Laurie's Time (The Fairfield Series)

by Maryann Jordan

  Laurie could not help but smile back at the older woman’s enthusiasm, but had to answer honestly. “Bernie, it’s so nice to meet you but I have to say that I am not looking for anyone right now. I’m just getting started with a new job, a new apartment, a new life.”

  Bernie pulled Laurie into another hug, patting her back lovingly. “That’s fine dear. But if you ever want to meet him, you let me know. Who knows? Perhaps it could be the start of something wonderful!”

  Letting the girls find a table, Bernie took their orders and headed back to the counter. Seated at the quaint pink-and-white table, Laurie looked over at Carol who was smiling at her. Carol reached over and patted her hand. “Did she make you feel uncomfortable?”

  “Oh no, honestly!” Laurie exclaimed. “I just feel like so many new things are happening in my life, and adding the stress of trying to meet a man right now just seems overwhelming. I got the feeling that Bernie would expect instant love!”

  Carol laughed along with her. “Actually, Bernie has a good eye for people and I know she could tell that you would make an amazing partner for Rob. But… well, I do have to say that even though I know Rob and he is a great guy, I would warn you that he has a reputation as being a player.”

  Laurie’s eyebrows rose that this new information. “Oh, then he’s definitely not for me! I have never been anyone’s one-night stand and don’t plan on starting now!” She spoke so vehemently Carol wondered if there was a story behind Laurie’s statement. She wanted to ask but knew that might be too intrusive. She felt sure that Laurie would share when she was ready.

  The girls finished their coffee and treats, hugged Bernie goodbye, and headed out of the shop.

  Bernie was already on the phone to Rob, working her magic.

  Chapter 4

  The weekend before Laurie began her teaching job, Carol and Tom decided to meet at Smokey’s and introduce Laurie to several of their friends. Carol had warned Tom that while Laurie was gorgeous, she was not going to be any of his friend’s fuck buddies or hookups. He assured her that he would keep an eye on his friends to make sure no one acted inappropriately.

  Laurie was excited to go to Smokey’s after hearing about their great food and that the locally owned bar was a town hangout. She knew from Helen and Roger that Smokey’s was owned by Wendy, their daughter, and Wendy’s husband, Bill. Checking with Carol to see what she was wearing, she decided on dark skinny jeans and a soft blue shirt that draped in the front, showing a hint of cleavage. She paired the ensemble with her trademark heels. Always hating being the shortest woman around, she usually wore four inch heels with all of her outfits. Simple but elegant makeup enhanced her naturally beautiful features, and she brushed her long hair, allowing it to fall down her back.

  They were meeting Tom at Smokey’s since Laurie wanted to have her own transportation. Knowing that Carol would leave with Tom, she wanted to have control over when she could head back home. Hopping into her VW, they headed down the road towards the bar, singing loudly to the radio.

  *

  Rob, Tom, Jake, and several other friends were already at the bar, having just arrived. Rob’s mom had already filled his head with her impressions of Carol’s roommate. Hearing she was a beautiful girl made him dread meeting her. While he trusted his mom’s assessment of a beautiful girl, he also knew that his mom was looking for wife material. Right now, Rob was looking for more than a hookup but Carol’s roommate would be a disaster. If he didn’t like her, it could be awkward. And being Carol’s roommate, he would never be able to have her for his usual “fuck and run”.

  “Guys, remember to be on your best behavior tonight. Don’t do anything that’ll piss off the new girl. That’ll piss off Carol. And if Carol gets pissed off, that’ll piss off me!” Tom reminded them.

  Jake and Rob looked over in amusement. “Just how pussy whipped are you, man?” Rob asked.

  “Fuck you, Rob,” Tom scowled back. “It’s just that for once try to be a gentleman, for the girls’ sakes.”

  Jake just laughed. He never went for a hookup in Fairfield. It was too difficult in his job as a detective to take a chance on constantly running into a previous fuck. At thirty-one, he was ready to settle down, just waiting for the right one to come along. And a sweet twenty-four-year-old girl was not what he was looking for. But Rob? Jake continued to chuckle. A sweet twenty-four-year-old just might knock Rob on his ass.

  Rob strolled over to the pool tables in the back to shoot a game while waiting on the women to arrive. Not overly interested in spending time with them, he was in no rush to be introduced. Within a minute, he was joined by one of the local barflies, fake breasts falling out of the top of a barely-there shirt. What else is new? Same old, same old.

  *

  Laurie and Carol entered Smokey’s right on time. Laurie, looking around, was immediately impressed with the beautifully restored bar. The dark wood floor and walls were clean and gleaming. The polished wooden bar lined one side of Smokey’s, with a large mirror behind it. The mirror was decorated with brass lighting fixtures, giving the place an old-time feel. Behind the bar was a mountainous man, who was big and bulky with a heavy beard, filling drink orders. Beside him was a blonde beauty, who Laurie recognized from pictures at Helen and Roger’s office as their daughter, Wendy. Looking up from behind the bar, Wendy waved to Carol, pointing towards the back indicating where Tom was. Carol pulled on Laurie’s arm, leading her towards the back of the bar.

  As Laurie and Carol approached the table in the back, she recognized Tom, and noticed several handsome men sitting there as well. The men stood as the women walked up, Tom leaning over to give Carol a kiss before moving back to greet Laurie. As introductions were made, Laurie glanced around nervously. She wondered if Bernie’s son would be there, but he wasn’t at the table. Sitting down, Tom handled ordering for the group.

  Laurie noticed one empty chair at their table, just as she heard Carol whispering to Tom, “Where’s Rob? I thought he was coming tonight.”

  Tom whispered back, “He’s over by the pool tables, of course.”

  At this, Carol rolled her eyes, nodding in understanding. Laurie couldn’t help but wonder if Bernie knew of her son’s reputation as a player. Surely she must, Laurie thought. This town is not that big. Right then, her eyes drifted over to the pool tables, and she noticed the gorgeous man that she had seen at the grocery store and outside of the bakery. There was no way she could miss the way his faded jeans stretched tightly over his thighs and ass. He was huge, easily over six feet tall and built like a football player. Wide shoulders tapered down to his waist, thick thighs filled out his jeans, and his dark T-shirt stretched tightly over his pecs and abs. Muscular arms bulged from the sleeves of the T-shirt.

  Laurie knew she was staring and wondered who the man was that had been filling her dreams for the past two weeks. Suddenly she realized that his eyes were staring right back at her.

  *

  Hearing noises coming from his table, Rob looked over to see the other men rise. He could barely see Carol’s blonde hair shining from among the much taller men at the table. They must be here. Time to head over and make nice.

  Suddenly, as the men were taking their seats again, he caught a glimpse of the girl with Carol. Goddamn. It’s the woman from the grocery store. Her hair was just as long as he remembered it and he knew he wanted to see it spread out on his pillow. Her face, with its subtle makeup, gave her a princess look. Her tiny frame was filled out just the way he liked. He had not gotten a good look at the front of her at the grocery store, but her tits were just as amazing as her ass.

  He couldn’t believe that the woman he had been dreaming about for almost two weeks was standing at his table. With his friends. His single friends. Fuck!

  Suddenly aware of her grey eyes staring back at him, all of the air seemed to be sucked from the room and for a moment, he wasn’t sure he was breathing. Everyone faded away into the background, and it was just the beautiful woman staring back into his eyes.
He found himself starting to move towards her, desperate to claim the woman that filled his thoughts.

  “Rob,” an annoying voice interrupted his thoughts as he felt his arm pulled back. Jerked out of his musings, he realized that the busty girl who had been hanging onto him hoping to be his fuck for the night was attempting to drape herself on him again.

  Rob quickly turned toward her, brushing her hand off of his arm. “Get lost, Amber,” he growled. Huffing, she narrowed her eyes at him, seeing where his attention had been.

  He turned back to the table only to see a look of disappointment cross his princess’ face. He watched as she turned away from him, taking the seat in between Carol and another friend of theirs.

  Fuck! How do I fix this?

  Not knowing what he was going to do, Rob stalked over to the table, determined to meet this girl and change her first impression of him.

  *

  Laurie looked up as the handsome man from her dreams walked towards the table. He seemed to have rid himself of the fake-titted girl that had been hanging onto him, but she watched him warily as he approached.

  “Rob, glad you can finally join us,” Tom greeted loudly. The others at the table laughed, knowing his reputation for always having a woman on his arm, but Laurie noticed that he scowled angrily at his friends.

  “Just playing a little pool,” he answered smoothly, “but if I had known the women were joining us now, I would have been over sooner.” Walking over, he greeted Carol warmly then turned his dark gaze towards Laurie. “I’m Rob and you must be Carol’s roommate.”

  Laurie was not taken in by the smooth transition from player with the skanky girl in the back, to the man trying to make an impression her. Raising one eyebrow, she replied, “Yes, I’m Laurie. But I assure you that you did not have to leave your date at the pool table just to meet me.”

  The others at the table chuckled as Tom noticed Rob’s tight-jawed expression.

  Rob recovered quickly and pulled up a chair next to Laurie and said, “I assure you that there’s no one here I’m more interested in bein’ with than you.”

  Laurie looked into his eyes, and while he seemed sincere, she knew she was very inexperienced when it came to men. She was wary of his intentions.

  Carol looked over at Tom quickly with a questioning look in her eyes. He placed his arm around her pulling her in tighter, leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Don’t worry, angel. He’s a good guy. Maybe this is exactly what he needs.” She looked dubious but trusted Tom to know his friends.

  Rob, determined to make amends, sat close to Laurie with his arm on the back of her chair, essentially claiming her. Jake looked over with a smirk on his face, knowing Rob had never claimed a woman. They usually threw themselves at him allowing him to take his pick. Jake and Tom shared a look over the women’s heads, both recognizing that Rob may have just met his match, in more ways than one.

  Laurie was determined to have a good time, but the presumptuous behavior of Rob was keeping the other men at bay. It was as though there was an unspoken man-rule: if a man is sitting close to a woman with his arm on the back of her chair then other men know to back off. What the hell? He may be gorgeous, but he is not the prince of my dreams. Well, he looks like my prince. And he hasn’t looked at another woman since we laid eyes on each other.

  She started to relax and enjoy herself. Rob was attentive and seemed genuinely interested in her. The others at the table joked and laughed with the camaraderie of shared experiences and friendships. She learned that Rob, Tom, and Jake had grown up together in Fairfield, left town to play football in college and then returned to their hometown. Jake was reserved but with a compassionate personality, and she thought how wonderful he would be with her Aunt Emma.

  Tom and Carol seemed well suited. Both blond and beautiful, he had his protective tendencies, and while Carol was a strong woman, there seemed to be a fragility about her.

  Whenever the conversation turned toward Laurie, Rob noticed she deflected most of the questions, giving little information. She was so friendly and outgoing, it made him wonder what part of her past made her so cautious. She did divulge that her aunt had raised her after her mother passed away but gave no indication as to her father or other family members. He was amazed that he was so interested, having never cared about a woman’s past or present life other than for the night. Her beauty captured his attention, but it was her personality that enchanted him. She seemed independent, self-confident, and intelligent, as well as genuinely happy. Her smile lit her face, and when the smile turned towards him, he swore he could hear his heart beating in his chest.

  Once, as he leaned over to hear her better in the noisy bar, he noticed her vanilla scent. With his mom owning a bakery, he was used to the scent of vanilla, but it had never made his pulse race as this subtle flavor emanating off of this girl was doing to him. Her shirt was just low enough for him to glimpse the tops of her breasts, keeping his attention but making him uncomfortably aware that what he could see, any man around could see. Feeling unaccustomed to possessiveness, he wanted to gouge out the eyes of all of his friends at the table.

  Laurie was equally affected by him as well. She could feel her heart beating faster every time he leaned over to hear what she was saying. She glanced at his profile, her breath catching in her throat as she admired his masculine beauty. Dark black hair trimmed very short on the sides and slightly longer on top framed his square jaw, and he had piercing eyes. And that body. She knew she was petite, but his large frame dwarfed hers. But instead of feeling intimidated, she felt surprisingly protected.

  As the evening was winding down, Carol and Tom were ready to head back to his place while Laurie was saying her goodbyes. Rob, anxious to escort Laurie home to have more time with her, was about to ask her if he could follow her to make sure she arrived home safely.

  They stood facing each other, her head leaning way back to look up into his eyes. God, he looks like the man of my dreams. Like all the ones in my romance novels.

  Rob, while towering over her, had a gentle look as he peered down.

  God, she looks like a princess, he thought.

  Leaning down, he was getting ready to offer his arm to escort her out when Amber came rolling over. “Guess you’ve fucked everything else in town, so I’m not surprised you’re going for new blood. This one looks too virginal for you though, Rob. Sure she can handle you?”

  Laurie gasped, jerking away from the drunken woman grasping at Rob’s arm. Rob, rage pouring off of him, growled, “Get out of here, Amber.” He turned towards Amber, shaking her hand off of his arm as he propelled her away from their table.

  Jake, coming to the rescue, took Amber’s arm directing her over to Bill at the bar. “Come on, girl. Let’s get a cab to drive you home.”

  Rob turned back around to apologize to Laurie only to find her walking rapidly toward the door. Damn! He started to take off after her, but found his arm pulled back by Tom. “Rob, let her go, man. I think enough damage has been done tonight,” Tom said.

  “Fuck you, Tom,” he replied, then looked down at Carol and apologized. “Carol, I’m sorry. I just… want to make sure…. I just need to …. Damn.”

  Carol couldn’t help but giggle at Rob’s inability to complete a sentence. Hmmm, Laurie may just be the one for him after all.

  Tom, letting go of his arm, watched as Rob jogged out of the bar after Laurie. He looked down at Carol, tucked under his arm, and leaned down to kiss her the way he had been wanting to since she first showed up. “Let’s go, angel, and head back to my place.”

  Carol, looking uncertain, asked if he thought Laurie would be all right. Tom assured her that Rob would make certain she got home safely.

  “She doesn’t seem to trust men, Tom. I don’t want to see her hurt.”

  Tom kissed her gently this time and said, “I know, angel. But I think maybe they both just need to find their way.” He threw his arm around her tiny shoulders and with a head jerk to Bill and Jake, he led her
out of the bar.

  *

  Rob saw Laurie getting into a pale yellow VW bug, and he couldn’t help but grin. He’d never be caught dead in a car like that, but it seemed to fit her perfectly. He made it over to her window just as she started the car. She tried to ignore him, but with his large frame filling up her window as he tapped on the glass, it was impossible to pretend that he wasn’t there. Taking a deep breath, she forced a smile on her face as she rolled her window down.

  “Yes, Rob?” she asked formally.

  Rob, knowing he needed to rectify the fucked up situation, tried to turn on the charm. “Hey darlin’, just wanted to make sure you got home safely. I thought I’d volunteer for that duty.”

  Laurie, completely unfazed by his charm, simply replied, “No thank you. I am perfectly able to see myself home.” With that, she started to roll up the window.

  He realized for the first time that his charm not work and was actually glad it didn’t. He wanted more from this sprite of a girl than someone he could charm into his bed for the night. Grabbing the edge of the glass before it closed completely, he called out her name. Looking frustrated, she stopped the movement of the window.

  “Laurie, I’m sorry. Really. Truly sorry.”

  She looked back up into his face, sensing the sincerity in his voice. No longer sounding like he was trying to charm her out of her pants, he sounded sorry. “Rob, you don’t have to apologize. We were just enjoying each other’s company, that’s all. No harm done. I’m a big girl; I assure you my feelings weren’t hurt by what she said. We can still be friends.”

  “No!” he said forcefully, causing her to look sharply up into his snapping eyes. Running a hand down his face in frustration, he forced his voice to calm. “I mean, I don’t want to just be friends. I’d really like to get to know you. I felt somethin’ tonight, somethin’ I haven’t ever felt. I know you felt it too. Can’t we just forget that drunk girl and move forward?” he pleaded.