Chapter Nineteen

Lucy whirled around at the sound of the deep voice behind her. “Thinking of taking a swim?”

She laughed and shook her head no when she saw who was behind her. “Not crazy about those rocks,” she said, waving a hand at the wave-beaten rocks that were just off the shore, looking menacing and kicking up froth and foam.

“Or the temperature, I’d reckon,” Sullivan said with a smile. “Hi,” he said, suddenly feeling more shy, until he remembered he was supposed to be channeling his twin.

His more outgoing, outspoken twin. Focus, Sully, he thought silently.

“Hi,” Lucy said with a sweet smile, making Sullivan’s stomach twist slightly. She had a great smile, he thought.

And great eyes, he added mentally, seeing them twinkle as she brushed back a lock of deep red hair.

“Hi,” he said again, and then winced slightly at the lameness that was him.

Lucy grinned in earnest now, finding the flush creeping up his smooth cheeks adorable. “Hi,” she replied. “So are we doing this at normal person pace, or at insane Satan pace?” she asked, gesturing to the walking path nearby.

Sullivan laughed, looking around at their proposed route. “How about something in between today?”

Lucy nodded, and they set off down the road, walking south along the path that ran parallel to Seventeen Mile Drive and was often used by walkers and bicyclists. “Sounds like a plan,” she agreed. “How was your day?”

“My day was good,” Sullivan said easily. “I was working on…” he bit off his sentence, realizing he was about to tell her something to do with computers, not biceps. “…helping someone, and it went well. And I went to the grocery store, and I paid some bills, and now I’m here. This is definitely the high point of the day, though.”

“I rank above bills,” Lucy said with a grin. “I’m flattered.”

Sullivan found himself slightly tongue tied, even as Lucy smiled at him encouragingly. “How was your day?” he finally asked, parroting her earlier question.

Great move, Jackson, he berated himself. Smooth conversational skills, there.

“My day was good too,” Lucy said sincerely. “I had a client who’d never had a massage before and was completely and totally quaking in their boots nervous, but by the time I was done, they were already rebooking for next week. I love it when that happens!”

“Why massage? I mean, what made you want to go into that field?” Sullivan asked, matching her stride for stride, impressed with her quick pacing.

Lucy looked at him askance, wondering why he was asking her that, when he’d asked her that one of the first times they had worked out together at the warehouse.

“You know, like I told you… I really like helping people, making them feel better. Like you do,” she added.

Sullivan gave himself a mental head slap for asking a question that Spencer obviously would have asked before. “Right, of course. I just… I’ve never known a masseuse before. I think it’s really interesting, the intersection of body and relaxation. Does any sort of spirituality play into it for you?”

And with that, the two of them launched into a lengthy discussion about spirituality, church, religious beliefs and the strength of the human body, neither one of them noticing that they had walked much further down Seventeen Mile Drive than either of them had expected to.

Lucy shivered slightly as a gust of wind ruffled her hair and slipped beneath her fleece jacket. Sullivan noted her movement and stopped in his tracks. “Lucy, are you cold? Do you want to turn around?” he asked, suddenly concerned.

She shook her head no, and Sullivan saw the healthy glow of her cheeks in the breeze. “No, I’m okay. Just that particular gust caught me unaware. Do… do you want to turn around? We can if you want...”

Sullivan shrugged. “You decide when. It’s your workout, remember?”

“In that case, let’s ditch the walking and go get a pizza,” she said with a saucy wink, making Sullivan laugh.

“Another time, I promise,” he said, and Lucy flushed and looked down at her toes. Sullivan bit his lip, wishing he could take it back. He so badly wanted to take Lucy out as himself, but he realized that by saying it as Spencer, he was setting up an unrealistic expectation of their trainer-client relationship.

Dammit, this was stupid, he thought, just about to spill the beans about the twins when Lucy stopped in her tracks again. “What?” he asked, alarmed that perhaps she’d hurt herself.

“Look,” she breathed, looking out towards the waves. “You see them?”

Sullivan followed her gaze. “The otters,” he said happily, watching two sleek brown creatures romp in the surf, obviously playing with each other happily.

They stood in tandem for several silent minutes, just watching and smiling like children, and it was all Sullivan could do to resist reaching down and taking her hand in his.

But he didn’t.

Lucy eventually sighed happily and gestured to the walking path ahead of them, back towards the cars parked by China Rock. “Shall we?”

“We shall,” Sullivan confirmed. “Have you… I hate to ask, but have you talked to your brother lately? I’ve been thinking about that call from the other day… I know it’s none of my business, but…”

Lucy rolled her eyes, and then shook her head. “Not since my fantastically sexy meltdown of the other day, no. Which is perfectly fine with me, actually.”

Sullivan silently agreed – her brother was not what she needed in terms of encouragement right now. “So, Kilimanjaro,” he said, shifting the subject away from family.  “Has that always been on your bucket list?”

Lucy barked out a laugh. “Not even close. For me, it’s always been Western Europe. And Japan. And China. And…”

And they talked about travel and funny travel stories and favorite California destinations, all the way back to their cars, neither of them noticing the miles they were putting on their sneakers.

“This was fun,” Lucy said when they came to a stop, digging into her pocket for her keys. “I really… I really appreciate the change. I mean, the warehouse is nice and all, but I need fresh air every once in a while. And you’re a lot nicer out here. A lot more human, a lot less Trainer from Hell.”

“Hey!” Sullivan said, defensive on behalf of his twin.

Lucy winked and smiled. “Okay, not hell. Purgatory, maybe. Still, it’s nice away from there. You’re more… you.”

“That’s a good thing?”

Lucy nodded, suddenly looking shy. “It’s a very good thing.”

She quickly stood up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to Sullivan’s wind-chilled cheek before turning towards her car door. “I’ll see you at the warehouse tomorrow. Thanks for the walk,” she said in a rush, jumping into the driver’s seat and turning over the engine.

She was already driving away before Sullivan registered what had happened.

It wasn’t the kiss he wanted, he mused, unlocking his own car, but it would do.

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