by Maria Geraci
“Oh…I…” She shook her head. How could he talk after that kiss? Or form a coherent thought for that matter?
They walked back to the boardwalk, picked up their shoes and slowly made their way back up the stairs where Lanie was waiting. “That looked pretty cozy,” she said.
“Not now,” Nate warned his sister.
“Sure, okay, kill the messenger,” she joked.
“I think I can drive home,” Lauren said.
“Absolutely not,” Nate said. “It’s not worth the risk.”
She supposed he was right, but now she would have to get in his sister’s car with him, and even though her house was a short drive away, it would be…what? Awkward. What had happened back there on the beach? They’d kissed! She’d kissed Nate Miller, and somewhere deep inside, Lauren had the strange sensation that nothing would ever be the same again.
Mimi sat at Lauren’s kitchen table, drinking a cup of coffee. Pilar and Shea were there, too. The four of them had spent the past three hours putting up flyers around town. Mimi For Mayor was everywhere. “Bruce Bailey is going to get his ass kicked,” Pilar predicted gleefully. But Lauren was having a hard time concentrating on the upcoming election.
It had been two weeks since The Kiss. And Lauren had seen Nate a total of five times. Once, the next morning when his sister Lanie came by to pick her up so they could get their cars from The Harbor House parking lot. She’d picked up Lauren first, then made a point of going to Nate’s. “Oh, look! He only lives two blocks over. What a coincidence!”
So now Lauren knew where he lived—a neat little stucco house, complete with a white picket fence. And of course, because of the night he’d given her a ride home after that awful date with Ted, he also knew where she lived.
Twice now, she’d seen Nate running early in the morning. Once, he’d run by her house (on purpose, or what that his regular route?). The other time, she’d gotten up at the crack of dawn to drop Henry off at Tom’s to go fishing and he’d been running along Beach St. She’d almost gotten in a wreck. Nate had the nicest legs she’d ever seen on a man. Long and lean and muscular.
Then there was the time she saw him at The Bistro and instead of the “nod” he’d actually stopped to talk to her, although she was in a rush because she had to pick up Henry, so they hadn’t done much more than say hello.
Awkward. Awkward. Awkward.
And then there was the last time, when he’d dropped by Can Buy Me Love and that had to be on purpose because you didn’t just “accidentally” go into someone’s place of business without expecting to see them. But before she could say more than a weak “hello” he’d gotten paged and had to go back to the office.
“Hel-lo! Earth to Lauren,” Mimi said playfully.
Lauren shook herself out of her reverie. “Sorry,” she muttered. “I was just thinking about—”
“The kiss,” the other three women said in unison. Of course, Lauren had told the girls about The Kiss. Because there was no way she could have kept that a secret.
She felt herself turn red. “Sorry, it just seems that lately everywhere I go I see Nate Miller. Or someone mentions him. Or his sister. Or that YouTube video.”
“It’s called Baader-Meinhof Phenomena,” Pilar said. “It’s where all of sudden you become aware of someone or something, and then you begin to see it everywhere.”
“I think you should kiss him again, just to see if it’s as good the second time around,” Shea said.
“But then, what if it isn’t?” Pilar said. “What if it’s really bad and then all this swooning would have been for nothing?”
“No one here is swooning,” Lauren said firmly. “Well, not much,” she admitted after they all turned to look at her.
Shea fidgeted with the edge of one of the flyers. “Lauren, I don’t mean to pry here, but you’ve been divorced for what? Almost a year-and-a-half? So, how many guys have you actually…you know?”
“Kissed?” Lauren asked.
“Fucked,” Shea said.
Mimi’s eyes widened. “That’s putting it just a bit bluntly, isn’t it?”
Shea stood and refilled her coffee cup. “We’re not high school girls, we’re grown women and we have needs, and if Lauren isn’t getting those needs met, then I say that as true friends we need to help her.”
“Isn’t that illegal?” Mimi asked.
“Not like that. I’m just saying that Lauren needs to loosen up a little. So, c’mon, answer my question, how many?”
Lauren hesitated a moment. “I kissed three boys in high school, and of course I had sex with Tom. Oh, and the kiss with Nate.”
Pilar looked incredulous. “You mean, there hasn’t been anyone since the divorce? You haven’t had sex in a year-and-a-half?”
“Technically, almost two years,” Lauren admitted. “The last few months of our marriage were kind of stressful since I was working up the courage to ask Tom for a divorce.”
“What do you do on Saturday nights?” Pilar asked.
“Watch old movies. And…sometimes I sew.”
They stared at her like she was an alien. And in that moment, she felt like one, but their situations were different. Shea had married her high school sweetheart, Moose, and they had two precious little girls. Pilar was a successful attorney, with an equally successful husband and a young son whom they both doted on. And then of course, there was Mimi, married to Zeke (probably the hottest guy on the planet). They had their problems, sure, but Mimi and Zeke were crazy about one another and their two beautiful children.
But Lauren hadn’t found her place yet. She needed to prove to herself that she could make it on her own. There simply wasn’t time in her life for a man right now. And casual sex just wasn’t her thing. So while she appreciated their concern (she really did) she needed to concentrate on what was important. Henry. Daddy’s illness. Her business.
“I’m a thirty-year-old divorcee with an almost twelve-year-old son. Nate and I had a lovely evening, but we were both a little drunk and we kissed. End of story. I have no interest in finding a man right now, so…let’s get back to talking about the campaign.”
They looked at one another with dubious expressions on their faces.
“I’m serious,” Lauren said. “Let’s not talk about the…kiss anymore.”
“We won’t talk about it if you don’t talk about it,” Pilar said.
“Okay, so what are we going to talk about instead?” Shea demanded.
Mimi must have sensed Lauren’s discomfort. “Why don’t we talk about Kitty’s baby shower?”
There was a reason Mimi was Lauren’s closest friend. “I second that,” Lauren gratefully added, leaving Shea and Pilar no recourse but to reluctantly murmur their agreement.
*~*~*
Momma wasn’t so easy to shut down. “But, darling, you mean he hasn’t called? Not even once? It’s been over two weeks! Maybe I should call Lanie and see what’s going on.”
“Don’t you dare,” Lauren said, perhaps just a tad too vehemently because Momma arched a brow at her. She softened her approach. “Momma, the poor man got dumped three weeks ago. He can’t be ready to start a new relationship.”
Momma must have seen the wisdom in that because she relented. “I suppose you’re right.” Only now her mother had that look on her face that made Lauren feel guilty.
“Wait,” Lauren said. “What do you mean call Lanie? I thought Paula was your go-to person here.”
“Didn’t I tell you? Lanie Miller and I have become such good friends! I’ve been doing some volunteer work at the shelter. Well, not actual work with the animals, but I’ve been doing some fundraising.”
“Just how many fundraising committees are you on right now?”
“Well, there’s the animal shelter, I just told you about that one. The Alzheimer’s committee is on hiatus. For now. But I’ve got some great ideas for our next project. There’s the rec center event, because you know even though Tom’s company is doing that pro-bono, there’s still so m
uch more that needs to be done, and—”
“Momma,” Lauren said trying to be gentle, “don’t you think maybe you’re overextending yourself just a bit?”
“Not at all! Sweetie, you know how I like to stay busy. Like my own mother used to say, idle hands are the devil’s workshop. Now, back to Lanie. Are you positive you don’t want me to say something to her?”
“Pretty pretty please positive,” Lauren said, hoping that would be the end of that.
*~*~*
It was Nate’s lunch hour and he was using the time to read an article on the latest research on vitamins and autoimmune diseases. Fascinating stuff, really. He should have been riveted. But he was having a hard time concentrating because instead of looking at the words on the screen he kept seeing Lauren Donalan’s face. More specifically, the dazed look in her eyes after they kissed on the beach.
They’d run into each other four times now in the past two weeks. Statistically improbable considering that up until then he’d only seen her twice in the six months that he’d been back in town (he didn’t count the office visit with her parents). Which left Nate with the only conclusion logically possible. They’d been running into each other on purpose. At least, subconsciously.
Once, he’d run by her house, but that was only because he’d discovered a short cut through her part of the neighborhood. She’d been putting out her garbage and they’d waved to one another. Then there was the time he’d bumped into her at The Bistro, but half of Whispering Bay was in and out of there daily, and her shop was right next door, so no, that was probably more like a foregone conclusion. But then there was the time when he’d gone by The Bistro and on a whim, consciously walked right into her store.
He’d been curious about Can Buy Me Love. The night they’d had dinner she’d talked about her vintage clothing shop with such enthusiasm, he wanted to see it for himself. And of course, she’d been there. And she’d looked…interesting.
He knew other men found Lauren beautiful. She was the ideal feminine type. Blonde, blue-eyed, and petite—yet, curvy in all the right places. Symmetrically, her facial features were nearly perfect. Her bone structure alone would have made a plastic surgeon weep. But oddly, he’d never been attracted to her in high school. One afternoon after P.E. class, he’d overheard two of the jocks in the locker room discussing “Lauren Handy’s superior ass.” He’d studied it once (discreetly) all the way down the length of a hallway. He’d been ten steps behind her and he’d had to admit, that, yes, superior was an excellent way to describe not just her ass, but all the other parts of her, too. But there had always been a sadness about her that no one else seemed to notice. And for Nate, that sadness had dulled her.
But this new Lauren Donalan? He’d seen some sadness in her eyes, too, the day she’d brought her father in to see him. But that was a different kind of sad. He’d also seen anger and loyalty and a fighting spirit that he couldn’t help but admire. During their dinner, he’d been (for lack of a better word) captivated by her. The look on her face when she talked about the people and things she loved—her son, her parents, her vintage clothing store—it was like looking at the sky on a clear night through the most excellent telescope. Everything was clearer, sharper, more…in focus. He’d told Jessica he found Lauren pretty, but it seemed a bland word to describe her now.
Jessica, on the other hand, he’d been attracted to instantly. He’d had a couple of girlfriends in college, studious, quiet pre-med types like himself, but nothing serious. They’d been more like study partners he ended up sleeping with. Then one Friday night after class he met Jessica at a bar on Tennessee Street. Tall, great figure, flaming red hair. Every guy in the bar had noticed her and when she’d singled Nate out to talk to, he found himself doing something he’d never done before. He played the “med school card.”
Guys in his program had told him it was the ultimate aphrodisiac. Girls couldn’t resist bagging a med student. And they’d been right. He and Jessica had gone back to his apartment that night and they’d fucked like rabbits. In the beginning, she’d been nice. She was also smart, and that had been as attractive to Nate as the rest of the package put together. So they started dating and before he knew it they were a “couple.” And yes, eventually, he’d seen those moments when her nice became not-quite-so-nice. In other words, when Jessica didn’t get her way, she pouted.
He thought he loved her. But maybe Lanie was right. Maybe he’d just been using her for sex. He was ashamed to admit it, but it made him feel good to walk into a room with Jessica on his arm. Other guys always told him how lucky he was, and he’d begun to believe it. But in the past three weeks he’d hardly thought about her at all.
Instead, he found his mind constantly wandering back to his dinner with Lauren. The evening had started off pleasant enough, but then he’d begun to enjoy himself in a way he never remembered with Jessica. And that kiss… It had been the most spontaneous thing he’d ever done in his life. He’d expected her to slap him. Or at least, push him away. Never in a million years had he dreamed that she’d actually kiss him back with such…enthusiasm. Her sweet little body had melted against him, and in that moment he felt like he’d cured cancer or found the answer to world peace. If Lanie hadn’t been there to pick them up, he had a strong feeling they’d have ended up back at his place.
But the real reason I became a doctor is because I wanted a profession where I had the potential to make a lot of money.
It was true. At least, in the beginning it was. And there was nothing wrong with wanting to make money. Not if it wasn’t the only reason he’d gone into medicine. Despite what Doc might think, he genuinely liked his patients and wanted to help them.
But he’d never told anyone that answer before. Not his mom. Not Lanie. And certainly not Jessica. Lauren was right. He did sound mercenary. Jessica knew about his dad’s death, of course, but he’d never told her how he felt about it.
Money was tight. I don’t ever want to leave my family in that kind of situation.
Why had he confessed that to Lauren Donalan, of all people?
He’d have to think about that.
His cell phone buzzed. Ironically, it was Jessica. He hadn’t heard from her since she’d left to go back to Miami. He briefly thought of rejecting her call, but perhaps this was something important.
“Nate! Baby, how are you?” Jessica said. “I’ve been so worried about you.”
“Why? I haven’t been sick.”
“Oh, Nate, I’ve just been so busy with this big deal I’ve been working on and it’s like my head has been in the sand. I just saw the Youtube video! What the hell! How did that happen?”
“I have no idea. I suppose one of the diners must have taped my proposal.”
“Well, I’m not going to let them get away with it. I’m going to sue his or her ass for every penny they have. Let’s see how funny they think that is!”
Nate counted to five. “How have you been, Jessica? I hope everything is going well for you.”
“What? Oh, work is work and that’s helped some, but…the truth is, I miss you terribly.”
He had no idea how to respond to that. Luckily, he didn’t have to. Lola Davies came into his office. She stood by the open door, silent as a mummy with her hands on her hips, which was code for she wanted to speak to him.
“Sorry to interrupt you, Romeo, but your sister is here to see you.”
Lanie was here to see him in the middle of the day? That usually meant she was up to something. “Jessica, I need to go.”
“Hold on, I need to tell you—”
“It was nice talking to you.” Then before she could say anything else (because knowing Jessica, she would have more to say), he hung up. “Lanie’s in the waiting room?” he asked Lola.
“Employee parking lot. She refuses to come inside.”
Nate frowned. “Why is that?”
“What do I look like? The information police?”
“Why don’t you like me, Lola?” He probably asked
her that almost every other day. One day he expected to get a real answer. As usual, she ignored the question.
“Let me go on record here as saying this a bad idea,” Lola said.
Nate closed his laptop. He’d have to finish reading the article later. “What’s a bad idea?” Before she could answer with another one of those deadly quips of hers, he stood and said, “Never mind. I’ll go find out for myself.”
She smiled. In that Cruella deVil way of hers. “Good idea.”
Nate took one step out in the employee parking lot and froze. Lanie stood by her car, and in her hands was a brown looking…blob. A blob that was wiggling and yapping and trying very hard to generally be cute. Only Nate wasn’t buying it.
“Absolutely no,” he said. “I already told you I don’t have time for a dog.”
“But this isn’t a dog. It’s Hector! Your soul mate. Named for the greatest warrior in all of Troy.” Lanie raised the puppy so that their faces were side by side. “Look how adorable he is.” She faked a sad expression and the puppy began licking her on the nose.
“If you love the dog so much, why don’t you take him?”
“You know I’m already over my limit at the apartment. One more dog and they’re kicking me out of the place. Although…that might not be such a bad idea. I could move in with you and we could get more dogs!”
Nate sighed. “What about Mom?”
“Mom has Charlie and you know how spoiled he is being an only dog and all. Besides, she’s making plans for her big Mediterranean cruise and she’s already stressing about being away from him for so long. Add a puppy in the mix and that might put her over the edge.”
Connie Miller wouldn’t go “over the edge” simply because she’d added a puppy to her household, but Lanie was right, Charlie was getting on in years and he was getting to be a lot of work for Mom. She’d agreed to go on the cruise but it hadn’t been an easy sell.
“But, sweetie, that’s your money!” Mom had said. “I don’t want you to spend it on me. You should save it.” He’d kissed her on the cheek and told her the money was tainted as far as he was concerned. “It’s cursed,” Lanie had added, making their mother smile in a way that said she knew was being played by her two children.
