Part 16 (1/2)
”So Leeza is your best friend?” I kept my voice light as we drove to the airport.
”Yeah, she's one of my best friends. She was really there for me when my parents died.” Lucky looked out the window. ”We've drifted apart recently, though.”
”Oh yeah? Why?”
”After I adopted my rules and stopped partying with her so much, we kind of grew apart. She kept going out and meeting guys and bringing them home, and well, I just worked a lot.”
”She's like your family, now, then?”
”Family's overrated.” She pursed her lips and cleared her throat.
”I take that as a no.”
”No, I don't mean that. She's a good friend of mine. Sometimes friends are better than family. Sometimes family lets you down and you just don't know why.”
”You sound like me.” I looked at her, worried. ”Everything okay?”
”Yeah.”
”You wouldn't lie to me, right? It's not the baby, right?” I reached over and squeezed her knee. ”I know we're both disappointed, but it'll be okay. Everything happens for a reason.”
”How did you get to be so wise?” She half-smiled. ”But it will be nice to see Leeza. Maybe we can have a girls' day, and she can tell me what happened with Evan.”
”Are you sure they broke up?” I kept my face looking forward.
”Yeah, that's what she said.” She played around with the radio and I resisted the urge to keep questioning her. Leeza had tried to cause trouble for Lucky and me, before. Maybe she knew that I had never been stalking Lucky. Maybe she wasn't trying to be a good friend. Maybe she was just a bad friend, and Evan was using her to get to me.
”Remind me I need to talk to Leo before you all go to dinner tonight.”
”We'll behave ourselves, Zane. I promise.”
”You're always a bad girl, Lucky.”
”I suppose you want to bend me over your knee, huh?”
”And give you a good spanking? Yes.”
”I would not be surprised if you tell me you were a Dom in a previous life.”
”You'd like that, huh?”
”Not really.”
”What would you call me? Big daddy?”
”Oh my, Zane.” She burst out laughing uncontrollably. ”Please never say those words again.”
”You don't want to call me big daddy?”
”h.e.l.l no, I don't. That sounds so pervy.”
”I guess you can call me Big Zaney instead.”
”I'll call you Crazy Zane, more like-or Pervy Zane.”
”At least you'll be calling.”
”You can't stop me from calling.”
”Good.” I reached over and squeezed her hand. ”I started writing your song.”
”Really?” She turned to me and grinned. ”I want to hear it.”
”Not yet.” I laughed at her pout. ”That won't work, baby.”
”But, honey.” She sidled up next to me and rested her head on my shoulder. ”Please.”
”Don't scare me.” I glanced at her face on my shoulder. ”You'll make me think you've become a Stepford Wife.”
”I don't want to get your hopes up.” She moved away from me again. ”Well, whatever, I won't tell you the lyrics I wrote for you either.”
”You did?” I was excited to hear that she had gone through with it. ”Are you going to sing it to me?”
”I don't know,” she said. ”It depends on how drunk I am.”
”Tell me the first line.”
”And ...?” She raised an eyebrow at me.
”I'll tell you a first line.”
”Hmmm.” She considered my offer. ”I don't know.”
”Okay, three lines then.”
”Three lines? That's almost my whole song.”
”Really?” I turned the radio down and cleared my throat and started to sing.
”One day, people shall talk of this day, my love One day, birds shall sing of my joy, my love One day, the wind shall scream the truth to the world, my love ...”
”Oh, Zane. I love it,” she gasped. ”Sing some more. Please.”
”I'll think about it if you sing some of yours to me.”