Lucky had to catch his breath when Elizabeth opened the door. She looked simply breathtaking. He had always thought so, but now that he was finally getting to know her, she had become even more beautiful to him. She smiled when she saw him, holding a picnic basket and a folded blanket in his arms.
Lulu was the first to speak, breaking the silent look that passed between Lucky and Elizabeth. "Hi. Elizabeth. I'm Lulu. Lucky was right."
Lucky put his hand on the top of her head and tousled her hair and said, "What was Lucky right about?"
She looked up at Elizabeth. "He said you were beautiful."
Elizabeth felt herself blushing and she met Lucky's eyes for just a brief moment, then knelt down and put her hands on Lulu's arms. "Well, you know what? Lucky was right about something else. He said you were beautiful, too. I'm very happy to meet you, Lulu."
"Have you ever been to Wyndemere before?"
She shook her head. "Nope, this will be my first time and I'm really looking forward to it."
"It will be fun. We can play with the dog and Lucky brought a picnic for us. Well, Mommy fixed the food."
"Well, I'll have to be sure to thank her when I meet her."
Lulu looked past Elizabeth at her purse and art supplies. "What's all that stuff you have?"
"Just my sketch book and some pencils. I'm going to draw some pictures while we're over there."
Lucky looked down at Lulu. "Remember I told you Elizabeth is an artist? She wants to sketch some pictures of the gardens at Wyndemere."
"I remember. Will you draw my picture?"
"Oh, Lulu, I would be happy to. Let me get my stuff and we can get going."
"I called Nikolas and he sent the launch early so we won't have to wait. We can just walk to the docks from here."
"Okay. I'm so glad it's a nice day. I was afraid it would rain."
"It wouldn't dare. I'm just glad you agreed to go. You're going to love it."
Lucky sat back and enjoyed the trip over to the island as he watched the interaction between Elizabeth and Lulu. They had become fast friends and Elizabeth was wonderful with her. He hoped that Elizabeth would enjoy the day at Wyndemere and that she would want to see him again. In just one day, he realized that he could not imagine his life without her. He hoped that whatever was making her so sad would finally go away and she could be happy.
When they arrived on the island, Nikolas was there to greet them. Lulu ran to meet him and he caught her in his arms and picked her up. "You're getting way too big for me to do this, you know." He looked at Lucky. "Hey, Lucky, nice day for an outing, huh?
"Perfect. Nikolas, this is Elizabeth Webber. Elizabeth, my brother Nikolas."
Nikolas extended his hand. "Nice to meet you Elizabeth. Listen, I have some things I need to take care of, so why don't you just wander around for awhile and I'll catch up with you later." He looked at Lulu. "I'll bet you want to go to your favorite garden don't you?" She nodded and Nikolas whistled and within a few seconds his dog, Spencer, a golden retriever, came running up to him. Lulu wriggled out of his arms, hugging the dog. "You can take Spencer with you."
"Spencer?" Elizabeth thought it was odd that his dog had Lucky and Lulu's last name.
"Lulu named him. She wanted him to have part of her name. He's really her dog, you know. He loves her best."
"I can see that."
Lucky nodded to Nikolas. "We'll see you later then. Come on Lulu, let's go see that favorite garden of yours."
~~~ "Lucky, this is so beautiful. I can never thank you enough for bringing me here. I may never want to leave. There are so many things I want to draw."
He laughed. "You don't have to do them all in one day. We can come back here anytime you want."
She looked away from him, afraid to think that there may be more times like this with Lucky. For just a moment she thought about her secret and how Lucky would feel about her if he knew. But she pushed those thoughts from her mind, determined to put those demons to rest at least for today.
The rest of the afternoon was spent exploring, with Elizabeth alternately sketching and playing with Lulu. They sat in one of the gardens and had their picnic lunch, Lulu entertaining them with her stories. Elizabeth could not remember a time in her life when she felt so content and happy. To be able to sit in complete silence with someone and not feel uncomfortable was something she was not used to. But she felt so at ease with Lucky that the silence was comforting.
It was late afternoon and Elizabeth was sketching Spencer as he slept on the ground. She would give the picture to Lulu when they got back. She had watched as Lucky and Lulu chased each other and giggled while she sketched. Now Lucky was sitting on the ground, his head leaning against a bench, his eyes closed, with Lulu's head in his lap, stroking her hair as she slept. He obviously loved her deeply and as Elizabeth watched she was suddenly overcome by emotion and felt the hot tears stinging her eyes. Oh God, please don't let me start crying now, she thought, but she could not stop the tears. She was weeping for the childhood she never had, for the things that were taken from her when she was just Lulu's age. Why couldn't she have had a brother like Lucky, someone to love her and protect her, like he did Lulu. Her life would have been so different if she had had someone like Lucky to love her.
She didn't want Lucky to see her crying, so she laid the sketch book down and wandered further into the gardens. She found a bench in front of a small fountain and sat down, hoping the sound of the water would help to calm her. She jumped up and cried out when she felt the hand on her arm.
"I'm sorry. I scared you."
"Where…where is Lulu?"
"She woke up just as Nikolas came down. He took her to ride with him for a bit. He's invited us to stay for dinner. Would that be okay with you?"
She nodded, unable to imagine what it would be like to eat inside that huge mansion.
Lucky moved closer to her and she backed up just a little, still shaking from the fear she felt when Lucky touched her arm, thinking it was someone else.
"Elizabeth, what is it? You're shaking and…"
"It's nothing, really."
"Those tears don't look like it's nothing."
She sighed. "Sometimes I'm just too emotional. I was watching you and Lulu and it was so beautiful, Lucky. You love each other so much, and you're so protective of her. I wish…."
"You wish what?"
"I wish I had a brother like you. He could have saved me from…" Her voice trailed off as she looked away, wistfully, the tears still glistening in her.
Lucky waited to see if she would say more, but when she didn't he decided not to press her further.
"Elizabeth, I know where there's a really beautiful view of the water. Do you feel like walking there?"
She nodded. "I'd like that. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get so emotional."
"Elzabeth, you need to know that you don't ever have to act a certain way around me, or be afraid to tell me anything. None of those things could ever make me not want to see you."
"But why? You barely know me."
"I know you better than you think. I know that you're a very beautiful person, not only on the outside. And you know I think that thanks to Lulu." He smiled and she managed a faint laugh.
"But there are things you don't know about me, Lucky. Things you wouldn't like."
He shook his head. "I can't imagine anything you could tell me that would make me not like you. In case you haven't noticed, I like you a lot, and I'd like to think you like me, too. Can't you just accept that and let us become friends?"
Friends. She had never had a close friend. She wasn't sure she knew how to have a friend, someone who really cared about her and accepted her as she was. Was it too much to hope that Lucky could be that person?
She nodded. "I'll try."
They walked the grounds for awhile before heading up to the house for dinner. Elizabeth was awestruck by the inside of Wyndemere. Dinner was elegant and delicious, and she found that Nikolas was very down to earth and unpretentious, and very much like Lucky. They teased each other a lot and picked on each other, but she could tell that they really loved each other.
During dinner, she would glance at Lucky and see him watching her and once when Nikolas was talking to Lulu, Lucky had whispered, "Are you feeling better?"
She had nodded and looked into his eyes. He didn't look away as he smiled and said, "Good, I'm glad."
It was nearly dark when they left the island, and Nikolas told Elizabeth she was welcome to come back anytime she liked. Lulu fell asleep again on the way home, this time with her head in Elizabeth's lap.
Lucky smiled. "She really likes you."
"I really like her, too. I hope I can see her again."
"Of course you can. She's so tired, I think we'll drop her off first and then I'll take you home."
"Oh, you don't have to take me home, I can get there on my own."
"You still don't get it do you?"
She looked at him, questioningly. "What?"
"As long as I'm around I'm not letting you walk home alone in the dark. And that's something that's non-negotiable."
She smiled then. "Okay. I get it now."
"Good."
~~~ They dropped Lulu off at home before walking to Elizabeth's house. She met their mother, Laura, and was stunned by how much Lucky looked like her, and how like her he was. Seeing how tired Lulu was, Laura told her that she should go upstairs and get ready for bed. When Elizabeth knelt down to say goodbye to Lulu she was surprised when the child put her arms around her neck and hugged her tightly then kissed her on the cheek. "Bye Elizabeth. Thanks for going with us today. I had so much fun."
"Thank you for letting me go with you. Oh, I almost forgot. I have something for you." She opened her sketch book and tore out a page, handing her the picture she had drawn of Spencer. Lulu squealed with delight and hugged her again. "I love you, Elizabeth!"
"I love you, too, Sweetie."
Lulu ran upstairs and Elizabeth stood up, looking at Lucky and then Laura, feeling the tears again, trying to wipe them away. "I'm sorry. She's just so…"
Lucky touched her arm briefly and said, "Don't worry, she affects all of us that way."
This time when he touched her, she did not flinch or pull away.
~~~~ Lucky and Elizabeth stood on the porch of Elizabeth's house.
"So, did you have a good time?"
"You couldn't tell? It was wonderful, Lucky. Thank you again."
"It was nice to see you having a good time. And you were great with Lulu. I hope we can have lots of times like today." He hesitated before asking his next question, afraid of her answer. "Can I call you?"
She looked into his eyes and without taking the time to think she said, "I'd like that."
He smiled. "Good. Good. I'll call you soon."
"Okay."
They looked at each other for a long minute and he reached up and touched her cheek ever so slightly before he turned to walk away. He was at the end of the sidewalk when he turned to see her still standing in the doorway. "Elizabeth?"
"What is it, Lucky?"
"Would tomorrow be too soon?"
She smiled at him then, the most genuine, infectious smile, and he felt his heart beat a little faster when he heard her answer. "Not nearly soon enough."