by Laura Ann
As he drove Lillith home later that evening, Mateo allowed himself to zone out from her chatter. His mind was chaotic as he tried to formulate another plan that would get Lillith to confess what was going on. Or at least what I think is going on. Shoot! This is all such a mess. I still don’t understand why Lucy won’t say anything.
Mateo parked the car as he pulled into Lillith’s condo parking lot. Walking around to her side, he helped her out and walked her to the door. “Thanks for a pleasant evening,” he said. When he turned to walk away, Lillith grabbed his arm.
Slowly Lillith pulled him closer and closer until she wrapped her arms all the way around him. Snuggled up against his chest, she looked up at him, her bright,red lipstick nearly glowing in the evening light. “Don’t you want to come in?” She purred, batting her eyes a few times.
Mateo leaned back from her as far as possible, completely uncomfortable with her embrace. His arms were trapped under her arms so he couldn’t set her away from him. Why couldn’t this be Lucy instead? He lamented. Clearing his throat, he tried to step back. “Um ... not tonight, thank you. I have to be at work early in the morning.”
Lillith locked her arms, refusing to let go and pushed out her lower lip. “Surely you can get ready from here in the morning? I have a second shower.”
Mateo jerked back, nearly knocking Lillith on her face. He felt heat flooding his neck and cheeks and was again grateful for his skin tone which hid the blush he was experiencing. “I’m not-that is- I don’t ... ” He trailed off, unsure how to reply to her bold invitation.
Lillith righted herself and fluffed her hair. “I see. Well ... if I was Lucy would you be interested then?”
Mateo’s eyes went wide and he stammered as he tried to answer her. “Yes ... I mean no ... I mean I wouldn’t—”
Lillith put her hand up to cut him off. “I’ve heard more than enough.” She narrowed her eyes and her anger hit Mateo directly in the chest.
“You know ... I thought Lucy and I had solved our little tiff the other day. Obviously that’s not the case.” Lillith studied her long nails, holding them up the light. “I suppose I’ll have to have another chat with her.”
Anger boiled through Mateo. “What exactly are you talking about? What tiff? Thanks to you I can hardly get Lucy to talk to me, tell me what is going on.”
Lillith smiled and Mateo was sure he could feel the temperature drop. “Nothing you need to worry about.” Reaching up she patted Mateo’s cheek like he was a little child.
Before he could react, she slipped inside her door and he heard the deadbolt click.
Mateo turned and walked back to his car. I gotta figure this thing out quick. I have no idea what she has planned for Lucy, but I can’t let her get away with it. But the biggest question of all remained. How?
Dear L.G.
The fourth was good, as you should know.
Maybe we should stop playing these games
And be honest with each other.
Mateo
CHAPTER 15
Lucy walked into Middleton Prep with high hopes. Yesterday had been a horrible day and she was hoping today would prove to be better. After receiving Mateo’s email, her heart felt like it was breaking. She hadn’t answered him back, because she didn’t know what to say. Lillith had made it clear she would take Lucy’s job if she told Mateo the truth.
But if I can prove Lillith is lying about having talked to Principal Grimm, then I can get it all sorted out with Mateo. And maybe he can forgive me for lying. Her heart pinched and she shook her head. This is the most messed up thing ever.
With a deep breath, she entered the front office. “Hello Mrs. Merryweather.”
“Well, hello dearie! So glad to see you’re feeling better. We’ve missed you this summer.” The kind secretary smiled at Lucy.
“Thanks. I’ve missed teaching the kids. But man ... that pneumonia was no joke. It’s only been in the last couple of weeks that I’ve been back on my feet.”
Mrs. Merryweather nodded sagely. “Well, hopefully next summer we’ll have you back. Now, what can I do for you?”
“I was hoping to speak to Principal Grimm,” Lucy explained, leaning on the countertop.
“Oh, I’m sorry hon. He’s not here. Left just yesterday for a family vacation. He and his brother go every year.”
Lucy felt like the rug had been pulled from under her. No! “Is there ... is there any way to get ahold of him? You know, like for an emergency?”
Mrs. Merryweather frowned. “Do you have an emergency?”
Lucy pinched her lips. “Well ... no. It’s not an emergency per se. But I really need to talk to him.”
“Vice Principal Wilhelm is here. Would you like to talk to him?”
Lucy’s shoulders fell and she shook her head. “No thanks. I need to speak to Principal Grimm. Do you know when he’ll be back in town?”
“Not for another month, I’m afraid. Can your problem wait that long?”
“I suppose it will have to. Thank you.” Lucy turned and started toward the door.
“Lucy?” Mrs. Merryweather called from behind her.
Lucy turned around, her eyebrows raised in question.
“I once had a garden gnome we all thought was blind.” Mrs. Merryweather chuckled. “Turns out, he was simply good at holding in his emotions.” She smiled at Lucy.
“Uh ... “ Lucy tilted her head, confusion clouding her features.
“He ended up being much more aware than any of us gave him credit for. He’s now one of the best protectors in my garden.” Mrs. Merryweather’s face softened and sympathy radiated from her. “It’ll all turn out alright in the end.”
Lucy’s jaw grew slack and she had to grit her teeth to keep her mouth closed. Forcing a smile and a nod, she headed out the door. Does she know ... There’s no way. Is there? “A blind garden gnome? Really?” Lucy shook her head as she walked. “I love her, but dang ... she’s crazy.”
MATEO GRUMBLED AS HE walked through the aisles of the grocery store. Stupid, stupid. Shouldn’t have sent that email. He had finally been so fed up with the whole situation that he had shot off an email to L.G. and had shown his hand more than he should have. “I should have tried to get more information out of her, instead of bluntly telling her the game was over,” he muttered to himself. It had been two days and he hadn’t heard back from her again. “Scared her off, you idiot.” He threw a bag of salad into his basket.
“Whoa. What did that salad ever do to you?” A familiar voice teased.
Mateo spun around and spotted one of the women he had met at the barbecue last week. “Oh hey. Uh ... ” He snapped his fingers, trying to recall her name.
“Ruby,” she supplied. “And you’re Mateo. Lillith’s date.”
“Ooh. Sorry. Now I feel really bad that you remembered my name and I didn’t remember yours.” He scrunched up his face.
Ruby waved a hand through the air. “No worries. Truth be told, I only remembered your name because I was so shocked you came with Lillith.”
Mateo cocked his head, a thought running through his head. “I take it you don’t like Lillith?”
Ruby pursed her lips, “Can’t say she’s my favorite person, no.” She brushed a tendril of her dark hair out of her face. She had a messy bun on top of her head and some of the strands were refusing to stay put.
“I wonder if you would be willing to help me with something?” Mateo asked cautiously.
Ruby’s eyebrows shot up, then slammed down as her eyes narrowed. “What exactly do you mean?”
Mateo glanced around the store, making sure no one was paying attention to them. “I’m in a bit of a pickle with Lucy and Lillith and I need some information.”
Ruby crossed her arms. “A bit of a pickle, huh? Are you a two-timer? I won’t help a cheater.”
Mateo waved his arms back and forth. “No! Absolutely not. This is, well ... you probably are going to have a hard time believing what’s going on.” He stroked his goatee, trying to find
the right words. “A few months ago, I joined an online dating site.” Mateo continued on, telling the story to the best of his knowledge. Or at least what he believed was going on.
It didn’t take long for Ruby’s jaw to drop and her eyes to widen while Mateo was talking. A couple of times she nearly growled as Mateo described the situation. When he was done, he took a deep breath and looked her in the eye. “Do you think you can help me?”
Ruby huffed. “Let me just get this straight. You wrote emails to someone you believe to be Lucy, whom you have developed feelings for. However, when you tried to surprise her in person, Lillith took her spot and you didn’t know the difference because they work at the same place, both have blonde hair and the same initials? What is this? The twilight zone? Even my middle school students couldn’t write this.” She shook her head. “Unbelievable. I have to admit though. I believe you.”
Mateo was surprised to feel a weight lift off his shoulders, he hadn’t realized how nice it would be to have someone in his corner.
“I mean, seriously, it sounds just like Lillith. Although,” Ruby tapped her lips. “I can’t figure out why Lucy wouldn’t just tell you the truth. Especially since you gave her a very direct opportunity.”
Mateo nodded. “That’s what I’ve been wondering. Although after what Lillith said last night, I think she must have threatened her with something. But what? Not knowing is the whole reason I haven’t just flat out called Lillith a liar.” He shrugged his shoulders.
“No idea. But anyway ... ” Ruby straightened her shoulders and mocked a salute. “What do you want me to do?”
Mateo grinned and rubbed his hands together. “Alright, here’s my idea ... ”
Later that night when Mateo arrived home, he felt good; better than he had since this whole debacle had started. “Hopefully soon we can get this all cleared up and then I can see if that kiss Lucy and I shared was as fantastic as I remember,” he murmured.
RUBY FLIPPED THROUGH her contacts until she found Lucy’s number, then pressed send.
“Hello?” Lucy said.
“Hey Luce. It’s Ruby.”
“Oh hi Ruby. What’s up?” Lucy’s voice perked up.
“Oh, not much. I was just wondering if you had time for lunch in the next couple of days?” Ruby asked.
“Sure. Since I’m not teaching this summer, I’ve got nothing but time. In fact, you need to save me from myself. I’ve baked so many pans of brownies I’m gonna need a new wardrobe before school starts.”
Ruby laughed as intended. “Well, it will be my pleasure to help you out. What about Saturday? Say one o’clock ... um .... Mother’s Goose’s cafe?”
“Perfect.”
“Great. See ya then! And bring me some of those brownies!” Ruby teased.
“Done!” Lucy laughed. “See ya then.”
Ruby hung up and took a breath. “Step one, call Lucy ... check. Now onto step two.”
Ruby double checked that her phone was on record as she waited for Lucy to walk through the doors of the cafe. A small part of her felt bad that she was trying to trick Lucy into telling her what was going on, but the rest of her was steaming mad that Lillith was holding something over Lucy’s head. At that thought, Ruby took a quick inventory of the room. When she didn’t recognize any of the other patrons, she breathed a sigh of relief. Just then the door bell jangled and in walked Lucy.
Ruby waved from her chair and then made sure one more time that her phone was ready to go and tucked in a corner, as unobtrusive as possible.
“Hey chica! How are you?” Lucy walked over and leaned down to give Ruby a hug.
“Doing good, thanks!” Ruby returned the hug and the girls settled themselves in their seats.
Lucy picked up her menu, “I haven’t been here in forever. Is there anything new?”
“Probably,” Ruby murmured as she looked through the menu herself. Her nerves had taken a sudden hit when Lucy sat down. She could feel her heart rate pick up and it took concentration to keep her breathing under control. Good grief. I would make a terrible spy. She thought.
After a few moments the girls had gotten their orders off and they were once again alone.
“So ... ” Ruby pinched her lips together. “What’s, uh, new? Looks like you’ve finally recovered from your illness. What did you have again?”
“Pneumonia and bronchitis.” Lucy sighed. “With a nice side of laryngitis.” She chuckled. “You should have heard me talk. For a few days, I sounded like a frog with a sore throat.”
Ruby forced out a chuckle. “How is the online dating going?” She blurted out. Smooth Ruby, real smooth.
Lucy’s eyes shot downward and her face fell. “It’s uh ... going I guess.” She began to fiddle with her napkin.
“What’s wrong?”
Lucy shook her head. “Nothing. I mean, nothing worth worrying about.” Lucy’s eyes brightened. “What about you? Weren’t you going out with someone a few weeks back? How did that go?”
Ruby stiffened. “It was fine. Just fine. I didn’t really feel a connection though, so I don’t think I’ll go out with him again.” She shifted her silverware from one side to the other. “But I want to hear about you. Have you had any success?”
Lucy rubbed her lips together. “Not really. I mean, I started emailing someone I thought was pretty great, but I don’t think it’s going to work out.” Tears pricked Lucy’s eyes and she blinked rapidly to push them back.
Ruby sat dumbfounded for a moment. “Lucy! What‘s going on? Did this guy hurt you?” Ruby felt her temperature rise. Was Mateo lying to me? I’ll—
“No. If anything I hurt him.” Lucy’s lip trembled and she bit it to stop the motion.
Ruby reached over the table and grabbed Lucy’s hand. “‘Fess up girl. What’s going on?”
“Well ... I promised I wouldn’t say.” Lucy sniffed and grabbed her purse to look for a tissue.
“Shme ... ” Ruby blew a raspberry through her lips. “Promises, schmomises. Something that makes you cry needs to be told. You can trust me.” Ruby gulped at that last statement. Technically I’m not really trustworthy right now ... but I’m doing this for her own good.
Lucy blew her nose and settled back down. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, the waitress showed up with their meals and the conversation stalled for a few minutes. Once the meals were on the table and they were alone again, Ruby started again. “Come on Luce. You’ll feel better if you tell someone.”
Lucy nodded. “You’re right. And, actually, I only promised I wouldn’t tell Mateo, so technically I won’t be breaking my promise to tell you. But you have to promise to keep it a secret.” Lucy looked Ruby in the eye. “If Piper found out, Nash would probably end up doing something that would get him in trouble.”
Ruby’s eyes widened. “Whoa. Okay. I’m listening.” Please don’t notice I didn’t promise ... please don’t notice.
Lucy nodded and Ruby let out a small sigh of relief.
“A couple of months ago, a gentleman with the initials M.K. started emailing me. He sounded nice and actually ... normal. So I responded and we struck up an email conversation.” Lucy smiled. “He ended up being really funny and sweet. I was constantly checking my email, hoping for a reply. Sometimes we wrote several times a day. In those words, he was everything I thought I wanted.” Lucy paused and ate a few bites.
“Then what?” Ruby encouraged.
“Then things got weird.” Lucy’s shoulders fell. “The tone of his emails changed and he actually asked if we should stop writing each other. I was devastated. I had said in the beginning I wanted to go slow, but by this point I was ready to meet him and now suddenly he didn’t want to write.” She took a sip of water. “I mentioned I enjoyed our emails and he agreed to keep writing, but I don’t know that things ever felt quite the same.”
Ruby forced herself to eat a few bites. She was so caught up in Lucy’s story she hadn’t been eating. Even though she had heard Mateo’s version, she was captivated by what
Lucy was telling her.
“Anyway, one day after I was finally getting well, I walked to the park. I ran into a man there, but we weren’t able to really talk because my voice was still gone. His name was Mateo and he was so cute about the fact that my voice was gone. And when he sat on the bench by me, I could feel this ... electricity is probably the only way to describe it. I was so drawn to him and we had never even met. Well ... I felt bad because I was still emailing M.K. and he mentioned he was waiting to meet a woman. So I left the park assuming we would never meet again.”
“But you did ... didn’t you!” Ruby snapped her mouth shut and looked around, realizing she may have been a bit loud, but no one was paying attention to them.
Lucy laughed lightly. “I did.” She fiddled with the toothpick from her sandwich. “In fact, I discovered that Mateo was the mysterious M.K. from my emails. “
“That’s perfect! So why are you so sad?” Ruby knew the answer but needed Lucy to be the one telling it.
“Well ... I’m not sure you’ll even believe me. I discovered that somehow Mateo had come to meet me in person, but I had forgotten to tell him I was sick and no longer teaching summer school and he happened to meet Lillith instead. With us having the same initials and blonde hair, he naturally assumed Lillith was me.” Lucy took another bite.
“Why don’t you just tell him the truth?” Ruby asked. This is where we start to get our answers.
“First, I don’t know if he’ll believe me. I mean, you have to admit, the story is crazy. What are the odds of something like this happening?” Lucy asked, her eyebrows raised.
“I have no idea. Honestly, this is one of the craziest things I’ve ever heard. But I still think you should just tell him the truth. You won’t know if he’ll believe you til you try. You obviously like him.”
Lucy’s cheeks turned a light pink and Ruby smiled. “You do!”