The Bennett Boys

CHAPTER 51

I was up the entire night, my thoughts scattered all over the place. It's a feeling that I'm not used to. Everything in my life has always been in order, but ever since I've moved to Newport, that hasn't been the case for me. Sometimes, I think about what my summer would have been like had I never met Bridget; had I never started working for her. I know that I would've eventually crossed paths with Teddy and Lucas because we'd all be in the same school, with Teddy in my grade and Lucas one year above us, but I'm pretty sure things would have been different. At least, I'm convincing myself that they would've been. It's not that I regret meeting the Bennett boys. I don't regret it at all. They've both taught me things about myself. They've both opened my eyes to new experiences. I just can't help but wonder if my heart would've hurt a bit less.

I have to get myself together, but I'm also giving myself the time to sulk. I'm better off letting it all out than keeping it all in. Still, though, the gala is in a week and I need to find something to wear.

My mom and I head into town to do a little damage control, but not before stopping for a bite to eat first. We're going to need all the fuel that we can get. I'm not the best shopper and always lose my patience 10 minutes in. At lunch, mom and I overorder, so we end up taking two bags of leftovers home.

The first store that we walk into is really small, with a limited collection of clothes, most of which are way over our budget. My mom didn't give me a specific price range, but I'm trying not to burn a hole through her wallet. The gala is cocktail attire, so I do need something fancy. Reasonably priced, but fancy.

The second store that we walk into is more our speed; a healthy mix of affordable and less than affordable options. My mom pulls this gold silk midi dress with a halter neckline from one of the racks and I pull a more conservative red thin-strapped dress that hits the floor. I will say, I like the dress that mom picked way better, but it's not something that I would typically wear.

I try both dresses on, and while mom and I like the red dress, it's the gold one that we love.

"I have the most beautiful earrings that will go perfectly with that dress," mom remarks excitedly.

I exit the fitting room once I've changed back into my normal clothes and find mom at the register paying for the dress. There was no price tag on it, so I'm not sure how much she spent, but I'm really hoping that it wasn't a lot.

When I make it to the register, she hands me the stuffed bag and I smile at her as I take it from her grip. "Thank you, mom."

"It's my pleasure, sweetheart. You're going to shine in that dress. Just like you always do."

***

I'm in the backyard, laying down on a lounge chair, in a bikini. The weather's perfect outside and I'm trying to build up a tan before the gala.

I'm scrolling through my Kindle, trying to find something good to read when I hear the sound of a tire scraping against our pebbled driveway. It's probably mom on her way home from work. She called me 20 minutes ago, letting me know that she was leaving the office in a few and was thinking of ordering dinner tonight instead of cooking.

There's a knock on the front door, so I'm guessing she probably left her keys at home.

"Be right there," I say as I make my way through the gate that leads from the backyard to the front of the house.

I stop in place the second that I make eye contact with the person standing on the porch. Because it's not my mom.

"Lucas," I call out, "wh-what are you doing here?"