Chapter 46

For the next week, Lucky and Liz barely talked to one another. They worked on their project during class, but that was all. They ate lunch at separate tables and avoided each other in their other classes. Lucky even made sure to avoid Kelly’s when he thought Liz would be working. They were both completely miserable, but were too stubborn to say anything.

“Luke, what happened with them?” Laura asked, clearing away the dinner plates once Lucky had retreated to his room for the rest of the evening.

Luke shrugged, wiping his mouth on a napkin. “All I know is she signed him up for some talent show without asking him first, and now he’s mad. It’s totally ridiculous, but I can’t talk any sense into him. I guess none of us will be winning any bets now, huh?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t go that far yet. It’s just a fight, it’s going to have to end sooner or later.”

“Fine, but something tells me that if they keep this up, it’ll be much later. Those are two of the most stubborn kids I’ve ever met!”

Laura chuckled and sat down at the kitchen table. “I noticed that. Maybe they just need a little push.”

Luke perked up, noticing the glint in his wife’s eyes. “A push? I thought you were hell-bent on keeping out of this, letting them find each other on their own?”

“I was, but that was before they let their pride get in the way. I’m not saying a huge push, just a little one. Any ideas?”

He laughed and shook his head. “You never fail to surprise me, babe. Something tells me you already have an idea, so just lay it on me.”

She smiled and went over to the phone. “Hello, Audrey? It’s Laura Spencer. I was wondering if you’d like to help Luke and I with something.” A few minutes later, she hung up, looking very smug. “Okay, that’s done. Now we just have to do our part!”

Luke sat back and watched her go upstairs, laughing at what she had just done.

~*~

“Mom, I really don’t want to go!” Lucky whined as Laura came into the room a few days later.

“Lucky, I already told you, we’re going as a family, and that’s it, end of discussion. Now hurry up and get dressed. I don’t want to be late!” She threw him a look to let him know she wasn’t messing around, and left the room. He sighed and grabbed his clothes, going into the bathroom to change.

A few minutes later, he reluctantly came downstairs. Luke, Laura and LuLu were all dressed and waiting. “It’s about time!” Laura said impatiently as they headed for the door.

“Dad, why is she making me do this?” Lucky asked, hoping to appeal to his father’s sense of fairness.

Luke shook his head. “Sorry, Cowboy. If I’ve got to go, so do you. Just grit your teeth and get in the car. It’ll be over before you know it.”

~*~

“Gram, why do you want me to go with you so much? I’m really not in the mood for this!” Liz argued, coming downstairs to find Audrey waiting by the front door.

“I already told you, I don’t want to go to this alone. It’ll do you good to get out of the house for a change. All you do anymore is go to school, go to work, and mope around the house. Now hurry up and get your coat. We’re going to be late.”

Liz sighed and went over to the closet for her coat, then grabbed her purse and followed Audrey out of the house. “Fine, but I don’t have to enjoy myself!” she grumbled, climbing into the car.

Audrey chuckled and patter her leg. “Whatever you say, dear. If it makes you feel any better, you look lovely in that dress.”

“Thanks,” she mumbled, looking out the window at the passing scenery. She had hoped that this would help take her mind off of Lucky, but now she was afraid it wuld just make her think of him even more.

~*~

“I hate this thing!” Lucky complained, trying to adjust his tie so he wasn’t choking.

“Join the club,” Luke chuckled, looking at him in the rearview mirror. “It’s not every day your mother can get me into a monkey suit! I’ll bet you most of the men there today will be just as uncomfortable.”

“Sure, whatever.”

Laura turned around in the front seat and smiled at him. “You look very handsome. I promise, this isn’t going to be as bad as you think. Try to smile, this is supposed to be a happy occasion.”

Lucky rolled his eyes and looked out the window. This was the last thing he wanted to be doing. He couldn’t stop thinking about Elizabeth, even though he was still angry with her. He had done everything he could to avoid being drug along with his parents, but they refused to let up. Now he was going to have to act happy all day. He turned to look at his sister, who was bouncing excitedly in her seat, grinning at him. He couldn’t help smiling at her, and reached out to muss her hair, causing her to giggle.

A few minutes later, Luke pulled into the long driveway, parking along the curb. “They had to do this here, didn’t they?” he grumbled, getting out of the car.

“Oh, stop complaining,” Laura said, helping Lulu out of the backseat. They walked up to the front door, which was standing open, and went inside. “Wow, they really went all-out for this,” she breathed, looking around the foyer.

Lucky rolled his eyes and searched the room. Finally, he spotted Emily and Nikolas and rushed over to them.

“So, I see you couldn’t get out of it?” Nikolas asked with a laugh.

“No, they insisted on making it a family occasion. So, how long is this thing going to be, anyway?” he asked, looking at Emily.

She shrugged. “I don’t know. They’re pulling out all the stops, then there’s the reception. It’ll probably go on all day, and into the night.” She chuckled as Lucky groaned and sat down on the step next to her. “I wonder if they’d notice it if I snuck out.”

“Oh, trust me, they’d notice!” Nikolas said, looking up and winking at Laura. She had known Lucky would go running to his brother for help once they got there, and had already enlisted him to keep him at the house, no matter what.

~*~

Audrey parked her car and walked with Elizabeth up to the front door. They went inside and Liz gasped. “This is so beautiful! I can’t believe how many flowers there are!”

“Well, this is the Quartermaines we’re talking about. They don’t do anything in moderation!” Audrey chuckled, happy to see Liz smiling again. “Come on, let’s grab a seat before it fills up.”

“Okay,” Liz said, following her into the living room. She was so entranced by the decorations, she didn’t notice the trio sitting at the bottom of the staircase.

Lucky had been talking to Emily when he heard her voice. He spun around and looked at the front door. There she was, like an angel. She didn’t see him, and quickly followed Audrey into the living room, out of his sight. Once he regained his senses, he turned to Nikolas. “Okay, spill it. This is just a big set-up, isn’t it?”

Nikolas laughed. “Hey, don’t ask me, I had nothing to do with it!” Lucky looked at Emily, who just shook her head. He then turned to glare at his parents. Luke smiled and pointed to Laura, who shrugged guiltily and turned back to Lulu, trying to fix her hair.

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