What She's Doing Now (Sequel to The Great Pretenders)

Telephone

Thanks all for following this story. I'm going break up reactions by chapters so you'll get a few smaller updates instead of long ones. hope this is ok!

By Shelby Lynne

I never really thought you would answer.

Now it's a big blown up thing.

I wish you hadn't been at home when the telephone rang.

Lucy took the phone from her daughter didn't wait around to carry the conversation any further. Something Lucy was grateful for. She didn't think she could handle any more than what the morning had already brought. Her feelings were a swirl of things she'd been trying to keep locked away for a long time.

"Hey Zoey," she said softly into the phone.

"Lucy? Why are you whispering?" Zoey asked concern clear in her voice.

Lucy sighed "I'm not whispering. It's just been a long morning. What's up?"

"You see Matt?" Zoey asked.

Leave it to Zoey to cut right to the chase "I did," Lucy opened the sliding glass door that led to the patio. Probably wasn't the best idea to have this conversation with Charlie within hearing distance. "It was so weird, Zoey. I never thought I'd see him in person ever again and then all of a sudden he was at my doorstep looking like a Greek god."

Zoey chuckled "I can imagine. I remember when I saw Brian standing outside the Ivy when Lee ditched me there. I hadn't seen him in years but it was like boom...all the old feelings were back."

"Yeah but I don't have the luxury of falling back into that pattern," Lucy reminded her.

There was silence. "That's actually why I'm calling you Luce. I...I..I may have told Brian about Charlie."

"What do you mean you may have told Brian? You either did or you didn't."

"I did," came the slow reply.

Lucy dropped into one of the patio chairs. It was like her legs had given out. She probably should have been pissed but after the morning, did she really think she could keep her secret from Matt forever? Did she even want to anymore?

Instead of accusing her friend of spilling her news or getting angry at her, she kept calm "Did he tell Matt?"

"He says he did,"Zoey said miserably.

Lucy did some quick thinking "Well he didn't tell him while we were together. He saw Charlie and made no mention."

"Must have been afterwards then," Zoey replied "Maybe on the drive back here. Apparently I have to fess up what I know in order to keep my husband from killing me."

Lucy could feel the pang of a migraine beginning behind her left eye. "Shit." was all she could manage.

"I'm so sorry, Luce, I shouldn't have said anything to Brian. I just thought with Matt going to see you...well that you'd tell him yourself. I didn't think Brian would say anything to Matt though. I trusted him."

"If you can't trust your husband, who can you trust?" Lucy joked as she frowned to herself "And no, you shouldn't have but he showed up at my doorstep without even knowing the truth. So I'd say that you just sped up something that was going to happen anyway."

"So you aren't mad at me?" Zoey asked hopeful.

"I didn't say that,"Lucy replied. "But it was technically a mess I made along time ago. It's my turn to clean it up."

"What are you going to do?" Zoey asked

"I guess I have to talk to him, tell him the truth," Lucy resigned herself "It's just a matter of when."

"So what do you want me to say to him here? They are going to give me the Spanish Inquisition."

"Where are they headed after San Jose?" she asked.

"San Francisco and then they'll head to Arizona. They have a few days off in between . They are spending two days, next Wednesday and Thursday, in Huntington before they head into Arizona."

"I guess that's my window."

"Do you mean you'll fly there to meet them?"

"Don't you think that would be best?" she asked her friend.

"Probably so," Zoey said sounding defeated "I'm so sorry, Luce."

"Will you still be with them?" Lucy asked instead of accepting her apology.

"I hadn't planned on it. I mean, I have to get back to the P!ATD boys," Zoey explained.

"Excellent," Lucy said sarcastically "So I'll see you when I get there."

Zoey started to protest but stopped immediately "Yeah I'll be here."

"Good, then let me make reservations and I'll call you back and let you know when to expect me."

"Allsome," Zoey replied.

After disconnecting the call, Lucy tried to think. So much to think about, so many things to consider. Should she tell Charlie before she left? Or wait till after? Maybe she should just call and talk to him first. She was sure Zoey could arrange that. No, if she had to do this, it was better to do it in person. She owed him that much. She should have done it years ago, but she was afraid. Afraid he'd reject her. So she rejected him first. Maybe after all these years, he'd be mad. Mad that she'd lied to him. Or maybe he'd be relieved that she'd spared him fatherhood at such a young age. Who know what would have happened if he'd felt obligated to her. She didn't want him to stay around because he'd felt like he owed it to her.

Charlie opened the sliding glass door breaking her from her thoughts. She looked at her curiously "What are you doing out here?"

Lucy resumed parent mode "Talking on the phone, Miss Nosey."

"Well exccuuusse me," Charlie retorted but then asked "Can you take me to Kate's?"

"I thought Kate was grounded?"

"Yeah well her parents are letting her have band practice there cause she's getting on their nerves," Charlie replied. "And she's dying to hear about the concert last night. And I guess I can tell her about this morning too. I'm going to be the envy of the band!"

"Oh joy," Lucy said flatly