Love Struck

by Laurelin McGee

  He hadn’t heard her anyway. Too busy giving Wes a high-five about something or other. She took the opportunity to swipe a beer for herself. After wrestling with the cap, she tipped back a swig. Or several, rather. Nothing wrong with liquid courage. She’d learned that from her big sis. And had it reinforced it by her wedding planner. God, she missed Andy.

  Lacy knew the alcohol wouldn’t do anything that fast, but she convinced herself she felt braver anyway. Then she stepped up to join the conversation. Perfect timing too, since Wes and James were discussing their plans for the rest of the night.

  “They have pool next door,” James said. “I owe you for that slaughter last week.”

  Wes smirked. “You mean you’re ready for another ass kicking? I could go for that.”

  “I’m in.” Other Guy stood—what the hell was his name?—and stretched. “I’ll hit the shower and meet you guys over there in twenty?”

  The guys nodded and dispersed. Jax, however, was still there, scrolling through his phone.

  “How about you, Jax? Are you joining the others for pool?”

  “Huh?” He looked up as if just realizing everyone had left. “Oh, nah. I’ve got—” His phone chirped, interrupting him. Whatever the message was, it made him smile. She wondered if her messages made him smile like that. She hoped so.

  The thought of it gave her a burst of fearlessness. “Because, if you aren’t hanging with them, I thought maybe we could grab a drink or something?”

  Jax typed something into his cell, then stood and pocketed his phone. “Actually, I have, uh, something I have to do. Someone I’m meeting.”

  “Like a date?” She was sure he meant LoveCoda. Maybe he’d admit it.

  “Sorta like that.” He gave her his best panty-melting smile. “Rain check?” He waited for her nod before shooting her a wink and leaving.

  I’m holding you to it, she said to herself as a sudden sweep of loneliness fell over her. Oddly, it was Eli whom she imagined comforting her, not Jax. Surely that was only because she felt so embarrassed about how she’d acted. That had to be it.

  So she’d go back to her room then. Alone. But not for long. Folx/Jax would ping her later, and she’d forget all about Eli. She hoped.

  When Lacy entered the hotel lobby, however, an unexpected sight met her. Eli at the front desk. With her sister.

  “Andy?”

  “Ah, there you are, thank God.” Andy gave a dramatic sigh of relief that may have only been half exaggerated. “I tried to explain to the desk clerk that I was your sister, but he refused to give me any information about you. Wouldn’t even tell me what room you were in. I don’t know. Must be a HIPAA compliance thing or something.”

  “HIPAA is for doctors, not hotels. What are you even—I can’t believe you’re here!” But as she questioned her sister, Lacy kept her eyes on Eli. He refused to meet her gaze, and that stung. More than she wanted to admit.

  Andy waved her hand dismissively. “Then the National Security Act. I always get the two mixed up. Ruined my surprise.” She glared at the hapless desk clerk. “Anyway, get over here and hug me.” Andy pulled Lacy into her embrace, and the feeling of home was overwhelming.

  Eli cleared his throat. “You’ve found her now. I’ll be going. Nice to meet you, Andy.”

  Andy shoved Lacy away in order to give Eli a proper wave. “You too, Eli. Thanks for the help. Hopefully we’ll see each other again.” Then she pulled Lacy closer. “God, he’s delicious. Please tell me that you’re, you know, getting with him. Because, clearly, I’m off the table.”

  Thankfully, Eli was well out of earshot at this point.

  “Why were you even talking to him?” That probably shouldn’t have been her first question. Lacy corrected her mistake. “Why are you here?”

  “Eli heard me telling the clerk your name, and he stopped to help me out. I wouldn’t have even known I was in the right hotel if he hadn’t confirmed it. Nice guy, that one.” Andy sighed as if remembering the extent of Eli’s deliciousness.

  Which bothered Lacy. She never lusted after Blake. Because, for one, ew. But, for two, not appropriate. Not that Eli was comparable to Blake in terms of their relationships. Just … it was weird.

  “And I’m here because I missed you! Blake sensed my misery. I wasn’t exactly subtle, though. Anyway he sensed it and offered me a surprise trip to visit you.”

  If she were a crier, Lacy was sure this was one of those moments that might have made her teary. An impromptu visit from her sister was exactly what the doctor ordered. “You know what, Andy? I’ve never been fonder of your fiancé.”

  “I knew you’d warm up to him eventually.” Andy threw an arm around Lacy’s and tugged at her rolling luggage with her other hand. “Show me to our room. I brought wine.”

  Thirty minutes later, their wine had been uncorked and their second glasses half-consumed.

  “I have a confession,” Andy said, drawing Lacy’s eyes up from her phone.

  Lacy was sure Folx would ping her any moment now, and she didn’t want to miss it. But Andy’s serious tone warranted attention. “What’s that?”

  “I didn’t just come because I missed you. I have another meeting with my wedding planner, and, well, I just couldn’t do it without you.”

  “So you flew to Baltimore? What, did you bring him with you? Is Tim hiding in your suitcase?” Frankly, it wouldn’t totally surprise her if he were. Tim was nothing if not committed.

  “Ha ha, funny.” Andy watched her thumb trace along the rim of her glass. Was she avoiding Lacy’s eyes or just suddenly interested in hotel tumblers? “No, my appointment’s via FaceTime. I thought maybe we could talk to him together.”

  “Okay.” And there was the real purpose of Andy’s visit. But Lacy didn’t mind. She was happy to have her sister around, wedding freak-outs or surprise wine party or whatever. Unless it was just an excuse for Andy to check up on her. Her heart swelled a little. “When’s the call? I’m free all day tomorrow until six. Except for a load in at two. That will only take half an hour or so though.”

  Andy finished off her glass and poured another before responding. “Actually, our appointment’s now. Well, in three minutes. At midnight.”

  “At midnight? Who makes appointments at midnight?”

  “He’s a night owl. He said he prefers the way the full moon inspires him, or something goofy like that. As if he wasn’t inspired in the daylight when we saw him last. Oh, God.” Andy took another gulp from her glass.

  Lacy grabbed the glass from her sister’s hand. Then swiped the bottle away when Andy tried to drink directly from that. “Why the hell are you drinking? This is your chance to face him sober.”

  “You know I’m terrified of him. I thought the wine would settle my nerves.”

  “Jesus, Andy. Get a grip. He’s your employee. You aren’t scared of him, you’re scared of planning this huge public wedding.” Lacy’s phone buzzed with an incoming message. She glanced down to confirm it was indeed Folx. Dammit.

  Obviously, Folx would have to wait. She entered a quick message. Family emergency. I’ll catch you tomorrow? This would be two nights they’d missed each other. But it couldn’t be helped.

  His response came back quick and made her smile. I’ll be here, Love.

  Now. Back to Andy. “So it’s midnight now. Do we need to log in or something?”

  “He’s calling my iPad.” As if on cue, Andy’s bag began ringing. “That’s him. You answer!” Lacy would have protested, but her sister had flung the tablet into the air, and she had to dive to catch it.

  “Hello, Tim,” she tried to be cool, as if she hadn’t just accidentally hit the connect button at the same time she’d connected with the floor.

  “Oh God, it’s you again.” His scowling face filled the screen. “I thought I only had one opinion to override.”

  “No such luck, Timmy. I’m sort of part of the Andy deal.” She could practically see the steam curling from his ears at the unwanted nickname. Now this could be
fun. Without him personally there to cow her, she could mess with the guy a little.

  “Hi, Tim!” Andy yelled from over Lacy’s shoulder. His eyes were darting back and forth between them.

  “Are you…? Have you…? Why don’t you two just grab a drink and set me on the desk so we can talk.” He was making a visible effort to take back control of the situation.

  “Oh, we aren’t drinking tonight.” Lacy nudged Andy to slide the bottle of wine away as she set the iPad up on the desk as requested. His sharp intake of breath almost made her lose her poker face.

  “What do you mean you aren’t drinking? Just one, then, to be polite.”

  “Nah, we’re fine. You wanted to talk catering tonight, right?” Andy smiled innocently at him.

  “Yeah, catering. I had some thoughts, but I was hoping to share them over a beverage…”

  “We didn’t even consider that, Tim. Sorry. Go ahead with your thoughts, though.” The girls sat and waited. He adjusted his collar. Then adjusted his glasses.

  “French food, in small plates. We’ll serve it in courses, with wine pairings. Are you certain you don’t need some wine to have this meeting?”

  “Nope. Tell me more about the food. I’m not really sure…” Lacy leaned out of the frame to hide her grin. She knew perfectly well that Andy adored French food, possibly more than most French people. Who knew it was so easy to get Tim’s goat? The man was actually beginning to perspire.

  “Soup in shot glasses. Something light, maybe leek or asparagus. Beef tartare, and a beet version for the vegetarians. Those—people always want something. Sherbet after that course, made with champagne. No one leaves a Boston Bride’s wedding sober.” He smiled at the thought.

  “Yeah, I was thinking something a bit more avant-garde. I hear in Japan the new thing is McDonald’s weddings. My fiancé does tons of business in Japan, so it would look good for us to incorporate some of that stuff into our special day.” The fact that Andy was saying this with a straight face deeply impressed Lacy, who was all but hyperventilating at this point.

  Tim, to his credit, didn’t crack. “Where are you girls?”

  “A hotel outside of Baltimore. What do you think about the burger buffet?”

  “Which hotel, Andrea Dawson? I refuse to discuss this any further with you sober.”

  “Oh, I don’t know, Tim. A Marriott or a Wyndham maybe. I wasn’t paying much attention. You know, I think it’s a good thing for me to have more input into this wedding.”

  “Is it the Marriott Express near the convention center?” On the screen, Tim was typing away on his phone.

  “Perhaps. What are you doing, Tim?” He looked up, eyes blazing.

  “What am I doing? I am attempting to find you and order room service for you. Somewhere in Baltimore there is a bottle of rum with the Dawson sisters’ name on it, and I will not rest until it is drained! The only thing worse than working with opinionated brides is working with sober brides. Brides with opinions! You are going to ruin this wedding, and I will not stand idly by!” His voice was nearing an actual shriek, the pitch almost matching the laughter neither girl could hold in any more.

  They finished the meeting and a second bottle of wine in fear of Tim’s retaliation. They had been sternly informed that no further input from Andy was needed on her own wedding. Lacy’s head was spinning from both the booze and the rapid-fire decisions that had been made.

  When they’d finally hung up, Andy tossed her iPad to the floor and lay back into the comforter. “God, that was fun.” She turned to her side and propped her head up with her hand. “See? I wouldn’t have handled that alone.”

  Lacy tsked. “You would have. Well, maybe that wasn’t true. And you definitely wouldn’t have punk’d him on your own. But I’m happy to have helped. You know, though, if you really felt like you needed someone to meet with you, you could have asked Blake.”

  “That would never have worked out. Tim would have fired Blake on day one.”

  Lacy laughed. “That’s probably true.” Blake had a fairly domineering personality at first meeting. He’d loosened up since he’d gotten with Andy, but he still could be awfully abrasive.

  “God, I love him though.” Andy’s grin was the kind that took over her whole face, sparking her eyes and flushing her skin.

  Lacy smiled too, letting herself remember for half a moment what that was like—loving someone like that. With her heart and soul and body. Not meaning to, her eye flickered to Lance’s pillow. Even though she wasn’t even on the bed, she could feel its presence. It had its own warmth and character, a fragment of the person it once belonged to.

  God, Lacy had loved him. She still did, only it didn’t come with the sharp pain anymore. Watching her sister plan this wedding to the love of her life should have been debilitating. Yet, she wasn’t feeling the anticipated jealousy. Maybe she had started to heal. Or maybe she’d just stopped paying attention to the wound.

  “Hey.” Andy knocked her knee against Lacy’s, pulling her from her daze. “You okay?”

  “Why wouldn’t I be?” Lacy sounded snippier than she’d meant to. She softened her tone. “I’m fine. Really. Do I seem … not … fine?”

  “No. You seem fine.” Andy cocked her head, studying her. “You also seem a bit … I don’t know … quiet.”

  Next to Andy, everyone seemed quiet. Lacy decided to go with honesty. Semi-honesty. “I’m working through some things, I suppose. Touring is new. I’m still adjusting.”

  Andy waggled her eyebrows, something she really didn’t do very well. Particularly when inebriated. “You should adjust with that Eli. I can’t say what it is, but he’s got something.”

  “That something is he’s hot.” Lacy wondered if she should say more and decided she probably should. Andy was her sister, her best friend. They used to share everything. Well, Andy still did, it was only Lacy who’d pulled back. “And I have adjusted with him.”

  “Yes. He’s hot. That’s what…” Andy trailed off. “Wait. What did you say? You’ve adjusted with him? Does that mean you’ve”—she lowered her voice even though they were the only two people in the room—“slept with him?”

  Andy had this adorable inability to say words that related to sex without getting totally embarrassed. Which, of course, Lacy took advantage of as often as possible. “No, I have not slept with him. But I did bang him. Twice.”

  Andy’s hands flew to her mouth. “Oh, my God! You didn’t sleep with him!”

  Yes, that was fun.

  But now that the admission was out and the shock expressed from Andy, Lacy had to admit the rest. “It’s not anything though. We’re not anything. It’s done.”

  Andy pursed her lips as if trying to bite back whatever it was that she really wanted to say. Finally she settled with, “Is that what you want? Or what he wants?”

  “It’s what I wanted.” Lacy frowned at her past tense choice of verb. “I mean, it’s what I want.” Wasn’t it?

  “Do you want to talk about this?”

  “Not really. Will you let me get away with that?”

  Andy considered for a few heavy seconds. “Yeah. If you don’t want to talk, you don’t have to.” She patted Lacy’s thigh. “Put it in a song, and I’ll hear about it all later.”

  Yeah. Put it in a song. If only it were that easy.

  Except there was a niggle somewhere in her chest. An itching that radiated outward through her limbs. As if something were brewing. Maybe she did have a song rumbling around inside. She needed some time by herself with her thoughts to find out. Which was going to be hard to find with company and conversation.

  Perhaps, after Andy fell asleep …

  The hotel did have a secluded lounge. She could sneak down there for a couple of hours with her guitar and staff pad. See what transpired.

  With that plan in mind, Lacy curled up next to Andy to watch some late, late talk show, and waited for the sound of her sister’s snores.

  Chapter Sixteen

  It was less than
thirty minutes later that Lacy found herself in the hotel lobby, her guitar case over her shoulder, staff pad tucked under her arm. She even brought her laptop to record what she worked on. Except for the night clerk, the place was empty. She found a nook out of sight of both the front doors and the front desk and settled in.

  Before even attempting any new words, Lacy played through the refrain she’d composed that morning, changing a few of the chords and tightening the melody. She opened her laptop and laid a rough track so she wouldn’t forget it, then turned to her staff pad. Once upon a time, a blank sheet looked like a red cape to her bullheaded approach to life. It taunted her, teased her, begged her to make something of it.

  Tonight the empty page stared at her like a dead end street.

  Somehow, she had to recapture the emotions she’d had that afternoon with Eli.

  She leaned back into the leather upholstery of the wingback chair and closed her eyes. It had been ages since she’d actually gone to a yoga class, but she used to love the meditative nature of the art. Maybe it would help now. Taking a deep breath in and then out, she concentrated on the feeling of her orgasm. The tightness of it followed by the much-needed release.

  She’d barely conjured up the memory when a ping from her computer interrupted her thoughts. Glancing down at the screen, she found a message from Folx.

  I know you’re not around tonight, but I just wanted to say good night one more time. Thinking of you.

  Lacy sat up, retrieving her laptop form the side table. I’m here! Family emergency over. I thought you’d be asleep by now. Sure she was supposed to be writing, but chatting with Folx was always preferred.

  I couldn’t sleep. I’ve missed you.

  Same here. And, man, had she. Even just one day without talking to him and her world had turned topsy-turvy. I’m really glad you couldn’t sleep.

  Me too. How about you? How are you doing? Why aren’t you sleeping?

  Lacy hit her head against the chair several times before responding. The answers to his question were wrapped up in Eli. It took a moment to pick apart the sections of the last two days that didn’t include him. Finally, she typed, I was attempting to get some words down. I actually wrote a refrain today!