Page 38 of Taking the Pitch
Charlie
No you don’t, you just hate that we’re right.
Hazel
^ what she said.
Me
Charlie
Hazel
CHAPTER TWELVE
judd
It’spoker night at Kessler’s house and I’ve shown up early to talk to Lucy. I haven’t seen Amelia since the gym incident yesterday and I don’t know how to proceed with her from here without going to her apartment and making her talk to me. Which probably wouldn’t go over well. I don’t want to push her. I’m afraid I did that yesterday, but I couldn’t stop myself from telling her how I felt.
I know it’s too soon to have those feelings. Too soon to think of a future with the tiny blonde spitfire every time I think of her. But I can’t help it. Every time I close my eyes, I see Amelia’s gorgeous face and the word ‘mine’ pops into my head. Kessler says it’s a Davis family trait. Apparently, my dad’s side of the family has a history of ‘love at first sight.’ I mean, I’ve heard the story of how my parents fell in love while I was growing up and witnessed Kessler and Lucy’s relationship. I just never figured it’d happen to me.
Throwing my Jeep into park, I turn off the engine and sit for a minute, staring at the house my brother had remodeled for Lucy in secret. When Kessler told me he bought a house for awoman hejuststarted dating, I’ll be honest, I thought he had completely lost his mind. But now? Now I can totally see what drove him to do it. I scrub my hand over my face and get out. I hope Lucy can give me some insight on what to do next because I’ve got nothing.
Opening the front door and kicking off my shoes at the entry, I holler a ‘hello’. When I first came to their house after moving back, I knocked and waited for someone to answer the door. When Lucy answered, she asked if I knocked at my parents’ house. I told her I usually just walked in or went to the backyard. Lucy just shook her head and told me I was family and that I never needed to knock because I was always welcome. I decided then that she was my favorite sister. It didn’t matter that she’s myonlysister. When I look up from putting my shoes on the rack, I see Lucy’s blonde head poke up from behind one of the couches in the living room.
“Oh, hey Judd,” Lucy says before a massive yawn takes over her face.
“Did I wake you?” I wince, hoping I didn’t. “Where’s Kessler?”
She shakes her head and waves me off. “No, it’s fine. I was just resting my eyes for a minute. He took Hudson to Kara’s. He and Kade are having a sleepover.”
Which means she was, in fact, sleeping. “Shit, Luce. I’m sorry. If I would have known, I would have been quieter.” Walking over to the couch, I sit on the opposite end of the couch Lucy is on. Angling my body so I can look at her. Her long blonde hair is mussed from sleep, but other than slight shadows under her eyes, she looks good, maybe even better than when I saw her on Halloween.
“You’re fine, Judd,” she says before another yawn takes over her face. “I was reading and must have fallen asleep.” She looksaround for her book. Lifting the blanket on her lap, we hear athudas the book hits the floor.
“I got it,” I tell her, leaning forward and scooping the book up from where it fell. I look at the cover and chuckle. Amelia’s name is on the cover.
“Are you laughing at my book?” Lucy asks as I give her back her book.
“No, not at all.”
“Because I’ll have you know, Kessler has read some of her books too, and he says they’re pretty good.” She points a finger and narrows her eyes at me. “Don’t make me sic your brother on you, Juddson.”
Raising my hands in surrender, I tell her, “No judgment here, Lucy.” I don’t mention that Amelia is, in fact, the woman I came to get her advice on. I want to keep that information to myself just a while longer.
Seeming to believe me, Lucy tosses her book on the reclaimed wooden coffee table Hudson and Kessler built this summer from old boards we saved after tearing down one of the dilapidated outbuildings on the property. Watching Kessler do things with Hudson our dad did with us when we were his age brought up feelings I didn’t know I had. Like jealousy because Kessler gets to have this experience and fear that I never will.
Hearing a throat clear, I pull myself out of my thoughts and look at Lucy, who’s looking at me expectantly. “I’m sorry. Did you say something?”
Lucy rolls her eyes like she’s annoyed, but gives me a smirk. “I asked what exactly you wanted my advice about. Kessler said you met a girl that you’re interested in, but apparently,she’snot interested in you, but really couldn’t give me any more information than that.”
I tip my head. “Yeah, well at the time, there wasn’t any more information than that.”
She raises an eyebrow. “And now there is?”
I nod. “Now there is.”
“Well… Give me all the details and I’ll see if I can help.” Lucy settles back into her pile of pillows behind her and tucks the blanket back around her, getting comfortable while I start at the beginning of the story about how I met Amelia.
