by Grady, D. R.
If she ignored this request of Mitch's would it be another ten years before another man came along and considered her datable? Shuddering at the thought of losing Mitch, Lainy stared at the screen. If Mitch wanted her, she wasn't going to mess this up. Because she wanted him. Very, very badly. She'd have to think about what he said before she sent him a reply.
Could she have him? Or would the Ice Princess, designed to protect her, show up and ruin her chances?
*****
When he awoke, Mitch remembered Ben Morrison would be on base sometime today. Lainy hadn't supplied him with much information about her cousin, so he was nervous about this meeting. What if he screwed up? With little experience of this family stuff, Mitch knew he’d be on shaky ground. Ben would be his first true ambassador into the Morrison family.
He contemplated the visit as he showered and brushed his teeth and still when he went to breakfast. He needed Ben to approve of him. Lainy was too important.
“Captain Monahan, you've got a visitor,” a call came through late afternoon, and he was relieved. He'd worked through most of his paperwork and could concentrate better on Lainy's cousin. Rather than thinking about the work piled too high for comfort.
Show time.
“Thanks,” he said and pushed away from his desk. He'd take Ben to the mess hall for some coffee.
He left his office and looked over the chairs, none of them holding a man who looked like a Morrison, but a tall, lean African-American man stood. He offered his hand to Mitch and said, “Captain Monahan?”
“I am,” Mitch responded, automatically shaking the man's hand.
“I'm Lieutenant Ben Morrison.” Mitch could feel the man assess him, and hoped his judgment was fair. He still had a hard time comprehending this man could be a Morrison. The SEAL reminded him of a whip. Long and deadly if used correctly.
“Welcome. Call me Mitch,” Mitch offered, liking the man even though he hadn't formed the correct image of him at all in his imagination.
“Thanks, Mitch. I'm Ben, and I take it Lainy didn't mention I'm adopted?” Ben’s grin was easy.
“No, she didn't, in fact. But I imagine she forgets that little fact. She just said you were the best Morrison for me to meet first. Want some coffee?” Something about the man's casualness and easy familiarity with Lainy relaxed him.
“I'd love some coffee,” Ben said with what sounded like heartfelt gusto.
“We can get some from the mess hall then go back to my quarters. The bakers sent another package and my best friend is off base, so there's plenty.”
“Please tell me there are some chocolate chip in your supply.”
“There's almost every type of cookie you could imagine. I'm partial to the sugar ones.”
Ben smacked his lips. “Mmmm, those are good, too. Lead the way.”
*****
The men poured their coffee then found their way to his quarters where Mitch retrieved his latest cookie stash. Ben dug into the container with enthusiasm.
“They sent me some, they swear, but the package hasn't caught up with me yet,” Ben explained around a mouthful of chocolate chip cookie.
“That's a shame.” Mitch laughed and bit into a sugar cookie.
“So, you and Lainy getting to know each other pretty well?”
“We are.” Mitch kept his answer short and sweet.
“Lainy's special,” Ben began and Mitch figured where he was going with that. Leaning forward he retrieved his laptop and the herd video and combined them.
Ben watched and a grin creased his face, causing his teeth to look extra white against the darkness of his skin. “Ah, yes, the standard Morrison wake up call. Poor Lainy,” he commiserated as he watched the kids clamor on top her. “They're all so big.” He jabbed a finger at the screen, “This is my cousin's kid, Jason. And this is Becca, Will’s daughter. And there's Sophy, she's one of the cousins. Now wait, she’s one of Lainy's sister’s kids.” Ben stroked his chin as he thought. Mitch thought he remembered Lainy’s grandfather doing the same thing.
“I'm glad you all have some difficulty keeping everyone straight because I don’t have a clue.”
Ben laughed. “Yeah, the kids grow fast. When you don't see them for a while, they do look different. It's a shame I have to be away so much.”
“Do you live near Hershey?”
Ben shook his head. “I've got stuff at my folks place and Lainy's, she and I grew up together, so we're close. Right now I don't have a home base. After I got called up, I let the lease on my apartment in California run out.”
Melly entered the room on the video and Mitch directed Ben's attention back to the screen.
“This is the part I think you should see,” he said, and then remembered Sam. “Not because of your swim buddy, but because I wondered if you knew how Lainy thinks of herself.”
“I know.” Ben’s voice turned grim while his mouth tautened as he watched the ensuing conversation between Lainy and Melly.
When they mentioned Bobby Crenshaw’s name, Mitch cracked his knuckles, not able to help himself and caught Ben's humorous glance.
“We all want to take Bobby Crenshaw out. Well, actually, most of us have.” Ben’s sheepish admission cheered Mitch.
“Excellent.” Mitch was pleased the men in the family had already taken the loser down a notch or more.
“I wish I knew who the others were, because I'd have taken care of them, too.” The grim lip line was back. “But she won’t talk about them. We know the high school guy, but not the college one.”
“You and me, both,” Mitch muttered, wanting to crack some heads. Men could be true idiots.
“So, you already know about Lainy's lack of self-confidence. I see Ed's up to his usual.”
“He's sent videos to other men?” Mitch contained his anger, barely.
“No, he's never sent anyone videos, this must be a new camera he's trying out. It reeks of him. No one else but Ed could manage a camera like that.”
“We figured Ed and Lainy were the experts. Of course, you're a Navy SEAL, so that must mean you're pretty good, too,” Mitch offered, feeling like credit should go where due. SEALs were well known for their electronic expertise.
“Yeah, I do pretty well, but I'm a novice compared to those two.” Ben flicked a hand at the screen.
They both sat in thought for a few moments, and then Mitch asked about Sam. “You try to set up Sam and Lainy, or was that coincidence?”
Ben laughed. “I just took Sam to the lake because he lives close, and I’ve talked about it so much, he wanted to experience the lake. Lainy does go into Ice Princess mode when eligible men are around. Melly was right about that.
“So, I was surprised she was so... warm to Sam. That she doesn't remember him comes as no surprise. Her behavior that weekend was pretty alien for her. She's not usually so friendly, so I wondered if she was out of it or on drugs or something. Allergy medication knocks her out.”
“What about Sam, does he still think about her? Does he remember her?” Mitch had to know.
“Yeah, he asks about her from time to time, but he's got his own woman issues. I don’t think he was interested, but even if he did decide he wanted Lainy, she'd freeze him out with her princess mode,” Ben replied and turned a contemplative look on Mitch.
“What?”
“Probably the best way to get past Lainy's defenses is exactly the way you've done. E-mail her, be across the world from her, entice her out of her shell, then nab her. That's wise, Mitch.” Ben delivered a light punch to Mitch's arm.
“I didn't know she existed until she wrote she had my dog.”
“Oh, yeah, that's right. Not like you planned this.” Ben scratched his chin. “It's funny how things work out, isn't it?”
“I'd say so.” Mitch contemplated the merits of two different cookies in his stash.
“You got plans for my cousin Lainy when you get home?” Ben asked, not belligerently, but with some definite big brother attitude.
Smiling, M
itch nodded. “Definitely.”
Chapter Nineteen
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: My self-esteem
Hello Mitch,
Thanks for your e-mail and your concern for my self-esteem or lack thereof. I suppose it's not very high, but there is a reason. I do tend to avoid attractive men, mostly as a defense, I guess. I'm wondering how you picked up on this? I don't date because the two times I did so I got really burned.
I can't say those experiences have contributed to a higher self-esteem. Or self-confidence. The one man who I would normally find attractive, and did apparently respond well to, I don't remember. Ironic, I guess.
Well, all of that until you. We've never met face to face, but I feel as though we've been friends for years. You're very special to me and you make me feel that way. Thank you. No man's ever been able to make me feel like you do so effortlessly. Had I met someone who could, I probably wouldn't have given him the time of day. I tend to close up. Which is not good, but a part of me.
My family calls me the Ice Princess whenever there are attractive men around. I suppose I earned the title. The ingrates. It's not like they've ever done anything to help my problem.
They tease me, but then after a time tell me not to pay any attention to them. Sometimes they have no idea they’ve gone too far. I don’t talk about my past relationships, so they don't know. They couldn’t. I can’t talk about what happened.
My sisters are the family beauties. More than one great aunt has remarked how unfortunate it is that I’m not prettier, like my sisters, to others in the family. These are the things I overhear on a regular basis.
If I knew how to act, to be different than I am, I would, but I have no idea how. I've tried watching my sisters, but they're all so different I couldn't even find where to start. Or whom to start with.
You have helped me. You believe I really am special, and I can feel that. At least around you. Whenever I e-mail you or take pictures for you, I feel like you care. That makes all the difference.
Thank you for letting me be me! Incidentally, I've never told anyone these things before. I don’t open up to anyone, even my family. Thanks for “listening”.
Yours,
Lainy
Lainy bit her lip as she reread her response to Mitch's last e-mail. Her cheeks burned hot and uncomfortable until a cool breeze flowing through the window caressed them. She wanted to send this message, but wasn't certain she dared. She'd just poured her heart out to Mitch. Had exposed herself. While she knew she could do so with him, she was still terrified.
Not even her sisters or grandmother knew the depths of her insecurities. Yet Melly's talk about her looking to real men rather than the weenies she'd associated with in the past had hit her hard.
And what would happen when Mitch returned? She’d built so many walls around herself, she was frightened of how she’d react once they were together. Eliminating the Ice Princess was proving harder than she ever suspected.
Had she been hiding behind jerks to protect herself? Why had she singled Mitch out? Most would probably consider her a candidate for mental health drugs, but she thought Mitch understood. Mainly because he shared her feelings. She hoped.
Lainy bit her lip and in a moment of bravery, sent the message. She believed he'd take care of her heart. Mitch was different. He was a real man. Maybe those other males were mere boys. Lainy wondered if he’d realize how much she’d opened up to him.
Did she love him?
*****
“Oh, I almost forgot.” Ben smacked a hand to his forehead. He dug into his pack and removed some DVDs. “These are from Ed,” he intoned, handing the discs to Mitch. “He didn't want them to melt in the post office, so he arranged for me to deliver them.”
Reading the cases, Mitch saw one said, Lainy Cooking and another that read Lainy Can Fix Anything Part 1 and Lainy Can Fix Anything Part 2. Intrigued, Mitch wanted to watch them right now. However, he and Ben had just gone through the four DVDs he already owned.
The last video had shown several, what appeared to be early shots, of Lainy offering various men a root beer and Bentley consequently dumping every man into the lake in his exuberance. The shots were quite similar to the pictures decorating his wall. Ben recognized most of the men just by the crayoned pictures, but with the video, he named each man and tapped the corresponding picture. Mitch wrote each name on the drawing along with the child's name Ben felt had drawn the masterpiece.
Watching the videos with Ben proved to be a good idea, too. He offered additional details that made each video extra special and offered some insight into the various personalities.
“There goes Will, the oldest. Now, he's big on being the oldest and doesn't let any of them forget his exalted status, or so he thinks. Everyone either ignores him or makes fun of him, to his face. He's pretty good about the teasing.
“Okay, now that's Tom, the brother right after Lainy. He's probably the easiest going of all of them. Mellow enough to make a really good surfer dude. He's the blondest of the men. Tom's hilarious, and cool under fire. He has three kids, and his wife is laid back, too. All the sketches with the man in the loud Hawaiian shirts are Tom.”
Ben moved onto a dark haired man. “This is Max,” he said, pointing, “Max isn't married, but I think he has a thing for his business partner, who is definitely hot. He's the quietest brother. And the trouble-maker. He and Lainy are close in age, only about ten months between them, so he and Lainy,” when Mitch sent him a raised eyebrow look, Ben nodded sheepishly, “Okay, Max, Lainy, and I, have been the three musketeers forever. In comparison to Max though, Lainy and I are motor mouths. Compared to Lainy, I'm the motor mouth. We all took turns being the ringleader. Max will quietly throw you into the lake.
“He'd make an excellent military man, but instead has a company he bought not so long ago. I couldn't even tell you what he manufactures, but Lainy's already designed a program to bring his systems up to par. They're close.
“And that leaves Ed, he's not featured in this video, since he's behind the camera, of course. But these pictures here,” and Ben pointed out four drawings, “Are all him. He's the crazy one. He'll do anything for a laugh, but is also intense and smart. If you engage him in an intellectual conversation, which I don't recommend, your brain will hurt. Lainy's the only one I know who can keep up with him and not need aspirin afterwards. I think I've seen him go for some, but not her.
“Ed's probably the most personable of all the brothers. Well, no, Tom is too. Ed's a human ping pong ball. Tom's an inanimate object. Like a tree with a deep root system. He's unshakable, and willing to go with whatever comes. He'd be the eye of the storm Ed creates. Does that make sense?”
“Yeah, actually, it does,” Mitch said, and it did in a convoluted sort of way. “So, what about the girls?”
“I haven't seen any of them up close to be able to point them out.”
“I've got a picture.” Mitch dug the photo out from behind a lovingly crayoned picture of Bentley.
“Ah, that's Camille's work,” Ben offered, pointing to the picture. “She's one of Will's younger children and will probably be a professional artist. She's magic, as you can see, with a crayon. I think her Mom bought her a paint set for her birthday.”
“It is a good rendering of Bentley.”
“Most of your best ones will be by her.” Ben looked at the family picture in his lap.
“How did you come to be in the Morrison family?”
“My mom,” Ben said gleefully.
Laughing, Mitch waited.
“My mom was a substitute teacher and one day while helping out at the preschool where my group home went, she noticed me. She asked all sorts of questions at the time. I think I was four. But she recognized the Morrison energy and kept thinking how much I looked like her dad. And I do, actually. Lainy's dad and my mother are brother and sister, by the way. My dad is from a completely different Morrison family. So I’m re
lated to Lainy and her family through my mom, not my dad.”
Ben took a deep breath and smiled, “My mom said she was ecstatic when she found out I didn't have parents. Because I was her son. She put pressure on a relative who worked for child services to place me into their home as a foster kid and then adopted me as soon as they could. I went there and knew I'd come home. I kept asking my mom why she'd waited so long.” Ben chuckled.
“When my grandparents met me, my granddad kept laughing. I finally asked him why and he said my mom got a kid just like her. Of course, I didn't understand, especially when she shot back, “No, just like you, Dad.” There's really no doubt I'm a Morrison. Except for my skin color, I look exactly like my grandfather.”
“From what I can gather, you act like them, too.” Mitch had to tease, rolling his eyes.
He got a friendly, but hard, punch out of the deal.
“Okay, now the girls.” Ben stroked the picture. “You've met Melly, she's this one with the light brown hair and bright blue eyes. All the girls managed to get their Mom's bright eyes. Melly is the bleeding heart. She volunteers at the animal shelter and takes in any stray that comes around. She and her husband, Rick, who is also a bleeding heart, have four kids and a zoo of sorts at home.
“Dory is the youngest, she's probably the one classified as the beauty in the family. Of course, all the women are gorgeous, but Dory's the blue eyed blonde, and she's got the perfect body and personality, too. She was a cheerleader, which her sisters teased her endlessly about, so is pretty athletic. She’s not afraid to break a nail, and is smart.
“Her husband, John, and Lainy were inseparable in college. Lainy didn't find him attractive, but also not a loser, so she didn't freeze him out. Instead they were practically best friends during school. He met Dory and asked her to marry him right then and there. She said no, but they started dating, going all hot and heavy. Lainy no longer wondered if he was gay, and Dory said yes when he asked her to marry him again about two weeks later. They have one kid now.”
