“Are you tired?” I ask her.
Those lashes flutter open. “No. Lying in bed next to my husband doesn’t really put my brain to sleep.”
I bite my tongue, trying to resist the urge to say something that might make her uncomfortable.
“What about two truths and a lie?” I ask her.
She chews on her bottom lip, then says, “Okay. You go first.”
“Let me think about it for a second.”
It’s deathly quiet as I stare at the ceiling and try to think of things I could tell her.
“I think I have it,” I say. “I have never eaten sushi. I’ve swum with a dolphin. I was happy my girlfriend broke up with me.”
“Oh heck, okay, so you’re going to make it tricky.” She leans up on an elbow, rests her head in her hand, and faces me. “I’m going to say the lie is…the sushi. Because it’s unreasonable to go your whole adult life without trying it.”
“Nope. It was the middle.”
“Well, that’s unfortunate. I was hoping you had a special connection to people who have pet dolphins, because they’re my favorite sea creature.”
“Sorry. No friend with a backyard aquarium.”
“You were happy your girlfriend broke up with you?”
“Yeah. She left me for Preston, and honestly, we just hadn’t clicked. I think my pride was hurt more than anything. We hadn’t been dating long, and I don’t blame her so much as I blame Preston.”
Lucy reaches over and pats my stomach. “Good for you for being mature enough to recognize that.”
I watch that hand patting my abs. “Did I just get agood boyfrom you?”
Lucy freezes mid-pat and then flops back against the pillows, cackling with laughter. “Oh my gosh.” She waves a hand through the air as she gasps for breath. “I’m so sorry. It’s a habit.”
I roll onto my side so I can watch her. She’s shaking with laughter.
“Every time I give a shot, I pat the dogs and tell them, ‘Good job,’” she says when she finally stops laughing.
“Well, I feel good about myself.” I grin down at her.
“You would.” She snorts.
“Okay,” I say. “Your turn.”
She leans back against the pillows, wiggling to get comfy. “Okay. Cats are my favorite animal. Willa is my half-sister. I haven’t spoken to my mom in five years.” She sits up abruptly. “Actually, can I take that back? That was way too dark?—”
I reach up to grab her shoulder and pull her back down to the pillows. “No, you can’t take it back,” I say quietly. “I started it by bringing up something heavy, and I told you. Now, I want to hear yours.”
She turns her head slightly and stares at me. “My family is really not that interesting or important.”
“If you ever want to talk about it, I’m here,” I tell her firmly.
Lucy grasps the blanket, pulling it tight under her chin. “When we were in high school, we found out Willa was the product of an affair.”
I swear under my breath.
“Yep. And it wasn’t like Mom even got caught in the lie. She told my dad when they were in the middle of a fight. I have happy memories of when we were young. Mom and Dad seemed to get along. But the more famous my dad got, the weirder and more controlling my mom got. The strange thing is, Dad doesn’t care about any of the fame. He just likes his job.”
Famous?
