Her Chosen Mate

Chapter 2 - New Beginning

Lucy entered the kitchen to find Derrick already seated at the table.

“You look like hell,” he commented, barely looking up from his pancakes.

“Well good morning to you too,” she replied dryly.

Derrick paused for a second as he took in his sister’s appearance. "Did you even attempt to run a comb through that nest?"

“I didn’t sleep well,” Lucy replied as she stifled a yawn “I had a bad dream.”

“Still not use to the new house huh?” he asked understandingly.

Lucy sighed, “that and we start school on Monday.”

“Yeah I was thinking of checking out this hiking trail I heard about wanna come?” he asked, shoving a crumpled map her way.

“Ummm no thanks,” replied Lucy, retrieving a yogurt from the fridge and coming to sit at the table.

“C’mon Lucy, a hike will be fun,” moaned Derrick before shoving another chunk of pancake into his mouth. He had been trying to convince her all week to go on a hike with him and today was no different. He only broke momentarily while he shoveled more breakfast into his mouth. “Besides it’ll give me a little exercise before try-outs. I hear our new school has a really good team.” He flexed his large arms in a brazen show of vanity.

Lucy looked down at her yogurt and scowled. It wasn’t fair, the differences between guys and girls. Guys could eat an entire food truck and not gain a pound; but if girls even inhaled the scent they’d blow up like a balloon and there was no way she was going to be labeled as the unattractive sibling. 

Derrick Hayle was the older of the two, or he’d like to think so anyway. Lucy had to constantly remind him it was only by two minutes. He yawned lazily as he stretched, his massive boulder like shoulders looked like they were about to rip his barely there shirt at any minute. Derrick had been the star of the football team at their old high school and he had every intention of becoming the star of this one as well.

Lucy was no slouch herself. She was a gifted musician and had every intention of going to Juilliard. Well, that was until her mother got sick. Their father had moved the entire family from Austin, Texas to Portland, Oregon.

“What are you two conspiring about?” asked Tim in his Texan drawl.

Tim Hayle was a large burly man. He was the quintessential Texan. He prided himself on being Texan to the core; but now he had traded in his cowboy boots for loafers. He walked into the kitchen holding a large mug that read 'Don’t mess with Texas' in large, bold letters. With his thick blonde hair and chiseled jawline, he was far from unattractive and despite his size, he was quite charismatic. He was the type of man that could get you to do anything despite your better judgment; a talent that brought him all the way up to partner in the biggest law firm in Austin. All the more reason Lucy couldn’t quite understand why her father had moved them so readily, she seriously doubted her mother’s condition was going to improve faster in the middle of nowhere.

“I was just asking Lucy to go hiking with me,” replied Derrick, his mouth now full of bacon.

“What’d you say Luc? Feel like a hike today?” Her father looked at her, doing his best to hide his concern; but she knew it was there. He was worried that the move would affect her the most, and it did; but she couldn’t allow him to see that.

“Sure,” she smiled up at him.

“Atta girl,” he ruffled her long blonde hair affectionately.

“Dad!” she yelled. “I’m not a little girl anymore.”

“I wish I could go with you two but I have meetings all day today.”

“I didn’t exactly say I was going,” grumbled Lucy

“Go on. The fresh air will do you good,” advised her father.

“Yeah, especially since you're having trouble sleeping,” chimed in Derrick.

“You’re having trouble sleeping?” her father gave her a quizzical look.

Lucy shot her brother an annoyed look “I’m fine, I’m still getting used to the new house I guess.” Her father was already worried about her mother, she didn’t need him worried about her as well.

Tim nodded as he took one last drag of his coffee before abandoning it all together. “Well do me a favor Luc, go out and get acquainted with the place. You never know, you might like it here in Portland.”

“Fine,” Lucy sighed resentfully as her father kissed the top of her head. Derrick had backed her into a corner and she knew it.

“Thanks hun.” Her father picked up his coat and gave her brother a farewell fist bump before heading through the door.

The door had no sooner closed behind him than Lucy turned to glare daggers at Derrick.

“What?” he asked, doing his best to feign innocence.

“Don’t give me that. You know what you did,” she snapped.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he maintained.

Lucy's stare intensified and as usual he caved. “How else was I supposed to get you to go with me? I’ve been trying all week.”

“I’m going to make your life miserable,” she threatened.

He looked at her in mock horror before a broad smile spread across his lips. “I believe that ship sailed a long time ago sister."

Lucy scoffed at him; he knew she couldn’t stay mad at him for long and constantly took advantage of that fact.

“We leave in twenty minutes,” informed Derrick, abandoning the table before she could think of a response.