as if part of her was protesting the thought, which was ridiculous. After the way he’d treated her, the things he’d said; nothing could redeem him in her eyes.
“Ouch! Is all that anger just over him backing out of the interview?”
“Yes...No... Some of it is and some of it is because of stuff he said.” Mel took a quivering breath as the hurt she felt bubbled to the surface. “He said I was only moderately entertaining and that...well...I wasn’t worth very much in bed.”
“Ryne said that?” Lucy looked aghast. “I don’t believe it.”
“It’s not the sort of thing I’d imagine.”
“No... Of course not, but...there must have been a reason. Ryne’s not usually quite that rude. He isn’t exactly what people would call refined, but usually he’s a decent guy.”
“Not with me, he isn’t.” Mel glowered at the back of the seat in front of her as Ryne’s words echoed in her head.
“Well, I wasn’t there, so I don’t know exactly what happened, but I bet there’s something else going on. Something we don’t know about that made him act that way.”
Mel shook her head, unwilling to hear anything that might exonerate the man. Lucy sighed and turned away, probably realizing that her companion wasn’t in a receptive mood. A silence fell between them and Mel became lost in thought over recent events. It kept her occupied for the remainder of the flight but by the time they landed in Chicago, she had no clear answers as to what demon had made Ryne act as he did. From the look on Lucy’s face, the other woman hadn’t been successful in her musings, either.
Suppressing a derisive snort, Mel stiffly rose from her seat and prepared to depart the plane. Wasn’t this just fine and dandy. Here she and Lucy were ready for an exciting week together exploring Chicago, and instead of planning girl friend fun, they’d spent the last few hours dwelling on the men they’d left several hundred miles away.