Pretending I Love Lucy: A Sweet Romantic Comedy (Apple Valley Love Stories Book 3) by Julie Christianson

Author:Julie Christianson [Christianson, Julie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-02-27T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-One

LUCY

Fix has been gone for approximately 1,830 seconds. Not that I’m counting. I’ve just helped a lot of my brothers and sisters with their math homework over the years, so I can convert minutes into varying increments of time without really thinking too hard.

I’m definitely not sitting in the parlor, obsessing about Fix being alone with Valerie. In a car. Or at a motel. That would be silly. I’m sure he’s had plenty of other women in his life besides Val. The man is handsome and wealthy and chivalrous. And despite his claim that he only thinks about himself, I’ve witnessed firsthand how Fix takes care of other people. And I’m not just talking about Grams. Fix is worried about leaving Arthur Kent in the lurch and about being a burden to everyone at work. He’s been generous with me, which in turn trickles down to my family. He’s even taking care of Valerie now. I glance out the window again, and then at the wall clock.

1,920 seconds.

I couldn’t hear much of what Fix and Valerie were saying to each other, but I know things ended between them six months ago. How many seconds is that? A lot. But it’s entirely possible that Fix still has feelings for Valerie, especially if their breakup wasn’t his decision.

Maybe that’s why he’s making sure she’s okay tonight—driving her to The Granny Smith and getting her settled.

Jealousy wraps itself around my lungs, like barbed wire cinching in tight. I shouldn’t be jealous. Valerie’s a part of his past. But what if she apologizes enough to him in the present to make him reconsider being with her in the future? There would be nothing I could do to stop that.

I’m not actually his girlfriend.

But a bigger issue is taking root in my brain and sprouting quickly, like grass on a Chia pet. If Valerie’s the kind of woman Fix usually dates, I’d never stand a chance of being with him. Even if I wanted a chance, which I don’t.

I can’t want it.

For the record, I know the grand gestures in romance novels and on the Hallmark Channel aren’t realistic, but the underlying themes are. They’re about a love that overtakes you. A love that sweeps you off your feet. An all-consuming love that makes you realize you can’t live without that person. I want nothing less than this.

But even if Felix Dodd III wanted to date me, the man never wants to get married. Meanwhile, I’ve spent my whole life dreaming of finding my soulmate. Of falling in love and being a wife. So the point is moot, and my jealousy over Valerie is absurd.

And yet.

Once Mrs. Dodd said the words out loud to Valerie—that I’m Fix’s girlfriend now—a flip switched over in me. I suddenly felt territorial, like we were actually a couple. There I was, covered in sauce and sugar, while possessiveness clawed up my throat. I wanted to shout at her, Hey! That’s my man. If you get too close, my lightsaber won’t be made of wrapping paper.

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