Fourth Down Baby: A May-December Romance

by Lauren Landish

  “You know I’ll treat it like my own, but Troy, you know what they say—friendship and business don't always mix.”

  “Not always, but in this case, I trust you.”

  I nod and glance across the room to where Whitney is talking with some of the other ladies in attendance. Seriously, this feels like a junior high dance, with guys on one side, girls on the other, and two miles of barbed wire and poison gas in between. “Troy, you know I don't mean to pry into your business, but I've been doing a little quick math in my head. That little girl with Patricia Nelson today—”

  “Laurie.”

  “She's not Patricia's. She's got the same face, just like Whit's, in fact, but Patricia hasn't had a kid in the past five years. I know that much.”

  “Oh, you do, do you?” Troy says with a smirk and pats me on the shoulder.

  “I guess what I'm saying is . . . Laurie's got blonde hair, and you're blond . . . you know what I'm sayin'?”

  Troy chuckles again and shrugs, frustrating my question. “One more thing. I'd like to look at setting up some sort of blind trust again. I want it to be a lump sum payout sort of thing, maturing when someone turns either eighteen or twenty-one.”

  “I can get that set up.” I nod, going back to business. “What amount are you looking at?”

  “We'll talk that later. I need to work out some details on that first,” Troy says.

  I nod and pick up my drink, taking a sip. “Well, I'll email you as soon as I get the details back in San Fran. In the meantime, though, I think I'm going to stir the pot around here. This junior-high boys and girls shit's gotta stop. You coming with?”

  Troy shakes his head and smiles a secret little smile. “Nah. I've got plans on throwing my own hand grenade in this little party, and I wouldn't want to do that too early. Just . . . use some discretion, know what I mean?”

  “I can be discreet. Remember, I'm an investment banker, or I want to be. We have to do nondisclosure shit all the time.” I get up and walk across the floor, my mind whirling. Troy and Whit, back together. As awesome as that is, I wonder if that's why Patricia isn't here. It would explain things. She's the sort of woman who wouldn't want to put pressure on her daughter. Besides, that helps my feelings too, so I'll run with that explanation.

  “Whitney Nelson, I just had to come over here and say it's good to see you again,” I say.

  She gives me a quick hug and pats my stomach. "How're you doing, Cory? You’ve gained some weight.”

  “Hey, it's only five pounds!” I laugh it off, knowing that she's messing with me. “You, on the other hand, look absolutely amazing. And can I ask—that little girl with your mom at the ceremony?"

  “Yes, she's my daughter, Laurie,” Whitney says, and there's a sense of pride in her eyes, one I can understand. Regardless of whether it was smart for her to leave, Whitney's busted her ass the past five years, and I'm impressed.

  "You know, she looks a lot like you. She has the same cute smile.”

  Whitney gives me a smile of her own, so much like Patricia's that I'm caught off guard and my heart surges. Jesus, they look so much alike. They could be sisters and not mother and daughter. Troy's one lucky son of a bitch. “Thanks. What about you? Have you found someone?"

  I see Dani behind us, and she looks up, a bit surprised, but I play it off. I cover with a line of bullshit. "Whit, you know me. There's no way I'm ready to settle down yet."

  We keep talking, and at the end, I give Whitney another hug. I whisper in her ear, “Take care of him, Whit.”

  I leave her behind after exchanging meaningful looks, only to be rodeoed in by Dani, who looks great in her white cocktail dress she's wearing for the party. “That was sweet of you.”

  “They deserve happiness,” I say, giving them both a bit of a sad smile. “I'd like to see what they've got planned. There's certainly something up their sleeves.”

  Dani nods, then pulls my arm. “Come on, Pete would love to talk to you. And I'm not letting anyone get all moody at my wedding reception.”

  “Deal, Harley. I can't believe you pulled back into the ponytails for this thing either.”

  Dani's still got some of the diamond studded combs in her head, but she's parted her hair back to her normal style, and she's as cute as ever. “You know I can't help it.”

  I'm sitting with Troy as the food starts, and I have to laugh as we try the chicken Florentine. This is too much like the prom to be overlooked. “Good God, man, it's the Lone Ranger and Tonto all over again.”

  “Yeah, you always were the one who was tonto,” Troy jokes, using the Spanish meaning of the word.

  “What're you talking about, Kemosabe?” I toss back. “I'm the Lone Ranger.”

  Troy laughs, and we listen as the speeches start. When Pete gets up, he's seriously looking like the happiest man on the face of the planet, and I'm jealous again, but I can't fault him. He deserves happiness. “ . . . and all I can say is . . . am I not the luckiest guy in the world right now, or what?"

  “We feel sorry for Dani though!” I call up, earning a laugh.

  I sit back, thinking as Dani and Pete have their first dance. Everyone claps when the song is over. I'm lost, imagining that someday it'd be my turn in his place, but my bride would have auburn hair and she'd be slightly taller.

  Troy gets up, and I know what's coming, but even I'm caught up in breathless anticipation—or shock—as he crosses the dance floor, going over in front of Whitney's table.

  I watch silently in a weird mix of sadness and total elation as Troy and Whit come together, nobody else joining them on the dance floor, but instead, we're all spellbound as they dance, the music fading away before Whitney stands on her tiptoes and kisses him. Everyone swarms them, Dani and Pete at the front, exchanging hugs and congratulations.

  Troy finds my eyes in the crowd, and he nods. I understand and nod back.

  My turn.

  From: Cory Dunham

  To: Patricia Nelson

  Subject: You and I

  Dear Patricia,

  It's taken me a few days to put this into words, and I've tried about a dozen times, but I don't have much of a gift for words, so I'll just stumble through this as best I can. First, I can understand why you didn't go to the wedding reception. I mean, that had to have been hard enough for Troy and Whitney, and it probably was best that Laurie wasn't there to ask a ton of questions. I hear that Troy told Laurie that he's her father. That's great.

  Maybe I'm a fool. If so, I'll be a total fool, because watching your daughter and Troy dance, the only thing that was going through my mind was that I wanted us to be out there too. I wanted to hold you in my arms, to dance with you.

  On the other hand, I also know that if that's to ever happen, I need to be deserving of your affections. It's part of what's driven me since I left years ago.

  I'm going to take the next few months to try and get things squared away here in San Francisco. I've already taken the first step—I learned today that I passed my final licensing exams, so I can put everything in my name as the broker now. But it's just the start.

  Patricia, I'm asking you to give me a little more time. From the way our eyes met in the church, I know I've been on your mind as much as you’ve been in mine.

  I want to see if there's a chance for us to find the happiness that I saw at Dani and Pete's wedding, or that I saw when Troy and Whitney kissed. I'm not saying it'll be easy. It doesn't seem like easy is in the vocabulary of the Silver Foxes. But I think it’s worth it, don’t you?

  Tell me that we at least have a chance. Tell me that I'm being a fool, but a fool with a chance. Because if I know that, I’ll move heaven and earth if I have to.

  Yours truly,

  Cory

  From: Patricia Nelson

  To: Cory Dunham

  Subject: RE: You and I

  Dear Cory,

  You are a fool. A blatant, total, wonderful fool.

  But you’re right. It’s worth it.

  Patricia
/>   Chapter 8

  Patricia

  “Mom, I have to go to Jacksonville.”

  I'm wiping down the plates from dinner, and I can't say that this is unexpected. It was just a matter of time before Whitney came to her senses and joined Troy in Florida. Still, it hurts, knowing that I'm going to be alone again.

  “I know you do, honey,” I say, putting the plate in the dishwasher. Laurie's in the living room, doing some coloring, and like she's done for the past three nights, it's pictures of Troy playing football. “And while it's going to hurt like hell, I'll help you pack.”

  “Mom . . .” Whitney says, coming around and hugging me. “Are you sure about this?”

  I nod and wipe away a tear. “You and Troy belong together. He loves you, and you love him. You need to go to him and make your family whole again. Just try to do one thing for me.”

  “What's that?” Whitney asks, and I give her a smile.

  “Try to come home every once in a while. Maybe during the offseason or something?”

  Whitney's starting to tear up now, but still, she smiles and nods. Our team won't be broken up again, not after just coming together again. “I promise. Troy already talked about that before I screwed everything up. I'm sure if I asked, he'd be more than happy to come back to Silver Lake Falls and spend time here in the offseason.”

  I nod, then give her another kiss on the cheek. “Tell him his soon to be mother-in-law loves him when the time is right. I already know he's going to ask you, and I know what the answer will be.”

  Whitney chuckles, and as I hold her, I think about the joy of the past few months. Having my daughter back in the house and getting to spend all the time I have with Laurie, I've gotten a gift I wasn't sure I'd get. We were a team, a pair with both of us doing our own growing up, and in going to Europe, I almost lost that bond. It's back now, and I love Whitney all the more for it, because I know even with her going to Jacksonville, it's not going to go away. Still, part of me hurts now, and while I do love him, there's a little piece inside me at the moment that hates Troy Wood. Or I guess, more appropriately, hates Larry Kardarelli, the idiot who traded Troy to Jacksonville and took him away from Seattle and Silver Lake Falls.

  “Whitney, while you make the arrangements, do you mind if I go for a little drive? I could use a few minutes to clear my head, and maybe I'll grab some special dessert while I'm out.”

  She smiles and gives me a kiss on the cheek. “As long as you don't mind Laurie getting a jump on the packing.”

  I grab my keys and go out to my Chevy, trying to think of where to go. There's only one name that makes sense right now, even if she is Whitney's friend and eighteen years younger than me.

  I feel a bit weird knocking on the door of the cute little two-bedroom place, but when Dani Barkovich opens the door, she greets me with a smile. “Ms. Nelson! This is a surprise.”

  “Patricia, please,” I reply. “Especially as I was hoping that I might bend your ear? You seem to have worked miracles for Troy and Whitney, and I'd appreciate if you could at least be a sounding board for me too.”

  Dani immediately smiles again and turns around. “Pete, honey? I'm going for a walk to the corner store!”

  “Okay, Harley!” Pete yells. “Who is it this time?”

  “Patricia Nelson!” I call in, and I hear the clatter as Pete drops something. “Thanks, Pete!”

  “He's a sweetheart,” I tell Dani, who nods. “How's marriage going for you so far?”

  “Still head over heels together,” Dani says with a little blush, and I'm glad to see that she's just as open as I hoped. “Come on, you owe him some Ben & Jerry's for this, and the corner market has his favorite flavor.”

  “Perfect. I told Whitney that I was going to get some dessert for her too,” I say, jamming my hands in my jeans pockets as we walk. “She's decided to go to Jacksonville.”

  “Good for her,” Dani says as we walk. “It's really the best for all three of them.”

  “It is.”

  “But lonely for you,” Dani adds, and I nod. “I'm guessing that's what brought you here.”

  I shouldn't be surprised. She’s a psychology student. “Like I said, you did miracles for Troy and Whit. I was hoping you could hit a three-peat.”

  Dani laughs softly, then shakes her head. “I don't do miracles. I just gather info and tell you what I think.”

  “And what is it that you think?” I ask. “I'd prefer not to be an old maid at forty-two, you know.”

  “Troy won't like that,” Dani jokes, and I laugh. “You know you don't have to be. Besides, you're way too young to be an old maid.”

  “Thanks, but you know what I mean. Besides, I'm on a pretty long dry spell when it comes to romance.”

  Dani stops underneath a streetlight and arches an eyebrow. “I thought you were just in a holding pattern for another couple of months.”

  I gape, then shake my head. “Are you sure you don't work for the CIA?”

  Dani laughs and shakes her twin ponytails. “Nah, I'm way too cute to work for the government. Actually, it's just that when Cory was working for you, I saw how he was. I've seen how he's been since then too. And to let you in on a secret, I've been his sounding board too. Actually, I'm surprised that Whitney hasn't noticed it.”

  “Timing, that's all,” I admit. “That, and I'm a little embarrassed to be thinking this way about one of her former classmates.”

  “A classmate who's nearly twenty-four, looks dashing in a suit, and is busting his butt down in San Fran to try and feel worthy of you. Oh, to have your problems when I get to be forty-two.”

  I laugh, and we reach the corner store. I pick out the ice cream I'm getting while Dani grabs some Cherry Garcia, and I pay for them both. “So you don't think it's weird?”

  “Well, if it were back when we were in High School, I could see some people having a problem with it, not that I’m one to judge. Hell, I say go for it. But these years since then, he’s buckled down and done a lot of growing up. And I suspect you’re the reason.”

  We're quiet on our way back to her house, and I shake my head at the insanity of it all. “Okay, okay. I feel better, but I might end up buying you more ice cream before you know it.”

  “Let's not,” Dani says, then smiles when she sees that I'm worried and that I misunderstood her. “I mean, no more ice cream. Pete's nowhere near the athlete that Troy and Cory are, and I happen to like my baby still Navy lean. He was cute as a soft teddy bear, but as a lean teddy bear, he's more fun when he and I play.”

  “Do I want to know what you play?” I ask, and Dani shakes her head. “Didn't think so.”

  “Why, Patricia, you're relaxing more and more every day,” Dani teases. “Next thing you know, you're going to say the truth.”

  “Which is?” I ask, and she smiles a mysterious little smile.

  “The truth is . . . Cory doesn't have to do a damn thing to make himself worthy of you. Hard part is that he needs to figure that out for himself. That, or you’re going to have to tell him. Good night, Patricia.”

  I look around, sad as the house is already empty again. We worked like fiends for twelve hours after I got home last night, packing up as much as we could before Whitney and Laurie's flight. After a dinner discussion, she booked the earliest flight she could.

  Part of me is glad, of course. I want them both to be happy, and for that, they need to be in Jacksonville with Troy. Still, our packing job was frantic, rushed, and she and Laurie both left with just the two bags that the airline allowed with no extra fees.

  I sigh, thinking about what Dani and I talked about last night. Now, after working through the night and dropping them at SeaTac and driving home, I'm exhausted but not really able to go to sleep.

  I flop onto my bed, and my movement jostles the little bedside table. Something rattles, and I roll over, hoping I haven't broken something.

  I open the drawer, surprised that I’d forgotten it was even in there. I reach in and take out the little device,
about six inches long, candy pink, and smooth, with a rounded tip.

  I look at the vibrator and find the button at the base, pushing it. Even though I’ve used it before, I'm shocked when it turns on, and I drop it on the bed, staring at it while it hums in the seductive sound. I know that if I just use it for what it's supposed to be used for, I can at least relieve part of the tension in my mind. Maybe then I can think clearly, or maybe I'll be able to get some sleep.

  I pick it up again, and lying back, I bring it up to my breasts, tracing it around the cups of my bra. Warm tingles start to trickle through me, focusing on my nipples, and I sit up, pulling my t-shirt off.

  To hell with it. If I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it right. I turn off the vibrator and set it aside, getting off the bed and stripping off my jeans and underthings, turning to look at the mirror on the back of the door.

  What looks back at me isn't as bad as I feared. I turn and smile at the butt that sticks out. I may be busy, but I still do my hour a day of exercise ever since the madness with the long weeks of drive-thru were finished.

  I lie down on the bed and pick up the vibrator, bringing it back up to my left nipple, sighing when the tingly pleasure rolls through me again.

  “Mmm,” I sigh, bringing it over to my right breast. Warmth fills my chest, creeping down my body to between my legs, and my knees part slightly. I bring the toy down between my legs, drawing it between my lips and mewling at the feeling.

  I'm so wet, the vibrator slides in with almost no resistance at all, and I'm shocked at the pleasure that starts rolling through me.

  Fantasy fills my mind, and it's Cory I see, his arms strong and lean, that little smirk on his face that he has when he's being funny, the twinkle in his eye when he's making me laugh. I've never seen him naked, but in my mind, he's naked now, his body covered in smooth, wiry muscle. He doesn't say anything, but instead, his eyes tell me everything. I open my legs for him, giving myself to him.