Chapter 2
"Lucy!"
Their mum, Mary Little, rounded in on her, as soon as she set foot into the dining room. "Did you know about any of this?"
"Cut her some slack, luv. At least let her have some coffee first."
Lucy's dad and frequent saviour winked at her. Mum huffed as she waddled off to do her thing in the kitchen and Lucy grabbed herself a cup of coffee and went over to slump into a chair beside Dad.
"Morning Daddy," Lucy said, leaning over to give him a kiss on the cheek. "And, thank you," she whispered as she leaned back. Dad was her favourite person in the whole wide world. He understood her. Stoic and kindly, he shouldered the emotional baggage of the Little women and faced the world bravely.
Patrick Little only smirked his usual secretive smile at her before diving back into the papers.
Lucy paused for a moment assessingly, but the noise in the kitchens showed no signs of abating. She doubted the exquisite aroma of pancakes she had scented would ever materialise. With a heavy sigh, she proceeded to slap together two slices of warm toast, slathered with a liberal amount of melting butter and sweet strawberry jam before cramming them into her mouth.
"Tsk tsk." Dad clucked at her shoddy table manners, but Lucy only grinned back unabashed.
"So, she is in love with Jace today, is she?" Dad asked conversationally, after a while. He looked away from his paper at Lucy, wanting clarification. Emily's on again off again fascination with various men rarely pinged on their father's radar, but Lucy wasn't surprised to hear his interest in this one. He had business dealings with Jace's father.
In fact, he practically worked for him. He was the Neil's family accountant after all.
Lucy could only nod with her mouth still stuffed full. She munched purposefully slowly hoping to delay any need for further response to none. Discussing Emily's love life or lack thereof was not the way she wanted to begin her day.
"Fine! Go tell him that you love him. Make a fool out of yourself and your sisters for all I care," declared their very flustered mother as she made her way back to the dining room with her sisters in tow. Mary placed a plate of bacon and eggs on the table and plopped down in her seat.
"Are we expecting someone?" Lucy asked over the waiting plate of hot breakfast that her mouth instantly watered to consume.
"Jace is stopping over to fetch you girls for the long weekend."
The long weekend was a whole four consecutive days off, for those who worked but it did nothing for the Little sisters who were already on summer break. With Lucy already graduated but still undecided over her career paths and Cat waiting for term to start at university so she could pursue a career in medicine. That left only Emily, who would be sadly returning back to college come end of January. But the trio were on their break now and had been looking forward to having a leisurely time of it.
Only, with Jace appearing so soon on the scene and commandeering their company for the weekend, it appeared the fates were ganging up against her. She appeared bound for a weekend from hell. Not only would she have to contend with Emily and her budding love for the infallible Jace Neil, but she'd have to suffer his smug mug for the duration as well.
"Ohmigod! Ohmigod! Ohmigod!" Emily fell into instant raptures.
Lucy rolled her eyes at Dad and chuckled outright at his look of mock revulsion. Dad loved Jace as if he were his own but in light of Emily's new-found infatuation with the poor fellow, even he could see the pitfalls of this visit.
Lucy watched on with some amusement as both Emily and Cat squealed with joy. She scrunched up her face in distaste, starting her holidays in Jace's constant company was not what she deemed fun, all things considered but the twin's enthusiasm was infectious. Lucy found herself reluctantly baring a gleeful grin. Time spent with the Neils was usually on the beach front and that could never be a bad thing. She'd have a chance to brush the cobwebs off her board. Suddenly, beaming in anticipation, Lucy did an about face. Time with Jace would be as always nothing short of fun.
"This came for you, Lucy." Mary Little returned with a largish envelope. Lucy paused instinctively knowing who it was from. It was clear enough from the tone of her mother's voice and written on her face besides, but Lucy tore her gaze away to stare at the envelope thrust in front of her.
It was stamped San Francisco. A letter from the US. There was no pretending not knowing who it was from. It was no well-kept secret that Lucy Little was one Little who had no Little in her blood. She was the product of her mother's teenage groupie fling with the then up and coming song writer and singer- Knyte Starr.
Lucy Little had once been Luxy Ara Starr, just as Mary Little had once been Mary Starr. Having been lodging abroad in pursuit of further studies, a chance encounter and her mother had been entranced by Knyte Starr. A summer long fling in his embrace resulted in a swift wedding and Lucy- born nine months later as Luxy Ara Starr.
It was only six months after that tragedy struck and her twin brother, Blaze went missing. Broken hearted and deep in depression, Mary Starr took her only remaining child and fled back to Australia, where she later met and married Patrick Little.
Knyte broken and inconsolable retreated from the limelight marking an abrupt ending to a budding career that would have seen him brushing shoulders with the very best of them. Ripe with grief he vowed never to sing again till he had word his son was alive.
And it was only six years earlier, on Lucy's thirteenth birthday, that Knyte Starr stepped onto the stage to sing his first song since that tragedy. A ballade of love lost that catapulted him straight to the top of the charts and he has remained there ever since.
The letter sat on the table staring tauntingly at her. A letter, as always, addressed to Luxy Ara Starr. A name she no longer went by. It arrived each year on her real birthday. A birthday she no longer celebrated. Not just because of the loss her brother, that pained her and her mother still but because she was no longer that person.
Luxy Ara Starr died an infant the very night her brother went missing. She'd felt it then, in the sharp cry of pain she'd released as a baby and she felt it still, that hollowness near her chest. A hollowness that stung sharply every year on to this day and pulsed with jealousy at the sight of the clear bond her younger happier siblings still shared between them.
Lucy turned away from the sight of the letter feeling her appetite drain right out of her. She turned back to her meal to moodily pick at the crumbs on her plate.
"You don't have to open it now, if you don't want to," said Patrick Little, soothingly. As always, his deep baritone was a balm to her hurting soul. She managed a feeble smile of appreciation before turning to pour herself a glass of apple juice.
Then the doorbell rang, Emily rushed over to wring it open screeching out Jace's name. Lucy covered both ears with her hands and cringed in embarrassment on her unwitting sister's behalf. The excited chatter at the door could be heard all the way to the kitchen. She groaned out loud hoping Emily hadn't just blurted out her new-found love for him to his face. That would be the epitome of awkward.
Already cringing for the inevitable, it was to that face- Jace appeared to greet. Thankfully, she was not the only one donning it. A quick look around showed both Mum and Dad sported that very same look. Cat of course remained oblivious to any form of emotions at all.
But the momentary pause, awkward at best, was swiftly overlooked. Jace did nothing in halves. The exuberance of his arrival swept about the kitchen in a tidal wave. Their mum was tugged into a heartfelt embrace, and all but wrung dry. She was released from his hold gasping for a breath.
Their Dad did not escape unscathed either, his hand was wrung in an enthusiastic shake. There was a lot of bustle and then he was by Lucy's side and reaching out for her. Caught up in the moment, Lucy lifted laughing tawny eyes to meet his bright grinning blues only to have her heart still. The catch of her breath as soon as their gazes clashed had the laughter drained right out of her. Time slowed to a thudding heartbeat and the most unusual tension sped down her veins.
Their gaze clung and held. Bright blues warring with equally bright gold.
Jace leaned in and her breath caught. Then his arms were going around her. She couldn't hold back the shudder that raked down her thin frame. Thankfully the ripple was concealed from all by his arms wrapped firmly around her.
"Shhh," he whispered in her ears huskily, as he rubbed his hand down her spine, soothingly, invariably sending a bout of goose bumps to breakout all over her skin. A strange tingling emerged to settle in her heated core. Lucy's eyelids grew heavy and her heart rate dropped to a sluggish beat.
She dragged in a desperately ragged breath before with another soothing murmur, Jace abruptly released her to catch the squealing Emily who floundered for his attention by pounding at his back.
Just like that the strange cocooning tension that had entranced her was gone and Lucy tuned back to the boisterous and noisy family that they always were, feeling for once, strangely apart.
She moved back a little feeling a foreboding poignancy of changes to come. Her eyes swept over the group and avoided Jace's altogether. But his pull was almost magnetic, and Lucy found herself going back, drawn to his gaze, again... and again. Brawny, blond haired and light eyed, Jace looked more a part of her family than she ever did. He certainly had the easy rapport with them built from years of hanging about intrusively into their mix.
He made her feel alone and tossed out of the family fold. It was a common feeling whenever he came to visit. Which to her way of thinking, was a tad too often, even with them being besties. Lucy was not his only friend even if he was hers.
Lucy flexed her hand, willing the blood to flow back to her chilled finger-tips. She didn't like this feeling that came over her whenever Jace came around. But there seemed to be absolutely nothing she could do to will her awareness away. God knows she'd tried.
"Let's get back to breakfast, dears," advised Mary Little. "It's getting cold."
Murmuring their agreement, they settled back down to breakfast at the table, this time with Jace joining them taking up the chair Mary indicated, before a steaming plate of bacon and eggs.
"I was making your favourite Jace," said Mary, "Pancakes. But you know how Cat is," she shook her head exasperatedly. "She only takes her claws out for all kinds of flat breads."
"Studying burns up a lot of calories," shrugged Cat dismissively. "I don't see why you were making Jace the pancakes. What about me?"
"Us?" Chipped in Lucy, unable to retain her affront at that. She instantly regretted that input, when a pair of bright blues pinned onto her own. Her breath stilled, and she turned blue.
"You don't need to make me my favourites, Mary," said Jace, slowly dragging his gaze away and allowing Lucy to breathe easy once more. Her breath came out in a rush, drawing her father's reapproving gaze and drowning out the rest of Jace's words, so that only the meaningless low murmur of his deep baritone could be heard. Lucy turned her gaze back to her plate.
She munched quietly away at the remains of her cold toast and watched with furtive interest as Jace dug into his plate with relish. Tearing her gaze away, Lucy redirected her interest to stare avidly at her Dad. Patrick having turned back to his newspapers, while he discussed the economy and then sports with Jace, remained oblivious to her unwarranted stare. Jace niftily fielded her dad's questions and responded simultaneously to Emily's non-stop chatter. Cat sat there quietly, reading off a thick volume of something to do with the anatomy of the human body, while sipping at her mug of hot chocolate. Mum had taken her place at the opposite end of the breakfast table, only she was chattering too. To no one. Throwing random comments into the air that no one fielded.
Deciding she'd stared enough at her dad, Lucy did the dutiful thing expected of the eldest child, she tuned in... and out... to mum's comments, muttering a suitable response every now and again. All the while keeping abreast with the conversation flow between her dad and Jace, while monitoring Emily's mindless chatter for something alarming, like- I love you Jace!
But try as she might, her gaze seemed to have a will of its own, and despite the confusion of sight and sounds about her, they unerringly landed, from time to time, on the unsuspecting Jace.
"Are you, all right?"
Unsuspected until then, that is.
Startled, Lucy looked into Jace's concerned gaze and felt her already flushed skin take on another rosy blush. She didn't do blushes. It didn't go with her tomboy image. Raising a hesitant hand up to her shorn hair, she ducked her head to hide her expression and gave her locks an uncertain rub.
"I'm fine," Lucy muttered sheepishly, then dodged her dad's searching gaze. Patrick Little paused consideringly before exchanging a glance with her mother. At Mary Little's nod, he reached hesitatingly to draw out the envelope that lay all but forgotten on the table. Staring at it long and hard, he reluctantly handed it insistently over to Lucy.
"Don't forget your letter," reminded Patrick Little.
"The letter from Knyte," Lucy murmured worriedly, not liking the look on her father's face. Why the letter? Lucy had already received and opened her Christmas present from him, it was strange Knyte would choose to write her a letter after.
A movement to her side had Lucy turning to catch Jace's gaze. His wide brilliant smile effectively concealing the silent questions of his gaze. As her best friend Jace knew all there was to know about her. Even her history of being half sired by a famous singer and having lost a twin brother. But she was not ready to be confronted by his questions on this, not when her heart was still racing by his mere proximity. It was all Lucy could do not to run afoul mouth over this unwanted attraction. For three years, she had struggled with this carnal interest in her best friend. Three years of deliberately overlooking his sensual appeal and failing miserably.
Lucy's gaze dropped to the envelope only just noticing the tampered seal.
"I read it," said her father, drawing Lucy's shocked gaze. "It didn't come alone. There was another with it, addressed to your mother and me. I... I had to see... to be sure." He trailed off brokenly before abruptly adding. "It's actually pretty self-explanatory. Read it. But not here. Take it with you."
The quiet tone to his words drew her worried gaze. Its purposefully serene tone sparked a familiar fear. One she'd unknowingly carried with her, ever since she was of an age to understand... that someone of her unusual looks and colouring could not have been born a Little, at least- not completely. The fear, anger and resentment that always rose to the surface at that thought bubbled forward again. Deliberately, Lucy drew in a deep breath, drawing on her rigorous training to calm herself back down. This was not the time or the place for temper.
Unwillingly, she reached out for the envelope.
Lucy had never asked the question about her obvious mixed heritage for the longest time for one obvious reason- she hadn't wanted to know. But the questions had become more intrusive and more pressing as she grew older. Eventually, at the age of ten Lucy found she could not put it off anymore. She'd gone to her mother and demanded the answers to the question she never wanted to ask and for the answers she never wanted to hear. Lucy was happy being a Little and a chink in that bliss couldn't be tolerated. But that chink happened. Mary Little had told it all then and cried buckets when she did. Lucy had found herself in the awkward position of offering comfort to her mother while hearing the most shocking tale she'd ever heard. But it hadn't taken long for her temper to rise at the unjust nature of it all and she had taken it all out on her already anguished mother.
Naturally, her first step after had been to turn to Jace and spill it all out to him. After a long time in venting it out at poor Jace, Lucy had returned to a pile of birthday letters meant for her that had been withheld over the years. Mary Little had seen no need in keeping those hidden anymore and had promptly handed them over. Letters from her real father. Birthday cards. Christmas Cards. Gifts. All unopened.
At ten years old, Lucy had been too young to be burned by all she'd learned. A father who loved her whom she'd never met, and a brother lost to her from the very start. It had taken her another two years before she could work up the nerve to rumple up her existence further and open those letters. It had taken her the better part of three months to read through them all and then read through them again and yet again, before understanding prevailed. She'd read the hurt Knyte Starr suffered at both losing her and the loss of her brother. Each year she bled anew for those hurts and eyed all the new envelopes that arrived resentfully, knowing it would contain yet more of those hurts, those regrets and the burden of those feelings she wanted no part of. She sat there now eyeing the latest of those envelops balefully, she was not looking forward to starting her holidays on a sad note.
She slipped the envelope into her pocket, determined to wilfully tear it up without reading it at the earliest opportunity.
But as soon as, breakfast was over, and they were being rushed out of the kitchen and hasten off to pack, Lucy, got caught up in the twin's excitement over our trip. She forgot about the letter, she forgot about the complications of Emily's budding feelings for Jace and she forgot about her own attraction to her irresistible best friend. Instead, Lucy made a dash to her room, and begun tugging loose an assortment of sporting equipment that would do well on a beach. Her surf board was dragged out from under her bed. Her snorkelling gear tugged out from the back of her closet space, the flippers from top of the cupboard and then she dragged out a bundle of swim wear. All one-piece suits with just the one modest cut bikini set. Lucy didn't do skimpy. An assortment of shorts and t-shirts made up the list. Lucy didn't own a single dress, but she did toss in a pair of trusty fitted jeans, in case they were to head out to eat.
The discussions at the table had proved her suspicions true. They were to stay at the Neil's beach house for the long weekend. The Neil's owned a luxuriously fitted, yet small beach house along a stretch of private beach in Torquay, along the Great Ocean Road. The three-bedroom, single bathroom cottage had been a squeeze for all of them when they had been kids but was even more so now, when they had grown out of kid boots. The rustic charm of the place, while upgraded for modern amenities had never been overhauled with extensions for space. Aside for the added wing of the sunroom, the lot of them had to make do with sleeping bags and the use of the three available bedrooms.
"Did you get the sunscreen?" Emily popped her blond head about her door to question. Lucy merely shook her head.
"Damn it! Why does it always have to be me?"
"Don't forget to grab the soap and shampoos too," called out Lucy, unperturbed. Then shouted after her, "And my toothbrush, as well! I need a new one!"
But the calming effects of the familiar packing had done its thing. Lucy eased back downstairs to join the rest with her usual placid and sensible self, intact. So that she could face Jace once more with a modicum of calm and none of the flutter of nerves... or whatever else.
They hugged their parents and waved farewell before bundling into Jace's Range Rover Evoque. Then they were ambling down the slight slope of their short drive and then off across town to the open roads that would take them on to the Neil's exclusive hold on paradise.
Lucy's dad was best friends first and the family accountant, after, to the Neil's and the kids have been besties for as long as they could remember. Visiting the Neil's in the past had always been an adventure, one that was always new and exciting for Jace was their only child and his parents did their mighty best to spoil him rotten at every opportunity.
Christmas was incredible at the Neil's. Every imaginable gift was showered on him. Gifts Jace generously shared with his friends. But the Neil's efforts in spoiling their son were in vain for Jace had the three Littles to keep him in check and forever grounded.
"We're not stopping by your home, first?" Lucy asked from the back seat as he went past the turning that would have taken them to his home.
"Nope, we are going straight to the beach house. Mum and Dad are already there. They'll be there with us for the first two days. After which we'll have the whole place to ourselves," he said before lifting his twinkling eyes to meet hers in the rear-view mirror. Lucy stared helplessly back for a moment before she tore hers away with effort and rubbed at the heaviness in her chest.
Emily had fallen asleep in the front seat. It was a strange affliction she had to fall asleep in a moving car. Her maximum awake time had been faithfully recorded by Cat at thirty minutes. The turnoff to Jakes was about that long from their home. Emily would remain asleep for most of the journey giving Cat a chance to talk and share ideas that were her own. A rarity. Usually, Lucy always made appoint to draw Cat out at such moments. Giving her the chance to talk and be herself. Not overshadowed by Emily, as usual.
But today that effort seemed too great. Lucy felt a strange reluctance to talk at all. She found herself ignoring Cat's solemn staring at the changing landscape as she helplessly, trained her attention on her sole and all absorbing interest- staring with rapt fascination at the back of Jace's head, the whole way.
Three hours later and they had arrived. The beach house was tiny. Having been there many times in the past it always shocked Lucy to see how much smaller it had gotten, with each visit. It was going be a tight squeeze now that they were all older. Jace alone will have them all squashed into a corner.
At over six feet and loaded with the muscles and brawns needed to play a very rough game of rugby, he looked like every girl's dream come true. His blond locks were overly longish and unkempt. His blue eyes, playful and yet warm and inviting. And his constant wide grin that bared his milky white teeth a courtesy of a very expensive dentist. Jace came across very unlike what he truly was. An impulsive tease equipped with dark humour.
"You girls head on in and I'll bring your bags," said Jace, with another of his cute seemingly benign smiles.
But Lucy knew better, she knew what mischief lurked behind that otherwise attractive grin. She had been the butt of his jokes too often to count but in a roundabout way perhaps deserving of it for she gave as good as she got. If not two folds more. With her comparatively diminutive stature she'd had to double up her effort against him at every turn. It was her competitive streak, willing her to take him on and best him at every turn. Not that she'd ever managed that feat... yet.
Lucy got her belongings out of the car and chastised her sisters for bickering before moving back to the trunk to help Jace empty the load. She reached out to grab at Emily's duffel knowing it would be the heaviest and wanting to spare Jace the trouble of hefting it, not because he couldn't handle the weight but because she could.
A large warm hand settled over her own. Lucy looked up. Her own whisky coloured eyes blinking up beneath long dusky lashes at Jace's grinning cornflower blues. Eyes that narrowed meaningfully, despite the attractive crinkle of amusement at their sides, before he leaned in to whisper huskily in her ears, "I said I got it."
The strange sensation rippled through her again. Tension that had dissipated resurged to catch at her breath and hold it against her better judgement. Jace's grin widened immeasurably and Lucy found herself rapidly in retreat mode as she hastily drew back to gasp a breath before rushing on past him without another word.
This was clearly going to be a weekend from hell, if she couldn't get her unfathomable attraction to Jace under control. But as always, she was not one to back down from a challenge. Jace Neil was getting to be too much trouble than he was worth. It was time she regained the upper hand. Gritting her teeth, Lucy hefted her bag a little higher and moved forward to greet the rest of the Neil's already in the little house.