by J. S. Cooper
“Are you still mad at me for reasons unknown?” I whispered into her ear.
“I’m not mad at you, Zane. I’m just confused. The call confused me.” She looked up at me, with a glint in her brown eyes, and all of a sudden, I felt extremely uneasy. “But I would be lying if I told you I didn’t love this, didn’t love you. Your warmth soothes my soul.” She giggled. “Shit, I sound corny.”
“I was going to say you sound like a sweet, innocent farm girl.” I grinned back at her, letting my words mask my concern and worry. “So, Lucky, please tell me, what farm did you come from?”
“The tobacco farm, duh.”
“What, not the cotton farm?”
“My family grew tobacco and cotton, I’ll have you know.”
“Oh, on the plantation?”
“Why, yes, I do miss the plantation.” She reached up and ran her fingers across my lips and I nibbled on the tip of her index finger. “Ow.” She pulled it back quickly.
“There’s more where that came from, ma’am.”
“I bet there is.”
“Hey, guys, any chance of dinner anytime soon?” Leo shouted up the stairs and Lucky pulled away from me with a guilty look.
“Oh no, I forgot Leonardo was here.” She looked at me with anxiously. “I’m such a bad host.”
“No worries, love.” I grinned. She hadn’t even remembered Leo was there. I guess he hadn’t made a huge impression on her after all. I tried to stop myself from gloating. I needed Lucky to like Leo if I was going to follow my plan. I just wasn’t sure if I was making the right decision. One part of me—the part in my brain that was focused on emotions and my worry—told me it was what I needed to do. But the sane part of me—the part that was here with Lucky—told me that I was making a mistake. That I should just appreciate what we had and live life. And I wanted to do that so badly. But I couldn’t stop the voice in my head that told me that I was not enough.
“We’re coming, Leo. Don’t get your panties in a bunch.”
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.” He laughed and looked past me to talk to Lucky. “I’ve been waiting patiently for your lamb. I hope it’s nearly ready.”
“Oh, my lamb!” Lucky cried out and ran down the stairs. “My lamb’s going to be dried out. Nooo!” I watched as she ran into the kitchen, and a warm, domestic feeling overwhelmed me. Maybe I was old-fashioned, but I wanted to see Lucky in the kitchen, with a bunch of kids around her. I wanted to watch her grimace when she burnt the cookies and delight when her soufflés rose perfectly. I wanted to make s’mores in the fireplace and I wanted to enjoy late night ….
“Zane, can you come and help me, please?” Lucky called out to me and interrupted my daydream.
“Want more wine?” I asked Leo before hurrying to the kitchen.
“I never thought I’d see the day where Zane Beaumont was domesticized.” Leo laughed as he shook his head.
“Shh.” I frowned at him and hurried into the kitchen. “What’s wrong?”
“The potatoes are cold and the lamb has cooked too long.” She looked at me with wide eyes. “The dinner’s going to be awful.”
“It smells and looks good,” I said gently, ignoring the fact that the lamb chop looked like a dried up piece of charcoal.
“Liar,” she mumbled and sighed. “I just don’t believe this.”
“It’s okay, Lucky.”
“Argh.”
“Are you okay?” I was starting to think that Lucky was having pregnancy wiles. Maybe that was why she was so emotional? I wasn’t even sure if that was a real symptom, and if it was, I didn’t know if it would be showing up so quickly.
“No, my dinner is ruined.” She opened the fridge and pulled out a glass bowl that I vaguely recognized. “At least the salad is still good.” She lifted up the plastic wrap from the top of the bowl. “Maybe we can do salad and …”
“Did someone say that we were having a salad for dinner?” Leo sauntered in. I gave him a look and nodded my head quickly to the counter where the burnt lamb chops sat. I saw him glance over and he winked at me. “Salad sounds great. I didn’t want to tell you before, but I’m trying to avoid meat right now.”
“You are?” Lucky looked at him suspiciously.
“Yes, I’m trying to stick to only veggies on my new diet.” He paused. “It’s a Hollywood thing.”
“Hmm.” Lucky frowned and shrugged her shoulders. “Oh well, let’s have salad for dinner then.” I looked at Leo gratefully and smiled. There was a reason why we were friends. He winked at me again as Lucky got the plates assembled and I laughed and walked to the fridge. “Thanks for that. I owe you. Do you want a Blue Moon, Beck’s, or a Corona?”
“Corona with lime, please.” Leo grinned and I took two bottles from the fridge.
“What about my wine?” Lucky frowned and then just shook her head. “Have your beers, you Neanderthals.” She smiled at me. “Typical men.”
“Hey,” I cried out, pretending to be offended.
“I’m joking. My dad would always drink beer, no matter what the occasion was.” She laughed. “Even on their anniversary when my mom wanted to do a champagne toast, he’d be drinking Bud.”
“You can’t fault good American beer,” Leo laughed.
“Even at nice dinners,” she continued. “Even at my birthday parties at McDonald’s.”
“You can get beer at McDonald’s now?” I looked at her in surprise.
“No.” She laughed. “No, you can’t.”
“I used to love McDonald’s as a kid.” I smiled at the memory. “But we only got to go on special occasions.”
“Me too!” Lucky exclaimed. “My parents said I could only go as a treat for doing a good job in school or birthdays.”
“Noah and I were only allowed to go for a treat as well.” I stared at Lucky in amazement. It seemed like the universe was trying to tell me that this beautiful woman was made for me.
“I hate to break up the McDonald’s love-fest, guys. And I’m not going to tell you that their burgers are made with horsemeat, and that they have worms in their milkshakes.” Leo laughed.
“What?” Lucky exclaimed and stared at him.
“I said I’m not going to tell you that.” He grinned. “But can we please eat? I’m starving.”
“It’s coming, Leonardo.” I rolled my eyes at him.
“It’s all right for you, Beaumont. You’re full of love in your stomach, but my stomach is crying out for a juicy steak.” Leo realized his mistake as soon as the words were out of his mouth and I froze, worried that Lucky was going to start crying or start reacting in some other overly-emotional way.
It was silent for a few seconds before Lucky burst out laughing. “You should see your faces, guys. Like someone’s about to die. I am not that sensitive.” Lucky walked over to me and punched me in the arm. “I’m not a little kid.” She looked up at me with laughter in her eyes and I felt myself floating in the endless pools of her love. “Let’s eat the salad while we wait for the pizza.”
“What pizza?” I frowned and looked at the oven.
“The one you’re about to order.” She grinned and kissed me on the cheek before sauntering into the dining room with the plates and salad bowl.
***
“That was some great pizza, Lucky.” Leo licked his lips and I watched as Lucky blushed and giggled. I kept a smile on my face, but I was annoyed. Lucky and Leo had been joking around all evening and I didn’t appreciate it.
“Well, I tried hard.”
“That pepperoni, ooh la la.”
“I made it by hand.”
“Talented, I tell ya.”
“Well, you know, I’m the next Julia Child.” Lucky laughed and threw her head back. “Next thing you know I’ll be on Chopped or Top Chef.”
“You can come cook for me anytime.”
“Unfortunately, Lucky has a job, so she won’t be able to cook for you anytime soon.” I interrupted, snarky. Lucky looked at me in surprise with a frown on her face
and Leo just smiled at me with his boy-is-he-gone look.
“Are you single, Leo?” Lucky turned away from me and smiled at Leo once again, and I knew my face reflected my anger and jealousy. Was Lucky interested in Leo? Was that why she was confused? Was she developing feelings for Leo? I knew it was an irrational thought and that they had just met, but maybe she had felt an instant spark? They certainly seemed to be getting along well together—too well. I was not happy about their camaraderie and was seriously considering not hiring Leo as her bodyguard anymore. I wanted someone to be there to protect her, but not someone she may fall for. I trusted Leo with my life, he had always been a good friend, but why would I put temptation in his way? Lucky was a beautiful, vibrant woman and I knew there was no way that Leo was immune to that. I watched her as she spoke, her face was animated and glowing, and even her crazy curls weren’t enough to detract anyone from her charm. There was a bustle of energy and an innate joy that surrounded Lucky. It was what had attracted me to her back when I first started going into Lou’s Diner. Her energy was captivating, and you couldn’t help but be swept away by her charm.
I remembered one Friday night when I had taken a particularly bitchy girl to dinner, and she had complained about there only being two tomato slices in her salad. Lucky had smiled widely and asked her how many more tomatoes she wanted, listing the different types available. “We have Heirloom, Roma, Cherry, and Pear. Which ones would you like more of?” And then she had turned to me and winked—a sexy, innocent, knowing wink and I couldn’t stop myself from grinning back at her. Something my date had not appreciated. I laughed at the memory.
“I didn’t know you found my dating life so amusing.” Leo’s voice interrupted my flashback and I saw the concern in his eyes.
“Hey, you know. An ugly guy like you has it hard.”
“Well, you know.” He shrugged his shoulders and we laughed. Leonardo had always been the guy who had women hanging on to him wherever we went. It didn’t hurt that he was handsome and well-built. It seemed that women had a thing for strong men. Even when he was a doorman at a club, he had more women outside in the streets flirting with him than in the bar.
“Do you have any friends you could hook me up with, Lucky?” He smiled at her easily and I felt my breath release slowly, and some of my pent up tension disappeared.
“My best friend, Leeza, would love you.” She smiled and then looked at me with a clouded look.
I tried to make eye contact with her and she looked down. Something was still wrong. I could sense it. Was Leeza the one she had been on the phone with? What was going on? A dull ache filled my heart as I wondered if Lucky and I would ever fully be on the same page. I didn’t want to go through these feelings of panic and worry anymore. I didn’t want my head to pound constantly in confusion and concern, and I didn’t want to drive myself crazy every time something felt off. I wanted Lucky to come to me when she was worried or upset. I took another deep breath as I knew I was getting upset.
“So any dessert, Lucky?” Leo licked his lips and leaned towards her. “After that delicious meal, I’m feeling like some brownies.”
“Are you sure you want to ruin your perfect body?” She cocked her head and surveyed him. “How will you get all the girls if you stuff your face with brownies?”
“That’s why he spends so many hours in the gym,” I interjected with a smile. “If I spent five hours a day, I’d be buff as well.”
“Now you’re only half as buff.” Leo grinned at me, not sensing the tension between Lucky and me. Or if he was sensing it, he was being very careful not to make it worse.
“Let me go and see what we have for dessert.” Lucky gave me a hooded look and jumped up.
“I’ll help you check.” I jumped up behind her and followed her to the kitchen.
“What’s going on? Did you speak to Leeza?”
“How did you know?” She looked at me in shock. “Are you tapping my phone?”
“What?” My jaw dropped. “Am I tapping your phone? What sort of question is that?”
“How did you know Leeza contacted me?”
“I didn’t know. I was just guessing.” I looked at her in confusion. “Why do you think I’m tapping your phone?”
“Because you always seem to know what’s going on, and I think Leeza was trying to tell me that you’ve been stalking me.”
“What?” I laughed. “What are you talking about?”
“Leeza called me and said that she was worried.” Lucky’s brown eyes were huge and accusing. “I don’t really think you’ve been stalking me or anything. But you know, I couldn’t help but be worried ...” Her voice trailed off.
“Worried about what?” I frowned, fearing the worst. Did Leeza think we were moving too fast? Was she going to try and convince Lucky to leave me?
“I’m not sure exactly. She had a bad connection.”
“Call her back,” I commanded her angrily. “I want to know what she’s talking about.”
“I’ll call her later.” Lucky turned away from me and I heard her mumble something under her breath.
“What’s that?” I walked towards her and it took everything in me to not pull her towards me and ask her what was going through her mind.
“Nothing,” she sighed. “Let’s please finish dinner and talk later?”
“Fine.” I left the kitchen and walked back to join Leo at the dining room table. He sat there with an amused expression on his face and I scowled at him. “What’s so funny?”
“You’re so sprung on this girl. I never imagined I’d see the day.”
“Whatever.” I sat down and gulped down the rest of my beer. “So are you free to do the work?”
“You sure you want me to do this?” Leo frowned.
“I’m sure.”
“And you haven’t talked to Lucky about this?”
“She’ll say no.” I shook my head. “I need to make sure she’s protected.”
“I really think you should tell her what’s going on, Zane.” He leaned forward and stared at me. “She has a right to know.”
“Not now.” I was firm. “You don’t know her like I do. She needs to be protected and I can’t do it by myself. I need you to look after her for me. You need to protect her.”
“Zane, I don’t want to be dishonest.” Leo shook his head. “I really think she’s a good person. I don’t want to fool her. As a bodyguard, I need the person to know they can count and depend on me.”
“You need to be her friend first. You can’t tell her, understand?” My voice was low. “Do not tell her that I’ve hired you to be her bodyguard. All she has to know is that we’re friends.”
“I don’t feel good about this, Zane.” Leonardo frowned and I could see the tension in his shoulders. I was tense, waiting for him to make a decision. He was the only one I trusted with Lucky. I had to make sure that she was protected at all times, I couldn’t stand it if anything happened to her. I had to hire the best.
“I’ll do it because I like her, Zane. I’ll do it because you’re my best friend. But I must tell you, you’re going to lose her if you keep lying to her. I hope that one day soon, you’ll tell Lucky what’s going on. And I hope you do it before it’s too late.”
Chapter 4
Lucky
I felt awful eavesdropping on Zane and Leo, but something just didn’t feel right. Zane was acting crazy and possessive and I wasn’t quite sure if Leo was flirting with me or just being nice. Not that I wanted him to be flirting with me seriously, of course. That would make him a really shady friend to Zane, and I would hate for his best friend to be shady, seeing as his family wasn’t exactly the strongest. So I stood there and listened discreetly. Unfortunately, I couldn’t hear their whole conversation. The only words I had heard were, “Tell Lucky what’s going on” and my heart started beating like crazy. And then I started to feel angry; Zane was still shutting me out. After everything that had happened with Braydon, he still didn’t trust me. And I still didn’t know wha
t the stalking thing was all about. I’d been very surprised when he asked me call Leeza. But maybe it had been a trick. Maybe he was tapping her phone as well, and knew what she was doing too. Maybe he knew she couldn’t answer.
I shook my head at my own thoughts. Stop being crazy, Lucky. I told myself over and over again. He’s not tapping your phone, and he’s certainly not tapping Leeza’s phone. I felt like I was going crazy and wondered if I wasn’t just plain crazy. I was crazy for all of it. I mean, really, what sane woman would up and leave college and move to another state with a guy she barely knew? But you knew him for three months, a voice whispered. Maybe you weren’t dating him and maybe you weren’t bosom buddies, but you got to know him. Three months is a long time. People get married after three months. You just moved for a job. Don’t be so hard on yourself.
I stood there debating in my head for another couple of minutes before I realized that I still had no clue what to serve for dessert. I quickly opened the freezer and saw a frozen apple pie and some ice cream. Bingo! I pulled the pie out and preheated the oven quickly. Who could say no to apple pie and ice cream?
As I stood there waiting for the oven to preheat, I realized that this couldn’t go on any longer. Zane and I needed to talk. Everything was all over the place—we were both all over the place. It wasn’t healthy and it wasn’t a great way for a relationship to begin. Not if it was going to be a relationship that lasts the long haul. We were like two birds with broken wings that couldn’t fly, living in the same nest. We trusted each other a little bit, but not enough to leave the nest to go and get food. And if we continued in this vein of not leaving the nest, one of us was going to starve. And I didn’t want to starve, and I knew Zane didn’t want to starve either. And now I had another concern: What if I was pregnant? I couldn’t bring a baby into a situation like this. But I also knew I couldn’t do it by myself. There were so many unanswered questions, and I knew it was time to be a grown-up and start asking them.
