Page 4 of The Calendar of New Beginnings (Dare Valley #9)

CHAPTER TWO

F rom the time Lucy O’Brien could walk, she’d been an unstoppable force.

Andy had seen more than one childhood photo of her dragging him along as he struggled on his then-chubby legs to keep up with her.

Over the years, his best friend had talked him into climbing treacherous trees and skiing down death-defying mountain passes.

So her choice of career hadn’t surprised him. Of course she’d gone overseas to take photographs of distant places riddled with war and poverty. But that didn’t mean he hadn’t worried.

He was more than worried now.

She was too skinny for her five-foot-five frame, and her hair didn’t possess its natural luster. Being a doctor, he knew what illness looked like. Lucy’s body was still mending from some sickness or injury. And she hadn’t said a word about it.

Well, that was going to change. When he thought she was ready, he was going to ask what had brought her home to Dare Valley after all these years of insisting it was too small, too provincial.

Even her parents weren’t buying her bullshit answer that she needed some time off from the fast lane.

It wasn’t in Lucy’s nature to proceed slowly.

She was a sports car on a highway filled with sensible vehicles.

“She doesn’t look good, does she?” his sister, Moira, whispered to him.

He was so focused on Lucy, he hadn’t even noticed his sister’s approach.

He’d thought she was still on the edges of the group huddled around Lucy.

It hadn’t surprised him to see Moira listening to his friend with such interest. Few could top Lucy in the story department, and Moira was an amateur photographer, after all.

“Shh,” he hissed. “Do you want someone to hear? There’s no need to worry her parents more.”

Since he was her eldest sibling, Moira usually listened to what he had to say. When she rolled her eyes, he realized he must be off his game.

“Her parents are already worried,” she said, tucking her chin-length brown hair behind her ear. “You can see it on their faces.”

“Give Lucy some time to tell us what’s going on,” he whispered back, tugging Moira over to the corner next to a ficus tree. “She just got home.”

His sister gave him the kind of look she probably usually reserved for when she had to fire people in her capacity as human resources director at a top Denver engineering firm. Sometimes Moira could be an ass-kicker, and apparently she was about to kick his.

“She doesn’t need time,” his sister said in an aggrieved tone. “She needs a best friend who’s willing to listen. Whatever happened must have been horrible. Especially if she didn’t tell you! You’re her best friend.”

He’d already thought of that, and it had dried up all the spit in his mouth.

“Ask her to take a walk with you, Andy. Right now. ”

“In the middle of her homecoming party?” he asked, aghast. “Ellen would kill me. Slowly.”

“No, she won’t,” Moira informed him with a determined shake of her head. “She and Mom are hoping you two finally hook up and have babies now that you’re both back in Dare Valley. Sorry, that was probably a little brusque, but it’s true.”

Yeah, Moira knew it was hard for him to think about moving on with anyone after losing Kim, let alone with the friend he’d known since babyhood.

His stomach wrenched. He’d hoped his mother would understand that, even if Ellen didn’t.

Not only because Lucy was Lucy, but also because he was taking his time with the whole dating thing.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” Moira said, giving him a push for good measure. “It’s not like you have to give in to their fantasies. Just go talk to her.”

The more she nudged, the more he wanted to dig his heels in.

“Lucy will tell me when she wants to. We respect each other that way.” Which was why her silence hurt.

He was smart enough to realize how much of her life she censored from their Skype chats and emails, but he’d never thought she’d hold back something important.

“Hogwash, as Uncle Arthur says. Are you afraid to hear what happened?”

“Maybe a little,” he admitted softly.

He wasn’t sure he could stand any more tragedy, which was why he hadn’t asked more questions.

He’d fretted over Lucy’s sudden announcement that she was coming home.

Even then, he’d realized there was something behind it—some dark story.

But how was he supposed to help her when he was still shoring up the devastation inside him and trying to start over?

He felt guilty—and weak. Lucy deserved better than that from him .

Moira put her hand on his arm. “Imagine how alone she must feel. No one has more respect for Lucy than I do, which is why I just embarrassed myself by having a fan moment. The places she goes and the images she captures… Even I’m not that tough.”

He studied her no-nonsense expression. “You’re plenty tough.” Right now, he was starting to feel a little bullied. Thank God, his mother and two other sisters hadn’t jumped on the pile with Moira. Otherwise, he’d be suffocating.

“Be her friend,” Moira said with another push. “You can do it, Andy Cakes.”

He gritted his teeth. “I hate it when you call me that.”

“That’s why even Lucy still uses the nickname.” She gave him an encouraging smile. “Now, go. I’ll keep an eye on Danny.”

Since she wasn’t going to give him an inch, he rolled his shoulders and prepared himself to face Lucy again. “You’re a pest.”

“And you’re our hero,” Moira said, giving him a sporty pat on the behind that made him snarl. “That’s why you were born in the number one slot, and I chose number four.”

He hated being the eldest sometimes. Everyone expected him to be responsible and supportive, to set a good example. At moments like this, he wished he could give them all the bird.

“Fine, I’m going,” he said. “But don’t ever pat me on the butt again.”

Moira was laughing as he set off to talk to Lucy.

She was now surrounded by a new crowd—one much less interested in her journalistic endeavors.

Andy’s two other sisters, Natalie and Caroline, saw him and shifted to include him in the huddle.

His mom shot him an eager smile— God help him—as Lucy mentioned having a few appointments to see rental properties in the next couple of days.

“But I thought you would stay with your dad and me,” Ellen said, a frown marring her face. “You loved your room growing up.”

“Mom, we talked about this,” Lucy said diplomatically.

“I still love it, but as Arthur pointed out earlier, I’m almost forty.

I couldn’t possibly live with my parents for more than a few weeks.

What would people think?” She laughed, playing up the famous O’Brien charm, causing others to laugh with her.

But Ellen was having none of it. “I don’t give a fig what people think,” she said, folding her arms across her chest.

“Now, Mom,” Lucy said, jostling her playfully. “I’ll be closer than I have been in years. Trust me. This is going to be the best for everyone.”

“You can stay with me, Lucy,” April said, glancing at Ellen. “It’s only me in that big old house.”

Lucy’s charming smile faltered, and she looked over at him. He could almost hear her thoughts. They both hated when April and Ellen did their conspiratorial mother thing. They were scary as hell when they combined forces.

“Or you can bunk in Andy’s spare bedroom,” Caroline said, laughing gaily. “After all, who wouldn’t like to have a doctor on duty full-time? And he’s the cleanest Hale of us all!”

The people in the huddle continued to sputter laughter, but the light in Lucy’s eyes was dimming. It was like watching a cloud pass over Orion in the night sky. His friend needed her freedom, and he could tell she was feeling trapped.

“That’s a great—” Ellen started to say .

“I’m not the cleanest Hale anymore,” he said, interrupting her. “Danny is pretty good about cleaning up, but he’s only five. Some nights, I step on a lone green bean even our new dog won’t eat, or one of Danny’s many racecars. Those hurt like hell, let me tell you.”

“I can personally attest to that,” Natalie said, hopping on one foot, trying to help a brother out.

April and Ellen only narrowed their eyes, more determined than ever.

Oh God, Ellen and April really were hoping he and Lucy would do the whole friends-to-lovers thing and get married, providing them with more grandchildren. They were going to be impossible.

“And then there’s Danny’s bathroom to consider,” he said. “If you don’t like broken crayons, I suggest you never cross the threshold.” He made a show of shuddering.

Lucy laughed, but he could tell she was forcing it. She felt as distressed by their mothers’ pushing as he did. “Broken crayons in the bathroom? Say it ain’t so.”

“So,” he said, causing Lucy to laugh along with his sisters, feeling the familiar rhythm of their banter return.

“Then I couldn’t possibly stay with you,” she said, a twinkle returning to her eyes.

There was a change in his energy, and Andy realized his heart was beating faster than normal even though he was merely standing. And he couldn’t escape the obvious conclusion.

He was attracted to her.

Lucy was beautiful and funny, and she engaged him in a way few people ever had.

She faced life head-on and made the best of things, but she called a spade a spade and let people be human.

And of all the people who were dear to him, she was the only one who hadn’t danced around Kim’s death, and how he’d felt in the aftermath.

Before meeting Kim, he’d fought an on-again, off-again crush for his best friend.

How could he help it? But he’d always known Lucy had her sights set on a fast-paced life, filled with travel and danger and excitement.

That wasn’t something Andy had wanted for himself, so he’d never challenged their friendship by trying to add romance to the equation.

Then he’d met Kim and fallen harder than he ever expected to fall again.