How (Not) to Fall in Love(18)

A water bottle slid toward me on the counter, pushed by long fingers anchored to a perfectly sculpted arm.

Don’t make eye contact. Don’t do it. Where the heck was my uncle? I took a sip of water.

“Are you okay?” asked Lucas. “You look kind of stressed.”

Water squirted out of my nose. I grabbed a napkin and wiped my face. Dad would be so proud. I took a deep breath and met Lucas’s eyes again. He wasn’t laughing at me. He wasn’t laughing at all.

“I saw the Letterman show on YouTube,” he said quietly. “With the Top Ten list.”

Oh God.

I couldn’t think of a thing to say, so I didn’t say anything.

Lucas pulled a screwdriver out of his back pocket and started taking apart an old radio. I was grateful I didn’t have to make eye contact anymore. Just watching his face as he concentrated on the radio was causing me plenty of internal havoc.

The weird “bwahahaa” noise sounded as the door to the store opened. Lucas glanced up and I swung around on my stool.

“Darcy.” Uncle Charlie smiled at me like I was holding a lottery check. “I’m so glad you came back to see me.” He glanced at Lucas. “Us.”

I blushed. “Yeah, uh, s-sorry about last time,” I stammered. “Leaving in a hurry.”

“We’re the ones who owe you an apology,” Charlie said, shooting a cryptic look at Lucas. “We didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

Lucas looked up from the radio, meeting my eyes. “Definitely not,” he said. “It sucks about your car.” He held my gaze. “And everything else.”

I swallowed and blinked nervously. Maybe I should have worn some of Sal’s eye shadow, something sparkly to deflect all this intense eye contact.

“It’s okay. I was the one who freaked out. I’m just kind of overwhelmed.”

Charlie put a hand on my shoulder. If I closed my eyes I’d swear it was my dad. “Of course you are,” Charlie said. “I’ve been thinking about your predicament, trying to think of some way I can help you and your mom.”

Predicament. Ha. What a polite little word. I was calling it the Tri!Umphant! Shit Storm myself, but I wasn’t going to tell Charlie that. Even though I felt surprisingly safe and comfortable with him, I didn’t know him well enough for cussing. Yet.

“Yeah,” I said. “That’s kind of why I came by. I want to talk to you about my dad.”

“Let’s go for a walk,” Charlie said. He hooked Lucas with a commanding gaze. “Hold down the fort, Captain Jack. And keep an eye on Toby for us while we walk.”

Heat flooded my face. So I wasn’t the only one who thought Lucas looked kind of like Johnny Depp? Only taller, and not at all scrawny, and with only one visible tattoo.

Charlie winked at me as we left the store. “That’s Lucas’s nickname. All the girls around here call him that.”

My body betrayed me and I giggled like a middle-schooler.

Charlie laughed as we walked down the street. “Sounds like you agree. That’s part of the reason I hired him. My sales to girls have increased dramatically. That, and he’s got magic hands that can fix anything.”

I tried not to think of stalker girls flooding the thrift store waiting for some time with Lucas and his magic hands.

Charlie and I walked down Broadway. We passed a pawn shop and smoke shop before I worked up the courage to ask my question.

“So,” I said. “About my dad. He’s never done anything like this before. Just disappeared.” I took a breath. “I wondered if he, you know, ever did something like this before? Maybe when he was younger?”

Charlie didn’t respond right away. We walked by an antique shop and a weird store that sold only rubber ducks. It made me smile. If this place could make it, maybe some day I’d open a salt and pepper shaker store.

“No,” Charlie said, answering my question. “He didn’t. You don’t have any idea where he is?”

I sighed. “He sends postcards. We never know where they’ll be from.”

“He’s not answering his phone, is he? I’ve left him messages and texted him.”

“No,” I said. “Mom and I keep trying his phone, too. But he never calls back. He checks in with J.J., his partner, so we know he’s okay.” At least we hope he is, I thought.

“I can only imagine how scary this is for you, Darcy. But I want you to know your dad would never leave you and your mom forever. He’ll come back.” He let out a long, slow breath. “I don’t know when. But he will.”

I wanted to believe it. Hearing my uncle say it gave me a tiny burst of hope.

We’d reached the end of the double block. Charlie turned around. “Let’s head back. I want you to meet Liz.”

We walked in companionable silence until Charlie stopped in front of a coffee shop. The sign on the brick wall overhead said “Tin Lizzy’s” spelled out in metal script, with the dots over the “I’s” shaped like coffee mugs. The barista behind the counter looked up as we entered, her face lighting when she saw Charlie. She was beautiful in the way only middle-aged hippie chicks can be, with long, thick brownish-gray hair, beautiful skin, and huge brown eyes. She was dressed like a granola, but on her it looked elegant. I had the crazy thought that I wanted to be just like her when I was forty years old.