Chapter Twenty Five

Lucy glanced over shyly at the handsome man behind the wheel of the car, the scenery whizzing by outside as they made their way south towards Big Sur. She knew it would only be about a forty-five minute car ride together, but she had been a bundle of nerves before the car had even pulled into their driveway to pick her up.

Brandt had waved goodbye with a wink and a wide smile, and in the first few minutes of the drive they had covered the weather, the menu for the weekend, and the route to the cabin.

They both seemed to be nervous, Lucy had noted.

She didn’t think Spencer Jackson was the kind of person to get nervous, so it was surprising to her.

She wondered why he would be nervous – certainly not for the same reason she was, she mused, looking out the window at the passing scenery.

“You know,” Lucy said after a pregnant pause, turning towards her driver. “I’m kind of surprised by the car.”

Sullivan’s eyebrows shot up. “You don’t like it?”

Lucy glanced around at the sensible, four door, mid size sedan clad in an understated shade of blue. “I like it, it’s just not what I expected. From you, I mean.”

“What did you expect?” Sullivan asked, slightly dreading the answer.

Lucy shrugged. “Something… flashier. Maybe a modern muscle car. You know, to go with the whole trainer swagger.”

Sullivan bit back a retort, realizing that until they were safe in the woods and he told Lucy everything, he was still ‘Spencer’ to her. “Swagger?”

Lucy grinned good naturedly. “Swagger. That whole I’m-a-buff-god-bow-down-to-me-you-mere-mortal swagger. You know, swagger.”

Sullivan cocked an eyebrow and studied her. “Mere mortal, you’re goofy.”

Lucy laughed. “Anyway, the car just isn’t what I expected.”

“I guess I’m not exactly who you think I am.”

Lucy tilted her head, considering him. “Weirdly, I feel like I know you pretty well, all things considered. But yes, the car is a surprise.”

“You know what surprised me?” Sullivan asked, navigating a turn on the highway. “Vera Bradley luggage?”

Lucy laughed, the sound filling the car with happiness. “Ryan’s parents got it for me one year for my birthday. They knew I was a pretty sensible person myself, so I swear they went and got the loudest, wackiest pattern they could find and outfitted me with all of it. It’s hideous, isn’t it?” she asked with a laugh.

“Awful,” Sullivan agreed, picturing the eyesore fabric in his mind. “But on the plus side, you’ll probably never lose it at the airport, and it’s so bad, no one will every steal it.”

Lucy laughed outright. “Much like your car. There are millions of these on the road, so who would mess with yours?”

Sullivan glanced over, involuntarily smiling in response to her wide grin and shining eyes. He still couldn’t believe they were doing this – going away for the weekend under false pretenses – but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t excited to spend time alone with her.

And a little nervous.

What if, once she found out who he really was, she…

She didn’t like him.

Maybe she only had eyes for Spencer, he thought darkly.

Realizing the idiocy of that remark – they were twins – he shook his head slightly to rid himself of such silly thoughts.

Embrace the here and now, he thought, repeating what Spencer had told him as he was leaving to pick up Lucy.

Embrace the here and now.

**

Lucy stood in the small clearing in front of the cabin, her eyes cast upwards, taking in the foliage of the enormous swaying trees surrounding the property. “Wow,” she breathed. “This is incredible,” she said softly, her eyes darting around, trying to take it all in. “And it’s yours…”

Sullivan nodded, his hands in his pockets, watching her. “Isn’t it great?”

“Great?” Lucy echoed. “No, this is just… this is beyond great. God, if I had this, I would never leave. How do you leave?”

Sullivan shrugged. “Life intervenes and you have to leave eventually. But I think it’ll do for a retreat, yeah?”

“Oh yeah,” Lucy agreed with an eager nod, hefting her ugly fabric bag onto her shoulder. “I bet you have a lot of good memories here,” she said, thinking back to their conversation in the car to it being his grandmother’s and all the summer days he had spent here.

“I do,” Sullivan said quietly.

“Is it hard to come back?” Lucy asked, noting his somewhat sad expression.

“Sometimes,” he admitted. “I mean, I love the property and I long to be here all the time, but it’s still strange for Gram not to be standing on the porch, calling us inside or yelling into the woods that dinner is ready.”

“I bet,” Lucy said, impulsively reaching out to squeeze his hand. “But she left you an amazing gift, and lots of great memories.”

Sullivan glanced down at their entwined hands with a small smile. “She did,” he agreed, then sighed slightly when Lucy noted his gaze and quickly pulled her hand away from his. “Want to see inside?”

“Silly question,” Lucy shot back. She followed him up the steps and through the screened-in wraparound porch to the door, then gasped when it swung open to reveal a wide floor plan with overstuffed furniture, a huge dining room table and a massive fireplace against one wall. She dropped her bag softly on the worn wooden floor and looked around, taking it all in. “This is amazing,” she breathed. “Gosh, what a space.”

“Gram liked everything to be pretty wide open and airy,” Sullivan noted. “The kitchen is through there,” he said, pointing to a doorway, “and Gram’s room… I mean, the bedroom is there.”

“Only…” Lucy cleared her throat slightly. “Only one bedroom?”

Sullivan nodded absently. “Yeah, she built it for herself and Gramps, so it only ever had one bedroom. We used to sleep on sofas or on the floor by the fireplace.”

Lucy didn’t notice the ‘we’ in his sentence, instead thinking of more immediate practical matters.

Where exactly were they both sleeping for this weekend long slumber party?

Sullivan seemed to read her thoughts and added quickly, “you can stay in Gram’s room, I mean, the bedroom, and I’ll crash out here. I’m used to it.”

“Oh, no,” Lucy protested automatically. “You can’t do that.”

“Hey, it’s your boot camp. I’m going to make you earn the right to a good night’s rest,” Sullivan said with a light tone, trying to channel his twin.

“Are you…” Lucy swallowed, training her gaze on him. “Are you sure?”

Sullivan nodded quickly, feigning nonchalance. “Sure, no problem. It’s through there,” he gestured, and Lucy walked into the bedroom, noting the cheery quilt on the bed, the rough hewn furniture, and the gauzy curtains in the window. It was a sweet, warm, comfortable room.

God, she loved this place, she thought, wandering into the bathroom, the through to the kitchen while Sullivan unlocked doors and cracked open windows to let fresh air breeze through.

“So,” she said, speaking aloud and making Sullivan jump and whirl around to face her. “What’s first? A ten mile hike? Calisthenics? Felling a tree or something with an axe? Or better yet, my bare hands?”

Sullivan laughed. “I was thinking dinner,” he said, noting the dimming light outside, and realizing he would need to gather some firewood for the evening before it was fully dark.

“Oh,” Lucy said, following his gaze. “It is kind of turning into Friday night, instead of Friday day, isn’t it?”

“It is,” Sullivan said. “I think the hike can wait until the morning, don’t you?”

Lucy nodded. “I’ll get started in the kitchen with dinner, then. Any requests?” she called over her shoulder, heading back towards the car, which was full of groceries in the trunk.

“Dazzle me with your healthy cooking prowess,” Sullivan shot back and Lucy laughed as she skipped down the steps.

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