Spice of Love - Completed

Chapter 7

"Are those for me?" beamed Lucy, staring up at Cat excitedly.

Cat stared back, mouth agape. Then down at the flowers she held in her hand. It was an impressive bouquet that practically screamed money. Something Cat had nothing of. She stared back at her sister incredulously, only to find both Emily and their mum were staring at her expectantly. Did her family not know her? Shaking her head helplessly, she thrust the bouquet out at Lucy.

"Yep," she said simply. "These are for you."

"Oh, you shouldn't have," cried Lucy, accepting the bouquet with a gleeful look.

Emily turned to stare at Cat wonderingly then shook her head. "She didn't."

"I didn't," agreed Cat with some relief to know that at least someone understood her. She was not one to give flowers to anyone. Then again, Lucy was not one to receive flowers from anyone. She turned frowning eyes on her sister assessingly and what she saw made her pause. Lucy was as freaked out about this trip as their mother appeared to be.

"The flower shop must have sent it over by mistake," muttered Cat. At that all three pairs of eyes turned to her. "What? How was I to know it was a mistake? I thought it was from Jace for you," added Cat with a convincing shrug.

Lucy stared at the bouquet with wide eyes.

"Jace? More likely it's from Richard," corrected Emily.

Cat merely shrugged. "Do you still want me to go into the store and drag out luggage?" she asked her mum.

"I'll do it," chipped in Lucy, sparing Cat's nose the trouble of sniffling through it.

"Thanks," agreed Cat readily, earning herself a disapproving frown from their mum. But Cat only grinned back unrepentantly. She was on borrowed time with her family. It wouldn't be long before they couldn't look her in the eye without disappointment shining in their midst. She felt her own eyes water at the thought. And at Emily's inquiring gaze, Cat simply shook her head.

"You need help with your packing?" Cat asked Lucy instead, earning herself another round of incredulous stares. She sighed. "I'll miss you too, you know," explained Cat, with an eye roll.

Lucy offered her a watery smile, echoed by both Em and their mother, and Cat responded with open arms. And that was how Patrick Little found them. Stepping off the stairs, he rounded the trio and his wife to add his own embrace into the mix. His family broke into soft chuckles, each trying to hide their tearing gazes from the other.

"Enough maudlin," declared Cat, finally. "She's going to the States, not the end of the world." They all let loose a chuckle at that. The US was at the other end of the world. Half a globe away, to be exact.

They broke apart after that, with Cat finally volunteering to get the bags and Emily rushing up with Lucy to help her pack. When it came to battling with dust or poring over a closet full of clothes undecidedly, Cat felt she had the better end of the deal. Better a runny red nose than the pounding headache that was guaranteed with the alternative.

She dragged up the luggage a short while later and dropped it in Lucy's room. Sticking her head in, she found both sisters engrossed in the pile of clothes on Lucy's bed. Grinning at them, she slid the bag in and slipped back out without drawing their notice.

Her grin faded not two steps later. Lucy leaving was going to be hard on all of them. She was the shoulder they all leaned on, and for a whole month, they would be left to flounder on their own. But that wasn't the worst of it. What condition would Lucy return to them in when that month was up? Would she find she preferred living with her superstar singer father? Would she find she longed to develop her natural talent and become Luxy Ara Starr instead of Lucy Little? Would she find their missing brother? Will she want to stay on because of him? Or would she return with him? What would he be like? Then again, if Lucy didn't find Blaze Starr, will she return depressed? Destroyed of all hope of ever knowing her own twin?