Catching Lucas Riley (27 page)

“Sealey?” Meredith said, backing away and giving Alex a perplexed look. “Why should you be worried about Sealey?”

“Well . . . ,” Alex said, folding her legs up to her chin as she faced Meredith. “I never told anyone this, because I thought Sealey would kill me if I did, but the whole reason he agreed to help me was because of Olivia.”

“What about Olivia?” Meredith pushed. “What does Olivia have to do with Sealey?”

“He’s in love with her,” Alex revealed with a hopeless look. “He has been for years. But he didn’t want to alienate Lucas by making an obvious play for her. He was hoping that if Lucas could fall for me, then that would leave Olivia free for him.”

“Wow . . . ,” Meredith said quietly. “What a tangled web.”

“Tell me about it,” Alex sighed. “Unfortunately, this particular spider wasn’t expecting me to drop the ball like I did. I’m pretty sure he’s crushed. I haven’t seen him since I told him that I wasn’t going to split up Lucas and Olivia. He just disappeared. It’s been weird, actually. I’m so used to him checking in with me all the time.”

“That’s heartbreaking,” Meredith said, putting a hand to her chest. “Who would’ve thought that beneath that rough, sarcastic exterior, there was a real romantic? Seriously, he’s loved her for
years
?”

“That’s what he said,” Alex replied. “Well, not in those words exactly, but Sealey’s not one to say things like ‘I love.’ . . . I don’t know, I just need to get away from all of this. I feel so depressed about Lucas and so guilty about Sealey that I just need to be around people who don’t know anything about it. Who love me despite the fact that I’ve managed to make two people miserable, myself being one of them.”

“But you’ve allowed two people to be blissfully happy too,” Meredith pointed out. “That’s got to count for something.”

“Maybe.” Alex smiled weakly. “But, right now, all I can see is the look on Sealey’s face as he walked away from me.”

O
N THE LONG
drive to Malibu, California, Alex allowed her thoughts to wander freely. Admittedly, she spent some time thinking wistfully of the heavenly hours she’d spent with Lucas, but she spent even more time thinking of ways she could make everything up to Sealey. Maybe now was the time to introduce the idea of setting him up with Kacey, like Meredith had suggested all those months ago. They were so similar. But something in that thought was distasteful to Alex. Sealey was in love with Olivia. Olivia and Kacey were about as similar as a dove and a rampaging bull. If Olivia was the kind of girl Sealey fell for, then Kacey would be absolutely repellent to him.

Besides, the thought of telling Sealey to go out with another girl made Alex squirm with discomfort. What right did she have to try to fix him? She’d broken him. The last thing he’d want to do is follow her advice.

Alex ached inside as she thought of Sealey, but she wasn’t unreasonable about it. It didn’t occur to her to regret her decision and she suspected that Sealey wouldn’t resent her for making it, decent guy that he was. But that didn’t change the fact that his hopes were now as dead as hers. And she’d caused the entire mess. She’d hurt someone she cared about.

And there it was. The realization that she cared for Sealey, despite all the blunt criticism he’d given her, was a bit of a revelation. He was her friend. She wanted him to be happy. He’d helped her when no one else could, and despite the fact that she’d lost Lucas, it was thanks to Sealey that she’d had any time with Lucas at all. She should be grateful to him.
She was. The thought made the disappointment she’d caused him that much more reprehensible.

Alex pressed her foot harder on the accelerator. She needed her mom. She needed to be surrounded by people who didn’t know what an idiot she’d been. She needed a few days of forgetting all that she’d lost—time where she didn’t have to think about all she owed to the man who would likely never speak to her again.

“Al!”

“Mom, Al’s here!”

Alex smiled with rusty face muscles as she pulled her suitcase out of the car. The voices of her younger siblings were music to her ears.

Abby ran up and grabbed her around the waist. “I’m so glad you’re here!” the nine-year-old cried. “Austin kept saying you’d probably change your mind again and not come!”

“Why would I do that?” Alex said as she wrapped her arms around her younger sister. She smiled wider as her seventeen-year-old brother jumped the three porch steps and headed in her direction.

“Oh my gosh, you’re huge,” she said as he squeezed her, Abby squished between them. “How tall are you now?”

“Six five,” he said with pride. “An inch taller than Aaron. He hates it.”

“How’s Aaron doing, anyway?” Alex asked as she headed toward the house, Abby’s hand in hers. Austin grabbed her suitcase and tucked it under his arm. “I haven’t seen him since his wedding last year, and I’ve been horrible at keeping in touch. Are he and Emily coming?”

“Nah, they couldn’t afford to make the trip from Florida,” Austin said, opening the door for her. “That’s what happens when you get married fresh off your mission to a girl straight out of high school.” He smirked.

“Well, they seem happy enough,” Alex said, smacking him on the shoulder.

“Oh, they are,” Austin agreed. “So much so that it makes you want to puke, just being in the same room with them. Trust me, I would know. I visited them this past summer.”

Alex laughed, relishing the feeling of it. She’d taken a week-long break from such things.

“Mom and Dad offered to fly them out for the holidays, but Aaron said no,” Austin continued. “I think he’s determined to show everyone that he and Emily can stand on their own feet. He’s still smarting from all the ‘you’re too young to get married’ comments they got.”

“Good for them, wanting to be self-sufficient,” Alex said, looking around the familiar living room. “It’s a good quality.”

“Al!” Grace Foamer’s voice came from the doorway to the kitchen as she wiped her hands on a towel. “Oh, honey, it’s so good to see you!” She swept forward and enveloped Alex in her arms. Encircled in warmth and love, Alex felt like she could finally breathe again.

Grace, slim, pale, and red-haired, was even taller than Alex. She had played basketball and volleyball in college, but had given up sports after marrying Alex’s father, who had also played basketball for the same university.

“Al!” the deep, booming voice of Alexander Foamer immediately turned Alex’s mouth up at the corners.

“Hi, Dad,” she said, turning to hug him.

“It’s great to have you home, kiddo,” he said, setting her back on her feet. “This is the last time we allow you to take a two-year break from family holiday gatherings.”

“Duly noted,” Alex said, smiling up at him. She turned quickly to face her mother, knowing that the more time she spent talking to her dad, the more likely it would be that he would ask how Sealey was doing. And she really didn’t want to talk about Sealey right now.

“You got here just in time,” Grace said, sliding her hand up Alex’s arm. “I just pulled the lasagna out of the oven. Let’s eat, and then I’ll let you help me get some things ready for Thanksgiving tomorrow.”

“Sounds perfect,” Alex replied, her smile feeling like a saving grace on her face.

Thanksgiving with her family was exactly what Alex needed. The warm familiarity seemed to have the combined effect of a painkiller and elective amnesia. But this only worked as long as she wasn’t alone for too long. As soon as she had enough time to sit quietly and think, everything began pressing in on her again. It was during one such moment that Grace finally caught her.

A single tear was sliding down Alex’s face as she sat on the couch, her knees tucked under her chin. She stared silently out the front window, thinking of her life in Logan, sans Lucas and Sealey. It kept haunting her. And she was completely out of her depth on how to make things right.

“Alex?” Grace asked, coming to sit next to her on the couch. She slid her thumb gently under Alex’s eye, wiping the tear away. “Wanna tell me about it?”

Alex bit her lip, wanting more than anything to partake of her mother’s wisdom, but knowing that if she did, she would have to admit all the stupid, thoughtless things she’d done over the past few months.

“Oh, Mom,” she sniffed. “I’ve made such an idiot of myself lately.”

“Well, the beauty of such situations, is that they’re almost always temporary,” Grace answered, waving a hand carelessly through the air. “And at least you know about it. That means there’s hope of improvement.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Alex said quietly. “I’ve burned the bridge big time on this one.”

“Oh, really?” Grace said, raising an eyebrow. “The person on the other side of that bridge doesn’t believe in forgiveness?”

“I doubt it. He’s pretty hard core. And I don’t think I’ve earned it.”

“Ah,” Grace said, as though she suddenly understood. “It’s a boy. Then it’s even easier than I thought.”

“What?” Alex said in confusion, looking at her mother. “What difference does that make?”

“One of the truly blessed gifts given to the male gender is the ability to easily and quickly forgive,” Grace explained. “Sure, there are exceptions, but the chance that you’ve encountered one is pretty remote.”

“You think he’ll forgive me, just because he’s a guy?” Alex asked skeptically.

“I’d say it’s highly likely,” Grace responded, rubbing Alex’s shoulder. “While women are apt to hold grudges, men tend to be the opposite. They take offense quickly and somewhat violently, but given some time, they let it go and move on. It’s forgotten.” She waved her fingers haphazardly back over her shoulder as though she were flicking away a fly.

“Seems like a pretty dangerous generalization to make,” Alex commented. “What if he’s not like that?”

“If I might pry a little bit,” Grace began hesitantly, scooting a little
closer to Alex. “Would the boy on the other side of this burned bridge be named Sealey, by chance?”

“Oh, Dad mentioned him to you, did he?” Alex said tonelessly.

“Yes, he mentioned that he met a lovely young friend of yours when he stopped by to visit you.”

“I’m not sure
lovely
is the word I would use to describe him,” Alex muttered, thinking of all the sarcastic remarks and looks she’d received from Sealey over the past few months. “But he is my friend. A good friend. And I definitely caused some trouble for him. Which brings me back to my conundrum. What if he’s not the ‘forgive and forget’ type?”

Grace smiled kindly at her but didn’t answer her question. “Sealey is quite an unusual name,” she mentioned instead. “What does it mean?”

“I dunno,” Alex shrugged, sighing. “Judging from his nature, probably something like ‘overly blunt, bossy, and sarcastic; likely to hold grudges.’ ”

Grace chuckled. “It sounds like you have an interesting history with this one.”

“You have no idea,” Alex muttered.

“Well, when you see him again, my advice would be to just be kind,” Grace advised. “So many problems in this world would be solved with a little kindness. It’s a universal healer.”

Alex wasn’t sure if something as simple as kindness would be enough to solve her problem, but she was willing to give it a shot.