Lucky Star

by Allie Everhart

  "What happened?" I ask her.

  "It's probably low blood sugar. I didn't eat this morning after spin class."

  "Dear, you need to eat," Helen says, rubbing her arm. "Can I get you something?"

  "Thanks, but I'll be fine."

  I let go of her and stand back, watching to make sure she doesn't start swaying again.

  "When's the last time you ate?" I ask her.

  "Last night, probably around five."

  "You haven't eaten since last night? It's no wonder you almost fainted. Why didn't you eat?"

  "I've gained a few pounds," she says, looking down at herself. "I was trying to get them off."

  "Lauren, don't be ridiculous," Helen scolds. "You're skin and bones. You could use a few extra pounds."

  "Why don't you go get something to eat?" I take her arm and walk her to the door.

  She leaves and I go out in the hall and watch as she walks to the elevator. She stops a moment like she's about to pass out, then takes a breath and continues walking. That's just like Lauren to skip eating to lose weight even though she's already stick thin. As a doctor she knows better but she always puts her appearance before her health.

  Back in my dad's room I sit on the chair next to the window. Helen is sitting by the bed, searching through her purse.

  My dad looks over at me. "She's not doing well without you."

  I sigh. "She's fine. She just hasn't eaten."

  "She's not eating because she's upset. Because she misses you."

  "Dad, I don't want to get into this. Lauren and I aren't getting back together."

  He stares straight ahead, his mouth tight like he's trying to hold himself back from yelling at me for breaking up with Lauren. It's completely unlike him. He never holds back from criticizing my decisions. Maybe this health scare is changing him, making him want a relationship with me again despite not liking my choices.

  "So you and Star," he says, his jaw tightening as he says her name. It's the first time he's used her name. He usually calls her 'that girl you hit with your car'. "You're still together, I assume?"

  "Yes, and we're very happy. I know you don't think we're a good match but we get along great. She's actually perfect for me."

  "I can't imagine you two could have much in common. She didn't attend college, did she?"

  "She went for a year then left because she wasn't sure what she wanted to do."

  "Does she plan to go back?"

  "I don't know but it doesn't matter. College isn't for everyone, and it doesn't guarantee a high paying job. Look at Alexis. She has a degree from Columbia and manages a coffee shop."

  Helen looks up from her purse and turns to me. "Her father isn't doing well. Did she tell you?"

  "No. What's wrong with her father?"

  "His blood pressure is dangerously high. The doctors say he could have a stroke at any time."

  "He needs to get some weight off," my father says. "He's gained a significant amount since retiring. Have you seen him lately?"

  "No," I say. "It's been over a year."

  "I'm surprised Alexis didn't mention it," Helen says. "Or Lauren. She, of course, knew, given they're such close friends."

  "I don't talk to Lauren much anymore. But I see Alexis every day when I get coffee. And Star works for her."

  "She has a job?" my father asks. "She's not just living off your income?"

  "Dad, for the last time, Star isn't with me for my money. She's very independent and works hard to make her own money. She's walking dogs now too and actually makes a lot doing it. Oh, we got a puppy." I smile thinking of him. "A yellow lab. His name is Lucky."

  "She could still file a lawsuit," my father says. "Do you know if she's spoken with an attorney?"

  "Dad, seriously, you need to stop this. Star is not going to sue me. We're in a relationship. We live together."

  "Let's change the topic, shall we?" Helen says, getting up and going to the window. "Look at the beautiful day we're having. They say it may reach 75. Wouldn't that be lovely?"

  My father and I don't answer, and we remain quiet until the nurse comes and takes him away. The procedure goes smoothly and I talk to my father briefly when it's done, then head to my job at the clinic.

  Star calls just as I'm getting there. I've been texting her all morning with updates.

  "Hey, I'm just getting to work," I tell her.

  "I'll let you go. I just wanted to see how he was doing."

  "He's doing fine. I'll call and check on him later."

  "Are you going back there tonight? After work?"

  "Probably, so go ahead and have dinner without me."

  "Okay. I'll see you later tonight. Love you!"

  "Love you too. Bye."

  I didn't tell Star about Lauren showing up today or that I'd be writing her a letter of recommendation. I never keep secrets from Star so I feel like I should've told her but I didn't want to upset her or make her think there's a chance I'd get back with Lauren.

  Lauren is my past. Star is my future.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Star

  "It's just you and me tonight, Lucky," I tell him as we get home from our walk. I let him off the leash and he runs to his water bowl for a drink. "Are you hungry, Lucky?"

  I know he can't understand me but I talk to him like he can. He's such a sweet dog. He reminds me of the lab I had as a kid.

  "There you go," I say, stepping back to let him eat the food I just poured in his bowl. I laugh as his tail hits me in his race to get to his food.

  "Now I have to figure out what I'm going to eat." I open the fridge. "Maybe I'll just get a sandwich."

  Corbin called an hour ago and said he was going to eat dinner with his stepmom at the hospital then hang out with his dad until visitor hours are over. I wish I could be there with him but I understand why I can't. He needs to fix his relationship with his dad, and since I'm part of the reason they haven't been talking I need to stay away until things are better between them. I think his dad will accept me eventually but it'll take some time.

  "I'll be back soon," I tell Lucky, putting him in his kennel. With his tummy full, he'll take a nap in there until I get back.

  I go down the street to the deli Corbin took me to when we first met. I go there all the time. It's close, not too expensive, and the food is good.

  Lars is working behind the counter and spots me as I walk in.

  "Grilled ham and cheese," he says, trying to guess my order.

  "Okay," I say, walking up to the counter.

  He laughs. "I was joking. What can I get you?"

  "The ham and cheese. It sounds good. And don't forget the pickle."

  "Is this for here?"

  "No, I'll take it to go. I have a puppy who gets mad if he's alone for too long."

  Lars puts his gloves on and gets to work making my sandwich. His shaggy blond hair is pulled back in a man bun and his skin has a darker tan than when I saw him last. He's always out in the sun, biking or hiking or playing volleyball with his friends. He's in really good shape from all his activities. I saw him biking without a shirt one day and he had abs as good as Corbin's, although Corbin is still hotter. He's taller and more muscular. He's so hot. I can't believe he's mine.

  "Where's your man tonight?" Lars asks as he wraps up my sandwich.

  "At the hospital. His dad's there having some tests run."

  "Is he going to be okay?"

  "I don't know. We're waiting to find out."

  He hands me my sandwich and rings me up.

  "Star," I hear someone say.

  I look over and see Lauren walking toward me. Has she been here the whole time? I didn't see her when I came in.

  "Hi," I say, grabbing my change from Lars. I shove it in my pocket and turn to leave.

  "Star, wait." Lauren catches up to me before I reach the door. "Have you heard anything about Corbin's father?"

  "You know about that?"

  She lets out a laugh. "Well, obviously. I was there this morning
during his procedure."

  "You were?" I ask, but I shouldn't have sounded so surprised. Now Lauren will know Corbin didn't tell me she was there. Why didn't he tell me? Did he think I'd be jealous? If so, he's wrong. I'm not jealous of Lauren and I don't consider her a threat. Corbin loves me and I love him. Our relationship couldn't be better. So why didn't he tell me about Lauren?

  "I've known the Sterling family for years," she says. "It's not surprising they'd ask me to be there during this difficult time. I'm practically part of the family."

  I ignore her attempt to make me feel bad for not being included. We both know why she was allowed to be there and I wasn't, but it doesn't change my relationship with Corbin so I really don't care.

  "I need to go," I say. "I don't like leaving the dog for too long."

  "You have a dog?"

  "Corbin didn't tell you?" I ask, knowing he didn't. Now it's her turn to feel excluded.

  "It makes sense. He's wanted a dog for years. I can't stand dogs. All that barking and shedding."

  "Corbin loves having a dog. We both do. Anyway, I really should get going."

  "When you see Corbin later, remind him about the letter."

  "What letter?"

  Damn, I did it again. I let her know Corbin didn't tell me. Now she'll think he keeps secrets from me. I didn't think he did, but now I'm questioning that.

  "He's writing me a letter of recommendation for a job I applied for in New York."

  "You're moving to New York?" I ask, secretly happy about it. She'll finally be out of our lives.

  "That's the plan, but first I need to get a job. Tell him I need it by Thursday."

  "I will." I open the door to leave, then turn back. "By the way, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at work?"

  "I wasn't feeling well earlier so I took the night off. I nearly passed out this morning but luckily Corbin caught me before I hit the floor. Anyway, I love the soup here and thought it'd make me feel better."

  "Oh, okay, well, goodbye." I walk quickly back to the apartment, simmering with anger that Corbin didn't tell me about Lauren. He caught her? In his arms? What the hell? And why was she fainting? Did she fake it so Corbin would catch her? And why didn't he tell me about this letter he's writing for her?

  I talked to him several times today and he never mentioned anything about Lauren. Why didn't he say something?

  He gets home at ten and takes a quick shower before joining me in bed.

  "I just checked my phone," he says. "Results won't be in until tomorrow or the next day."

  "But your dad's feeling okay?"

  "He feels great. He wants to go home but they want him to stay overnight."

  "I'm glad he's feeling better."

  Corbin turns toward me, his arm going around my waist. "Goodnight." He gives me a kiss.

  "Hey, um, did anything else happen today?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "With your dad this morning. You didn't say much about it."

  "There wasn't much to say. Helen and I waited with him in his room, they took him for the procedure, and then we waited while he recovered. Then I went to work." He yawns. "Can we talk tomorrow? I'm really tired. I need to sleep."

  "Yeah, okay. Goodnight."

  He still didn't tell me. Why didn't he tell me? I could've asked but now I'm curious if he'll ever tell me or if he'll keep it a secret. I don't like secrets in a relationship, especially when they're secrets about an ex. An ex I don't trust who I know wants him back.

  ***

  The next day at the coffee shop I'm wiping down the counter when a man in a suit comes up to me.

  "What can I start for you?" I ask.

  I've been working behind the counter for weeks now and I'm getting really good at it. I can whip up drinks faster than anyone here.

  "I'll just have a plain coffee," he says. "Dark roast."

  "Room for cream?"

  "No."

  I get his coffee and as I'm ringing him up, he says, "I heard about the accident."

  "What accident?" I ask.

  "You were hit while riding your bike. Isn't that right?"

  "Um, yeah, but that was a long time ago."

  "I believe it was around two months ago, or is my timing wrong?"

  I stare at him, wondering who he is and what he wants. "What's this about?"

  "I'd like to talk to you about our services." He hands me a business card. It's for a law firm specializing in personal injury cases.

  "I'm not interested," I say, shoving the card in my pocket as I turn to grab a rag to wipe the counter.

  "We'd just like to meet with you. You could decide not to work with us but it would be wise for you to at least know your options. Our work is free of charge unless you receive compensation, in which case we would take a small percentage to cover our expenses."

  "I told you, I'm not interested." I go around the counter to wipe down a table that has coffee spilled all over it.

  The man stands across from me. "Often we find that people such as yourself have lasting injuries they don't find out about until years later. For instance you could have lingering back issues years from now that could cost you thousands of dollars to treat, not to mention the cost of your pain and suffering."

  "I'm not going to file a lawsuit," I say, letting him hear the anger in my voice. "I don't care what scare tactics you use, the answer is still no." I go behind the counter and continue to the back room where Alexis is labeling coffee bags.

  "What's wrong?" she asks, watching me pace the floor.

  "I'm angry and need a break."

  "Why? Did something happen?"

  "This lawyer was trying to get me to sue Corbin. He acted like he wanted me to make up fake injuries or a fake story so I could get money for pain and suffering." I huff. "I can't stand lawyers, especially ones like him."

  "I'll take over out front," she says, setting the labels down. "You stay back here, okay?"

  "Okay, thanks."

  When I first started working for Alexis she was really mean to me. I'm sure Lauren told her to act that way, and I'm sure it's why she got me the job. She wanted her friend to make me miserable, knowing I was too poor to quit. But within a couple weeks Alexis eased up on me. She saw how hard I worked, and the more time we spent together the more she started to like me. Now I'd say we're almost at the point of being friends, but I'm still cautious with what I say around her, knowing it'll get back to Lauren.

  I fill and label the rest of the coffee bean bags, then bring them up front.

  "Okay, just calm down," I hear Alexis say.

  I look up and see her sitting at one of the tables with Lauren. What's Lauren doing here? She's usually at the hospital this time of day.

  Lauren sees me and nudges Alexis.

  Alexis looks up at me and smiles. "You done?"

  "Yeah. Need me to do anything else?"

  "Hold on." She leans over and whispers something to Lauren, who nods, her eyes still on me. What is going on with those two?

  Alexis gets up from the table and walks over to me. "Do you think you could fill in for me for an hour or so?"

  "Um, yeah, sure. Is something wrong?"

  She smiles. "Not at all. Lauren and I just need to talk about some stuff and I don't want to do it here."

  "You have to talk now? It can't wait?"

  She glances back at Lauren, who's checking her phone.

  "It'd be better if I talked to her now," Alexis says. "I'll try to hurry."

  "Don't worry about it. I can handle it. Afternoons are slow anyway."

  "Thanks! Just call if you need anything."

  "Is she okay?" I ask, looking at Lauren as she takes a deep breath, her eyes closed.

  "Lauren? Yeah. She's fine," Alexis says in a voice that's too chipper to be real. "I'll see you later."

  Something's going on. Why would Lauren leave work to talk to Alexis? What could be that important? Is it about Corbin? Is something going on with them?

  What am I thinking
? Corbin wouldn't do that. He'd never cheat on me with his ex. But he lied to me about seeing her at the hospital, and didn't tell me about that recommendation he's writing for her.

  Maybe Lauren got a job in New York and wanted to tell Alexis. But that wouldn't be urgent. Lauren wouldn't have left work for that.

  I'm starting to feel sick. Corbin lied to me about Lauren and now Lauren has some urgent need to talk to Alexis. Something's going on and I have a very strong feeling it has to do with Corbin.

  Alexis shows up two hours later using that same overly cheerful tone. "Thanks for filling in! You can go home now."

  I undo my apron. "So what happened with Lauren?"

  She shrugs. "She just needed to talk."

  "Is something wrong? I mean, it has to be pretty serious if she missed work. She never misses work."

  "Don't worry about Lauren," she says with a smile as she refills the cups by the coffee machine. "She'll be fine. Now go ahead and get out of here. You've had a long day. Any plans for tonight?"

  "Not that I know of. We'll probably just eat dinner and watch TV."

  "Sounds fun! See you tomorrow!" she says before disappearing in the back.

  She's acting really strange, like she's covering something up. Something she doesn't want me to know.

  Later that night when I'm making dinner, Corbin calls. "Hey, I'm running late at work. I'm not going to make it home for dinner."

  "The clinic closes at five. It's after six. What's taking so long?"

  He sighs. "Paperwork. I'm way behind on filling it out. I need to take some time to catch up or it'll never get done."

  "What time do you think you'll be home?"

  "I don't know. I'll text you later with an update."

  "Hey, how's your dad? Any news?"

  "The tests didn't show anything."

  "That's good, right? It means his heart is healthy?"

  "Yes, other than the artery that needed the stent."

  "It's good it wasn't more than that."

  "Yeah. Well, I should get back to work. Before I go, how was your day?"

  "Okay. I got to play manager for a couple hours."

  "Star, that's great! How'd you end up as manager?"

  "Alexis had to leave to talk to Lauren."

  "Lauren was there?"