by Krista Lakes
“I think you need a necklace,” Ivy said, matter-of-factly.
One would have thought she was a professional stylist with the kind of confidence she spoke with when she made the suggestion.
“A necklace?” Laura said, bringing her hands to her bare collarbone. “I guess my neck does look kind of plain without one, huh?”
Ivy nodded in agreement. “You need something sparkly.”
“I tried a couple of mine on, but nothing seemed to really go with the dress,” Laura said.
Her little sister's eyes widened, and Laura knew an idea had flashed into her mind.
“Why don't you wear that blue one that Mom used to wear?” Ivy asked.
Laura's throat tightened at the mention of their mother. She swallowed back a wave of emotion and blinked away the tears that immediately shrink-wrapped her eyes. At first, she was going to tell Ivy that she didn't want to wear that pendant. However, she couldn't say 'no' to that cute smile and innocent expression. She didn't want to hurt Ivy's feelings by not wearing the necklace that she suggested.
“You know what, you're right, Ivy,” Laura said. “That's a great idea. I think that necklace would look really nice with this dress. I'll go grab it. Be right back.”
Laura spun around and headed back to her room. She went to the top drawer of her dresser, and her hand hovered for a moment before opening it. She pulled out her mother's favorite piece of jewelry. It was a very simple necklace, with a dainty silver chain and a pendant made of blue stone. It held countless memories for Laura. She remembered her mom wearing it on every Thanksgiving, Christmas and every other event that she dressed up for, including church every Sunday.
Miss you, Mom, Laura thought, as she admired the necklace in her hands for a moment. I'll wear this for you.
She clasped the necklace around her neck and adjusted the pendant so that it sat in the center of her chest, just above her cleavage. She looked up in the mirror and smiled.
“It's perfect,” she whispered.
The color, the size and even the height that the pendant hung was exactly right. Ivy knew what she was talking about when she had recommended it.
Laura smiled and leaned in toward the mirror. She could see her mother's eyes and her father's nose in the mirror as she looked at herself.
She widened her eyes to let more light in. Her green irises seemed to ignite. They were a particular kind of green, like what she imagined the rolling hills of Ireland to look like. It was one thing that she and her mother had in common.
Her smile widened, and for a moment, she analyzed the way it looked. Both of her parents had a different smile than her. She knew that for sure.
“I guess that part is all mine,” she whispered.
Laura's smile faded quickly, as the memory of her parents washed over her. Thinking about them was always so bittersweet. It hurt every time, but she knew that she had to keep the memories of them alive because it was all that she had left.
Fighting back the tears, she reached up and held her mother's pendant against her chest, squeezing it tightly. Wearing that necklace almost made her feel close to her mom again, or at least as close as she could ever be now that she was gone.
I wonder if Mom and Dad would like Ethan, she thought. I'll bet they would. I can imagine Dad putting him through the ringer, asking him ten thousand questions about what he does for a living. He always loved making my boyfriends as nervous as possible. And Mom, she would have made Ethan a nice dinner and invited him over for Thanksgiving.
“Yeah, they would have loved him,” she whispered to herself. “Definitely.”
Chapter 18
Laura
As soon as Laura left her bedroom, the doorbell rang.
“I got it!” Ivy and Dallas shouted in unison and then began running from the kitchen to the front door. It sounded like a herd of elephants stampeding across the floor.
Laura exhaled a quick breath and ran her hands down the sides of her dress one last time to smooth it out. The butterflies continued to fly in her belly as she followed the elephant herd to the front of the house. By the time she got there, Dallas and Ivy were already clamoring for Ethan's attention.
“Those are pretty flowers!” Ivy announced.
“Yuck, flowers?” Dallas said. “You should have brought video games! Girls love that.”
“Alright, alright,” Laura said, squeezing past the two kids so that she could stand in from of Ethan. “Thanks for answering the door, kids. Now can we let Ethan inside without pestering him to death?”
Ethan smiled and handed Laura a bouquet of flowers. It was a dozen of the prettiest yellow roses she had ever seen.
“They're beautiful,” she said, bringing them to her nose to smell them. “Thank you.”
“Of course,” he said, with a warm smile. “I'm glad you like them. You look amazing, by the way. I love that dress.”
“Thank you,” Laura said, blushing a little bit. “You look terrific, too.”
She couldn't help but give Ethan a quick once over. He didn't just look good, though, he looked like a million bucks. His tailored gray suit and light green tie, combined with his perfectly trimmed beard stubble and nicely combed hair, made him look like a movie star about to take a walk on the red carpet.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked.
Laura glanced down at the flowers. “Come on in for a second. I'll put the flowers in water. Then we can head out.”
She stepped to the side to allow Ethan through the door. As soon as he was in, the kids began asking him questions again.
“Ethan, we're going to watch the Lego movie tonight,” Dallas said, as the group walked toward the kitchen. “It's so good. Do you know the 'Awesome' song?”
“No, I don't think I do,” he said, smiling at the two children.
“Oh man, it goes like this,” Ivy said. Then she and her brother began singing for Ethan.
“Everything is awesome! Everything is awesome!” They called out in unison.
Laura found herself smiling. Even though it was a little obnoxious, it was also pretty cute. Ethan was laughing, too. He seemed surprised by how much energy they had.
“They're great kids,” Ethan whispered in her ear, but Laura could hardly hear him over the sound of the duo singing.
“In small doses, yes,” she replied, flashing a wink.
The kids finished singing, and Ethan followed Laura into the kitchen. She filled a clear vase with water and put the flowers in it.
“Those are so beautiful,” Elena said, as Laura walked the vase toward the dining room table.
“Aren't they?” Laura said. She smiled and moved them around in the vase. “I've never gotten yellow roses before.”
“Ethan, you should stay and watch the Lego movie with us,” Dallas announced. “It's the best movie ever.”
“Yeah, please stay,” Ivy said. “You need to watch this movie so that you can sing the song with us.”
Ethan squatted down so that he could look at the kids eye to eye.
“You know, there's nothing more I'd love to do than hang out and watch that with you guys,” he said, his tone warm and sincere. “I have a date with your sister, though. I think she'd get kind of sad if I canceled on her. Especially since I'm already here and ready to pick her up. Plus, I can tell she has put in a lot of time to get ready. Doesn't she look amazing?”
Ivy nodded eagerly. “Yes, she looks really pretty. That's why she and Elena can go on the date instead. You can stay here and watch the movie with us.”
Elena chuckled in the background.
“Sorry, guys,” Laura said. “Ethan and I have had these plans for a while now.”
“But, Laura, you promised that we'd get to watch the movie,” Dallas said, crossing his arms.
“You're going to watch the movie, though, kiddo,” Laura said, ruffling up Dallas' hair. “You just can't watch it with Ethan. He's mine tonight, okay?”
“Tell you what,” Ethan said, placing one hand onto each of the kid's shoulders. “H
ow about next time we go see a superhero movie? There's one in theaters right now, and it looks really cool. Have you guys seen it yet?.”
Ivy and Dallas shook their heads.
“Oh, man, it looks so good!” Ethan's smile and the way he spoke to the kids made Laura's heart melt out of her chest. “There's a man in a cape who flies around the city and takes out bad guys. Now I can't guarantee that it will have a catchy song like the Lego movie, but I can promise you'll love it. I mean who doesn't like superhero movies?”
“That does sound cool!” Dallas said, thinking about it.
“Yeah, I guess that sounds pretty good,” Ivy said with just a hint of a pout.
“Then next time, I'm taking both of you to go see it,” Ethan said. “I suppose your sister shouldn't be the only one who has all the fun with me.”
The kid's both turned their frowns upside down, grinning as they stepped forward to give Ethan a hug.
“You're the best,” Dallas said, his arms wrapped around Ethan's neck. Laura's heart melted a little bit. She hadn't seen anyone get that reaction out of Dallas in a long time.
Ivy and Dallas then turned and scurried toward the living room where they took a seat on the couch.
“Thanks again, Elena,” Laura said. “I owe you big time. I shouldn't be out too late, but as always, you're welcome to sleep on the couch. You know where the pillows and blankets are.”
“Sure do,” Elena said, flashing a wink. “Don't rush your evening for me, though. Take your time. You guys enjoy your night out. Besides, Laura, your couch is actually more comfy than my bed. I've slept on it many times.”
Ethan stood next to Laura, with his hand pressed gently against the small of her back. “You ready, gorgeous?”
Laura nodded. “Yes, definitely. Thanks again, Elena. See you in a little while.”
“You guys have fun and be safe,” Elena said. “I'm going to go get the Lego movie song stuck in my head.”
“I don't envy you,” Laura replied, laughing.
She slipped her hand into Ethan's elbow and walked beside him to the front of the house.
“Sorry about the kids,” she murmured.
Ethan looked over at her. “What's there to be sorry about? They're great.”
“They just get really excited and energetic around you. They like you a lot,” she said. “And that says something. They don't really bond to everybody. It's good to see that they have a connection with you. I just feel sorry that they bombard you every time they see you.”
Ethan chuckled. “They're just kids. We were probably like that, too. Besides, I'd give anything to have even one tenth of their energy. I'd be unstoppable.”
Laura laughed as Ethan led her outside and down the driveway. She immediately did a double take as soon as she saw the car that was parked in front of her house.
“Whoa,” she said, stopping in her tracks. “Is that yours?”
Parked in front of her was a car that was likely worth almost as much as her home. It was a sleek, black Lamborghini.
“I have one, but I'm just renting this one,” he explained. “I thought you might enjoy a different kind of horsepower tonight.”
Laura's expression must have shown her surprise. She'd never see anything like it, though, except in her dad's car magazines and on the occasional TV show. “It looks like the Bat Mobile.”
“It does.” Ethan laughed. “I had them take out the ejection seat, so it should be safer.”
She followed Ethan to the car and stepped up to the passenger door. There was no handle on the door anywhere, at least that she could see. She poked and prodded for just a second before Ethan was at her side.
“Here, let me show you,” he said, sliding his hand up the side of the car and then touching a spot just to the right of where a door handle should have been.
The car made a soft beep to his touch, and then the door began to open. It didn't open like a regular car did, though. Both doors slowly lifted out and upward, like the wings of a bird.
Ethan took Laura's hand and helped her into the passenger seat. Her comment about the Batmobile seemed even more fitting now than it did before. It felt like she'd just climbed into the real thing. Part of her wondered if it would have flames that shot out of the exhaust, too.
“This thing is amazing,” she whispered, as she touched the sleek dashboard, which had a giant touchscreen on it. Working for Carter, she'd seen lots of nice cars, but this one was definitely one of the nicest.
Ethan walked around the car and got into the driver's seat, closing the door behind him. He glanced over at her and smiled. He reached across the center console, took her hand and lifted it to his lips, giving her a kiss there just below her knuckles.
“I've got to be honest,” he said, still holding her hand. “You look incredible tonight. Seriously, this car looks ten times better with you sitting in it.”
Laura's cheeks tingled as she blushed. “I don't know about that, but thank you.”
“I mean it,” he said.
He released her hand and started up the engine. It roared to life, sending a vibration through Laura's seat. She watched Ethan smile with delight as he kept the car in neutral and began pumping the gas. The engine revved up, and the firing pistons became almost deafening.
“You're such a kid!” Laura said, speaking loudly over the sound of the engine.
Ethan let off the gas, and the car dropped back to an idle. He was still smiling with glee as he put the car in reverse and back out of the driveway.
“It's not a sports car if you don't rev the engine,” he explained.
“Oh, is that so?” Laura asked, playfully poking him in the side.
He nodded firmly. “It is. It's a proven fact, actually.”
Laura watched him push the gear shift up into first. Then he dropped the clutch and slammed on the gas. The Lamborghini peeled out on the pavement as Ethan went full throttle down the road. The sudden increase in speed caused Laura to get thrown back in her seat. She felt her body press into the leather.
“Whoa,” she said, giggling. “This thing is crazy.”
Ethan didn't respond. He focused on his driving. As soon as he got out of Laura's neighborhood, he pointed the car down the winding paved road and opened it up even more. They cruised along, taking the turns with the precision of a surgeon. Despite the fact that they were going over the speed limit, Laura wasn't afraid. She had full confidence in Ethan's ability to drive this machine. He did make cars for a living, after all.
They came to the end of the road, and Ethan's slowed the car down to a stop. Then he immediately accelerated away from the stop sign like he was racing in the Indy 500.
Laura was giggling and laughing the whole time. She had what felt like a permanent smile on her face. She was having so much fun already, and the date was just getting started.
When Ethan finally got onto the main road, he slowed down to a more reasonable speed. “God, I love this thing. I need to convince Carter to make a version for us.”
Laura's heart was still beating with the excitement of the ride. “It's pretty darn cool. You've got to let the kids ride in this sometime. It would make their day. No, scratch that, it would make their entire year.”
“I'd love to do that for them,” Ethan said. “I'll pretty much use any excuse possible to take out a Lamborghini. Let me know when there's a good time and I'll come pick them up.”
He pointed the car South down the highway. Laura still hadn't asked anything about the date and suddenly wondered where they were headed.
“So what's the plan for tonight?” she asked.
“We're going to Sandy's,” he said, with a playful smirk.
“Seriously?” Laura asked, her eyebrows rising halfway up her forehead. She had dressed a little fancy for Sandy’s.
“No, I'm actually just joking. I have something better.” Ethan pressed on the gas, and they sped up. He didn't say another word until they exited the highway a couple of miles down the road.
L
aura cocked her head to the side, immediately wondering if Ethan was lost. He'd just gotten off onto another winding mountain road, but this one didn't lead to anywhere except a few scattered neighborhoods.
“Didn't you say we were going to get dinner?” she asked.
“I did say that,” he said casually. “That's exactly what we're doing.”
“But Ethan, there aren't any restaurants up here,” she said.
“Says you.” He downshifted the car as they headed up the incline that zigzagged back and forth across the front of the mountain.
“Yeah, says me,” Laura said. “There aren't any restaurants up this way. Trust me. I'm pretty sure that I'd know, too, since I've lived here my entire life.”
Ethan had one hand on the top of the steering wheel and the other on the gear shift. He quickly glanced over, flashing a wink at Laura. “Well, then I'm surprised that you haven't heard of this place.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he pressed a little harder on the gas and accelerated up the mountain. The car surged forward, increasing speed as they climbed. Laura just shrugged and smiled, allowing herself to relax on the drive. She had no clue where they were headed, and part of her still wondered if even Ethan knew. It was fine either way, though. Even if they got lost or if Ethan was confused about where this so-called restaurant was, Laura was having a good time just driving around with him.
The sun had nearly set, but there was still enough light to make out the silhouettes of the trees as they flew by. It wasn't often that she got to be in the passenger seat while being on these roads. She was usually the one driving, with Dallas and Ivy in the back. It was really nice, though, to be able to soak up the view.
I sometimes forget how beautiful it is around here, she thought.
The trees, the hills, the wildlife. She loved all of it.
“It sure is pretty up here,” she said.
Ethan nodded. “It really is. Gorgeous. I can't imagine what it must look like in the fall when all of the leaves change color.”
“Oh, you should see it,” she replied. “There's nothing like it. The aspen trees turn everything to gold. It looks more like a painting than real life.”
