by Lucy Snow
“Why am I not surprised? What is it this time?”
“Journalism! I’m really excited about it, I think this could be the one.”
“I certainly hope so! You’ve been changing majors like people change hairstyles these last couple years.”
“I know, Mags, I know, I’m just trying to figure out what’s right for me, you know? I don’t want to get locked into something and figure out a few years down the road that I hate it. You know about my dad…” My father was successful, and provided well for his family, no doubt, but I could tell he was unhappy with his chosen career. I didn’t want to end up like that. I wasn’t the kind of person who could stick with something that wasn’t fulfilling, no matter the money involved.
“Yeah, I remember. But also, you gotta know it’s not like just because you get a degree in something that you’re locked into it forever, right? You can always decide to do something else.”
“Yeah, that’s true. I just want to, you know, be prepared? For whatever I’m doing next. It’s weird.” That was my cautious self coming out again. I might talk a big game about how I was new and improved and ready to take big steps, but I still preferred to look before I leapt.
“I know the feeling, Laurel. I’d like to be prepared for things too, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned in life so far, it’s that being prepared gets you about, oh, 20 percent of the way there. The rest is, you know, figuring shit out as you go.” She leaned back and rubbed her tummy as if to emphasize her point. I got the hint.
“Are you alright?” It sounded like Maggie had something on her mind. You know, more than the whole being pregnant and sans husband thing.
“Sure, I’m great! Everything’s going smoothly, but if you’d asked me a couple years ago if I expected to be pregnant and nearly due with my husband thousands of miles away, I would have said no.”
“I know, it’s been tough, Maggie…”
“Yeah, it’s been tough, definitely. But, let’s face it, tough is the only way it is. And it’s not like things are gonna get easier. I’ve had a little time to think about that these last few months. When I was home, alone, or at work, alone, just me and the beach ball.”
“You seem like you’ve got things under control?”
“I’m glad it looks like that! I’ve managed to keep things together, mostly, but it hasn’t been easy.”
“You must miss him so much…”
“Chris? More than anything or anyone I’ve ever known. He calls whenever he can, but of course it’s not the same thing. He’ll be back in a couple months. Not fast enough for this little one,” she patted her stomach, “but all that matters is getting both of them home safe. As long as both of those happen, I’m happy no matter what.”
My heart reached out to her, sitting there, so strong and collected in the face of such uncertainty. I couldn’t even begin to imagine how that must feel every day, not knowing if or when your husband would be back safe.
Maggie looked at me, seeing how distraught I was. “Whoa, there, things getting a little deep in here. I thought we were celebrating? I better get a good ginger ale buzz going or this party’s gonna shut down really quick!” Maggie reached down to her fizzing glass, inspected the bubbles popping just over the rim in rapid succession, then picked it up and took a deep sip.
I laughed; Maggie always knew how to brighten a room like that, even one as dark as the Crown. I joined her in taking another long sip of my drink, starting to feel the warm buzz in my stomach. I was still getting used to drinking. I’d had a little too much to drink on my 21st birthday and since then I’d made sure to pace myself and even the drinks out over the course of the night. I liked the feeling of a good buzz but I also liked keeping my head on my shoulders.
I didn’t want to take the risk of making bad decisions, because knowing me, I’d make them any chance I got.
We both finished our drinks at the same time, and Maggie picked hers up and shook her glass at me. I got the very subtle hint, nodded, and stood up. I made my way back to the bar. This time there was no one else waiting, and I got my drink order in right away.
Chapter 05 - The Fight
Standing at the bar waiting for the drinks, I felt a tap on my shoulder, and I turned around, finding myself face to chest with with the guy who’d been checking me out before. “Hey there,” he smiled at me. I slowly looked up from his chest. He had a nice voice, a little higher than I expected, but nice. I could get used to it.
I smiled back, looking up into his deep blue eyes and longish blond hair. “Hey yourself.” I was glad he worked up the courage to come and talk to me, but from the way he stood and stared at me, I had a hunch courage was not something he had to search for very often.
“I saw you back there.” Interesting approach.
“Oh, I remember. I saw you too.”
He grinned. “Yeah.” He let it linger, and I bit my lip. He was really cute, in an earnest way. Like there wasn’t any guile or pretense about him. It was kinda refreshing, given the guys in New York. “You’re in town for the week?”
“Yeah, just visiting family and friends, you know how it is.”
“I guess. I live here, so it’s a little different.” Whoa, that was unexpected. Not too many people stayed in Summitville when they had a chance to leave.
“Really? And you stuck around?”
“Summitvile’s not all that bad,” he laughed. “We have some redeeming qualities.” He looked at me, those deep blue eyes boring into me, an expectant look on his face, like he was waiting for me to agree with him.
“Alright, a few, I’ll give you that.”
My drinks arrived, and I turned around to pick them up. I turned back to the guy; he looked down at the drinks, noting there were two of them, and his eyes questioned me. “Are you here with anyone?” Of course, he wanted to know if I was here with a guy. Time to make sure he knew that no, I was not.
“One’s for me, one’s for my friend over there.” I lifted one drink higher than the other, gesturing in Maggie’s direction. Of course, Maggie was watching me with a smile on her face and in her eyes, and waved as the guy’s gaze caught hers. I could see him relax a little bit. No real competition there, unless he thought Maggie and I were together…
As if to further confuse him, Maggie pointed to her giant stomach and then back at me. I cracked up. “Ignore my friend over there. She and her husband,” I paused to emphasize the husband aspect of it all, “are expecting a baby son any day now.”
“I’m sure they’ll be very happy together,” he replied, waving at Maggie and turning back to me. “I’m Steve. Steve Clausen.” He held out his hand.
“Laurel.” I raised the glasses in each of my hands to show that I couldn’t shake but appreciated the gesture, and he smiled.
“Laurel! Such a pretty name.”
“Thanks.” I got that a lot, not too many Laurels around these days. We were a small, unique, and proud club. We had a handshake and everything. Meetings were Saturdays at 2pm by the old creek.
“You must have gone to Summitville High School, or we’d have met. I went to Western Reserve.” Western Reserve Academy was a really prestigious, and no doubt expensive, private school. My family was relatively well off but there’s no way we could have afforded it. It was a boarding school, though, which meant after Harrison and his mother came into our lives, I’d wanted to go.
Anything to get out of that house and away from him. Living with Harrison had been torture - not only was he mean to me, but living with someone you couldn’t stop thinking about but couldn’t actually have was no fun at all and I had the experience to prove it.
“All the way in Hudson?”
“Yeah, it’s not so bad. I had a good time there.”
“And you’re still in Summitville these days?”
“Yeah, I’m working at the family business, figuring out what I want to do next.”
“That sounds nice. What’s the family business?” Steve was a local, definitely not my norma
l type, but he seemed to give off a good vibe. “More importantly, do you enjoy it?”
“Yeah, it’s not so bad. We’re in manufacturing. A good stepping stone, you know? Get some experience under my belt, then move on to bigger and better things.”
“Sounds awesome.” And super vague, but promising nonetheless. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed some motion, and I turned to focus on it. Maggie waved at me from our table. Shit, I’d forgotten about the drinks.
“I have to get this to my friend or she’ll start rolling around and breaking things,” I told Steve.
“Need an escort? These bars can be dangerous going alone.”
I giggled. “I’d like that. Lead the way.”
“Don’t get lost behind me. If you had a hand free to hold, I would.”
“Oh, I won’t. You’re hard to miss.” I giggled again. Steve definitely was charming and it seemed like we got along well.
The Crown was beginning to fill up, so we had to zig-zag back to the table. As we passed by I noticed groups of people I used to know. For a fleeting second it felt like we were back in the Summitville High School cafeteria, complete with the funny looks and quieting conversations as you passed by. When we got to the table, Maggie beamed at us.
“Took you long enough! And I see you brought a new friend! What’s your name, handsome?”
“I’m Steve.”
“Maggie.” She patted her stomach. “This is Beach.”
“Hi, Beach,” Steve waved at Maggie’s stomach, playing along.
Maggie smiled at him and turned to me. “I like this one, Laurel. He catches on quick.”
I admit, I was a little smitten too and I winked at Maggie, who nodded. “Here you go,” I said, setting the drinks down on the table. Maggie immediately grabbed hers and took a long sip.
“I don’t understand it, I am always thirsty these days. Cannot get enough.” She took another quick sip before setting the glass down on the table. I could tell I’d be going back to the bar soon enough. We should just a dispenser wheeled out to the table. Or move closer to the bar.
With this crowd, that last one was unlikely.
“How far along are you?” Steve asked.
“Due any day now.” Maggie sounded like she couldn’t wait to be rid of Beach, but I knew she was just anxious to get the next step going.
“Congrats!”
“Thanks, love.”
Steve turned to me, a question on his face.
I hesitated, before smiling. “Won’t you join us?”
Maggie looked at me, now the question on her face, before she turned back to Steve. “Yes, please join us!”
“Sure.” We all sat down. I didn’t know what was happening, but I went with it.
“Steve went to Western Reserve,” I explained to Maggie, “and he works in the family business now - what is it that you all do?”
“Manufacturing. Supplies for businesses. It’s not all that exciting.”
We sat in silence for a few seconds, everyone smiling politely at each other. Maggie finally spoke. “Well, I’m gonna go use the bathroom. Don’t you two disappear on me while I’m gone. Unless you really, really want to, you know.” She chuckled as she spoke, rolling herself off the chair and lurching toward the other side of the bar. “Stuck the landing!” She did a little pose. “And now I’m off. Enjoy, lovebirds.”
With that, Steve and I were alone at the table. I was a little nervous. It’s not like guys never flirted with me, it’s just that I was still getting used to the feeling. And they weren’t usually this hot.
Steve, for his part, sat back in his chair and just looked at me, his lips curled upward in a lazy smile. I could feel myself blush as he appraised me; he looked like someone who did a lot of appraising.
“Where were we?”
“You were telling me about manufacturing.”
“Was I?” I liked the way his eyes glinted when the light from the TVs caught them.
“Yeah. Tell me all about it.”
“There’s not too much to tell, Laurel. The business makes industrial equipment for factories and other industrial companies. We lease out and sell our own stuff. It’s been around for a few generations.”
“And what do you do there?”
“Oh, I’ve done a little bit of everything.” He started to look just past me, like he was remembering something. “I’ve worked on the line, run errands, made coffee, a little bit of managing here and there. You name it, I’ve probably done some of it over the years.”
“You make it sound like you’ve been there for decades.” Steve was really cute when he talked about work, though it didn’t look like he wanted to.
“Well, I guess I have, in a way. I worked there part time in high school. Went to a community college nearby and kept working part time. Now I’m full time.”
“That’s really impressive.”
He smiled a little sheepishly. “Yeah, it’s nice to build something your family’s invested in for so long.”
“Do you see yourself sticking with it?”
Steve looked pensive. “I’m not sure. I like the work but I kinda want to do my own thing, you know? Make my own way.”
I smiled at him. “I know the feeling.” My father had made overtures before for me to follow in his career steps, but after seeing him be unhappy over the years, that was the last resort for me.
I heard someone’s throat clear, and I turned to see Maggie getting back into her seat. “You two still around?” She glanced at me, shooting daggers with her eyes.
My cheeks must have turned crimson. “Yes, we’re still here!” I gave her a mock-angry look.
Steve caught on and focused on me, his grin ear to ear. “That reminds me…I gotta get something from my car, for a friend. Want to come?”
“Sure!” I said, way too quickly for my own taste. Keep it down, Laurel, don’t be too eager all at once now. Steve had to know by now that I was interested in him, and it looked like he was interested in me. If not, why would he come over to me, come back to the table with me, and sit down with us?
I hadn’t scared him off. Yet. Jackpot!
Maggie brightened. “Good! Get out of here, both of you. And don’t come back for at least…,” she smiled like a villain, “15 minutes.” There she went again, always looking out for me.
Shameless.
Steve and I stood up, and we walked out of the bar, navigating through the crowds. I didn’t have my coat with me, but I had a hunch I wouldn’t need it.
As we got to the bar’s entrance hall, Steve grabbed my hand and led me outside. I could feel my heart picking up speed - this new Laurel had a knack for getting into exciting situations. I liked how my hand felt in his, small and dainty. I could get used to this.
The cold air outside hit me with a rush, and I tightened my grip on Steve’s hand. I felt him squeeze my hand back, and the smile that had made its way across my face grew wider. Steve led me down the steps of the bar and off to one side.
There were no cars here.
We stood in silence, smiling at each other. Steve looked so cute like that, shaggy hair whipping around in the cold wind of the winter evening. I bit my lip, almost as a reflex. I didn’t want to talk more, I wanted Steve to kiss me.
He did just that, moving toward me. I moved back a little, trying to be a little coy but really also being super nervous. Despite my new outlook and new clothes, I wasn’t really used to actually flirting with guys and having something happen, especially not this quickly. Steve was really hot, though; he had that All-American look. Totally different than the guys I usually stared at, or Harrison.
Ugh, Harrison showing up in my thoughts again. Get out my head, jerk.
When Steve kissed me, pushing me up against the side of the bar, I could taste the light sting of alcohol on his breath. His kiss was soft and tentative at first, like he wasn’t exactly sure what he was doing. It felt good, but not at all what I expected from him, after the boldness he’d showed inside the bar.
/> We kissed like that, starting to explore each other with our tongues, and I felt Steve get closer to me, the heat coming off his body warming me up. He’d closed the gap between us and now I could really only move closer into him or push myself against the side of the building. Nowhere to go, but that seemed just fine. Steve’s kisses were getting bolder now, stronger, like he’d found his confidence. I liked that a lot more.
His hands started roaming up and down my sides, which I liked, but I wanted to make sure we didn’t go too far. I was all for a little fun outside the bar, but we’d only just met.
After a few minutes I broke the kisses and pushed Steve back a little, watching his arms fall to his sides as he stepped back. Things were getting a little heated a little too fast. I could feel him pressing against me from down there. It felt nice, and I could feel myself getting wet, but I wasn’t that kind of girl, especially not so quickly.
“Didn’t you need to get something from your car? For a friend?” I smirked, chastising him a bit, teasing. I wanted to slow things down a bit, get him to ease off.
Steve moved back a little. “Right, yeah, from my car. For a friend.” He smiled, backed off and took my hand again. I let him lead me through the parking lot, snaking between cars. All was well again. I was smitten and things seemed to be going the right way for once. The little speed bump I’d put on the road had slowed us down just enough so I could get comfortable again.
We got to a truck parked at the end of the parking lot, just beyond the reach of the last overhead lamp, keeping watch in the night. I’d have thought he’d drive an old pickup, but this was a new truck, top of the line model, in pristine shape. It looked like he definitely put the time in to keep it looking perfect and just off the dealer’s lot.
“Before I rummage around in there, how about another kiss?”
I blushed, liking that he asked in such a cute way, but I wasn’t gonna give up something so valuable as a kiss that easily. “What kind of mess do you have going on in there to need a kiss before you go in?” I teased.
“Yeah, you haven’t been inside my truck yet. It’s a jungle in there.” Didn’t look like it from the outside, but I was willing to take Steve’s word for it.
