Love, Lust, and The Lassiters

by Merrill, McKenna

  Lilah brightened. “I guess it will. When will your sister get here?”

  Veronica looked at the clock. “In half an hour. I’d better get dressed. Would you do me a favor and tell your Grandpa what’s happening, and that we have to make our date a little later today?”

  Lilah cocked her head. “Why do you always have dates with Grandpa?” she asked.

  Veronica paused. “Well, we’re in a reading club. We both love to read, so we meet and do it every day.”

  “Can I be in it?” she asked.

  “In a little while. After your Grandpa and I get through these first few books. Then, I think, anyone can join.”

  She watched Lilah skip from the room and sat on the edge of her bed, taking deep breaths.

  * *

  The cab pulled up in front of the inn, and Suzie was impressed. First of all, Vermont was lovely, just like the postcards, with beautiful remnants of fall color still spotting the forests here and there, idyllic farmhouses and rustic barns dotting the scenery—they’d even driven through a covered bridge to reach the inn. The place itself was very attractive and obviously newly renovated. All sorts of pretty little touches, from the fall flowers at the windows to the giant pine wreath on the main door made the building seem homey and fresh. She longed for her bedroom and a cup of tea.

  A man approached the car as she opened her door, holding a watering can. “May I help you out?” he asked her, setting down his pail and taking her hand. He was trim, handsome, white-haired. She took the proffered help and stepped out in front of him. “Hello,” he said, his eyes meeting hers. His eyes were blue.

  “Hello,” she answered. “I’m Suzie James.”

  “Suzie James, I’m Patrick Lassiter. Do you believe that a man could be struck by lightning twice in one lifetime?”

  Suzie smiled up at him, confused but intrigued. “Well, I do, because I work at a library and these things are a matter of public record. But the odds are as unlikely as can be. Mr. Lassiter, this is my daughter Juliana. I believe we spoke with you on the phone?” She was very disappointed that Veronica had chosen an older man, but she couldn’t disagree with his charm. The way he’d looked at her, she’d felt about eighteen again. Easy to see why her serious Veronica would be prone to fall.

  Pat Lassiter laughed as he paid for their cab and shook Juliana’s hand, but he was still talking to Suzie. “No, my dear lady, you spoke to my son, Simon. He and his friend are the proprietors here. I am merely an employee.” He pointed at the watering can, and Suzie felt, ridiculously, a sense of relief. Really, her life just got sillier by the day, what with her daughters and their loves at first sight, and this man who insisted on looking at her with those amazing blue eyes, and that smile—

  “Mrs. James?” said a handsome young man who had stepped out to meet them. “I’m Simon Lassiter. And you must be Juliana. I see the resemblance in you both,” Simon said smoothly as he took Juliana’s hand and reached for Suzie’s.

  “I’ll escort her, son,” said his father with a warning glance. “You squire the lovely blonde, there, and I’ll walk her ravishing mother.” Suzie was becoming very suspicious of this charm, which made the stupid smile on her face anger her even more. Really, she was a practical woman, and she had no time for men who went out of their way to appear irresistible. Poor Veronica; she was going to get her heart broken.

  “I’ve heard about you smooth-tongued Irishmen,” she said, trying to force a look of disapproval onto her face. “I think you’ll find you’d best be straightforward with me, Mr. Lassiter. I’m a simple Iowa girl.”

  “I doubt there’s anything simple about you,” said that blue-eyed devil as he took her arm, and she felt a little bolt of something like desire.

  * *

  In the lobby Simon introduced Logan and Sally, who stood close together behind the registration desk. Juliana looked around eagerly, and Simon said, “Why don’t we come this way. To your sister’s room? Would you like to go alone first?”

  Juliana nodded.

  “Dad, could you entertain Mrs. James for a moment while I take this young lady to see her sister in private?” he asked.

  Pat looked at his son. Lord, he was a good boy. He’d never loved him so much. “Why don’t you come with me to the café, Mrs—”

  ”Suzie,” she said. “And may I call you Pat? Since it seems we may well become in-laws?”

  “Please do,” he said. “And allow me to buy you a cup of coffee, Suzie darlin’.”

  “Pat Lassiter, you take a few too many liberties,” she said sharply. “I’ll let you know when it starts to bother me.”

  Pat’s laughter could be heard all the way down the hall.

  * *

  Veronica was just ready to go to the lobby when someone knocked at her door. “Yes?” she called, her stomach a mass of butterflies.

  Simon peeked in. “Veronica, someone’s here to see you—”

  Her sister burst past him and stood before her. Her hair was much longer and it curled attractively over her shoulders. She was still young-looking, lovely, a bit plumper? Veronica tried to see it all in that first second, the two years she had missed.

  “Juli, you look so pretty,” she said softly.

  “Oh, Ronnie!” cried her sister, and they were in each other’s arms.

  She held Juliana tightly, remembering all the hugs they’d ever shared, from the time her sister was a toddler to the time they were adults. Over her shoulder she saw Simon grinning at her. She was crying and laughing at once, and she reached for him, but he shook his head and closed the door.

  Finally Veronica pushed her sister away, just a little. “Let me look at you. You really do look great.”

  Juliana sniffed. “Except for all the worry and sadness lines.”

  Veronica laughed. “Wherever they are, they’re not on your face, so fear not. Juli, I’m so sorry.”

  Juliana shook her head. “I’m sorry, Ronnie. I mean, I’m not sorry for loving Rick, but the way it happened—I mean, we handled it so badly, and—”

  “There was no gentle way to tell me. It just happened. I should have pouted for a month, maybe, but not two years. I just—my pride got in the way, and then after so much time, it never seemed possible to come back. I didn’t know if you’d even welcome me, or how I’d feel around Rick, or—”

  “Do you still, um, you know—”

  “Oh, Juli, no. I don’t have feelings for Rick any more. I have a lot to tell you, but you first. You’re still together, I hope.”

  Juliana smiled. “Yes.”

  “And you’re happy? Tell me the truth,” she said.

  “Yes, we’re very happy. I do love him, Ronnie; I wasn’t just trying to steal him from you to be the evil sister. I—we really work together.”

  Veronica squeezed her hand. “I’m glad, Juli, I really am. I’m in love, too.”

  “With that gorgeous man who brought me down the hall?”

  Veronica nodded.

  “Oh, God, Ronnie, he’s absolutely amazing! He looks like something from Greek Mythology.”

  Veronica pointed at her. “Don’t steal him from me, Juli.”

  Juliana slapped her arm. “Shut up!. God, can you imagine what beautiful kids you’ll have? His green eyes and dark hair, and your pretty mouth, and—”

  “Since when are you so interested in babies?” Veronica asked lightly.

  Her sister blushed and smiled.

  Veronica jumped up. “You’re not?”

  “I am. In April.” Juliana beamed at her. “I’m so glad that he’ll have an aunt waiting when he comes out. His only aunt,” she said, standing up to hug her sister again.

  “It’s a boy? You know that?”

  Juli nodded. “And his name will be Charles Richard.”

  “Oh, God. What is it about this place? Ever since I’ve been here I’ve had the m
ost intense emotional experiences. It feels like I’ve lived here five years instead of four days.”

  “Intense emotional experiences? Like . . . sex? How is he? Is he amazing?”

  Veronica sat back down on the bed. “You go first. I don’t mind, really. I can barely even picture Rick any more. What’s it like for you? Is it good? Exciting?”

  Juli sat down, ready to dish. She fluffed her golden hair and smoothed the rumpled bedspread. “It was just so-so at first. You know, getting to know each other’s . . . styles. Then eventually I started telling him things that I’d like. Or I’d have him read something I read in Cosmo or something, that I thought sounded sexy. He was very sweet about it; he said he just wanted to please me. And he does. Oh, Ronnie, he’s so wonderful, I can’t explain—”

  “I know exactly how you feel. I wouldn’t have, last week, and I would have been jealous, but now, since Simon . . . .” She gave a wistful sigh, and her sister laughed joyfully.

  “My God. Tell me, it’s your turn.”

  “Juli, he’s so . . . attentive, and focused, and he calls me these wonderful names, like Beauty, and he’s gentle and sweet, but so passionate and . . . I don’t know, rough sometimes, and so unpredictable, and I absolutely can’t keep my hands off him—”

  There was a knock at the door, and Simon peeked in. “Need anything in here?” he asked.

  The women on the bed looked at him blankly for a moment, then burst into uproarious laughter, falling back together and hugging each other as they giggled themselves to tears. “Apparently not,” said Simon, and disappeared again.

  * *

  A knock a few minutes later brought Suzie, and Veronica leaped up to hold her in a long embrace. “I’m so sorry, Mom,” she said. “I’ve been such a stupid girl.”

  Suzie looked at her and liked what she saw. “Neither of my girls is stupid. And that’s evident in the fact that you’ve chosen to kiss and make up.” She looked at Juliana’s glowing, tear-stained face. “It looks like you two will get your happy ending. Juli’s been telling me that I need to believe in fairy tales. As it happens, this is a very magical place. The ride up here was lovely, and this hotel is just beautiful. I’m very excited to be here.”

  Veronica noted a healthy color in her mother’s cheeks. She’d rarely seen her look so pretty. “Mom, you look great. That’s a nice outfit, and I love those earrings. They really bring out the blue of your eyes.”

  “So I’ve been told,” her mother said with a delicate blush.

  “You’ve been—? By whom, may I ask? Not Patrick Lassiter?”

  Suzie shrugged. “Veronica, I’m really not sure if you can trust these Lassiter men. I don’t know about the son, but the father is forward to the point of rudeness. If he weren’t so good-looking I’d give him a piece of my mind.”

  Veronica almost laughed out loud. Her mother looked confused, surprised, just as she’d felt a few days before. “Oh, Mom! I can’t believe it. There’s something you don’t understand about them—whatever you do, don’t let him kiss you.”

  Suzie wandered to the terrace and looked out at the view. Even her back was expressive.

  “Mom, you didn’t!” Veronica said, half horrified, half amused.

  “I’m out of practice with fighting off suitors, girls. Then again, you didn’t fight them off, either, did you?” She turned around, looking wryly at her children. “What should I have done? Slapped him? All of a sudden he was just . . . there. He said he hadn’t kissed a woman since his wife.”

  “How was it?” asked her daughters in unison.

  “Oh, girls, girls, you’re so romantic. Everything has to be magical, and fairy tale, and knights on horses.”

  “That doesn’t answer the question,” Juli said.

  “No, it doesn’t. He may not be acting like a gentleman, but I am a lady. We don’t kiss and tell. Now if you girls will excuse me, I have, of all things, a date, and I want to freshen up in my room before I leave. You have a nice reunion, and I’ll see you later.”

  Veronica stared after her with an open mouth. “The Lassiter Response,” she said. “I can’t believe it.”

  “The what?” asked Juli from the bed.

  “Long story. I’ll tell you in a minute.” Veronica looked at the door through which her mother had just departed. “God, this is getting weird. She said ladies don’t kiss and tell. So I guess you’re not a lady,” she joked to her sister.

  “That makes two of us,” Juli said dryly.

  “So let’s tell some more,” Veronica said, her eyes alight.

  They sat together on the bed, blonde and dark heads together, looking for all the world like little girls conspiring in some elaborate fantasy.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Simon tried to tell himself that it was to be expected. After all, she’d reconciled with her sister, the fatted calf had been killed, and there was great rejoicing. But he missed her. She’d come into his life on a Friday, driven him crazy until Sunday night, when they’d made love, and then Monday her sister had arrived, and he hadn’t seen much of her since. They’d shared Veronica’s bed, so he hadn’t been able to; they were gone much of the day, shopping and sightseeing, (under the watchful eye of John O’Malley or one of his men) and when Veronica wasn’t with her sister she was with his father, working diligently on his reading. They’d agreed to keep the tutoring a secret from Suzie James, Veronica’s mother and his father’s only crush since the late Janet Lassiter. It would be up to Pat, Veronica said, when and if he wanted to tell her. She said his progress was so amazing he might never have to.

  They also decided not to mention the notes; there had been no more, and Veronica insisted there was no point in upsetting her family if this had just been a random attack by some weird person.

  In the meantime he’d gotten back to the work of running a hotel, but he was lonely and distracted, and always looking for glimpses of Veronica. He had barely touched her since Sunday, and now it was Thursday and he was going slowly out of his mind, especially because he had to see Logan and Sally twirling tongues in every shadowy corner.

  “Not very professional,” he’d sniped at them yesterday.

  Logan had sympathized. “Don’t worry, Old Shoe, the sister will go home soon. It was your idea, remember. And she’ll love you eternally for it.” Sally was wearing a new multi-colored butterfly pin on her lapel.

  “It’s from Logan,” she told him dreamily. Simon had never seen this romantic side of his old roommate. Logan might make a good husband after all.

  Simon had walked away from them grumbling, but he knew Logan was right. Veronica was grateful to him, and he was sure she would make it up to him, but the waiting, God, the waiting.

  He saw the two sisters coming in now, rosy and glowing from the cold day, holding shopping bags and laughing together. That was all they did, he thought jealously: laugh. He saw Veronica speak to her sister; the girl nodded and went off down the hall, and Veronica came toward him, smiling.

  He brightened and ran out from behind the counter, visibly desperate and unapologetic.

  “Veronica, my God, is it really you?” he asked as she hugged him. “I couldn’t remember your face; I’m so glad you brought it into focus.”

  She giggled into his ear. “Oh, Simon, can you ever forgive me?” she asked. “Come on, let’s go in your office. People are looking.”

  They walked together, decorously arm in arm, and once the office door was closed he dove on her, clasping her in a smothering embrace and trying to kiss her to death. “Simon! Oh, God, I can’t breathe,” she said, laughing and pushing him away. “You’re so rough! Remember that tonight when I sneak into your bed,” she said in a sultry voice.

  “Tonight?” he asked, eager as a boy who spies a present. “Will you? Do you promise?”

  She kissed him softly. “Oh, my poor baby. You’ve missed me! Well, I missed you too, but a
t least I had someone to distract me. You poor angel; I’m going to make you feel good tonight. I’ve been thinking of things I’d like to do to you, and I want to practice them all this evening. You might need to take a nap again.”

  Simon moaned. “Veronica, don’t tease me. Beauty, I’m only human, and I may have brought your sister here, but by God, I can send her back again.”

  Veronica laughed, a delicious sound. “Did I mention that I love you?”

  “No.”

  “I love you. You, Simon Lassiter, are the man I love. Now, tomorrow, and forever. And I want to make love to you every day for the rest of my life.”

  “It’s a start,” he said dubiously, making her laugh again. “You know what, Beauty? I did it. I made that sad look leave your eyes. I really do deserve a special reward, I think.”

  “It’s coming, Simon. Just wait.”

  “What about the dance? Are you still going with me, or will you be taking your bloody sister?” he asked.

  “You are too funny. Rick will be here by then, and they’ll have eyes only for each other. Simon, I think I can tell you this. She’s going to have a baby. My nephew.” Veronica’s eyes glittered with happiness.

  “That’s wonderful. Did you tell her you’re going to have one, too? We made one our very first time, I can feel it.”

  “Ooooh, Simon, you’re bringing back some lovely memories.”

  “I can’t live on memories any more, woman. I need to make new ones.”

  “Tonight,” she promised, with one last kiss. “Don’t fall asleep on me.”

  * *

  Suzie sat in a local diner with Pat Lassiter, stirring her hot chocolate and watching the whipped cream disperse into the scalding liquid. Pat had brought her on several dates, and she’d enjoyed them all. She felt like a girl again, dating a handsome man, fending off his eager advances. It had been fun. Now, though, Pat had explained the old Lassiter tradition, had told her he believed in fate and love at first sight, had told her about his marriage, and his meeting with his wife. Suzie had listened, and admired his handsome face as he talked, had watched with fascination at the occasional flashes that came from those blue eyes.