Chapter Twenty

“Luce?” Brandt said, closing the patio door behind him and taking up his spot in his usual chaise on the porch. “You mind some company?”

Lucy shook her head no. “You know, I think you should have just bought this porch,” Lucy mused after a companionable silence. “We are hardly ever inside when the weather is good. We could rent the rest of the space and make some mad cash and just use this. I could sleep outside,” she said, stretching out on her own chaise and looking at the Pacific.

“Mm,” Brandt said contemplatively. “We’d need a bathroom. And I need a shower occasionally, or my hair just does not cooperate. Plus, the kitchen for food would probably be a good call.”

“Don’t say food,” Lucy said with roll of her eyes.

“Why not?”

“Well, I mean, I’ve been going to the gym a lot as you know, but Spencer said the other day when I was leaving that maybe we should do a weigh in, just to keep me accountable and make any adjustments in case I’m losing too fast.” She snorted, the sobered. “I don’t think there’s any chance of that.”

“Because…” Brandt prompted.

“I don’t feel like I’ve lost much at all. I think I have the opposite problem,” Lucy said glumly. “I haven’t been… eating great. I think this weigh in is, frankly, going to suck.”

Brandt felt guilty, thinking of the times he had been her ‘bad food’ accomplice. “You don’t know that yet,” he said soothingly. “We’ll just try and be super focused this week, okay? I promise I’ll help.”

“That’s the problem,” Lucy mused. “I can be good a few days, then I feel deprived and sad, and I snarf down something stupid. And then hate myself even more for it.”

Brandt sighed, not sure what to say. “Oh, honey.”

“Which is stupid,” Lucy continued, “because I really want to do good, and I want Spencer to be proud and happy. I mean, happier.”

“Happier?”

“We kind of went on a walk today,” Lucy said, her face brightening, even as a flush crept up her cheeks. “And it was kind of great. He’s so interesting to talk to.”

“What did you talk about?” Brandt asked, his voice neutral but his mind on overdrive, thinking of his recent visit to the Jackson household.

“Travel, religion, a little bit of politics, some recent books…” Lucy said, her voice on the edge of dreamy now. “I had no idea he was so well rounded and had so many opinions. I mean, when you meet him and talk to him in the gym, he seems like more of a football, beer, and chicks kind of guy.”

Brandt sighed inwardly, suspecting he knew exactly who Lucy had gone for a walk with today – and it wasn’t Spencer Jackson.

It was Sullivan.

Spencer was definitely the football, beer and chicks guy – not the introspective, opinionated, book reading guy.

Dammit.

Plus, and Brandt hated himself for even thinking this, Spencer was a super guy, but he was really concerned with health and appearance – obviously, it was the line of work he went into.

That meant that the odds of Spencer ‘dating’ Lucy, or even just ‘hanging out’ with Lucy were pretty long.

She didn’t exactly fit the scary skinny, health nut mold.

Not yet, anyway.

“He does seem like that guy,” Brandt agreed. “Does he seem really different when he’s not in the gym?”

Lucy nodded eagerly. “He totally does, almost like he’s a different person. He’s so focused and body conscious at the warehouse that it makes me nervous, but away from it, I’m not intimidated by him at all, and we have so much to talk about. Like night and day. I guess he takes being at work really seriously,” Lucy said, her tone thoughtful.

Or, he’s a completely different person, Brandt thought.

With the same face.

It was all Brandt could do to not blurt out the truth – that Lucy was falling for the other brother, the twin.

Not the trainer with the amazing pecs and cool dude demeanor.

He fixed her with a long look, then he opened his mouth to try and break it to her as gently as he could, but in that moment, he saw his best friend – the one that had been lost for so long, ever since Ryan died.

He couldn’t tell her now.

Not when she looked so very happy.

She was… she was finally coming back to life, and he couldn’t jeopardize that.

Spencer and Sullivan had promised to tell her when the time was right that there were two of them.

He would just have to trust that they did.

**

“Have a good time on your walk?” Spencer asked, peeking into Sullivan’s room before retiring to his own.

Sullivan sat up from his bed and shrugged, trying to mask his earlier excitement at seeing Lucy again. “It was okay, yeah.”

“Okay?”

Sullivan shrugged again. “Sure, yeah.”

Spencer crossed his arms, studying his twin. “You’re falling for her.”

“No.”

“Yes,” Spencer continued. “I can see it in your eyes. Jewel is finally fading, and Lucy is taking center stage. You always do this – get fixed on one girl, and can’t see anyone else.”

“That’s not true,” Sullivan argued.

“It is completely true,” Spencer argued. “But… Lucy? Are you sure that you…”

Sullivan’s eyes blazed. “What’s wrong with Lucy?”

“Nothing,” Spencer said, backpedalling quickly. “She’s a sweet girl, but…”

“Unlike you, I don’t care about her size or her history,” Sullivan said. “Only in as much as it makes her who she is today.”

“That makes me sound like a shallow asshole,” Spencer said, his tone hurt. “I just meant… she’s had a rough go of it, and I don’t want you derailing her recovery. Because that’s what she’s doing… she’s recovering from her life from the last few years.”

“I’m aware of that,” Sullivan said. “I know what I’m doing.”

“I hope you do,” Spencer said, pushing off the doorjamb. “Because I don’t want to lose her as a client.”

Sullivan sighed. “And I don’t want to lose her as a friend.”

“We’ll tell her soon,” Spencer said over his shoulder.

“We better,” Sullivan muttered, punching his pillow and flopping down on it. “Soon,” he said to himself.

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