The trundle bed had been closed up into the wall. Of all the features here, this would be the one I would miss the least. When I first moved in, I thought it was an interesting novelty item. I quickly began to realize it was horribly impractical. At the end of an exhausting day, the last thing I had ever wanted to do was fold out my bed and ready it for the night. Occasionally, I had even fallen asleep on the couch and just stayed there.
The only room with an interior door was the bathroom, a tiny three piece with a shower designed only for someone my size. Nothing special here.
I grasped the keys in my hand and shut the door softly behind me. Part of me wanted to turn back and stay living in the safety that I had created here. I kept walking, eyes firmly fixed ahead of me. I dropped off the keys to the less than friendly lady at the leasing office then exited to the parking lot.
Hugs were exchanged all the way around. Over the past year or so that Gracie and I had worked together, she had been a constant presence in my life. Since I was so close with my dad, that relationship had also carried over to her. I knew he considered Gracie to be his second daughter, and I doubted that would change just because I moved two hours away.
Knowing that they wouldn’t leave prior to me pulling away, I slid behind the wheel of the Honda. As I turned the key in the ignition, I smiled in earnest. I rolled down the window and said my goodbyes. Ironically, neither my dad nor Gracie had an issue with telling me they loved me, a sentiment that I easily returned. I wondered why Eric found it so hard.
As I pulled away, I checked the rearview mirror to find both of them waving. I honked my horn and prepared for the drive. This time, I was confident enough to not need a map or my GPS. The only difficulty I anticipated having in getting there wasn’t until I was actually in the addition that contained Blake’s house. I figured there was no time like the present to gather my bearings.
Gracie called me as soon as I hit the interstate. I imagined she had raced home after seeing me off, ready for a gossip session that wouldn’t be suitable for my father’s ears. I filled her in on Eric’s unexpected appearance and my bipolar emotions on the subject. Of course, I appreciated the effort but found the execution lacking.
“What a jerk,” Gracie summed up. “I can’t believe he didn’t say he loved you.”
“And I can’t believe you didn’t bring him a glass. Can we say awkward?”
Gracie giggled. “When I saw his car in the parking lot, I about died. But he doesn’t change his plans for you, so why would I change mine to include him?”
“I could tell it irked him. At first, it bothered me. Now, after the whole parking lot thing, it kind of serves him right.”
“Of course it serves him right. You could do so much better. Maybe now you will.”
“Gracie!” I admonished. This was certainly not the first time she had suggested that I choose to end the relationship, but she usually hinted around the subject instead of saying it outright.
“What? I’m just saying that if you find some hot guy at the new office, maybe you could upgrade. It’s not like Eric owns you. Or even acts like he wants to claim you.”
“Says the girl who has never had a serious relationship.”
“Doesn’t mean that I can’t make accurate observations.”
We chatted for nearly the entire trip, speaking about everything from happenings at my old office to celebrity gossip. I hoped that we would never lose this part of our friendship. Even though I was convinced that we would never completely lose touch, especially with my father involved, I wasn’t naïve enough to pretend that things wouldn’t change. I vowed to speak to Blake in regards to having Gracie spend a weekend or two once things got settled down. The two would probably get along famously. Still, I knew from past friendships that distance posed several problems. Even if she did visit, it wouldn’t be the same as knowing she could drop in at any time. Even though we could still email each other at work, it wasn’t like walking across the lobby and asking her to grab some lunch. Phone calls were nice, but not the same. And when life got busy, communications slowed between those you didn’t see in person much until it got easier to just not call at all. I kept this all to myself. No need to crush her upbeat demeanor.
“You have got to text me pictures of your new room. I want to see if I’m right about the rainbows.”
“Shut up, Gracie.”
“Fine, then. I guess my work here is done. I’ll talk to you later.”
Unlike my doubts with Eric, I knew Gracie would keep her word.
“See you later.”
I hung up my cell and tossed it on the passenger seat. By this point, I was only about ten minutes away from Blake’s. It still didn’t feel right to call it my place. I wasn’t sure it ever would. Surprisingly enough, I drove right to the house. I sighed with relief as I pulled in the driveway. It would have been majorly embarrassing to have to activate the GPS only to find out I was two streets away.
I exited the car and walked up the sidewalk to the front porch. As I rang the doorbell, I wondered if Blake would greet me anywhere near as comically as the first time. To my disappointment, she answered quickly and without any odd expression. However, the wide smile on her face did much to alleviate my nervousness.
“Hey, girl,” she said brightly, “come on in.”
I followed her into the home. She went directly to the mantle, grabbing my house key and garage door opener and presenting them to me.
“No more ringing the doorbell,” she laughed.
“Thanks. It’s always important to be able to enter your own place.”
“Now, if you want to discuss giving your boyfriend a key, I would be open to it as long as I met him first. My brother’s the only other person with a key, so you don’t have to worry about any weirdos running around here. I’d like to keep it that way.”
“I don’t think Eric will be needing a key.”
Blake looked at me as if that was the oddest thing she had ever heard in her life. I shrugged, attempting to think of a reason that was better than the truth. I didn’t want to insult her by telling her that he probably would never want to set foot in the house. At least not on day one. Leave the baggage for a little bit later.
“He has his own place in Indy. Since he lives alone, it’s probably easier when we spend weekends together to just do it there. That way I’m not imposing.”
“Whatever floats your boat. If you change your mind, the offer still stands. But I hope I get to meet him at some point. Otherwise I might begin to think he’s a figment of your imagination.”
Her and me both.
“Come on,” she continued, grabbing my hand, “let’s go see your room.”
Her excitement was contagious, and the two of us practically ran up the stairs to the loft. I hoped that neither my father nor Gracie were correct about the theme. The door to the room was closed and sported an oversized red ribbon and bow. She instructed me to close my eyes and I said a silent prayer as I turned the knob.
My eyes fluttered open as I stepped through the entryway, feeling the plush carpeting sink under my feet. My jaw dropped open and I spun around to face Blake. She stood, arms folded across her chest, leaning against the wall.
“You like?” she asked, the nervousness in her voice evident. I doubted she lacked confidence with her actual clients and wondered what the difference was here.
“Blake,” I breathed, walking further into the room, touching the furniture and the layers of fabric, “this is amazing.”
The transformation was nothing short of miraculous. Only a week before, this room had stood nondescript and vacant. Today, it looked like someone’s home. The white walls had been replaced by a pastel pink shade. Instead of looking like a nursery, the childish color was tempered with a dark, almost black, charcoal gray. The dressers and nightstands were painted a glossy black, the drawer handles replaced with crystals. The bed was covered with a no-doubt custom made comforter that interwove all of the elements of the bedroom: charcoal gray
velveteen fabric, light pink satin and black lace.
“I can’t believe you would do something like this for me. I mean, we have known each other for about five minutes, and you were able to create something that is totally me. This is what I would have chosen for myself, if I knew what I was talking about.”
“Hey, it’s just my job.”
Impulsively, I ran over and gave her a hug. Instead of being weirded out, she accepted the affection gracefully. Maybe she was one of those touchy, feely people.
“Thank you so much. I love it.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Now the fun begins. Moving all my stuff in here.”
Blake laughed. “Probably easier to leave your car in the driveway and unload it there. More of a straight shot through the front door than the garage.”
“Well thought out. Like you’ve moved things before.”
She laughed. “You have no idea.”
At that moment, her cell phone rang. She pulled it from her pocket, checking the display. “I’ve got to take this one. It’s a client. Be down in a minute.”
She pressed something on the phone and began her conversation. “Snyder Designs,” she answered cheerfully. She turned and headed into the home office, her words becoming indistinguishable.
Just when she’d been about to help, that convenient call had come in. I wondered if she would drag it out longer than necessary just to avoid helping. She didn’t quite seem the type to do that. As I descended the stairs, I wondered how long I could stall unloading the Honda. Two could play this game.
Pushing my immature thoughts aside, I headed out the front door and to my car. She was a business owner, a talented one at that, and duty called. Her client wouldn’t know that Blake was welcoming a new roommate today. Blake would take the call, be a true professional and get things accomplished as soon as she could. Then she would be down to help. Exactly as she had said.
The cul-de-sac was fairly quiet for this time on a Saturday afternoon. I looked around, trying to decide if this was the kind of neighborhood where I could leave my car unlocked without anyone messing with it. The simplest plan of attack would be to open all four doors and the trunk and just move everything out as quickly as possible. It would really slow things down if I had to open, close and repeat for each load. Since no one at all appeared to be outside I went with my original thought. Most likely, no one would want any of my stuff anyway. Or the car itself, for that matter.
I grabbed the first few items out of the passenger seat. All lightweight, easy to carry stuff. I would break myself in easy. With any luck, Blake would appear soon and she could help me struggle with the heavy stuff. When I had been packing, it had seemed like a good idea to put all of the kitchen stuff together in a single box. However, I hadn’t accounted for the fact that it would weigh so much. I had nearly laughed out loud when Eric, dressed in his khakis and polo shirt, had insisted he could handle it. He had barely been able to lift the thing. I wondered if Blake and I would be able to give it a go. If not, the only other options were to unpack it in the driveway and carry everything in piece by piece or drive around with it wedged in my trunk.
Blake was still on the phone when I made my first trip in and out of the house. To save time, I decided to just pile everything in one corner of the room. I had thought about putting everything on the bed, but I didn’t want to accidentally tear the comforter. After everything was unloaded, then I could worry about organizing it all.
I was just making my choices for a second load when the crisp early fall air was punctuated by the sound of a car’s engine. Unlike the quiet, timid sound of your typical suburban minivan or sedan, this sounded full of power and speed. In fact, I heard the car long before I saw it. I set down the duffel bag I had been holding, intrigued.
When the car came into view, I could see it was a Mustang. Not a base model, either. This was one of the expensive, special order kinds that was made for fun. This particular one was bright yellow with black racing stripes painted down the middle of the hood, which surely wrapped around and down the trunk. A convertible.
What were people in Indiana thinking when they bought convertibles?
Very impractical. But very beautiful.
And heading towards me.
It pulled in Blake’s driveway beside my rusty Honda. The engine shut off and peace was restored to the neighborhood once more. The driver’s door swung open and before I knew it, I stood face to face with Matthew Snyder.
Chapter Five
“You must be Lauren,” he said, extending his hand. I nodded mutely, willing my palm to travel the short distance between us to conduct the greeting. “I’m Matthew, Blake’s brother.”
“Nice to meet you,” I said. At least it was my intention to say those words audibly. I wasn’t sure if I had accomplished that.
Our hands were still touching, suspended in a freeze frame style handshake. The electricity that passed through my fingers was like nothing I had ever experienced before. I wondered if he felt the same thing on the receiving end of my touch. Slowly, he released his firm grip on my hand.
I wasn’t sure if the male or female version of the Snyder gene pool was more impressive. The picture on Blake’s mantle certainly didn’t do him justice, and I had thought he was attractive even then. Like Blake, he was tall and athletic. My best estimate suggested six foot four, give or take an inch. They had the same piercing blue eyes. Though Matthew was also blond, his hair was a few shades darker than his sister’s. His longish, messy cut accentuated his handsome features and made him appear as though he had just stepped out of the pages of a magazine.
I instantly regretted my decision to play it casual today. I was to the point where I was comfortable in my own skin, but I paled in comparison to the perfection in front of me. I was dressed as though I had just woken up. What a way to make a first impression.
“Hey there, dork!” Blake cried as she came out of the front door. She bounded down the sidewalk to her brother, engulfing him in a giant hug. Touchy, feely type indeed.
“Hey, sunshine.”
I made my way around to the passenger side of my car and started collecting more items to bring inside. Hey, the car wasn’t going to unload itself. My movement caused the siblings to spring into action as well.
Blake grabbed a box from the backseat, proving me wrong about her not wanting to help. She carried it into the house without the slightest complaint. Matthew chose to tackle the trunk. Of course, he reached for the large box in question, lifting it up with ease. Even though its contents were clearly marked, I unnecessarily told him it belonged in the kitchen.
“Duly noted,” he replied with a grin.
His smile was perfect, too, framed by two deeply set dimples.
I followed him into the house, shaking my head.
With three of us unloading, we made quick work of bringing my stuff inside. I hurried out the door one last time to close up the car and pull it into the garage. My move finally felt real as I entered through the garage door into the kitchen. I was officially home.
Blake and Matthew were sitting at the breakfast bar, laughing about something when I walked in. Not wanting to intrude, I hurried past them. Now was as good of a time as any to start unpacking. I shuddered at the daunting task. I had made it almost into the living room before Blake called after me.
“Lauren, where you going?”
I stopped and spun around. “To unpack.”
“Matthew and I were just talking about going out to the hot tub. Then we were going to go get dinner. Why don’t you come with? Unpacking can wait.”
“Are you sure?”
“Don’t be silly, Lauren. Of course I’m sure. You have a swimsuit, right?”
I nodded. “Somewhere.”
“Then it’s settled. Go up and change.”
There was no use in arguing. Clearly the girl was intent on making me feel welcome. Since this was what I had originally wanted, I should be happy. Instead, as I wandered upstairs, I
wondered how I would explain this to Eric. I doubted he would be thrilled that I was hot tubbing and going out to dinner with my new roommate’s very attractive brother. Then again, what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.
My swimsuit was in the third box I opened. I hurriedly slipped it on and then checked myself out in the bathroom mirror. Not bad. The black two-piece revealed just enough to not be considered matronly. My petite frame looked more girlish than womanly, but there was nothing I could do about that. I scooped up my beach towel and slid into my flip flops.
Blake and Matthew were already outside by the time I returned downstairs. Either Matthew kept swimming trunks here, or he had come prepared. He stood with his back to the door, helping Blake lift the cover off of the hot tub. I paused, allowing myself a moment to ogle from the safety of the kitchen. I felt heat rise to my cheeks, and my face was undoubtedly still red as I walked out to the deck. Blake smirked as I shuffled out of my flip flops, discarded my towel and lowered myself into the water.
The hot tub was a four seater. Blake and Matthew sat across from each other, so my only options were to sit on either Matthew’s right or left. Even if I had been sitting in Blake’s position, it wasn’t as if we would have been any farther apart. I sat on the left, figuring that way I wouldn’t accidentally bump into him as I scooted past. I pulled my legs up to my chest, extremely conscious of the tight quarters.
Hot water swirled around my shoulders. One of the jets was pointed towards my back, and I instantly relaxed. My eyes slid closed, and my legs stretched out ever so slightly.
“Nice, isn’t it?” Matthew asked.
“I could get used to this,” I conceded.
“One of the best decisions I ever made was to talk my baby sister into buying it.”
Blake splashed him with water. “Yeah, and now he never leaves.”
Intoxicated Page 4
