“What?”
“You and I leave at ten.” My grandma waved a hand in my general direction. “I’ll pick you up, so put some makeup on, for crying out loud. You have one final act as Lachlan’s public relations manager, and you’re gonna do it.” She gave my cheek a smacking kiss. “We’ll be back with dinner, but in the meantime shower and do something constructive with your time.”
“Like job hunt?”
“That can wait.” Sylvie’s lips curved into a sly smile. “Say, have you ever played a game calledMars Wars?”
“You know I don’t play video games.”
“Maybe you should start. Besides pack, what else do you have to do?” My grandmother hugged me again. “And maybe get Lachlan a new security system.”
ChapterFifty-Two
OLIVIA
How hard coulda video game be?
That was exactly the question I’d asked myself after another crying jag and two slices of cold pizza.
At two-thirty in the morning, I put my plate in the sink, then made my way to Lachlan’s office wearing Lachlan’s sweatshirt so I could sit in Lachlan’s monstrous gaming chair. For the record, he was right. The sci-fi prop of a chairwaslikesitting on a pillow of clouds. Would he notice if I took it with me when I moved out?
Just the thought of leaving made my stomach churn. I’d begun to think of his house as ours, silly as it was. My family had brought me dinner just like they’d promised, and they’d sat with me until late. The ladies had filled the living room with laughter and conversation, and when I burst into tears twice, they plied me with hugs and homemade cookies.
On Monday I’d update my resume and LinkedIn profile, then scour the internet looking for a new job. But not this weekend. No, this weekend was for feeling sorry for myself and wondering if I needed to rework my life plan too. Instead of a serious relationship by thirty, maybe I just needed to plan on getting a dog. I missed Lachlan so much I ached with it, and I wondered if the feeling would ever pass. Would I walk through the rest of my life thinking of him, hearing his voice in my sleep, and reliving every moment we had together? I kept waiting for the storm of sadness to subside, but it had only amped up like a big old emotional hurricane.
Part of me thought Lachlan’s reaction was a bit extreme. To just walk out on us because the world now knew who his father was? Yes, I had shared more than I should have with Celeste, but she was the one who had taken it way too far.
But maybe it didn’t matter because the end result was the same—Lachlan felt betrayed by someone he cared about, someone he’d trusted and shared part of his heart and life with. He’d been hurt a lot in his life, and he’d been rejected by those he loved too often.
Not that he loved me.
Probably didn’t.
But what if he did?
“All right,Mars Wars.” Sniffing, I logged into Lachlan’s computer, clicked his game app, and with a little finagling, the mammoth screen dangling above the chair came to life.
Skipping the cinematic intro, I cut right to the chase. I’d played a few games on Elton’s PlayStation, but I had no idea what I was doing with Lachlan’s game.
Still, I could appreciate the graphics, the incredible scenery of his imaginary space world, and the phenomenal biceps on my character, who went by the name of Captain Triton. Apparently the goal was to get through exactly one million levels in order to rescue the fair Princess Serafina.
And maybe I was punch drunk on carbs and self-inflicted misery, but the baddie on level two kind of looked like me. I would swear I heard Captain Triton call this snake-haired woman Bolivia Dutton, so obviously not me. Though before I finally stepped into the shower in the mornings, there was at least a passing resemblance.
Awkwardly navigating the keyboard, I made my Captain Triton shoot a laser gun at aliens, crash a space craft, and jump over obstacles during a downpour of acid rain. Who knew Mars was so violent and ecologically unstable?
It was like Lachlan said—each time I messed up, I took what I learned and got a little further the next time. I could see how this game was so addictive, especially when played on a screen larger than a football field and so bright it could burn my retinas. Every time my character died, I immediately jumped back in and returned to kicking alien butt and trying to save a princess.
Did I check my phone a dozen times during the game? Yes. But I thought Captain Triton, who seemed to be the romantic sort, would understand.
Two hours later, high on the success of finally reaching level ten, I pressed pause on the app and ran to the kitchen for a water refill and another slice of pepperoni.
I startled upon my return, hearing voices from the office.
“The love of Captain Triton and Princess Serafina could not be denied. He would cross galaxies, jump worm holes, and fight every evil beast to find the lady who’d stolen his heart.”
Was that the introduction of the game playing? Returning to my plush seat, I fixed my gaze back on the screen where something as intricate as a movie played. Settling in, I took a bite of pizza I didn’t really need and watched theMars Warsorigin story unfold.
“An unlikely hero is our Captain Triton,” a male voice narrated. I’d heard that deep voice in my dreams and smiled at the thought of Lachlan telling the story he’d created. “Many men have tried to save Serafina, but all failed. Time is running out to rescue the princess. The Ring of Hope, a promise of fierce courage and abiding love, unlocks Princess Serafina’s gilded cage. Can Captain Triton find it in time…or will he lose the princess forever?”
