Her mother had called Lucy so many times, but she never picked up. She wasn't sure why she answered this morning, but her aching feet and grumbling, empty stomach might have had something to do with it. Lucy leaned back on her narrow bed. She heard a door open and close in the apartment beyond. Her housemate was home.

"Lucy!?" Carol's voice was full of surprise that warmed to affection. "Is it you?"

"Yes." Mentally calculating how to get off the call now that she was on it, Lucy's tone was brutally clipped.

"So you are okay! I've been worried about you."

"I sent you an email."

"One message! 'Mom I'm fine. Living with a friend. Be well,' is not my idea of an update on how you are doing. Who is this person? What are you doing for money? Are you thinking about enrolling in classes there?"

Why the hell did I answer, Lucy was thinking, aggravated. "No classes mom. I'm writing, remember?"

"Really, Lucy? That's hardly a way to make a living. Are you couch surfing or something?"

"I found a roommate through Craigs list. He's a good guy-"

Carol's voice jumped a decibel, "What?! You're living with a strange man? Who is he? What is his name?"

"Why, so you can check on him?"

"Maybe."

Lucy was yelling now, too. "Mom! Get out of my life! You wonder why I don't call you. This is why! I'm here starving and all you can do is undermine my decisions and denigrate my life choices!"

Swift footsteps sped to her closed door. A knock. "Lucy, are you okay?"

"Hold on," she told her mom. She stepped to the door and opened it. Wyatt was half-naked. His wet hair was tousled and dripped onto the towel draped carelessly around his neck. Another towel rested gingerly on his hips, which Lucy snapped her eyes up from. She felt her cheeks warm. She had seen him in swim trucks several times heading out to the beach by now, but the intimacy of this near reveal undid her self-possession. Since the night of the beach party she'd given him an even wider berth than before. She thought to herself, He's taken. Get yourself together.

"I'm fine. It's just my mother. Go get dressed or something."

On the line, her mother's voice blared suddenly, "Go get dressed?! Lucy what is going on there? If you need money, I can send you some, honey. You don't have to-"

Lucy's cheeks were now burning. She punched the red button on her screen, cutting off her mother's voice.

"Sorry, Lucy. But are you okay?" Wyatt looked embarrassed and put a hand to the corner of the towel that masked far too little for Lucy's composure.

Lucy tried to look anywhere but at the gorgeous spectacle before her. Her eyes landed on his baby blues and clung there for dear life. Her voice was husky at first.

"Thanks, but it's not..." She cleared her voice. Shook her head to clear it. "Not your concern."

She closed the door in his face, not sure what was harder to take: the tempting tableau of his unclad limbs, or the compassion she clearly saw in his eyes. Her phone rang again. Lucy lay face down on the bed ignoring the screen flashing "Carol Preston." Her stomach grumbled. Sitting up she fumbled a cough drop out of its package and sucked on it, hoping it would relieve her hunger pangs. To distract herself, she opened her laptop and started writing.

"She opened the door and found him standing there in next to nothing. She pulled his bare chest close to hers and opened her mouth slightly for the first of many passionate kisses they would share that night and into the next morning..."

Lucy was bone tired. After haunting publishing houses and what remained of the newspaper publishers in her area, she had finally given in and applied for a position at the Starbucks. As it turned out, they offered health insurance and an almost livable wage.

Lucy thought she would cry the day she got her first paycheck. Wyatt had offered to front her the money for groceries that week, but she'd refused. She lived on double mocha lattes (which she could get at cost from work) and instant Ramen until she got paid. Very conveniently, Wyatt had a lot of "extra pizza" that week, which he left in the refrigerator for her. Lucy was hesitant but at his insistence she ate it gratefully. Finally she was able to refresh her parched checking account. Lucy splurged on Chinese food take out that night.

She left an envelope of money out for Wyatt, labeled "pizza money." He came to her door the next day, envelope in hand. She sat on her bed idly drawing. She hurriedly flipped her pad over when she saw him.

Wyatt said, "Lucy, this is not necessary. It was just pizza." He held the envelope out to her.

She made no motion to accept it. "I'm just paying my share, Wyatt."

He looked at her consideringly. He tapped the envelope with his other hand. "It was just a few extra slices. It's no trouble, Professor."

Something in Lucy warmed at the nickname he gave her, but what came out of her in response was instead irritation and defensiveness, "I am not a professor, thank you very much. And I don't like to be in debt." She stood up and walked over to him. "Keep the money and let me alone." She prodded his chest, setting off new alarm bells in her head as a stronger feeling of warmth invaded her body when she touched him. She swallowed and said tersely. "Thank you and hope you have a good day." Her tone was clear, the conversation was over.

He inclined his head. "Sure thing, ma'am. Sorry to disturb you." He closed the door behind him.

A few moments later she heard his the door close and his motorcycle start up down in the street. Lucy turned her notebook over and ran her fingers over the drawing she'd made. His profile on the page, though small, was clear.