Page 54 of Lost
“You too, Mr. Bennett.”
She was breathless, no doubt nervous, and it made Lysander smile all the more as Georgia too greeted his friends. It was strange seeing Eliza Beth like this. She had been so confident that day she had first struck up conversation in English class, so charismatic that he had never for a moment considered she might be any different when it came to meeting his parents. Yet there she was, as bashful as he may have been had their positions been reversed.
“You should stay for lunch,” Georgia was saying. “We’d love to get to know you both.”
Eliza Beth glanced at Lysander.
“It’s up to you,” he said. “I’d love for you to stay, but if it makes you uncomfortable…”
“No,” she assured him with a smile. “It’s fine. I’d be delighted.”
“Same,” Jack said. “I don’t know what you’re cooking, Mr. Bennett, but it smells amazing.”
Zack grinned.
They sat in the neat little dining area that Zack had set up outside, enjoying the afternoon sunshine and the ocean breeze that accompanied it. The two girls did most of the talking, making polite conversation and asking everything from what Eliza Beth’s favourite subject in school was to how long Zack and Georgia had lived in Mapleton Beach.
“My mother’s the principal at the local elementary school,” Eliza Beth told the two adults when the question came up. “My father isn’t in the picture.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Georgia said, the corners of her mouth turning down in a slight frown. “That must be very hard on you both.”
“Not really. He left a long time ago, so we’ve pretty much grown used to it. Things are better off this way.”
Georgia looked like she doubted this, but something in Eliza Beth’s tone was enough to steer her away from the subject. It was the same way that she had spoken when she’d told Lysander that her father was no longer around — sharp and final, leaving no room for argument.
“So, Eliza Beth,” Zack said, easily gaining the girl’s attention, “what do you want to do once you’ve finished school?”
“I haven’t really decided yet,” she replied. “Maybe something with art, maybe something with music. All I know is I don’t want to end up stuck in an office somewhere, answering phones all day. I couldn’t deal with that.”
“Yeah, I hear ya. That sort of job would drive me crazy.”
“Lysander said you were a rockstar,” she said. “Is that true?”
“Yep. I’m the rhythm guitaristinNeedless Desires.”
Eliza Beth’s mouth formed a little “o” at this admission and realisation slapped Lysander in the face. It had completely slipped his mind that she was a fan of the band, that she had told him as much at her friend’s party before he had left for Wisconsin. It had been his intention to introduce her to the entire band (with their permission, of course) and to surprise her with the fact that he was Zack’s son, but he had never gotten around to it.
“Judging by that reaction, I’d say you’re a fan.”
“I am,” Eliza Beth admitted, “but obviously not a very good one, since I didn’t even recognise you. Your band makes fantastic music.”
“Huh.” Jack frowned. “Is it just me that’d never heard of them then?”
“She did mention that at the party we went to,” Lysander said, “but I completely forgot.” He gave the pair of them apologetic smiles. “I’m sorry. I really should have remembered to give you both a head’s up.”
Eliza Beth smiled her forgiveness back at him; Zack simply nodded his understanding. He was looking at Eliza Beth in a new light now, his brow furrowed and his eyes cautious. Lysander was sure he knew why — all of Zack’s warnings about crazy fans had not left his mind, and he knew it was only natural that both Zack and Georgia might hold their suspicions at first. Indeed, Georgia shared a look with her husband and Lysander could almost see the silent conversation that shot between them.
But he knew they would come around eventually. He would make sure of it. Because if there was one thing he was certain of, it was that Eliza Beth was not a crazed fan. She was his girlfriend, an important part of his life, and they would come to love her as much as he knew he was beginning to.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
It was early, much earlier than Zack would usually have crawled out of bed on a Saturday, but the band was scheduled for a full day in the studio and he was damned if he was going to be late. He had all of half an hour to wake himself up properly and get over to Brendan’s house to pick the lead guitarist up, and then there was the hour drive to the studio to worry about. For the fifth time since crawling out of bed that morning, he cursed Los Angeles for being almost an hour away. Would it really have killed the studio to be built even half an hour closer to home?
He sat across from Lysander, coffee in hand, waiting for the caffeine to kick in, sip by glorious sip.
“What’re you up to today?”
Lysander shrugged, wiping apple juice from his chin before it had the chance to dribble down any further. He swallowed his bite. “Probably just homework. I still have heaps to catch up on.”
