Beneath Your Beautiful (A Chenford | The Rookie Fanfic)

Part Ninety-Eight: The Bet

Week 7, Day 1: Sunday

Lucy laughs, picking up her own waiting mimosa to join in on the toast.

"So... eventful morning?" Angela asks, her eyes lighting up with a devious glimmer as she studies Lucy once they've completed their celebratory cheers in honor of her birthday.

Lucy flushes, "Oh... um, you know... last night just went a little late.... I'm so glad you both were able to make it; I hope you guys had a good time!" She finishes with a lame attempt to redirect the conversation.

Angela and Genny exchange glances before bursting into laughter.

"You know what, that's fine. We really don't need any details," Genny reassures.

"Speak for yourself!" Angela interjects, ducking to avoid the butter packet that Genny launches in her direction.

Lucy tugs uncomfortably at her collar, wishing someone, anyone, would turn on a damn fan or something.

"Leave the poor girl alone," Genny orders through her laughter. "You're clearly making her uncomfortable, Ang."

Angela snorts, "She's married to Tim. What could be more uncomfortable than that?"

The two women crack up again, and Lucy finds herself wondering just how many mimosas they'd had before she'd arrived. She takes a long swig of her own drink.

"Sorry... sorry," Genny gasps, "Clearly, Angela and I don't get out like this very often. Young children at home and all of that. Seriously, how are you, Lucy? How's Tim? How are things going with you both?"

Lucy's eyes go wide at the barrage of questions, and she ponders if maybe it would be easier just to detail their morning exploits.

"I'm good. We're good. Tim is — he's great," she immediately softens, going back to her descriptor of choice from the night prior, "He's really, really wonderful."

Angela snorts, "Now that's not an adjective I'm used to hearing to describe Tim."

Genny smacks her on the arm, "Stop it. Tim is wonderful."

And then the two women are guffawing again, and Lucy finds herself contemplating whether something other than mimosas might be in the mix.

"Can you believe he was dumb enough to bet us this wouldn't work? We should have raised the stakes, Genny! I could have gotten free child care for the rest of my damn life out of this."

Genny nods her agreement as Lucy frowns.

"Bet?" She asks in confusion, looking back and forth between the two women.

"He didn't tell you?" Angela asks, still battling to control her laughter. "How else do you think we got him to agree to do the show?"

"Oh," Lucy says slowly, unsure what to make of this new revelation. "What were the terms?"

The two women immediately sober, seeming to realize that Lucy isn't smiling along with them.

"You know what? Bet's the wrong word for it," Genny intercedes. "It was more of an agreement. Just that if he gave the show a try, we'd back off of his love life a little bit."

"And it was forever ago," Angela hurries to clarify, "He is obviously crazy about you now, Lucy, but we all know he can be a bit of an idiot sometimes."

Lucy nods, because they're right. What does it matter why Tim decided to do the show? It doesn't change how they feel about each other now. Right?

She forces a smile, pushing aside her lingering discomfort as she tries to focus on the conversation at hand, but it's difficult for her not to replay their rocky start with this new perspective in mind. It seems strange, given all they'd gone through, that he wouldn't have even thought to mention it, even in passing.

It's not until things go quiet, and two pairs of eyes are studying her with concern that she realizes they are waiting for her to say something.

"I'm sorry; I think I missed the question."

And this time when the two women exchange glances, there's not any giggling.

Genny's voice is soft, "I was just asking how you were feeling about Isabel showing up out of the blue."

Lucy shrugs, eyes wandering to the rustling leaves in the canopy of trees overhead as she contemplates her answer. "I don't really know how to feel," she confesses. "I'd be lying if I didn't admit it's a little intimidating. She's beautiful, and it's obvious how much he loved her, but Tim has been wonder— he's been really reassuring."

She chews on her bottom lip, wondering if she should even voice her next concern aloud, but who better to give her insight into Tim than these two women? "But sometimes... it's hard to tell if he's really ready to move on, if he really wants to do this all again."

She pauses, "And now... with what you said about the bet — I knew Tim was skeptical about the process, but knowing that he did this just to prove it wouldn't work..." She trails off, still trying to make sense of why the idea of this bet is so unsettling to her.

"Lucy, please don't let me running my big mouth make you doubt Tim or his intentions," Angela pleads. "He doesn't do anything he doesn't want to do, and he may not have been willing to admit it at the time, but he wouldn't have agreed to do the show if some part of him didn't really want this to work.

"He'd do a lot to prove me and Genny wrong, but getting married and spending eight weeks on a reality TV show is beyond extreme, even for Tim."

"He adores you, Lucy, and I think the two of you are pretty damn amazing together," Genny adds, and Lucy notices there's a new wariness in her expression, "But if you're having doubts... listen, at the end of the day, you have to do what's right for you, but please just promise me you'll try and be careful with his heart; please don't blindside him at the end of this. And maybe that's not fair for me to ask you; I know there's not much time left —"

And she can see just how badly Genny wants to protect her big brother, how much they both do.

Lucy shakes her head, blinking back tears as her eyes fill, suddenly feeling the immense weight of not only the decision they will have to make in two short weeks, but of holding this man's heart in her hands. "I really care about him. And I don't want to hurt him either," she whispers.

Genny offers her a watery smile and then squeezes her hand. "I know you do. And I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything, but he's my big brother, you know? I don't want to see him get his heart broken again. But it's not fair of me to put that on you." She blinks rapidly before taking a sip of water and clearing her throat, "Anyway, did Tim tell you he's going to be coaching Little League this year?"

Lucy's eyes light up at the mention, relieved that the conversation is shifting toward lighter topics, "He did! I cannot wait to see him with the boys. I can't decide if he'll be a total hardass or a complete marshmallow."

"Have you seen him with Jack? A marshmallow. 100%!"