Finding Grace(56)

Lucie felt a million dollars when he slid his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him as he chatted to the girls for a few moments. She saw the envy glittering in their eyes.

One of them whispered something to him, but he shook his head and turned away.

‘What did she say to you?’ Lucie asked when they moved off.

‘Don’t you worry your pretty little head about a cheap tart like that.’ He said it in a tone that warned her not to pursue her line of questioning.

She was happy to let it go. She was the girl on Stefan’s arm and that was all that mattered. But she did sometimes get the feeling he had matters to discuss with others when they were out. Whispered words, a nod here and there and then he’d disappear to the loo for a while. Maybe she was imagining it, she wasn’t sure.

They stayed in the club for a couple of hours last night, spending most of their time swaying on the dance floor. Lucie stretched her arms up, linking her fingers around the back of Stefan’s neck, and he wrapped his muscular arms around her waist, pressing his whole body against her as they moved as one to the seductive beats.

If she’d convinced herself she wasn’t interested in a relationship with Stefan, she’d now changed her mind.

Afterwards, he came back to her room for the first time.

She could feel the effects of the alcohol she’d consumed, but she was far from drunk. She was aware of every delicious moment together.



They were woken the next morning by Lucie’s phone ringing shrilly.

‘Damn.’ She must have forgotten to turn it to silent when she got in last night.

She glanced at the screen to see it was her father ringing. Of course it was!

She was about to reject the call when she felt a sharp twist of guilt. She couldn’t keep avoiding him like this, it wasn’t fair.

Stefan was still dead to the world beside her, so she slipped out of bed and answered the call in the tiny bathroom.

‘Lucie? At last! I was on the brink of coming up to Newcastle.’

‘Sorry, Dad. I… I’ve been really busy with mock exams and stuff.’

‘So busy you can’t afford to take two minutes out to call your old man? And why are you whispering?’

‘My… friend is here.’

‘Friend? What friend comes over at seven thirty in the morning?’

Lucie bit back a sigh. She was nineteen years old and was heartily sick of her father trying to rule every last detail of her life.

‘We’re going to our early lecture together,’ she said tightly. ‘Look, Dad, I have to finish getting ready or I’ll be late. I’ll call you tonight, I promise.’

‘Right you are, love.’ Pete sounded suddenly deflated. ‘I just worry when I don’t hear from you, that’s all. I’m proud of you working so hard, you know that, don’t you?’

‘Yes, Dad.’

‘Well then, I’ll look forward to chatting later. I’m out with Bob this lunchtime, just a pie and pint and we’ll probably watch a couple of races at the bookie’s.’

‘Hmm. Got to go now, Dad. Speak later, love you.’

She grimaced when she realised her father hadn’t quite finished saying goodbye before she ended the call.

‘You’re going to have to do something about your bloody dad, you know.’

Stefan sat up in bed, lazily smoking a cigarette. He looked like he belonged in one of those sexy Armani adverts.

‘He’s my father,’ Lucie replied tartly as she climbed back into the tiny bed. ‘I’m afraid I’m stuck with him.’

‘You said it, doll. He’s your father, not your keeper. You’ve got to show him you’re a big girl now.’

‘I know. I just feel bad, I think he’s lonely and—’

‘Shh.’ Stefan’s hand disappeared under the covers and snaked down her flat stomach.

She groaned with pleasure. ‘Stop. I have to get up now or I’ll miss my business finance lecture and I didn’t turn up last week. I can’t—’

Stefan’s phone rang and she felt him hesitate.

‘Leave it,’ she whispered.

A few more rings and the phone stopped.

And almost immediately rang again.

‘I’ll have to get this,’ he said regretfully and turned away from her.

‘Yes?’ he answered curtly.

Lucie heard a panicky-sounding voice on the end of the line. It was definitely a female voice, but she couldn’t hear the details what was being said.

‘When did it happen?’ Stefan’s face darkened as he got a reply Lucie was unable to decipher.

‘Who was that?’ She looked at him expectantly but he didn’t meet her eyes.

‘Where are you now?’ The voice on the end of the phone seemed to rise up an octave.

‘I’m on my way.’

He sprang out of bed and pulled on his clothes.

Two minutes later, he’d kissed her on the cheek and was gone.





Forty-One





Lucie





Monday afternoon





Blake has organised his icons in different places to my own iPhone, and even though we have the same model, it takes me a while to find his messages and click into them.