“No, he doesn’t.” Lucy had an idea what Megan was talking about and rolled her eyes once more. Her best friend always hated on Matthew in this way.
“Sure he does. Do you remember your first real date?”
“That was six years ago, Meg. You can’t exactly crucify him over his mom’s car breaking down, making him late to meet me.” Thinking back, Lucy remembered calling Megan from outside the theater, thinking Matthew had stood her up.
“I guess, but what about our trip just last year? Instead of hanging on the beach with us, he dragged you to some boring medical event that ‘just happened to be in the same hotel’ to network for the very residency he’s dropping you for.”
Megan wasn’t wrong, and Lucy stayed quiet. That had been an awful event, but it had worked. Matthew got into the residency program at the hospital he wanted. And they did get to spend some time relaxing, even if it wasn’t as much as she would have liked.
“He’s always putting his career ahead of you. Always.” It always came back to this; Megan didn’t believe that Matthew was good enough for Lucy, never had, not even in high school.
“Well, I don’t see it that way. Besides, it’ll give me some time to think on the trip.”
“Think about what?”
“I don’t know. My life, career choices… maybe my mom was right. Artists starve, Meg.”
She thought back to the small show she’d had at a local gallery. Despite a decent amount of press attention, she’d not sold a single piece and it had completely knocked her confidence.
“Luce, it was your first show in a legitimate gallery. You can’t expect-”
“Expect what?” Frustration was starting to get the best of Lucy. “To sell something, anything, after years of trying?”
“Look, I don’t want to fight with you about this, but driving across the country just to clear your head is crazy. Plus, you always seem to attract the strangest guys when you’re alone.”
Lucy couldn’t help but laugh. She had only been approached a couple of times while she and Meg were out and her friend had gone to the bathroom.
“I’ll keep the doors locked and will only stop in reputable motels. I’ll be fine, and my mind is made up. I can do this journey on my own. I’m not a child.” Silence greeted her on the line.
“Hey, why don’t you drive with Jenson? He’s leaving tomorrow, and I’m sure he could use the company. It’ll get you here with me a day earlier too.”
“No! I am not driving with your brother.” It was not going to happen. Lucy couldn’t even believe Megan suggested it.
“Why not?”
“I can’t believe you’re suggesting I ride with him of all people. Did you forget he had his license suspended in senior year for racing your dad’s car through construction sites like in Tokyo Drift? Or the time he jumped out of his bedroom window and into your pool for a stupid dare? There’s no way I’d survive the drive—the long drive—with him. He’d end up killing us both, or I’d kill him for being so annoying.”
Lucy could think of a million and one things she’d rather do than be stuck in a vehicle for three thousand miles with Jenson Phillips. It was bad enough she’d have to see him at the wedding, but Megan loved her brother.
“He’s my brother, Lucy, and he’s not that bad. He was a kid back then; we all did crazy shit. He’s had a rough time recently, but I think he’s finally growing up.”
“Jenson Phillips, grow up? I’ll believe it when I see it.”
“Well, you’ll see it tomorrow. I’ll have him pick you up at ten.” Before Lucy could protest, Megan ended the call with an ‘I love you’.
Lucy hit redial on Megan’s number, but it went straight to voicemail. Seething, she threw her phone onto the worktop next to her cup of coffee.
Jenson Phillips wasn’t just Megan’s brother. He was the guy every girl wanted, and who every guy wanted to be. He was the star of their high school football team, strutting around as if he ruled the school. Not once did he get into trouble for getting other kids to do his homework, or for treating girls like trash. No, he was the star and needed to be protected by everyone.
Megan, while she loved her brother, hated the way girls had used her to get close to him. It was how she and Lucy became friends – she was the only girl in school who didn’t see Jenson as the big man on campus, didn’t fall for his pick-up lines, and didn’t want him to shower her with affection that was obviously false. It was clear that was why Megan believed Lucy could survive being stuck in a car with him for three days.
But Lucy had never told her best friend about that one summer… it was the only part of her life she hadn’t shared with Megan. Rather than talk about it, she tried her hardest to forget the entire thing, worked to avoid Jenson for the longest time, and tried not to think about how he was her…
Shaking her head so she wouldn’t fall into her memories, Lucy let out a long breath, dreading what the next day would bring.
Thanks to the strong coffee she’d had before bed, and her conversation with Megan, Lucy couldn’t settle. She tossed and turned in bed, wide awake, her mind in overdrive. As much as she fought it, she couldn’t stop her mind wandering back to the fateful trip six years previously.
* * *
The summer before junior year, Lucy had been invited to join Megan’s family at their beach cabin. For the first few days, she and Megan had so much fun, lazing on loungers, splashing in the sea, and checking out the hot guys playing sports on the beach. But a week into their trip, Megan got stomach flu and had to spend all her time in bed, trying to sleep it off in between trips to the bathroom, leaving Lucy having to spend time alone or with Megan’s family.
“I’m sorry I’ve ruined your time here, Lucy.” Megan managed to speak as she nibbled on a saltine the evening before they were due to head back home. “We were supposed to have summer romances with cute guys who we left heartbroken, not you stuck on your own while I tried to keep food inside me.”
“Meg, you haven’t ruined anything. We did a lot before you got sick, and it was fun. I’ve used my time wisely and caught up on some reading I’ve wanted to do this summer. So many books about wild guys; be still my heart.” Lucy laughed, making Megan smile weakly. “Look, you rest. I’ll be downstairs, but if you need anything, let me know.”
Giving her best friend a soft smile, Lucy made her way down into the den, flopping onto the couch with her book. Megan’s parents and brother were out, and she had the large space to herself. She cracked her book open to where an old store receipt was slotted in at the last page she’d read. Without seeing the words, she stared down at the page.
She was enjoying being away from home, especially not having to do her chores in the unbearable heat, and Matthew… Lucy grimaced at the thought of the third best friend she and Meg had back home. He’d never made a secret of the fact he’d had feelings for her since sixth grade, but Lucy was beginning to get annoyed by how much he was pushing for them to go steady. Turning up at her house before they got the bus to school so he could offer to carry her books, hiding little gifts in her locker, and hinting about them being a couple.
Lucy loved him, but as a friend. She didn’t want to turn him down flat, lose him as a friend, and feel bad. But that wasn’t a reason to date someone though. As wonderful a person as he was, Lucy knew that agreeing to date him would be her settling for him rather than someone she was attracted to; someone who made her heart race just by entering a room.
As she became lost in her thoughts, the sky outside darkened. They were all due to return home in the morning, but she didn’t particularly want to. She wished she had more time to relax and be herself, away from the realities of life. Summer break was almost over, but it felt like it hadn’t really begun, not properly, despite what she’d said to Megan.
Trying to concentrate on the words in her book, Lucy shifted her position on the couch, determined to get lost in the story and not think about the next day. Just as she was being dragged back into the words on
the pages, the front door slammed and Jenson, Megan’s brother, strolled in lazily, disturbing her concentration.
Annoyed, Lucy looked up at him, in the same moment his defined abs and chest disappeared underneath the shirt he was pulling over his head. It stretched tight across his broad shoulders, completing the look of a popular high school quarterback. Lucy couldn’t deny, as much as she wanted to, that he was hot; the hottest guy she’d ever seen. Wild blond hair framed his gorgeous face that she was trying not to stare at.
“Hey.” His deep voice washed over her. Feeling slightly flustered, Lucy ignored him, hoping his attention would be drawn away from her by the girls in the next cabin who kept wandering along the sand outside the window, trying to tempt him to spend time with them. It didn’t work, as Jenson sat on the end of the couch and put his feet up on the low table in front of them.
Although the silence between them was awkward, Lucy didn’t really want to say anything to him. She’d never usually found herself on his radar in this way. She was nothing more than his little sister’s best friend.
Surprising her, he leaned over and snatched the book out of her hands. “Let’s go swimming.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“You haven’t done anything the last couple of days. You were having fun up until then”
“Yeah, Megan’s sick, or haven’t you noticed?”
“Oh, I noticed alright. She snores like a damn train when she’s sick.” He laughed, but Lucy couldn’t see what was so funny. She was an only child, so didn’t really understand the sibling dynamic that Jenson and Megan shared; both the good and the bad.
“That’s mean,” she told Jenson as he grinned at the sound of Megan’s loud snores coming from the loft room she shared with Lucy.
“Where’s the lie?” he asked, raising an eyebrow, making Lucy laugh, surprising her. “And, just because my sister’s sick doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy ourselves. It’s our last night on vacation, and when we get home, I’ll be packing for college while you and Megan get ready for another year of high school.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, training his ocean blue eyes on her. “Come on, Lucy. Don’t make me look like a loser splashing around in the lake all alone.”
Lucy didn’t know what to say as she nibbled at the inside of her cheek. She wasn’t sure if Jenson had an agenda of some sort, or whether he really didn’t want to spend the last night of their vacation on his own.
“This is a terrible idea, but… I guess I can’t really leave you on your own. After all, it would ruin your well-cultivated reputation if you’re seen without at least one girl hanging off every word you say.” Although she was teasing him, warmth spread through her at the thought of spending time with him.
Jenson beamed a brilliant smile at her words, which made Lucy’s heart stutter for a moment.
“I’m so glad you said that. I’ve been hoping to spend some time with you.” He stood and offered her his arm. “I promise to be a perfect gentleman.”
“I’m legitimately surprised that ‘gentleman’ is part of your vocabulary,” Lucy teased again as she stood up. “Let me just check on Megan and get changed into my bathing suit.”
“Sure. I’ll meet you outside when you’re done.” Lucy could feel Jenson watching her climb the first few stairs before going to his own room.
As Lucy moved around the bedroom trying not to disturb Megan, she was internally freaking out. She hadn’t ever spent time alone with Jenson; he much preferred spending his time with his jock friends. She grabbed her bathing suit, the only two piece she owned, and moved to go and change in the bathroom. A floorboard creaked under her foot, waking Megan.
“Hey, what time is it? Are you coming to bed?” Her voice was croaky, and she sounded out of breath. Lucy felt bad for waking her up.
“Uhm… no. I’m actually going down to the beach for a while… with Jenson.” Lucy looked away from Megan, hoping it’d hide how excited she was at spending time alone with him.
“That’s great. Maybe you’ll meet some other guys and can ignore my stupid brother.”
Lucy didn’t particularly want to ignore Jenson, something she’d struggled to hide from Megan and everyone else for a long time. Maybe meeting other guys would make it easier for her to turn Matthew down. If she could tell him she’d met someone during summer break, things wouldn’t be so horrible between them. Well, after a while at least.
“Yeah, maybe. He was acting weird when he asked me to go down to the beach.”
“What do you mean? Was he flirting with you?”
“I think so.”
“And how do you feel about that? Are you interested in him?” Megan asked, suspicion glinting in her dark eyes, making Lucy feel instantly guilty and regret saying anything.
“No… not at all. You know how I feel about him, the big dumb jock. He is funny though, and he’s probably just messing around with me, his little sister’s best friend.” At her words, Lucy watched Megan’s shoulders visibly relax back against her pillow. “Besides, he’ll most likely leave me alone once the girls from the next cabin turn up, flashing what they can…”
“Whew. I thought you’d suddenly joined the brainwashed masses.” Megan sank back against her pillows, exhaustion clear on her pale face.
“You know me better than that.” Lucy’s guilt flared again at her white lie, but it eased Megan’s suspicions.
“Yeah, but you’re better than his other fangirls. Maybe having you date my brother wouldn’t be such a bad thing.” Megan’s voice was a little too loud, a little too fake. She was lying and trying to hide the fact with a joke.
“Sorry, but no. You get to deal with his dating those crazy fangirls.”
The silence between them turned awkward until Megan started to cough.
“You should get going. Check out any hot guys for me.”
“If you need me, just text, I’ll have my phone.” Lucy felt horrible for leaving her friend, but left anyway. She walked outside to find Jenson sitting on the steps, looking out over the sand and water.
* * *
Lucy shook herself out of her memories for a moment. For years she’d hidden her attraction to Jenson from everyone, even herself at times, and that evening he’d wanted to spend time with her, just the two of them. Usually, he was the center of attention among his large group of friends, but that evening it had been just them. It was strange at first, but she soon got used to it.
He’d almost been surprised she’d shown up when she’d made her way outside, happy even. Lucy could remember how disorientating it had been to get that kind of reaction from him, and how she struggled to keep her own excitement in check.
They’d walked down to the pier side by side, until halfway, Jenson came to a stop and turned to her.
* * *
“I leave for college next week.” The force with which he made his announcement made it seem as if he’d been holding the words in for some time.
“Are you excited?” Lucy asked him, not really sure how she should be reacting, other than pulling her towel tighter around her body. Walking slowly backwards, Jenson shrugged half-heartedly. “You should be. You got a full ride to an amazing school. The football team is great and will open so many doors for you.”
As he spun back to face the calm sea, picking up his pace, Lucy wondered if what she’d said had made her sound a little stalkerish. When he’d been accepted into his first-choice college, she’d been upset about him moving out of state and she’d checked out the campus online. Trying to make things better, she carried on talking.
“I can’t wait to go to college, but I don’t think I’ll move away like you. I’ll probably attend a local art school, and stay at home to save money.”
“Don’t you ever do anything crazy or spontaneous?” Jenson asked her.
“Not really. I’m not like you.”
“You think I’m crazy?” He grinned at her.
“No, but you do crazy stuff all the time. Like accepting
a dare to jump out of a window into a pool.”
“That was one time.”
“And TP-ing the principal’s house and car? I know that was you.”
“Lucy Duncan, I didn’t realize you paid that much attention to me.”
His words made Lucy panic. Had she said too much? She scrambled to get her thoughts in order so she wouldn’t end up sounding like one of the fangirls she and Megan had spoken about.
“Well, you, and the stuff you do, are kinda hard to miss. You cause drama and get everyone talking about you. You’re almost like a local celebrity.” Her words made him throw his head back and laugh loudly.
They arrived at the pier; it loomed high above them in the dark, but that didn’t stop Jenson from asking if Lucy would miss him when he left, his face and voice serious.
“I might. You’ve been a fixture in mine and Megan’s lives for so long now, it’s kind of like having an annoying older brother all of my own.”
This time, Jenson’s laugh was hollow as he pulled his shirt off and ran under the pier to the water.
“Maybe I can change your mind,” he called out before running into the water with a large splash. Lucy couldn’t help but notice the way the rising moonlight glistened off his wet hair, tanned skin, and his bare chest when he emerged from the water.
For longer than necessary, Lucy was rooted to the spot on the warm wood, watching him. It wasn’t until Jenson asked if she was going to swim or not that she thought she’d made a mistake.
* * *
Once again, Lucy was brought back to the present and realized Megan was right. She shouldn’t travel so far on her own just to avoid a guy she pretended to hate. A guy she hated that still affected her so much when he shouldn’t, when she hadn’t seen him in so long. The guy who the mere memory of made her heart rate rise.
She picked up her discarded phone and tapped out a text message.
Her Best Friend’s Brother Page 2
