Page 18 of Love Medley (Med Wreck Romance #1)

Chapter twelve

Jake

“ A re you ready to do this?” Lucy says with a mischievous smile on her face.

Lucy and I plan to have a flirty conversation close to Sam’s working station. I’ve only seen glimpses of Lucy’s playful side, but with each passing day, it’s coming out more and more. I marvel at the thought that I might be helping her emerge from her shell.

That said, I’m really glad that Sam has moved on, because otherwise I’d feel worse about doing this.

In fact, Sam has been on my mind a lot this morning, not because I want to get back together with her, but because I’m increasingly aware of how badly matched we were as a couple.

Yesterday, Lucy pulled more information out of me about my family than Sam has ever gotten, and it’s because she was incredibly empathetic to what I was going through.

I really felt like she understood, maybe because she’s seen her parents treat her brother in a similar way.

In contrast, when I told Sam about my dad, she immediately started defending him, saying that I should try harder to connect with him.

She insinuated that I wasn’t making a big enough effort, and that’s why our relationship was so strained.

Because Sam didn’t want to hear anything bad about my parents, I felt silenced.

I don’t think she meant to do that on purpose, but after that, I clammed up whenever she asked me about my family.

Right now, however, I’m here with Lucy, and that’s all that matters. “No time like the present,” I say, grinning back.

Of course, Lucy always looks gorgeous, but for some reason, I’m more struck by her than ever before. Her black hair falls in waves on her back, her lips are a soft kissable pink. She has on a pretty sky-blue dress that shows off her tiny waist.

I gulp, wondering if she put on our shared favorite color…just for me.

Fuck. I have to stop thinking about her that way. This is all for show—she’s my fake girlfriend, for crying out loud. This isn’t real.

We linger in the vicinity of where Sam is typing on her computer, but not close enough that she can hear what we’re saying .

“I’m really looking forward to our date tomorrow,” Lucy says, twisting a lock of hair as she looks upwards at me through her lashes.

Logical and rational thinking goes out the window with all my blood rushing south. Apparently my body doesn’t give a damn if this is fake. Because once it sees Lucy, all bets are off.

“Me too,” I say, my voice sounding unnatural and wooden.

God, why are we even doing this? Then I remember this is about Lucy, not about me or Sam. Lucy needs to feel like I’m getting something out of this so that I can help her get rid of Weston.

And then I’m blasted back into the moment. Lucy is in front of me, so sweet and effortlessly enticing that my fingers twitch with a mad desire to touch her. But what if it’s the wrong thing to do? After a beat of hesitation, I reach out and tuck the curl she’s twisting behind her ear.

Lucy looks startled before her face slowly morphs into a shy smile. This is supposed to be a staged production, but it sure doesn’t feel that way.

“You look beautiful today,” I say, low and deep so that only Lucy can hear. Because my words are absolutely, one-hundred percent true, and they are meant for her alone.

“Thank you,” Lucy says, and to my surprise, she trails a finger down my arm.

My bicep muscle twitches at the exhilarating sensation of her skin on mine, and I have to hold in a groan. Jesus. This woman is going to be the end of me .

“Are you going to tell me what you’re wearing Tuesday?” I ask, more interested in the answer than I should be.

Lucy’s eyes glow with mirth. “It’s a secret. You’ll just have to find out. But you should wear a light blue tie if you have one.”

My mouth goes dry at the fact that I’m going to see Lucy Chang even more dressed up tomorrow night. If I’m having this much trouble holding onto my sanity now, how am I going to survive this dinner?

I think Lucy realizes I’m having trouble speaking, so she says softly, “Tell me something I don’t know.”

I grasp for something to say. “Um…I’m a dueling pianist at Tunes and Tonic.”

Lucy’s mouth drops open in a perfect O. “Get out! How do I not know this already?”

I shrug. “It never came up.” But the fact that Lucy is apparently delighted with this new information makes me glad I said something.

“Tunes and Tonic…” Lucy muses.

“That's a mouthful, so the staff call the bar TNT,” I say.

“What an explosive acronym,” Lucy winks, and the small gesture sends a bolt through me. “I’m pretty sure I went there once a few years ago, but since I was pretty drunk by the time we got there, I have only a vague recollection of that night.”

I imagine Lucy at TNT in a cute, short dress.

Her long neck and shoulders bare except for thin spaghetti straps.

Sky-high heels to show off her calves. I bet she was stunning.

And…here she is in front of me and I’ve never wanted to kiss an yone more.

But we’re at work, flirting in front of my ex, no less—but God, if Lucy doesn’t make me forget that fact.

I clear my throat. A cold shower would be great right about now. “I would've remembered you if I saw you, but the lights are so bright onstage, I usually only see the people who leave requests on the piano.”

“My friends probably requested songs, but I didn’t. I’m more of an observer.” Lucy moves even closer to me, her voice almost down to a whisper.

My nerves are lighting up at the small distance between us.

She’s probably making sure that Sam doesn’t hear the content of our conversation, since it certainly doesn’t sound like we know each other very well.

But then her eyes drop down to her feet and a blush tints her cheeks, and I wonder if this close proximity affects her as much as it does me. I’m probably just projecting.

I have to put an end to this nonsense before I’m forced to deal with a massive hard-on. Curling a hand around her waist, I pull her close, inhaling in her lavender scent deeply as I whisper, “I think that’s good enough today. Breakroom in ten minutes?”

I feel Lucy’s heart pounding next to mine, but I’m sure that response is just an adrenaline rush from the situation, not because of me in particular. I let her go, and she lets out a small gasp.

“Okay, see you later then,” she says, looking a bit dazed as she walks away.

Damn, Lucy looks just as good from the back as she does from the front .

As I walk back to the nurses station, I suddenly realize I never even checked to see if Sam noticed us.

Ten minutes later, Lucy and I are in the breakroom, and I’m relieved to be in a more relaxed setting with her. I enjoyed flirting with her in public, but I prefer being real with her.

“Did you see Sam’s face?” Lucy crows, her enthusiasm bubbling over.

“I didn’t,” I say honestly, amused by how excited she is.

“Well, I wish you had because it was priceless. She looked like she had eaten a lemon! I think she’s really starting to regret letting you go, which she should.” Lucy huffs, crossing her arms, and I suppress a smile at her disgruntled expression.

Is it bad that I couldn't care less about Sam’s reaction? In fact, all I want to do right now is find another way to touch Lucy. To convert the connection I feel between us into something real.

“Although…” She suddenly glares at me. “What in the world, Jake? Not telling me about being a dueling pianist is kind of a major omission.”

I’m thrilled to see more glimpses of a fierce personality in Lucy.

What the hell did Weston do to her? I enjoy Lucy in all of her forms, but I’m wondering if the true Lucy is buried deep inside.

That makes me incredibly sad and also totally pissed at Weston.

Men like that shouldn’t be allowed out in the world .

Then I realize that Lucy is waiting for a response and shoot her a sheepish grin. “Oops, my bad.”

She whacks me in the arm. “If I didn’t know that, it would've been super obvious we weren’t dating! You need to fill me in immediately. How did you even become a dueling pianist in the first place?”

“During my sophomore year at Blackwell University, I performed at TNT during an open mic night and got offered a job right afterwards. It was a huge shock.”

“Wow!” Lucy’s eyes are wide. “What did you perform?”

“‘I Don’t Want To Be’ by Gavin Degraw.”

The first time I heard that song, my heart twisted inside my chest. The song seemed written just for me; it urged me to forge my own path no matter how my dad felt. And it’s fitting that playing that very song opened the door to somewhere that’s been a safe place to land.

“I love that song—it’s so catchy,” Lucy says, her eyes pensive. “I can see how that song might be your anthem. It’s all about staying true to yourself even if everyone else around you isn’t as authentic.”

“Yeah, exactly.” I’m amazed that Lucy seems to understand why that song is so important to me.

“You must have really impressed someone with that performance,” Lucy muses, resting her chin on one hand.

“Leroy Ellis, the owner of TNT. I’m so thankful he gave me the gig.” When I stepped into the bar that night on a dare from one of my friends, I had no clue I’d come back out with a job and a bigger boost to my morale than I’ve ever had before. It was a twist of fate I’m forever grateful for.

“You’re so talented,” Lucy says, her tone wistful. “Did Sam visit you a lot at TNT?”

I shrug. “Nah, it wasn’t her scene. We play mostly older stuff, and she prefers soft jazz and blues. It’s pretty loud and raucous in there, so I get it.”

Lucy frowns. “If I were your girlfriend, I’d be at TNT all the time to watch you perform.”

And then I realize…Lucy sees me. She’s already supported me in ways that Sam would never dream of.

Lucy instinctively understands how to be there for me—she’s been speaking my love language from day one.

A chasm cracks open somewhere deep inside.

How can I pretend I don’t feel something when my heart clearly does?

I’m so fucked.

“Well, even if Sam doesn’t appreciate your skills, I bet a lot of people do,” Lucy continues.

I scramble to find my footing. Inside, I’m all free fall. “There is something awesome about getting a bunch of people in a room all riled up and singing with you.”

For a long time, I was surprised that all of these people wanted to listen to me. The experience of total strangers enjoying my performances was powerful for me, because I tend to assume that everyone sees me the same way my dad does.

But Lucy doesn’t. This fact slams through me. A wrecking ball of an epiphany .

“I bet. That must be such a high.” Then a wicked smile comes to her lips. “What’s your least favorite song to perform?”

I smirk. “Anything by Nickelback, but definitely ‘How You Remind Me.’”

Lucy lets out a startled laugh. “What's up with all the Nickelback hate?”

“It’s more about what they represent. They gave up a lot of creative control to the label. I know it worked commercially, but something about that just rubs me the wrong way.”

“You are such a snob!” Lucy pokes me.

Catching her hand, I bark out a delighted laugh; I love that she feels comfortable enough with me to give me shit. And it doesn’t escape me that I feel just as safe teasing her. But then the sensation of her hand in mine is almost too overpowering, and I let go of her quickly.

God, get a grip! This is fake. Remember? “I just call it as it is,” I say hoarsely.

We’re smiling at each other, and the moment stretches until Lucy clears her throat.

“I’m glad I know more about you. But it’s still going to be hard to fool Weston, so we need to make our relationship more authentic.” She chews on her lip for a moment. “He’s always online, scrolling social media. We should take some pictures in locations where only couples would be together.”

Lucy taps her chin thoughtfully. “What if…we went to our apartments and snapped some photos with each other? We could maybe post them on Instagram. What do you think? ”

I’m suddenly paralyzed by the thought of Lucy and me in an apartment together. Alone.

Spending more time with her is a surefire way to trick myself into thinking this is the real deal. But if there was a line, I crossed it a while ago. “Sure, okay,” I manage.

“What are you doing Sunday afternoon?”