A pair of lights flashed across the house and driveway. A car was pulling up. Lucas stood in front of Helen and looked easily through the lights that were blinding her from seeing the people in the car. “It’s your father,” he told her.
“Helen? There you are! Where the hell have you been?” Jerry shouted as he climbed out of the cab before the driver had even come to a full stop. He was angrier than she’d seen him in years. “I called over and over. You’re never late! I thought something had happened to you!”
“Why are you here?” Helen screeched.
“We got an earlier flight. Didn’t you get any of my messages?”
“I...” Helen trailed off, holding up her cell phone stupidly. She knew she had to make something up, but she also knew she was a terrible liar. She started to panic. Lucas grabbed her phone from her and, as he did, Helen heard an almost imperceptible crunch.
“Her phone’s broken,” Lucas said, passing Helen’s phone to her father so he could see it. It came apart in Jerry’s hand. “I came over to see why she wasn’t picking up and she was out here in the driveway on her way to go get you.” Helen stared at Lucas with her mouth open, wondering how someone who demanded honesty from everyone else could be so quick to lie.
“How did you do this, Len?” Jerry asked in a dismayed voice as he studied the pulverized sandwich of plastic and microchips. “This was brand-new.”
“I know!” Helen said a little too emphatically. “Piece of junk, right? I’m so sorry, Dad. I had no idea you were coming early. Really.”
“Oh, it’s all right,” Jerry said a bit sheepishly now that he wasn’t so worried. He and Helen smiled at each other, all forgiven. Then Jerry turned to Lucas. “You look familiar,” he said suspiciously, acknowledging Lucas’s presence for the first time and distrusting it immediately.
For a moment Helen could see Lucas as her father did—a heartbreakingly beautiful young man who was too well built, too well dressed, and driving too nice of a car to ever be liked by anyone’s father.
“Lucas Delos,” he said, holding out his hand.
“Don’t you hate this kid?” Jerry asked Helen candidly as he shook the offered hand. Lucas laughed, and it was such an open, unself-conscious sound that Jerry joined in.
“We worked it out,” Helen said.
“Good,” Jerry said. Then he passed Lucas’s flashy convertible as he went back to the cab to pay and get his bags. “Or maybe not,” he amended. Helen took that moment to roll her eyes at Lucas and point to her phone.
“What about that woman? How are you going to tell me the rest of the story now?” she whispered frantically. “If I use the phone in the kitchen, my dad will hear.”
“Sorry,” Lucas whispered back, his eyes laughing. “I couldn’t think of anything else to do.”
“Tomorrow,” Helen warned. “I want the whole story.”
“I’ll pick you up half an hour early for school. We’ll get coffee,” Lucas promised.
“What’s going on?” Jerry asked suspiciously, joining them again.
“Lucas has to get home for dinner,” Helen said. She saw Lucas wince at the lie, but he took the hint.
“It was nice to meet you, Mr. Hamilton,” Lucas said as he waved good-bye and backpedaled toward his car.
“Damn, I really wish you had acne. Or a gland problem,” Jerry replied.
“Dad!” Helen huffed, embarrassed. “Good night, Lucas,” she said apologetically.
“Good night, Helen,” he replied softly, his eyes bright.
“Okay, that’s enough. Get in the house, Helen,” Jerry said with a nervous smile. He physically turned Helen around and gave her a little push toward the door. “I think I would prefer it if you went back to hating him.”
Helen heard Lucas laughing to himself as he started his car. The warm sound made her smile.
Lucas took his time driving home from Helen’s side of the island. He needed time to think and get control over himself before he faced his family. Not that it would do much good. Cassandra and Jason could always figure out how he was feeling, and they were being hypervigilant about him right now. They’d been worried about him since that day in the hallway when he’d first seen her, and now it would get worse. It wasalreadyworse. Jason would probably try to get him to sit down for a nice, long talk, and Lucas didn’t have the patience for that. He didn’t want anyone’s pity; he just wanted to be left alone for once.
Lucas pulled into the garage and sat with the engine off for a few minutes, trying to put his feelings back where they belonged. The past few days he’d felt as if his emotions were spring-loaded, as though if he let the lid off them they’d all come flying out like confetti from a Christmas cracker. He knew for damn sure he couldn’t handle seeing Cassandra, not right then, and he also knew she was probably waiting for him. He got out of the car, walked outside, and flew up to his bedroom window to avoid her.
But of course she knew he would do that, and she was already sitting on the couch in his room. Lucas smiled ruefully to himself before he even got his window open. He should have known better than to try and outmaneuver his little sister.
“I don’t want to talk about it, Cassie,” he said in what he hoped was a patient but firm voice.
