“Nick scored a sunrise reservation for Cadillac Mountain,” she said. “For tomorrow.”
“That explains the decaf,” Willow said. “It confused me, but I heard that woman complaining about the raisins in her oatmeal raisin cookie and couldn’t think straight. You have to leave really early for that.”
“I have to get up at two in the morning, apparently.”
“Oh, that’s fun.”
“Yeah. I’m going to stay at Nick’s tonight so it’s easier. We won’t disturb Gran, plus I can sleep the extra ten or fifteen minutes I’ll save by not having to drive over.”
“I really can’t figure out what you and Nick are,” Willow said.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re obviously friends. And you did live together.”
Lucy laughed. “We didn’tlive togetherlive together. Not like that. We both needed to stay at Gran’s, and it happened to be at the same time.”
“Okay, sure. But the way you look at him and talk about him.” She shrugged. “I feel like there’s more, and yet, nobody’s ever talked about seeing you two touch or hold hands or anything. It’s hard to explain. Like a vibe, I guess.”
Lucy took a sip of her drink, trying to buy herself some time to think. It didn’t help, so she took another.
“I guess it wouldn’t make sense for you to get together, anyway,” Willow continued. “I can’t really see him moving to Miami, and long-distance relationships are hard. Plus, usually the long-distance thing has an end date—like there’s a plan to live in the same place eventually. You’re actuallymovingto Miami.”
“Yeah.”
“I’m so excited for you. I mean,Miami. I don’t think I’ve ever met anybody who’s lived there.”
“I’ll text you and Taylor photos all the time.” She checked the time on her phone. “I should go. I promised Gran I’d pick up a few things at the market, and then I need to pack some warm clothes for tomorrow.”
“I hope it’s a clear morning. I’ve always wanted to go up there, but I never have.”
“I’ll let you know if it’s worth getting up in the middle of the night for.”
Willow laughed. “If you go up when the days are shorter, you don’t have to get up so early. But then, it’sreallycold.”
“No, thanks.” After swiping her card in the machine, Lucy gave Willow a quick hug. “I won’t see you tomorrow, but I’ll let you know how it goes.”
She got waylaid by Dolly on her way to the market and lost some time to petting the cat. She didn’t sit on the sidewalk this time, though, because Nick had things he needed to do this morning and she didn’t want him interrupted by somebody worried about her again.
Then, just as she was getting out of her car at home, her phone chimed. The high of thinking it might be Nick to the low of seeing Iris’s name was quite a swing, but she leaned her hip against her front fender and read the text message.
Are you over your tantrum yet?
She deleted the message and went into her contacts. She blocked Iris Macauley without batting an eye, and then went into the house.
“I found you something today,” Gran told her as soon as she walked through the door.
“Hi,” she said as she toed off her shoes. “Is it a good thing or a bad thing?”
“I guess that depends on how you feel about wearing somebody else’s wool underwear.”
Lucy froze in the act of setting her tote bag and the two bags from the market on the kitchen table. “I can honestly say I’ve never given that a lot of thought. Whose underwear are they? And have they been washed? Why did you find me used underwear and why are they wool? I have so many questions.”
Helen’s laughter filled the cottage. “Fair enough. They’re not underwear in the way you’re thinking. They’re long underwear, but a fine wool so you won’t get too hot, but you’ll be nice and toasty, even if you get wet.”
“Oh. Like a base layer for skiing.”
“Exactly. I didn’t know you skied!”
