Chapter Four....
Lucky and Rebecca had left Mercy hospital and were planning their evening. While he was concerned about his brother, he had to admit Rebecca was right – Nicholas was a grown man who had to accept the fact that Rebecca was not Emily. In fact Lucky had a few facts to accept himself. He also had to acknowledge that his father was a grown man and lived a life Lucky didn't approve of much of the time. Seeing Luke fawn over someone else had hit Lucky hard. He knew he would never be the son his father wanted and that hurt more than he cared to admit.
"Lucky?"
"Hmm?" he turned to look at Rebecca.
"I've been talking to you but you aren't listening. What's going on?"
"Oh, nothing. Do you want to eat before we go out?"
"Don't do that. Don't pretend. You are upset by something and I'm the perfect person to talk to because I don't know anyone in this town. Is it that guy you fought with earlier?"
Lucky usually kept everything to himself, but he knew it would be a pretty long night if he kept stewing on his afternoon. Rebecca deserved more attention than that.
"No, well yeah, and a run-in I had with my step-mother. She said some things that really bother me and my dad just watched her. I usually don't have anything to do with her. It's not that I don't like her, it's just that we live in very different worlds and my dad and my sister are the only things we have in common."
"And she's not your mom."
"Yeah" he admitted sheepishly, "she's not my mom."
Rebecca again started to play with Lucky's hair to get it out of the way of his stitches. It seemed everyone in this town wanted people to be someone else.
"You're step-mother, that's Tracy Quartermaine right? I met her this afternoon when Edward invited me over. She wasn't too happy to see me."
"Yeah, that's her. She can be pretty hateful." Lucky steered them towards a bench over-looking the water and they sat down.
"Yeah, yeah I noticed that. But she was only trying to protect her family. They don't know anything about me and she was the only one who didn't want me to be Emily. I kinda liked it, actually. She seems to fight for the people who are important to her."
Lucky nodded. "She's the reason my dad is still here. When he had his heart attacks he was ready to give up but she wouldn't let him. She kept pushing him about surgery and made all of us watch our step around him. If it wasn't for her I'd be visiting my dad at the graveyard rather than the Haunted Star."
"Sounds like you really admire what she did. So what's the problem."
"The problem is this new guy my father has working at his bar."
"The one from the docks?"
"That's the one. Dad and Tracy were treating him like he was their long lost son and I was totally on the outside. It made me feel like a kid watching his father being taken away by a different family."
"So you acted like a kid in return?"
Lucky look far out on the horizon. "I'm ashamed to admit it, but yeah. And Tracy busted me for it."
"Did I hear my name?" Tracy asked as she came upon them. She couldn't believe that Lucky and not-Emily were together and she wanted to know why.
Lucky quickly jumped up when she spoke and looked down at her. Usually his 6' 4 frame intimidated others, but in this instance his much smaller step-mother intimidated the hell out of him. How did she know he was there?
"Come for another swing at me, Tracy?"
"Don't need to, it looks like someone else beat me to it." She said as she pointed to his cut. Then she turned to not-Emily, "do you have something to do with that?"
"No, I just arrived on the tail end and took him to the hospital," Rebecca nodded her assurance as she stood and backed up a fraction.
"Well good. I hope the other guy looks worse," Tracy replied.
"You tell me," Lucky started.
Tracy placed her purse under her arm then crossing both arms she stepped into Lucky's space to challenge him. "You're the one who gave Ethan that swollen jaw? Serves the both of you right for being such idiots. You know your father has lots of attention for both of you and you'd have realized that if you had just stayed and listened to him. You knew exactly what to say to cause the most damage and you didn't even try to stop. He was pretty upset, you know."
"Well I was pretty angry myself. I don't like being the laughing stock." Lucky was trying to look anywhere but directly in Tracy's eyes.
"You could have fooled me" Tracy answered with great measure.
"Who is that guy, Tracy? He's got con written all over him. How can you and dad be so blind that you trust him with everything? And you especially. You're suspicious of everybody. How can you fall for that guy's game?"
Tracy started to snicker. "What do you know about me, Lucky?"
"What?"
"I said what do you know about me. How would you describe me right here, right now to not-Emily?"
Rebecca took a deep breath to keep from commenting and shifted her feet.
"How would I describe you?"
"You heard me. Don't be a dunce, how would you describe me? Kind hearted, soft, sympathetic?"
"Hardly" Lucky snorted. "You are cold and calculating, you use anyone you can to get what you want. Your reputation proceeds you and you will cut down anyone in your path."
"That sounds about right."
"That's what I don't get, Tracy," Lucky continued. "You don't trust anybody so why this guy? Dad says he has you eating out of the palm of his hand. I thought you were smarter than that. To see you two act like he's some golden boy right after he robbed me? Explain that to me please, 'cause I'm having a hard time figuring it out on my own."
"Fine, but I must say that when a cop is pickpocket he deserves to be ridiculed."
Rebecca didn't know that was part of the story and put her hand up to her face to hide a giggle.
"See, even not-Emily here sees how ironic that was."
"Okay, not my finest moment..."
"To say the least."
"But why are you buying this guy's line?"
Tracy looked at Lucky for a moment, deciding how ready he was to actually listen.
"Would you call me stupid?"
"No, not normally, but this? I don't know. Dad said..."
"Your father says a lot of things. But I suggest you step back next time instead of taking his head off, and watch who is playing whom. You might learn a few things about the art of subtlety that is lost on your generation."
"But Dad sees him for who he is and keeps him there anyway. You're the one who..." Lucky stopped when he say how Tracy's eyes were dancing with mirth. "You're not buying this for one second, are you." Lucky was impressed. He's been fooled and obviously his dad and Ethan were too.
Tracy didn't confirm or deny Lucky's conclusion. "Your father has a new toy Lucky, that's all it is. And I could either fight him about it and get left out of the picture, or I can embrace it fully and watch from the inside. He looks at Ethan and sees a younger version of himself – something that used to happen when he looked at you."
"How am I supposed to react to all of that?" Lucky asked her.
"Don't know. Don't care. That's up to you. You know Lucky, you and your father have a great deal in common. You are both loyal beyond all reason. You live life your way and expect that from everyone else. You two fight because you are so much alike, not because you are so different.
"And" she said as she looked him up and down and began to smile seductively, "you are both sexy as hell."
Turning to go Tracy gave not-Emily a meaningful look and then she moved on. Lucky looked after Tracy with his mouth gapping.
Rebecca watched her go too. "I really like her!"