She laughed. She couldn’t help it. “And you just find that on trees?”
“No! But you know, I only take vacation from F5 to go out to Dave’s at Christmas. They keep paying me for working there, and Ty has given me some good investment advice for free. It adds up steadily, so it doesn’t hurt if I spend a bunch of it this month, giving them a vacation to remember. You were right. Thanks.”
There was something in his voice that caught Lauren’s attention. “It’s more than that, isn’t it?”
Kyle didn’t answer right away and when he did, his words were even softer than before. “Dave has a feeling he’ll be deployed in the new year,” he confessed in a whisper. “Olivia’s first husband was killed in action. I think he wanted Olivia and the boys to establish a better connection with me, just in case.”
Just in case.
Lauren blinked back tears. “He’s protective of them, isn’t he?”
“Yes,” Kyle agreed. “I understand that happens when you love someone.”
“Don’t give me that,” Lauren replied in a hot whisper. “You know exactly how it is to love somebody. Who do you think taught Dave to be such a loving father and partner? Who do you think taught him to protect those he cares most about?”
She heard him clear his throat and wondered if he was blinking back tears as well.
“He’s my brother, Lor.”
“I know. You take care of him just the way Ty takes care of me and my sisters. It’s very sweet.”
“Sweet?” he echoed indignantly.
“Sweet,” she insisted with a smile. “It’s the perfect combination for a man to be strong and sweet, too.”
“Now, you’re just trying to have your way with me, singing those mermaid songs of seduction. I’m going to have to give serious thought to the perils of leaving my island in future.”
Lauren laughed.
“But you can come ashore, any time you want,” he invited and she sobered.
“Thanks, but no,” she said, her smile banished. “I’m glad you’re having fun with the boys, Kyle. They’re going to remember this trip all their lives.”
“Yeah. That’s the plan.” His tone was so warm that she could hear the smile in his voice. She wished she could see him, then closed her eyes and imagined him, leaning against a wall covered in hieroglyphics in the darkened museum. His hair would be tousled and there’d be a glint of trouble in his eyes. He’d be focused on the phone, on her, and unaware of all the women taking a good look.
Until he ended the call and looked up, and one of them smiled.
He’d forget all about her then.
Lauren’s throat tightened. “I should go. It’s late. But thanks for calling.”
“And thanks for today,” Kyle said. “Sleep well.”
He was gone and Lauren stared at her phone, unable to keep from imagining the scene that was unfolding in the museum. There’d be another woman, if not this very moment or this night, then sometime next week or next month. Kyle was how he was, and he was honest about it.
It wasn’t just his brother he was protecting. He was protecting her, too, by consistently reminding her of his truth.
Then why did he keep calling her? He was polite. He said thanks. This was probably the end of it.
And now they both would move on.
It was the last thing she wanted, even if it was the smart thing to do. Against all expectation and every warning, Lauren had fallen in love with Kyle. Maybe she’d always loved him. She suspected she always would. But Kyle didn’t believe in forever, and she’d failed to convince him.
Friends didn’t come close to what she wanted, but she wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice. It wasn’t even a case of Kyle being like Mark: it was that moment at F5 when Kyle had pretended they were strangers that she couldn’t forget.
She’d give herself until Christmas to regret that, and then she’d start her search for someone new.
Even if she was unable to keep from thinking that a future with no hope of seeing Kyle didn’t sound very inviting at all.
* * *
But that wasn’t the end of Kyle.
Evidently, he took their decision to be friends more seriously than Lauren had expected. He started to call her every two or three days, just to talk. He made her laugh. He talked through concerns about the salon and the wedding with her.
She started to rely upon him, on hearing his voice at regular intervals.
And it was wonderful.
On Labor Day weekend, Amy and Tyler hosted a barbecue to show off the renovations on the house in Brooklyn. Lauren took the train to Mamaroneck, then backed Grandma Trixie’s ancient Buick out of the garage. She drove her grandmother and Alfred to Brooklyn, enjoying how the two of them chatted together.
He was a nice gentleman and obviously good company for Trixie.
The house was gorgeous, even with some details awaiting completion. Lauren had heard about it from Paige, whose husband, Derek, was doing some of the construction. She could guess where the kitchen had ended before a back room had been amalgamated into the space, and before it had been changed to open onto a pretty back patio. The garage at the back of the lot was new, and suitable accommodation for Ty’s beloved car. Amy took her upstairs to show her the master bedroom and new en-suite bath, as well as the updates to the other bedrooms. Everything was freshly painted and the house had that enviable blend of old-world charm and modern convenience.
The attic had been finished, too. Amy said it had been done when the roof was redone, and that it had been insulated too. At one end was a dressing room like something out of a magazine. The new closets were filled with Amy’s mom’s clothes and shoes, and Lauren saw the other woman’s fondness for these treasures when she lifted out one dress in a warm gold.
“It’s my mom’s wedding dress,” she admitted, holding it up to herself. “I had it altered so I can wear it.”
“What a nice idea.” Lauren had been too tall to wear Colleen’s dress, but Stephanie had worn it for her wedding. She and Amy didn’t know each other really well, and she wondered why she was getting this tour.
Amy bit her lip, then spoke quickly. “I wonder, Lauren, if you might help me with my hair on the day of the wedding. I’m not sure what to do with it, and I don’t really want to try a salon now. Ty said I should ask you, but I don’t want to impose.”
“He’s right. I’m glad you did.” Lauren stepped closer and fingered Amy’s hair. “We could twist it up. It would go with the style of the dress and you tend to wear it up, don’t you?” Amy nodded. “Are you wearing a veil?”
“I’d like to. I have tulle in the right color, but I wasn’t sure what the headdress should be like.”
“Good thinking. It depends on how you do your hair. Let’s choose a day next week,” Lauren suggested. “We can meet in the garment district and find a headdress you like, then go to the salon and do a trial with your hair. That way you’ll know exactly what it will look like and won’t have to worry about that.”
Amy exhaled with relief. “That would be wonderful.”
“If you come on a day that Ingrid’s in, she’ll have some make-up suggestions for you, too.” Lauren could have bitten her tongue. She didn’t mean to sound tactless. “If you want to change it up, that it.”
“I’d love to be glamorous for the wedding, but am not really sure where to start.”
“The dress is a great start. It’s beautiful and a great color for you.”
“Thank you!” Amy put the dress back in a closet, giving the sleeve a little caress before she tucked it away.
The other end of the attic was a bright open space with no clear purpose. Amy blushed when Lauren glanced at it. “It’ll be a good playroom for kids,” she said, as if no one else had considered that she and Ty might have a baby. Lauren bit back a smile and they continued back downstairs.
Amy, it turned out, had a huge Maine Coon cat. It had taken refuge in that big empty room, probably because of all the strangers down
stairs. The beast surveyed Lauren like the intruder she was, then wound around Amy’s ankles, yowling all the while. “It’s not time to eat, Fitzwilliam,” she said to it. “You’ll just have to wait.”
The cat made a protest as they returned to the kitchen. Ty was organizing things, as usual. Lauren was given a drink and sent out to the patio where her dad was stringing lights from the trellis roof. “Let me help,” she offered and he surrendered the ladder to her, taking the role of supervisor instead.
“Ladders are for younger legs than mine,” he said with a smile. “The next hook should be about there, I think.”
Lauren saw that there were hooks set into the wood at intervals. They were hard to see from the patio because they were the same color as the wood. She hooked the next lantern over the next hook, then continued as far as she could reach while her dad held the ladder. They finished that string of lights and the last remaining one, then toasted each other as they sat in the shade.
“How are you doing?” her dad asked quietly.
Lauren wasn’t surprised by his question. It was his nature to say very little, but slide in a little bit of encouragement when he had a moment alone with any of his kids. “Okay. Moving on.”
“Good. Is the wedding going to bother you?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“No traumatic flashbacks,” he teased gently.
“No. Ty and Amy are so happy. I wouldn’t do anything to put a shadow on their day.”
Her dad nodded and took a sip of his drink. “I wondered how long it would take, you know.”
Lauren looked up with surprise. “For my marriage to end?”
He nodded solemnly. “I knew that day. It wasn’t right. I couldn’t have told you why then, but I knew it.”
“What about Ty and Amy?”
“Oh, they’ll be fine. You know, Ty has never done anything to suit anyone else’s expectation. He waits until he gets anything exactly right, then exudes this satisfaction that is unmistakable.”
Lauren laughed. “That’s it exactly.”
“He’s always been that way. What a disconcerting child he was.” Her dad shook his head. “And Amy is just brimming with joy. I think they’re good for each other, and that they’ll make each other happy.”
“And you didn’t think that about Mark and me?”
“I didn’t know him very well. I knew you, though, and you were jumpy.”
“All brides are nervous, aren’t they?”
“No, you were waiting for the other shoe to drop. You expected something to go very wrong, and it wasn’t the wedding service itself.” He shook his head. “Nearly broke my heart. But then, the years passed and I thought maybe I was wrong.”
“No, I was wrong.” Lauren turned her glass in the wet mark it had made on the table. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Her father shook his head with resolve. “It’s the hardest thing in the world, Lauren, to let your children make a mistake. I think every parent has that urge to scoop up their kids and keep them from any kind of harm, and to prevent them from falling or failing. But if you do, you keep them from learning anything in this life. So, you have to stand back. You have to let them stumble or even fall, even if it nearly kills you.” He smiled and offered his hand. “The best thing you can do is be there to help them back onto their feet.”
Lauren hugged her dad and he hugged her back. She felt him plant a kiss on her head and his voice was hoarse when he spoke.
“You just let me know if there’s anything you need.”
“Okay. Thanks, Dad.”
They straightened after a few minutes and each took a restorative sip of their drink. “And now,” her father said. “We have to think about staging an intervention.”
“Over what?”
“Your mom is determined to change Amy’s mind about walking down the aisle alone. She thinks it isn’t right, but Amy’s dad is gone and it’s her wedding day.”
“What does Ty say?”
“Whatever Amy wants.” Her dad grinned. “Secret of a good marriage, that perspective. I taught him well.”
“Dad!” Lauren protested, because she knew he didn’t mean it.
“Seriously, we need to call your mom off somehow.”
“I could draw her fire,” Lauren said. “I’ve decided to come to the wedding without a date.”
Her father made a face. “Are you sure you can face her on that one?”
“She’s not going to change my mind, and she can’t really argue with it. After all, I’m still technically married and no one wants Mark to come to the wedding.”
“Right.” Her dad saluted her with his drink. “I’ll have your back. Let’s go in and take one for the team.”
Thirteen
In the first week of September, Kyle was more than ready to make his next move.
It could only be a sign that there were unusual roses at the florist near F5. They were in the window and he noticed them immediately. He could smell their perfume as soon as he entered the shop.
They looked different than other roses, more like they’d come from someone’s garden than a hothouse. They were shaped like little cabbages than inverted teardrops, too.
“Would those be Austen roses?” he asked the woman behind the counter and she smiled.
“Good eye! They are.”
“Could I get a bouquet of them, please?”
“Oh, they’re not for sale. They’re from my garden and I just had to bring some into the shop to enjoy them.” She touched a pink petal with a fingertip. “It’s their second bloom.”
“I don’t understand.”
“They bloom in June. That’s the big show. But then the shrubs bloom again in the fall. There are fewer flowers but I think they smell sweeter.” She urged the vase forward and Kyle bent to take a sniff. They did have a strong rose scent. “I can’t resist them.”
“But you have more at home, right?”
She surveyed him with a smile. “Why do I think I can guess the direction of this conversation?”
“Maybe you can.” Kyle smiled back. “I owe a good friend an apology, for something that happened a long time ago. These roses and dark purple lilacs are her very favorite flowers.”
“And you want to say it with flowers.”
“Not the lilacs.”
“Good thing. You’ll never find those at this time of year. They’re not good flowers for cutting.”
“I’d love to give her some of these. I only guessed what they were from her description.”
“Then she does love them.”
Kyle lifted his hands. “Name your price.”
She surveyed him and bit her lip. “This apology is important.”
“It means everything and it’s long overdue.”
She nodded, thinking, and Kyle held his breath. “I’ll just wrap these up for you,” she said. “You’re right. I do have more at home. It just seems right to send them to another fan.”
“Thank you!”
“Good luck with your apology.”
“Thanks for that, too.” Kyle looked at his watch and knew he had to hurry if he was going to catch Lauren when she left the salon.
* * *
Lauren locked the door of the salon, turned around and found Kyle standing on the sidewalk behind her. He was holding a bouquet of roses and she blinked in surprise, then stepped forward.
“Austen roses,” she whispered.
“I heard they’re among your favorites.”
“Kyle! Where did you find them?”
“At a florist. She’d brought them in from her own garden.”
Lauren accepted the bouquet and inhaled the scent. “They’re beautiful. Thank you.” Then she surveyed him, wondering. He looked a little bit less confident than usual, which was intriguing. “What’s the occasion?”
“I owe you an apology,” he said, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Once upon a time, I pretended we were strangers.”
“That day at F5.”
&
nbsp; Kyle nodded. “I was wrong and I’m sorry.”
“But you were afraid to lose Ty’s friendship.” Lauren fingered the petals of one rose. “Was he your best friend?”
“And my first really good one. I felt like he had the keys to the future.” Kyle smiled. “I’m sorry, Lor. It was one time I didn’t tell the truth, and I’ve regretted it ever since.”
She kissed his cheek, noticing that he didn’t touch her. “Here I thought you wanted to have sex,” she teased.
“We’re friends without benefits, remember.” He spoke lightly, but she knew he was watching her closely. “I didn’t want to come to your place, because I didn’t want you to think that was my agenda.”
“I see,” she said, but she really didn’t.
Kyle was serious. “I want to earn your trust again, and that means setting old wrongs to right.”
“That sounds ominous.”
“It shouldn’t.” He surveyed her with such intensity that she was sure he could read all of her secrets. “How’ve you been?”
“Good.”
“Busy dating?”
“No. It’s not Christmas yet. You?”
“No,” he said unexpectedly. “A little bit of a dry spell.”
“Oh no,” she said, unable to resist needling him a little. “Are you getting too old to get lucky?”
Kyle laughed easily. “No, I’ve just been busy.” He gave her an intent look. “My island, you know, has been invaded and it’s all your fault.”
“Pesky sirens.”
“You know it. But it gets really quiet when one swims away.”
Lauren didn’t know what to say to that.
“You should know that I have pictures on my fridge of the sprouts.”
“That’s nice.”
“And Jason calls me.”
Lauren’s smile broadened. “And you answer?”
Kyle laughed. “Of course! Best of all, he’s rocking it at jujitsu.”
Addicted to Love Page 26
