The One After [SHAWN MENDES]

Chapter 65

I'd just finished my first full day back at work and I felt really good. I was tired, but reestablishing my routine put me in a positive frame of mind.

I was about to microwave some leftover meatloaf for dinner when there was a knock at the door. "Delivery for Lucy Atwood," the woman said as she held out a bouquet of flowers.

"Thank you," I told her as I took the vibrant assortment of roses, carnations, and stargazer lilies.

I carried them into my apartment and set them on the dining room table, my heart pounding. Had Shawn sent me flowers? We'd talked the night before, so he knew I was returning to work today. Dream-Shawn was the type to send something, but I wasn't sure if the real one was. There was only one way to find out. I took the small envelope from the bouquet and opened it, holding my breath with anticipation.

We missed you!
Welcome back to work!
Love,
Sal, Ollie, and Lou

It was sweet of them to do this, but I couldn't help feeling deeply disappointed, which led to me feeling ashamed of myself. It was foolish to think that anything that happened in my dream was going to manifest in my reality. Sure, Shawn and I texted and talked occasionally, but I'd come to the conclusion that I'd imagined the slightly flirty tone in our first conversation because it was what I wanted to hear.

I called all three of my uncles and thanked them for the beautiful flowers and then I had dinner. I'd just finished the dishes when another knock sounded on my door, sending my heart into overdrive again.

This time it was Fallon and Briya who each held a bottle of champagne.

"What are you two doing here?" I asked as I let them in. "We didn't have plans, did we?"

"Nope! We wanted to surprise you for your triumphant return to work. You're allowed to have a drink now, right?" Fallon asked.

"I am, but I can only have a little."

Briya popped open one of the bottles as I got three regular wine stems. I didn't have fancy flutes so these had to do. "To Lucy's life getting back to normal!" she said happily.

We clinked glasses and took a drink. I remembered the three of us drinking champagne in the limo for our Vegas trip, though the bubbly the girls brought wasn't nearly as good as the kind we'd had in my dream.

"What are you thinking about?" Bri asked. "You have a faraway look in your eyes."

I was trying to not talk about the dream to my friends or dad because it made me sound insane. "I was thinking about the cruise job," I lied.

"Do you miss it?" Fallon asked.

"No. Not at all. Did I tell you that I have a meeting scheduled with the Queen of Canada's owner? It's about the settlement and I was told I can bring a lawyer, if I want."

Briya frowned. "Why the heck would you need one?"

"My dad thinks they'll want me to sign a document saying I won't sue them in the future, which I'd never do anyway. They aren't to blame for my attack."

"If you brought a lawyer, they might negotiate for a bigger payoff," Fallon stated.

"Maybe, but I feel really weird using what happened to me to make a profit. I'm not saying I'll turn their offer down, but I'm definitely not going to push them to give me more."

"Have you heard from Brody?"

I nodded. "He's texted a couple times. The whole thing really got to him so he's not hiring new party girls to replace us because he doesn't want anyone else put at risk."