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"He said to have a presentation done to present to him at dinner today, and I'm buggin' out Bon!" The frazzled blonde angrily runs her pencil in fast swipes against her notepad as she writes down her final ideas.
Bonnie, her more composed friend, smiles with a tilted head and a sympathetic look. "Haven't you had your plan in place for years? I've never seen you like this, Luce."
Lucy slowly lifts her head, her yellow and pink manicured fingers pushing a strand of blonde from her face as she sits in the middle of her bed in her silky brown pajamas with her legs crossed infront of her.
The blue eyes blonde looks at her friend's amber eyes with an anxious stare, "rule one: always be ready for an argument with Mickey and man, do I hate arguments with him. That man thinks he's always right and he is maybe average in his assumptions. It's like arguing with a damn triangle."
Bonnie walked to sit beside her friend on the bed as she chuckled, "I thought you said lunch went well yesterday, where's this coming from?"
Lucy nodded and shrugged, "honestly, the man brings it out of me. I mean, he gave me a house, says he wants to 'try', which is more than I'm used to with him. I've just never measured up for him, man wanted a son and instead he got an angry blonde with an ivy league education."
Bonnie rubbed her friend's back gently to sooth her, "don't be a bunny, you're also foxy." The pair giggled on the bed as Bonnie flirted with her roommate unapologetically, as always.
"He should be happy to have such a fab daughter," she added with a knowing look at her friend.
Lucy gave her a half smile before focusing back on her notepad, "yet here I am already swallowing my words with him. I never want to become who he wants me to, Bon. He said he would be 'willing to listen over a business lunch' but that's the only moment we spoke of me, of my goals. I hate that he still intimidates me, I have a damn degree. Agh."
The older friend scoffed and shook her head, her chestnut locks in loose curls falling in a bounce. "You've been thinking about this for years, Lucy. You always throw the grooviest parties and gatherings. The man seems like a chump, every argument you've heard this far never stood a chance, this is no different...Oh, and wear the brown dress with stripes, foxy and professional."
Lucy chuckled and nodded, taking in a deep breath and looking into her friend's beautiful eyes before focusing on her fidgeting hands again. "I guess if he decides against helping me, I get a gig until I find some other way to get people talking about my parties. I've made it this long without anyone but my best girl," Lucy nudged her friend with a beaming smile.
The blonde pops up from the bed, her barefoot meeting the soft royal blue shag rug, before she starts in on her closet to find the light brown dress with beige stripes and lime green threading. As she digs in her closet shves, her icy blue eyes widen, noticing the lime green short ankle go go booties she found at the thrift store the day before she left Rhode Island, she grabbed her favorite abstract green flat circle earrings with three shades of green. She laid the outfit across her white quilt with daisies in purple, yellow, and orange. As she started to fix her hair into the straight look she knew her dad always preferred, her skin crawled at the sheer thought of styling herself for any man, let alone her father.
Truthfully, the hopeful twenty-two year old knew deep down that she needed the extra sureness when she'd ask the man impossible to please to help her with something so life changing.
Bonnie smiles at her friend and takes a step toward Lucy as she stared at her reflection. Bonnie moves to stand behind her and smiles through the mirror at her best friend, "good vibes, baby. This is all you, look him in the eye and remember you did it all without his help, every bit of it is Lucy. Girl, you don't even need him with that pretty face."
The silly compliment made the blonde beam with a nod and a bite on her bottom lip.
Bonnie nodded, "I'm always here Luce, oh and I got the job at Brock's down on the boardwalk, that's actually what I was going to tell you before I found my girl in here spazzin'. I'll be working for the next few days training with their team, then I can build my own schedule."
Bonnie grabbed her best friend's hands and locked eyes with her as they both took in a large breath together. Bonnie breathes out, "new place, new life, same us."
Lucy smiles as Bonnie repeats the line they made up as they moved, the pair repeating it again together, "same us."
"Love you, B. Good luck today."
"I'll see you later, L. Use those eyes like I told you. Oh, and wear the pouty peach lipstick."
Lucy's head tilted, confused, "why?"
Bonnie's eyes widened, nerves filling her features, she couldn't tell her roommate and best friend that peachy always draws the perfect amount of attention to her lips from her eyes, that it makes her teeth look even more pearly than they do every other day. She smiled, "it compliments your skin and the outfit." The older friend steps backward toward the door with a motion over the outfit across the bed, her anxiety becoming more apparent.
"Gotta skitty!" The chestnut haired waitress turned and rushed through the door in black shorts and a white short sleeved blouse, waving a peace sign back at her friend as the door slammed behind her without looking back.
Lucy shook her head and looked herself over in the mirror as she quickly got dressed in one of her favorite dresses, now apparently one of her best friend's favorites too. When she is honest with herself, she was confident in the outward appearance, but knew her father was more of a critic of the inner person, and that part of Lucy always got a little fuzzy around her father. She never knew why, though she admitted after her lunch yesterday that the time away from him made her more aware of his flaws, his shortcomings, the way he can always turn anything to be about him, and, of course, his not-so-well hidden animosity towards his beautiful daughter. She felt an uneasiness she hated when she spoke with him.
"Rule number two, always exude power and control, or he will try to take it."
She smiled at herself, admiring the perfect eyeliner she'd done just like Sophia Loren, and nodded as she slipped on her last shoe and tossed her small white handbag over her shoulder with her keys in hand to lock up. The put together ball of nerves walked out of her apartment letting every ounce of confidence inside of her carry her toward taking what she deserved from her vacant father.
"Why do I get like this with this man?" She shakes her body in a shimmy on her way out onto the sidewalk to wait for the light green taxi to pull up.
It was a quick cab ride was stuffy and smelly, so the stubborn blonde stepped put a few blocks early and walked the last bit to the small diner he picked for their meeting. Lucy realized by the time she was standing before the little 60s style diner with a pink roof, she was four minutes late and there was nearly no one there at the mid-afternoon hour he chose.
"Rule number three," she mumbled with a shake of her head. "Never be late, it's a sign of disinterest and dishonesty."
She chuckled, agreeing with the statement as she pulled the door open quickly, her ice blue eyes immediately land on her father sitting at a booth in the corner of the small restaurant, he's wearing a red leisure suit that's well tailored and an uninterested expression. She smiles at the two cups of coffee in the middle of the table as he nervously twirls his thumbs, a piece of her remembering the soft and sweet man he once was when she was young. Time, pain, loss, and hiding from his past hardened Mickey, who woulda thought secrets would age someone so much?
She walked quickly to sit across from him with her small green notepad and pencil.
"Hello again," she smiled brightly as she slowly lifted her cup of coffee for a quick drink, nodding in approval. The warmth of the liquid tickled her throat as she gathers her thoughts and ignores the nerves that only he could pull from her.
Mickey clears his throat, "you're late, Lucy Winona."
The look of skepticism on his face caused her to shift uncomfortably in her seat but quickly shake her head. Lucy looked into his eyes, "don't middle name me."
With one look at the wall clock in the diner, she rolled her eyes, "I'm four minutes late in a new city because I walked the second half of the trip."
Lucy spoke matter-of-factly and crossed her hands on the table in front of her. Mickey looked up at the wall and shook his head, "five minutes, that's far too much time. Why did you walk?" The scoff that she groaned without a thought made him laugh, catching her off guard.
"The cab was stuffy and smelled like old milk. I did the last quarter mile on foot. Is that okay? Can we move on?" She crossed her arms as she spoke in a playful tone.
The mood, now, slightly less tense, she leaned forward, "now, are you ready to hear my proposal? I didn't walk all that way to be berated for my time management after moving across the country, Dad." Every ounce of confidence filled her as her father finally smiled back widely at her with a nod of his head.
Lucy spent the next hour sharing all of her well thought out ideas and plans for the 'Annual Finch fundraiser'. She'd brought it up the day before in their first lunch together in three years and he wasn't one for hosting parties, too much attention.
Mickey did, however, liked the idea of a fundraiser for Lucy to plan was the greatest 'kill two birds with one stone' idea. He gets to see what his daughter is actually capable of after all these years away while having yet another source to use for his own benefit. If she pulls it off he looks great, and if she doesn't, it'll be a write off. Plus, he gave her the chance she is demanding, so he'd never have to say 'no' to that again.
"So, I'm thinking, the second Saturday next month. It'll leave plenty of time for me to get my bearings and start getting things together. All I need from you, is a guestlist about a mile long and a few ideas you'd like to incorporate, and the deposit for materials and service listed here." She pointed to the paper in front of him and nodded, leaning back in her chair. Her head tilted to the right with a proud gleam in her intense crystal blue eyes as she waited to see how he reacted.
Mickey looked impressed, a small nod as he processed, which only made her more proud. The man is a professional skeptic, pleasing him was a rare sight for the young blonde. She'd been what he referred to as his own personal karma over the past decade, when he looked at his daughter all he saw was all the ways he couldn't tame her mother, afterall they did look so similar. He saw all the fearless power inside of Lucy that he wished had been inherited by a son. As we know, dauntlessness in women is a danger to men with power, men like her father, because women like that could change the world if they knew how strong they were...with or without a man.
"I won't pay your asking, I will pay you the two thousand dollars total you asked to start and we'll see about how you actually do." He crossed his hands on the table, mirroring her actions, she looked at his body language and let out a scoffed laugh, "okay old man, you got yourself a deal. But I'd bet my favorite one of a kind velvet embroidered bell bottoms that you're gonna eat that doubt when you see what I have in store."
She stood with a smirk and tossed her notepad into her little white purse, she reached out and shook her dad's hand like the professional she wished to be seen as and with a pounding in her chest, she fixed the last of her things.
Mickey stood, a wicked smirk crossed her lips, the two shaking hands as she says, "deal."
She runs her hands down her dress and looks back up at him, "oh, and I would'a thirteen hundred to start."
Mickey let out a sigh and chuckled, "should've seen that coming." He pushed his chair in, "I'll see you and that little troublemaker next weekend for the brunch that one of my new investors is throwing together. They're all excited to finally meet my mystery of a daughter."
Her chestnut brows laced together, "oh, what makes me a mystery? The fact I was away at an ivy league...as a female, or was it my father keeping me a secret?"
Her voice was teasing but conveyed the underlying message just fine, Mickey Finch had plenty of secrets, and she was more than sure that in this city, she was one of them. She wouldn't let him know she wasn't bothered, anything to give this man a hard time.
As she watched her father's wheels turn, looking for an acceptable answer, she felt eyes on her, watching her closely. The blonde tossed her hair over her shoulder, a whiff of her love's lemon scent perfume wafting into her nose, while her eyes remain on her father.
"I'm just goof'in, we'll be there, later days." Lucy rushed toward the door before she offended him after he just agreed to pay her more than she thought he would for something she'll actually enjoy doing.
Her feet click in her block heels across the tiles of the diner at a quick pace toward the door. Lucy glances over her shoulder once more at the familiar, yet puzzling piece of her life, her father, as he sat facing the opposite direction.
Blonde hair flipped back over her shoulder as she rushed from the restaurant, running face first into a firm chest. She was halted in her tracks by a man planted like a tree, her eyes landing on his trunk-like legs. The blonde feels the eyes again, slowly lifting her head as she steps away from the broad wall of a man. Crystal blue meet sapphire as their eyes meet, she took another step back from the broad man, dressed in olive green, before her as she turns toward the door.
"Excuse me," she says quietly with a nod as he grabs her arm near the elbow to hold her in place before she rushes off.
"Name?" He asked in a domineering tone she immediately hated. She thought it came across as more of a demand.
"Who's asking?" She retorted as she yanked her arm away from his calloused grip.
He looked at the breathtaking woman before him, "James Barnes, friends call me Bucky."
Her brows pressed together, "you have friends when you handle women this way? Hmm, enlightening."
Patience was dwindling as James stared at the stunning vision before him, her electric blue eyes mulling him over with suspicion. Her lips were perfectly puckered from nipping at them with her teeth.
The raven haired boss cleared his throat, "only a few, keep my circle small." He nodded as she stared without a word. "I told you mine, now tell me yours."
Bucky studied her as she let out the most beautiful sounding laugh, Mickey quickly turning in his chair to see the pair and worry filled his features.
"Ask that guy," she pointed to the only man left in the restaurant before turning to walk out the door, but he grabbed her again in the same spot.
Lucy turned on her blocky heel to face him once more, this time with her hand outstretched to meet his cheek in a slap. Her palm met his cheek, his face unchanged by movement but tinting a hue of pink almost immediately. As he released her arm in sheer surprise, he stood like the tree he resembled, his brows pinched. The man dressed in a brown three-piece suit behind him, to the left, steps toward her; his brown eyes angry as his brow furrowed. James raises his hand to stop him, then touches his cheek.
Mickey was now standing both proud and terrified from the table, watching in fear. Lucy looked back toward him and realized she may had made a mistake, biting her lip as her eyes met the mysterious man before her with unforgettable cheekbones and perfect long hair.
"You shouldn't touch women that don't ask," she crossed her arms and stepped back toward the door.
"I do as I please, Miss...?"
"Dream on, Mr. Barnes." She held her arms close to her body as she rushed through the turquoise framed glass doors, disappearing into the busy late afternoon street.
Bucky Barnes watched that blonde strut away without sparing a glance at him, her arms falling at her sides as she walked through the door. Ya see, James Barnes had never been put in his place in such a way. Having such a beautiful woman exert power without so much as a name...James was rendered speechless. That is, he was speechless until he laid eyes on her father.
The nervous man before him was the best keeper of secrets, and secrets infuriated a man like James. "Explain to me who that woman is, and tell me you have what I asked for, Finch. I am in no mood for one of your games."
Bucky leaned on the chair next to Mickey, a power move to belittle the man that's stuck under his thumb since a bad bet back in Vegas three years ago.
Mickey nodded and placed a small purple bag on the table, "it's my daughter, Lucy."
Bucky's jaw tightened, Mickey swallowing a gulp. "She just moved back to town. Was meeting with her because she's throwing a fundraiser with me." The nervous brunette's words spilled out as his hands fiddled together, "sorry she hit you, she has always been my biggest challenge-" James put his hand on the sitting dealer's shoulder.
"Thanks Finch," he picked up the bag and handed it to his right hand man, "Wilson, check'em quickly." As he did what instructed, the boss sat next to Mickey. "I'm going to need you to tell me more than her name, now Finch."
This is the moment the nervous realization hit Mickey like a wave of bricks, "I barely know her, she was away at school for years and we've fallen out of touch."
The look of disgust that covered James Buchanan Barnes face was impossible to ignore. As Sam handed over the jewelry bag with a nod to Bucky, he also shot a look toward Mickey that resembled disappointment.
"What kind of a father knows nothing about his daughter?" Sam asked inquisitively.
Mickey shrugged and slouched into his seat, shame suddenly apparent to both men next to him. "A man that lost control of her a long time ago."
James nodded and stood up quickly with a sighed breath, "send me the details for the fundraiser." He turned to walk out and knew what his next move was, but all he heard was her voice telling him to 'dream on' as he walked out that door with the diamonds and his friend, Wilson.
Bucky whistled a small tune of Aerosmith before singing a quiet, "Dream a little, I'll dream on, dream on." The pair disappeared out the door onto the crowded sidewalks.
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