An Ugly Truth

       Lucy dug the heels of her palms into her eyes. She wasn’t going to cry. A rock sat in the middle of the passenger seat of her 1967 Ford Mustang surrounded by a million tiny pieces of glass. Little pieces of glass sparkled all over the interior. The stereo system had been ripped out of the console, but thankfully, most of her belongings were locked in the trunk. Her duffel had been opened and clothing thrown all over the car. Lucy checked under the seat and found the binder full of CDs missing. She shut the door and slumped against the car not caring about the sear of hot metal against her back.

“Is that your car?”  

Lucy looked up as a guy walked towards her. Tall. Tan. And looking like the type of distraction she didn’t need right now with his toned stomach and broad shoulders. “Yeah.”

“It’s gorgeous,” he said.

Lucy looked at the car with its custom metallic purple paint and white stripes down the center. Her voice caught as she spoke. “It was.”

“Was?”

“Busted window kind of messes with the aesthetic. I don’t know what I’m going to do.” She ran her fingers through her hair and looked at the broken window again.

He peered at the gaping hole. “Shit. You should call the cops and get a report for your insurance.”

Insurance. Cops. The last things she needed getting back to her parents or their lawyers. “Yeah.”

The mystery guy stepped closer. He pushed his sunglasses up into his short, spiky, caramel-colored hair revealing eyes that conjured up images of Caribbean seas. She tilted her chin taking a risk of getting lost in those turquoise depths. He stood so close she caught the faint scent of ocean clinging to him.

“I’ve got a shop-vac at my place if you want to come over after you get the police report. You can use it to get the glass out of your interior, and I’ve got some tarps we could rig up so the inside doesn’t get wet.

Lucy narrowed her eyes. Not believing he stood here offering to help a stranger. No one had been willing to do something nice for her in a long time not without some sort of string or expectation attached.

“Do you always offer to help strangers?”

“Only the pretty ones.” He smiled.

Lucy had to stop herself from rolling her eyes at his flirty banter. “Really? Do those kinds of lines normally work for you?”

Her remark earned her a booming laugh. A laugh that made her want to laugh right only with him.

“Normally, I don’t need to work this hard. I’m Cam by the way.”

He looked at Lucy expectantly. She shifted away, uncomfortable with the intensity of his gaze.

“Lucy.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Lucy. I’m just sorry it was like this.” He waved his hand in the direction of her car.

“Yeah. Me too. I should probably figure out what I’m going to do about this mess.”

“Of course. But, think about my offer,” he said. “I live on Wilcox Road. Corner house. My pickup has Fisher Home Construction on the side. Would you like me to stay until the cops get here?”

“No, I can handle it. Thanks.”

Cam nodded. “I’m sorry this happened to you. It’s a shitty way to end the day.”

Lucy clamped her jaw shut tight as she watched him walk away. She wanted to ask him to stay with her, but she’d promised herself a lot of things when she left home and one of them was to not fall into the arms of the first guy who was nice to her.

….

Lucy pulled up to Cam’s house. She wanted to think she could’ve been stronger, but she was tired of fighting everything, and Cam’s offer of help was a siren call she couldn’t ignore. 

She grabbed her purse from the passenger seat and walked up the pathway. Lucy hesitated for a moment, but one look back at her car with its gaping passenger side window had her ringing the doorbell.

As she waited, she heard a dog barking from inside. A brown dog with white spots danced at Cam’s feet when he opened the door.

“Offer still good?” she asked in way of greeting.

“Yeah. Let me move the truck and you can pull into the driveway.”

Lucy headed back to her car. She watched as Cam backed his truck out and parked it in the street. As she pulled into the driveway, he approached her with his shop-vac and some trash bags.

She took the bags from him and opened the door. Glass spilled from inside as she pulled everything out. “It’s everywhere,” she groaned.

“Here, I’m a pro with a shop-vac. Let me tackle the inside,” Cam said.

 Lucy moved to the side and watched as Cam leaned into the car with the shop-vac. She opened one of the trash bags and shook out clothing watching bits of glass glitter as it fell into the black bag. She hated the thought of someone rifling through her clothing. Touching every piece of it. Looking for something valuable. She thanked her lucky stars she had made the decision to keep anything of value locked in the trunk.

“You can do some laundry if you want,” Cam said, as he took a break to stretch.

Lucy looked up at him from where she crouched near the ground. Who was this guy? Most people she knew looked out for themselves rather than thinking about other people. “Thanks, but once all the glass is gone, I should find somewhere to fix this.”

“That’s going to be hard. It’s a holiday weekend. Most places are closed.”

“Fuck,” she muttered.

They went back to work. Lucy threw away her toothbrush and hairbrush. She didn’t see any glass in the travel kit, but the thought some stranger might’ve touched her toothbrush made her gag.

Cam shut the door. “I think I got it all.”

Lucy stood up. Her knees and legs protested from crouching for so long. “Thanks. I appreciate the help.”

Cam shrugged his shoulders like it was no big deal. “Uh, where are you staying tonight?”

“My car. I hadn’t planned to still be in town.”

“You can’t stay in the car with the window busted.”

“Can’t really afford a beach front hotel either.”

“You could stay with me.”

Her jaw dropped at his offer. He was inviting her to stay. Someone else might wonder at his motives, but not Lucy. It wouldn’t be the first time she had spent the night at a stranger’s house. “What?”

Cam ran his hand through his hair. “I mean, I have an extra bedroom and a guest bathroom. You could do your laundry.”

“I don’t know.” The offer was tempting, and it would save her some money.

“It’s one night. I’ve got hot water.”

“You’re making it hard to pass up.”

“Then don’t. Let’s get your window covered before the rain starts, and we’ll go inside.”

He didn’t wait for her to answer. He started working on getting the tarp over her passenger window. It had grown darker as they worked.

As they secured the tarp, the first droplets of rain pelted Lucy’s bare shoulders. Cam gathered up his shop-vac, while Lucy stuffed everything into her duffel bag and they both dashed towards the garage.

Lucy followed him across the backyard. Cam held open the patio door for her as rain started falling faster. She turned so as not to come into contact with him, but she still felt the heat of him as she passed.

The dog ran up to Lucy as soon as she walked into the house, sniffing Lucy’s legs and butting her head against Lucy’s fingers.

“That’s Pip,” Cam said as he shut the patio door. “Come on. Laundry room is through here.” Lucy followed quickly on his heels towards what looked like a utility room off the kitchen.

As Lucy put her laundry in the washing machine, Cam went upstairs. She walked into the dining room, letting her fingers trail over the top of the table. It was smoothed and polished to give the wood a golden gleam.

“Hey, you want to come up? I’ll show you around,” Cam called, pulling her attention towards the front of the house.

Lucy walked through the living room and found Cam standing at the foot of the steps. She trailed behind him, trying not to notice how his shirt clung to the muscles of his back or the way his shorts hung low on his narrow hips. She kept her eyes focused on neutral things like the overflowing bookshelves in the den, the huge television mounted to the wall in the living room, or the framed blueprint designs on the wall.

Cam gestured to a door on her right. “This is the bathroom. The door next to it is the guest bedroom. Make yourself at home.”

“Thanks,” she said.

“It’s no big deal,” he said.

Lucy paused. “Uh, actually, it’s a huge deal. You didn’t have to do any of this.”

Cam shrugged. “I know what it feels like to have days where everything goes wrong.” He flashed her a quick smile before moving aside to let her get settled.

Lucy peeked into the bathroom. It was all white, clean, and had towels waiting to be used. A t-shirt and pair of shorts were stacked neatly on the counter with a brand-new toothbrush laying like a rose on top of the clothes. She wasn’t sure what she had gotten herself into, but she was going to take advantage of his hospitality, even if she didn’t understand it.

….

Lucy padded down the stairs. Her hair hung in damp strands on her shoulders. She’d rolled the waistband of Cam’s shorts a few times, but even so, they threatened to fall off her hips. She had tied the shirt he had given her to the side. She wandered over to the built-in shelves overflowing with books. She had never been much of a reader, but she got the appeal of getting lost in a different world.

“I see you’ve found one of my vices,” Cam said.

His voice startled her, and she turned to find him leaning in the doorway. He looked so at ease, his arms hanging loosely by his sides and a wide smile on his face, but his comment made Lucy chuckle.

“What?”

“You know nothing about vices if you think reading is one.”

Cam laughed. “And you’re an expert?”

She took a beat, wondering how much she wanted to share with him.  How much she wanted to shock him. “Expert enough that I dropped out of college and got myself cut off from my family’s money for chasing them.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Your family cut you off. What are you a Rockefeller? I mean, I guess you could be by the look of that watch on your wrist.”

Lucy touched the Cartier platinum watch. A part of her wanted to tell him who she was, and a part of her was surprised he hadn’t figured it out. She knew her name and picture had swirled in the tabloid headlines just enough to give her a notoriety her parents hated. But she wasn’t going to share any of that with him.

“Uh, I don’t know if you’re hungry, but I’ve got some stuff to make sandwiches in the kitchen.” He gestured back towards the kitchen.

Her stomach growled at the mention of food. She hadn’t eaten anything since the morning. “I could eat.”

When she entered the kitchen, Cam held an open beer and there was another on the counter waiting for her. She paused. She wanted it. After the afternoon she’d had a beer would’ve been nice to take the edge off, but she couldn’t.

“I’ll have water,” Lucy said.

As she reached for the water he handed her, he paused and look at her arm. Everything in her wanted to snap her arm behind her back, to hide the thick white scars that twisted like vines around her wrist and up the length of her forearm ending at her elbow.

“Those look brutal. What happened?” he asked.

The question didn’t surprise her. She had gotten hundreds of questions and stares over the years, but it never felt easier having to go through that initial reveal. She pressed her arm against her stomach hiding as much of the scars as she could.

“Car accident,” she said, sliding onto one of the bar stools.

“Is that why you dropped out of school?”

“No, this killed a different dream,” she said, her fingers traveling down the well-worn paths. “You can’t be a gymnast with a wrist and arm that can’t sustain any sort of repetitive impact or a grip that gives out on you,” she said, the words tumbling out.

“Were you good?” He pulled a bag of chips out of one of the cabinets.

“You could say that.” She looked at him, but she wasn’t seeing him. She was seeing something else. Another time. Another person.  “So, those blueprints in the hallway looked cool, who designed them?” Lucy asked, changing the direction of conversation.

“Thanks. Two of them are the blueprints for the remodel of this place, and the other two are buildings I designed for projects for my architecture degree.”

“Wow. That’s kind of awesome.”

Cam smiled. “I think so.”

She cracked a smile at his confidence. She used to have the same confidence when she was twisting through the air to stick a perfect landing.

“So, where were you headed to?” Cam took another pull of beer.

Lucy shrugged. “Didn’t have a next stop. Didn’t have any plans.”

“So, you’re running until you run out of money. I guess that is kind of a plan.”

Lucy reached down and scratched Pip’s ears as Pip bumped her thigh. “No, my plan was to get as far away from my old life as I could.”

“That bad?”

Lucy sighed. “More questions. Trust me you wouldn’t like the answers. It’s a story full of ugly truths and dirty secrets. Can Pip have people food?”

“Yeah, she gets whatever she wants.”

Lucy knew how that was. Maybe that was part of her problem. She had always gotten everything she’d wanted until she didn’t, then she just started taking what she wanted. Lucy handed Pip a piece of turkey. “I would’ve loved to have a dog or any pet.”

“You’ve never had a pet.”

“Nope. Weren’t allowed. Too messy. Too noisy. Too unpredictable.” She rubbed Pip’s ears.

Cam chuckled. “Aren’t kids like that, too?”

Their eyes met. She saw curiosity in his. She wondered what he saw in hers. “Not in my family. Where’d you get her? She’s sweet.”

“A rescue.”

Lucy stood up stretching out her back. “Is that your deal? You rescue things.”

“What?” His eyes narrowed.

“Dogs. Me. You didn’t have to let me stay.” Lucy picked up her dish.

Cam moved to the side, as she placed the dish in the sink. “I’m no hero.”

She turned towards him. Lucy noticed how little space there was between them. How she only came up to his collarbone. How he smelled like mint. How easy it would be to press herself into his chest, letting her body soak up his warmth. Let herself forget everything for a moment. “Then what are you?”

“A reformed troublemaker.”

She cocked her head at him. “I don’t believe it.”

Cam shrugged and cracked open another beer. Lucy fought to keep her eyes focused on his, and not on his lips as he took another drink of amber liquid.

She leaned back against the counter across from him crossing her arms over her chest, so she wouldn’t reach out to touch him. “You expect me to believe you have misdeeds in your past. The guy who opened his home to a stranger. What did you do, forget to return your library book?”

Cam laughed. A whole-body laugh that crinkled the corners of his eyes. “Uh no. Just did some things I’m not proud of, but I can’t change it, so I’m not going to dwell on it.”

“Must be nice. Not everyone is afforded that luxury.”

Lucy wasn’t normally so willing to share things with people. But Cam…he made it easy to share, and she liked seeing how far she could shock him.

 “Do you want to watch TV while your clothes finish drying?” Cam asked.

“No. It’s been a long day. I hope you don’t think it’s rude if I head up to bed. I’ll get my clothes in the morning.”

“Not at all. I hope you sleep well.”

“Thanks, Cam. You too,” Lucy said.

She moved closer to him. She pressed her fingertips against his chest, feeling how solid he was as she lifted herself onto her tippy toes and pressed a kiss to his cheek. She didn’t miss how still he went as she touched him or the breath he pulled in as her lips brushed against his skin.

Lucy moved away; her fingers reluctant to leave the warmth of his body. She looked back at him before she walked out of the kitchen. He was watching her like she was something he had never seen before.

….

The wind howled outside and rain lashed against the windowpane as Lucy got ready for bed. A chirp from her phone broke the quiet of the room. She opened the message. There was a picture with it. It was grainy, but she knew it was her. She was smiling up at whoever was taking it. A rolled twenty-dollar bill in her hand as she got ready to bend over a mirror with thin white lines on it. She scrolled down to read the message.

You can’t run forever princess. Just imagine the headlines if this picture or the others got out. What would the world think of former superstar gymnast Lucy Harper?