Sweet Hearts

by Melissa Brayden

  Lucy scrunched one eye. “Maybe someday. But I think the result will be the same.”

  Emory stood. “Step one, talk to the girl. Step two, make sure you’re at work tomorrow. I can’t have the company going under just because your heart has been smashed to bits. I’ll need you to buck up and be the kickass CEO you’ve always been.”

  Lucy gasped. “You’re cold. The state of my soul demands I build more roller coasters.”

  “I’m thinking the roller coasters can wait.”

  Grace came around the couch. “Is Lucy going to the boardwalk with us for the Fourth?”

  Emory smiled triumphantly. “Good question. She most definitely is, as it will force her from this house. Plus, Lucy loves the Fourth of July and fireworks.”

  “Yay!” said Grace, whose excitement had both dogs on their feet in joint celebration. “She always shares her cotton candy with me.”

  “She’s a giver that way,” Emory said, and ruffled Lucy’s hair.

  It wasn’t until late that night when Lucy was tucked into bed and listening to the sounds of the waves just outside her window that her phone buzzed, signaling an incoming call. In the dark of her bedroom, she saw the readout and swallowed back the slash of hurt when she saw it was Kristin calling, her photo smiling back at Lucy from the screen. She stared at it for a moment as doubt and need waged a war within her. If she closed her eyes, she could still feel Kristin’s warm skin up against hers, the way her hair would tickle Lucy’s shoulder.

  With a quick exhale, she slid the phone into the off position and tucked it away in her bedside table. With the covers pulled in around her, she closed her eyes against the still-very-raw emotion.

  She wasn’t ready.

  And she couldn’t help but wonder if she ever would be.

  *

  Kristin surveyed the desolate newsroom and took note of the fact that other than a staff photographer caught up in a game of Solitaire, she was pretty much alone. It was July third and nearly half of the paper’s staff had taken off the second portion of the day to gear up for the Fourth’s festivities with their families. Given that Kristin didn’t exactly have anyone to celebrate with, she focused on her next project, which she was able to handpick after the overwhelmingly positive response to the article.

  The readers had responded in droves once the story ran and wanted more thoughtful exposés like this one, and that had the higher-ups asking her for more. She’d immediately pitched a piece on Slater Energy that would juxtapose their claims about green practices with what it was they were actually doing. And wouldn’t you know it? She was green-lit just like that.

  As she drove home that evening, she thought about Lucy and tried her phone again to no avail. She didn’t blame Lucy—she’d probably ignore her calls too.

  The truth was, she’d come to matter to Kristin a great deal more in just the short amount of time they’d spent together than any other woman ever had, actually, and that said something about what they had. The knowledge that she’d hurt Lucy in the midst of an already difficult time for them had her not sleeping and racking her brain for a way to fix it all. Kristin knew in her heart that the words weren’t true the moment she said them, and she was even more convinced of that now that time had offered perspective. If Lucy needed some space for these few days, she’d give it to her. But one way or another she was determined to apologize and find a way to get back to where they were. It was too important not to.

  As she pulled into her driveway, her phone buzzed. Closing her eyes against the hope that Lucy was finally willing to talk to her, she checked the readout. It was from a number she didn’t recognize.

  How do you feel about fireworks? –Emory Owen

  Kristin raised an eyebrow at the question, as it had her full attention.

  Chapter Eight

  The sun was setting on Mission Beach, and Lucy snagged a wispy blue strand from the cotton-candy baton Grace carried and smiled as the sugar crystals dissolved on her tongue. The Fourth of July celebration was in full swing on the boardwalk and there was a lot to see and do. Live music played from a central bandstand, and nestled in among throngs of food booths selling both the sweet and savory were jewelry vendors, carnival games, airbrush tattoo stations, and of course, street performers galore. It’s possible she broke a mime or two’s heart in the course of their stroll.

  Lucy dropped an arm around Grace’s shoulder. “You gonna ride the Giant Dipper?” she asked, pointing up at the roller coaster that snaked up, down, and around.

  Grace considered this. “I’m more of a stand and wave sort of kid.”

  “Since when?” Sarah called from where she and Emory strolled behind them. “What happened to my fearless wild child?”

  “Still here, but I’m growing up, Mom. I’m slowing down and taking in life’s little moments more.”

  Lucy raised an eyebrow and turned back to her friends in question.

  “She’s been watching a lot of Inside the Actors Studio lately,” Emory informed her. “Lots of getting in touch with her inner self.”

  “You want to be an actor?” Lucy asked Grace.

  “I’m thinking a director. The big idea person,” Grace said with a grandiose gesture.

  Lucy smiled. “I like it. We should do movie nights.”

  “When can we start?” Grace asked with big hopeful eyes that looked so close to Sarah’s it was scary.

  “Next week?”

  Grace turned to Sarah, who nodded her approval, before swiveling back to Lucy. “You’re on.”

  Grace was notorious for her various phases, which Lucy found kind of fun. They were only a couple of months out from her chemistry phase, where she’d spent hours on end conducting experiments with the chemistry set she’d received from Emory for Christmas. Sarah had been convinced she’d burn the house down. Lucy smiled at the memory. Having been around to watch their family grow, change, and mature, she found herself envious, and wondering what it must be like.

  She sighed as her thoughts, as if programmed to do so, drifted to Kristin, the person who she thought might just be that happily ever after for her. She’d been upset by what she’d read in the story, hurt by Kristin’s accusation, but the biggest blow had been the loss of what she thought they’d had. And while she’d missed Kristin desperately for the past few days, at the same time, she honestly didn’t know how to proceed after the whole ordeal. Maybe she’d miss her less, as time went on. It helped to lie to herself apparently.

  As evening fell in full effect all around them, the crowds seemed to settle in a bit, everyone securing their spots for the fireworks that would occur in just a short amount of time. Excitement hung in the air, almost as if the energy were charged with group-wide anticipation. She smiled at the families who clustered together with picnic baskets on blankets. As her group approached a bench next to the ever-popular funnel-cake booth, Lucy stopped at what, or rather whom, she saw stand as they approached. She shot a questioning look to Emory, who ignored her and moved to Kristin. Lucy took her in. Kristin wore denim shorts and a red tank top that showed off her tan. Her hair was down and caught a subtle curl from being so close to the water. If the sight of Kristin hadn’t slashed through her so effortlessly, Lucy would have thought she looked amazing.

  “Hey, Kristin,” Emory said. “So funny running into you here on this very random bench.”

  Lucy slid Sarah a what-the-hell look, but Sarah simply smiled.

  “Happy Fourth,” Kristin said to the group with a hesitant smile. Her eyes met Lucy’s and it was clear she was nervous.

  “Happy Fourth!” Grace said back. “Do you want to watch the fireworks with us? They’re soon.”

  “Thank you, but I don’t want to intrude,” Kristin said politely. “But I was hoping I might speak to Lucy.”

  “What a great idea,” Emory said, in a perfect example of why Grace would never direct her in any of her future projects.

  “Is that okay with you?” Kristin quietly asked her.

  Lucy cros
sed her arms in front of her as she considered the request, finally blowing out a breath. “Sure. I guess we can talk for a few minutes.” She looked back at her friends, who looked victorious at what they’d accomplished. “I’ll kill you later,” she said to them.

  “You guys take your time,” Sarah said, ignoring the comment. “Text if you want to meet up.” And with that, the three of them headed off down the boardwalk and disappeared into the crowd.

  “Don’t blame them,” Kristin said once they were alone. “This is on me. I wanted to see you and just didn’t think you’d agree any other way.”

  “And why did you want to see me?” Lucy asked. It was a stupid question, she was well aware, but it was all she had.

  “I miss you, first of all.” Kristin attempted a smile that died on her face, making it clear that none of this had been easy for her either. And good, why should it have been? “But mainly, I needed to explain. Can we, maybe, take a walk? Find somewhere a little quieter?”

  Lucy nodded and led them through the throngs to the beach, where they’d gone for a run together, once upon a time when things had seemed so promising. They sat on a wooden block that marked the ending of the man-made walkway and looked out at the night as it hovered over the water. It was July, but still sort of chilly in the evenings, and Lucy could tell Kristin felt it. It was her instinct to pull her in and warm her up, an instinct that seemed less than helpful in this particular moment.

  They sat there in silence for a few long moments.

  “I screwed up,” Kristin said finally out to the water. “And not just a little bit.” Lucy watched Kristin, in profile to her now, as she continued. Her face was partially lit by the moonlight, and the lights of the boardwalk twinkled just behind her. “I came to San Diego for a job I thought was everything. This was my chance to prove myself as a journalist. You have to understand that I left my home, my friends, my family, and my entire life to advance my career in news, and that means doing things the right way. In the midst of writing that story, I knew I had to tell it the way I would have if there had been no you and me. But I should have prepared you more. Communicated. Walked you through each step, so you weren’t blindsided. I guess a part of me was scared of what you’d say.”

  Lucy nodded. “Understandably.”

  “And then when everything blew up in my face, I said something stupid.” Kristin took her hand. “Sometimes you wonder as you move through life if you’ll meet that someone who will change everything. Affect the way you see the world, and make you excited just to wake up and see their face.” She turned to Lucy then. “And that’s become you.”

  Lucy’s lips parted at the declaration, but she didn’t say anything, do anything. She needed to hear the rest.

  Kristin turned to face her. “I never should have questioned what we have, and the second I said the words, I knew they were untrue. I know exactly how I feel about you, and God, I won’t lose sight of that again.”

  Lucy was confused, so very confused, but she saw the opening to ask what she desperately needed to know. With her heart hammering away in her chest, she spoke the words. “And how do you feel about me? Please be honest.”

  There were tears in Kristin’s eyes as she attempted to answer. She opened her mouth to speak, and then took a moment, looking down until she found her composure. When those eyes, glistening with tears, met Lucy’s, she knew the answer. “I love you,” Kristin said. And with the words, she seemed to find strength. “And what I’ve learned is that love can really screw you up. But once you find it, you can’t live without it. I can’t live without you, Lucy.” Silence hung in the air between them, but with those words Lucy’s heart shuddered and swelled. The breaks and cracks came back together.

  “Kristin.” The words Lucy said next came straight from her hear,=t, and in all honesty the leap was an easy one. “I love you too.”

  Kristin smiled and touched Lucy’s cheek. And they were kissing. That contact steadied what had moments ago seemed so unstable. In that moment, with Kristin’s lips on hers, Lucy felt something good, and solid, and wonderful click into place. They didn’t have it all figured out and this past week was a glaring example that there would be rough patches ahead and they would have to learn how to navigate them as they went, but sitting here with Kristin now, there was no way she could turn her back on what could be the best thing that ever happened to her. “Love.” Lucy repeated, more to herself than to Kristin. “Who would have thought when that pushy reporter walked into my office that there’d be this?”

  A firework burst overhead and magnificent colors showered down in a display that had Lucy’s breath caught in her throat. As they watched, Kristin slipped her arms around Lucy’s waist, and they sank into one another, snuggled up and enjoying the glorious painting of the sky. Lucy closed her eyes at how good it felt to be in Kristin’s arms, to feel the warmth of her skin again. And when the finale hit, and the colorful bursts overlapped in an ever-building succession, Kristin’s lips found hers and they shared a kiss that served as an unspoken promise.

  “Take me home,” Lucy murmured against Kristin’s lips. “I’ve missed you.”

  “You have the best ideas.”

  Epilogue

  Six months later

  “What did he say?” Lucy asked from where she lay on Kristin’s couch, Bernadette Peters snuggled into a ball on her stomach. Lucy looked adorable, but even that couldn’t temper her frustration. Kristin had been on the phone with her landlord for the past twenty minutes and felt like she’d just run in a series of tiny circles.

  “He’s not going to fix it,” she told Lucy, clicking off the call. Her arm fell to her side in defeat. The heater had been broken in her house for the past three days and her deadbeat landlord was apparently on some sort of mission to see how many times he could say no to a tenant request.

  “This is like the five hundredth thing he’s refused to help you with. He’s in violation of the rental agreement. We need to call an attorney,” Lucy said, sitting up and gently placing BP on the chair next to her.

  Kristin sighed. “Not worth the time. The lease is up in two months and I’ll be done with this little-house-that-couldn’t forever. I’ll just pay for it myself in the meantime.”

  “You shouldn’t have to.”

  Kristin smiled and slid in next to Lucy on the couch. “I like when you get all riled up. There’s this tiny crease that appears on your forehead and it makes me want to make out with you.”

  Lucy smiled. “Don’t patronize me for my crease. It means business.”

  “See?” She slid her arms around Lucy’s waist and leaned into her. “Now that kind of determination is sexy.”

  “Do you know what I think would be sexy?”

  “What’s that?” Kristin asked, stealing a kiss.

  “If you got the hell out of here and moved out to the beach with us.”

  Kristin laughed. “Have you seen an opening?”

  Lucy sat taller. “Yeah, it’s called my room. Though I guess if you moved in, it would be ours.”

  And that’s when Kristin understood that Lucy was serious. “Wait a second. You’re asking me to move in?”

  At the question, she noticed the dusting of pink that colored Lucy’s cheeks, a telltale sign Lucy was nervous. Hell, she was too now. As the flutters hit her stomach at the prospect of such a big step forward in their relationship, she awaited Lucy’s response.

  “Yeah,” Lucy said finally, glancing at the floor and then back at Kristin. “If you think it’s too soon, just say so. But I happen to be very much in love with you and would like nothing more than to wake up to those gorgeous green eyes every morning.”

  Kristin took a minute with the words because they felt so very good that she wanted to luxuriate in them a bit.

  “Say something, Kristin,” Lucy said and pulled in a breath. Kristin threaded her fingers through Lucy’s and answered her with a searing kiss. When they came up for air, Lucy was smiling. “While that was, wow, incredibly attention g
etting, it wasn’t an answer.”

  “It was,” Kristin told her. “Because that’s the way I plan to kiss you each and every morning.”

  Lucy blinked back at her. “Is that a yes?” Kristin nodded and they stared at one another, the weight of what they’d just decided settling. “Whoa.”

  “This is sorta big,” Kristin said.

  “And we can’t screw it up.”

  Kristin’s mouth fell open. “What if I leave the cap off the toothpaste?”

  “Evicted immediately,” Lucy said, poking her ribs.

  Kristin laughed, and then met Lucy’s gaze. “Are you sure this is what you want? You can think it over.”

  Lucy reached up and took Kristin’s face in her hands. “How well do you know me?”

  Kristin looked skyward. “Quite well.”

  “Then you know that I wouldn’t ask unless I knew in my heart this was right. So, yeah, I’m sure.” Lucy then sent her that sultry, sexy smile. “And in light of this new development, we should maybe celebrate or something.”

  “Yeah?” Kristin asked, enjoying this idea already. “What did you have in mind?”

  “Well, it is pretty cold in here”—Lucy raised one shoulder—“no heater and all. We could, maybe, find an alternative way to warm the place up.”

  “God, I love you,” Kristin said.

  “Then kiss me. The night is young.” Lucy’s eyes danced as Kristin closed the distance between them, savoring the anticipation and looking forward to the kiss and everything that would come after.

  Readers interested in more from Emory and Sarah can read their romantic journey in Heart Block.

  Getting Serious

  Rachel Spangler

  Chapter One

  “Hello, everybody,” Lisa said a little too loudly into the mic. Her voice reverberated through the speakers and off the wooden floors, but she got everyone’s attention. The one hundred plus people in the Pan Am ballroom turned their attention to the head table. The whole place looked like something out of a fairy tale, everyone dressed so beautifully, with golden light reflecting off champagne flutes and dancing across the faces before her.