He ate it, and then turned to her with a grin. “You think I’m really good-looking? And I make you do klutzy things?”
Oh, she really, really wished she hadn’t said that. “Well, I’m sure you noticed how many times you’ve had to pick me up off the floor.”
“I had noticed that. But I didn’t realize it was because of me.” He was enjoying this far too much.
“Don’t go thinking you’re all powerful or something. I’ll forgive you—that doesn’t mean I like you. Now I’ve got to get back to work.” She gathered up her trash and put it in the large green Dumpster near the bench. “Where did you find me, anyway? I didn’t tell anyone where I was going.”
“It was luck, actually. I came into Aspen Ridge from the east and was driving up Main Street and saw you walking across the grass. My car’s right over there—can I drop you off at the shop, save you a few minutes’ walk?”
“No, that’s okay. I need a few minutes to process this whole conversation—and the fact that I actually just shared my donut with you.”
“Fair enough.” He lifted his hand in a wave and then walked toward his car, leaving Laurie totally and completely confused.
Chapter Seven
Laurie’s roommates gathered in the living room for the next installment of the soap opera that was her life. Cara had a date and Regan was leaving in a few minutes to go spend the rest of the week with her sister, who’d just had a baby, but they all took a moment to put in their two cents.
“I can’t believe he apologized,” Morgan said.
“Me neither. I thought he’d been taken over by some kind of parasitic being there for a minute,” Laurie replied. She’d been a little bit distracted for the remainder of her work day because she’d been trying to figure out what it all meant. She wanted it to mean that he’d leave her alone now, but somehow, she didn’t think that was going to happen.
“But something amazing happened today, too.” She scooted forward to the edge of the couch and told everyone about Millie’s offer. That was just the thing to shake off the weird vibes left over from Logan’s visit. Everyone shrieked, and then they started asking a million questions a minute. Laurie finally held up both her hands, laughing.
“Her lawyer’s going to send over a contract for me to review. In the meantime, I’m trying not to think about it too much. Too much could happen between now and then.”
“Like what? Millie could get hit by a bus? I will follow her everywhere she goes until that contract is signed and protect her,” Regan said. “I’ll even hold an umbrella over her when it rains so she won’t catch the sniffles.”
“That’s really sweet, but I’m not sure she needs a bodyguard. I’m mostly worried that she’ll wake up tomorrow morning and realize what a mistake she made,” Laurie said.
“As if. She’ll be congratulating herself on her shrewd business acumen. Am I right or am I right?” Cara and Morgan both nodded their agreement.
“Whatever. Okay, I’m going to take a hot shower and catch up on my shows. Morgan, are you going out? Do you want to make some popcorn and hang out with me?”
“Sure. I’ll have it ready when you’re done with your shower.”
Cara and Regan left, and Laurie headed off for the bathroom. The hot water helped work out the knots in her shoulders—wedding dresses weigh a ton, and carrying them around all day wasn’t easy. She scrubbed her hair extra hard, imagining that she was scrubbing her brain and getting rid of all the chaotic thoughts. By the time she got out and put on her softest pajamas, she felt totally different.
She and Morgan had just queued up the first show on the DVR when her cell phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Laurie. It’s Brennan.”
Why, oh, why, oh, why . . . “Hey there. What’s up?”
“I’ve got an extra ticket to the Nuggets game tomorrow. Are you free?”
In her head, Laurie ran through all the reasons why she should say no. Thankfully, there weren’t very many, so she didn’t keep Brennan waiting for long. “Sure. I get off at six.”
“I’ll pick you up at the shop, if that’s all right. We’ll need to get on the road as soon as we can.”
“Okay. I’ll plan for it.”
She hung up the phone, wondering why everything in the world either came from Denver or took place in Denver. What was wrong with little old Aspen Ridge?
* * *
Laurie took some casual clothes to work with her the next morning and changed into them before closing down the store. When Brennan picked Laurie up, she could tell he’d put some thought into this date. He had prepared a picnic basket for their dinner, and he must have been asking Cara for some insider information because he packed some of Laurie’s very favorite foods. She ate her sandwich and potato salad and then happily munched on Doritos as they drove and chased them with root beer.
“We’ll get something to eat afterwards, too,” Brennan promised. “Don’t want to starve to death if the game goes long, and I hate concession stand food.”
“Me too,” Laurie replied, a little bit surprised. She thought every guy loved popcorn and hot dogs purchased at ridiculously inflated prices, but she must be wrong. Yet another thing to like about Brennan, darn it.
Because Brennan had been so considerate in preparing for this date, she thought she really should give him more of a chance. So she decided that she was going to open her mind and her heart up to this possibility. What if he was the one, but she was so hung up on her preconceived notions of what a relationship should be like that she never saw him for who he really was? That would be tragic. So she focused in on him, really listened to what he was saying, and let down some of her walls. Soon she was enjoying this date more than she’d anticipated. Why hadn’t it worked this well the last time she decided to give Brennan a chance?
They parked at the Pepsi Center and went inside, purchasing giant foam fingers to cheer on their team. The game was fun. The Nuggets lost, but she and Brennan had been having a great time talking and getting to know each other better, even if his long legs were squished up against the seat in front of him, so she hadn’t been paying attention to the score anyway. As the fans made their way out of the stadium, Brennan tucked his arm around her shoulders to steer her through the crowd toward the parking lot, and she liked the way he pulled her closer to him to duck through the bottleneck of the doorway. He shielded her with his body, clearing a path with his shoulder, and she felt protected. It was a nice feeling.
“Laurie. Hi.”
She looked up to see Logan and Kelly moving through the crowd just a few feet to the right. She hadn’t seen them a moment ago—they must have been funneled this way as everyone passed through the doorway to the outside.
“Hey, Logan. Hi, Kelly.”
Now that they had reached the parking lot, everyone took off toward their cars, and they weren’t pressed up against so many bodies. Almost as if they’d rehearsed it, both Brennan and Logan moved over to the side, steering Laurie and Kelly with them so they’d be out of the way of the people yet to exit the building.
“Kelly, I’m so sorry about your engagement,” Laurie said. “Logan told me a little bit about it.”
Kelly smiled and shrugged. “It is what it is, I guess. I’m glad I found out now what kind of guy he was and not after we were married—or worse, after we had kids. This way, I only have to go through a ton of embarrassment and ‘I told you so’s and not a really nasty divorce.”
“Yeah, I guess this is better,” Laurie replied, wondering if there even was such a thing as “better” in a case like this.
“Hey, I was going to take Laurie out for a burger. Do you guys want to come with us?” Brennan invited. “I don’t want to interrupt your date or anything, but since you all know each other—”
“We’re not on a date. Kelly’s my sister,” Logan interrupted. He glanced over at Laurie, a question in his eyes, obviously wanting to know if she wanted them to come along. Did she? Well, it certainly wasn’t the
most comfortable thing ever, but Kelly was already accepting, and Laurie felt it would be rude if she leaped in and stated her objections. She didn’t want to embarrass Brennan and Kelly like that. She wasn’t sure if she cared if she embarrassed Logan.
Brennan turned and surveyed the parking lot. “This place is going to be a madhouse for a little while. What if we walk over to this great burger place I know and then come back for our cars? I don’t know about you, but I don’t really like waiting in line just to get back on the road.”
They agreed and headed down the sidewalk. Brennan and Laurie led the way, with Logan and Kelly trailing behind. At one point, Brennan reached out to take Laurie’s hand, but she didn’t like the idea of appearing to be a couple, not in public like this—and, she had to admit, not in front of Logan. So she pretended not to notice that he was reaching for her hand and continued to walk, swinging her arms, hoping she fooled him. She might not be interested in him, but she didn’t want to hurt his feelings.
When they reached the burger joint, the only open table was a small booth, so they all crowded in together. Laurie would have preferred to be on the outside, but she slid in anyway and gave the aisle seat to Brennan. Across the table, Logan slid in first, so she found herself face-to-face with him and had no way to escape unless she clambered over Brennan, which was completely impossible. The table would chop off her right hip if she tried.
When they’d first run in to Logan and Kelly, they’d been in the darkness of the parking lot, so Laurie hadn’t gotten a good look at Logan. Now under the somewhat bright lights of the restaurant, she noticed what he was wearing. Logan looked good dressed up, but he also looked good dressed down. He wore denim and had gone without a shave that morning. He wasn’t screaming “uncouth ruffian,” but he was pleasantly relaxed. Laurie hadn’t thought she’d ever see such a thing. But it’s not like it mattered—she didn’t even like the guy.
She didn’t know if he’d caught her looking at him, but suddenly he was grinning, and she jerked her gaze away. Brennan had just said something and she decided she’d better laugh—he was her date, after all. She ought to be paying attention to him.
“Oh, Brennan, you’re so funny.”
Brennan threw her a strange look. “I was just asking Kelly about her job.”
Laurie pasted a smile on her face. “It was just the lighthearted way you said it. You’re so friendly.” She picked up her menu and hid her flaming-red cheeks behind it. Could she possibly have embarrassed herself any more than she had at that moment?
After their orders were taken, Brennan and Kelly kept up their conversation. It turned out they had a lot in common—Kelly enjoyed the outdoors and had actually backpacked across Europe after she graduated from college. Brennan had some questions about that, so Logan and Laurie sat and listened, contributing very little to the conversation and then realizing that no one was paying attention to them anyway.
“Kelly seems to be doing all right,” Laurie said in an undertone.
“She is. I think tonight’s been good for her,” Logan replied.
As they walked back to the Pepsi Center to pick up their cars, Brennan and Kelly walked together, leaving Laurie to trail behind with Logan. That was just a little bit awkward—strolling down a sidewalk wasn’t something she’d ever envisioned doing with Logan. Killing him and hiding his body under a newly poured sidewalk would be more like it. They’d never find him there.
When they reached the cars, everyone said good night, but Kelly hung back a little bit before following Logan over to his car. “Laurie, I just wanted you to know . . .” She looked down at the ground. “It wasn’t my idea to try to get the money back for my dress, and I’m sorry about all that. Logan told me you were really awesome about it, and I just feel bad that my mom was pushing for it. Are we . . . I mean, is everything okay?”
Laurie impulsively reached out and touched Kelly’s shoulder, even though she wasn’t typically a shoulder-touching kind of person. “It’s okay. Stuff happens, and I’m not the kind to hold grudges or anything.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that.” Kelly gave a quick wave before turning to join Logan, who had noticed she wasn’t behind him and had stopped to wait for her.
Brennan opened Laurie’s door for her. Then he paused before he closed it. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I got to talking with Kelly and practically ignored you. That wasn’t my intention at all—it’s just that I’ve always wanted to backpack across Europe, and I got carried away asking questions. How can I make it up to you?”
“You’re fine,” Laurie answered honestly. “I’m glad you were able to talk with her about it. You both seemed to enjoy the conversation.”
“She had some great tips for the best places to stay on a budget,” Brennan said. “I wish I’d written them down, but she gave me her e-mail address and she’ll send me over some details.”
“That’s fantastic.” Laurie thought about that while Brennan walked around the car to get in the driver’s side. It really was fantastic—Brennan had a great time on this date, and Kelly looked happy. Things couldn’t have gone better. But she was still left with an odd pit in her stomach, a kind of disquieted feeling that didn’t leave her alone all the way back to Aspen Ridge.
Chapter Eight
The other three roommates applauded when Cara finished her guitar solo. The new sheet music was a blessing from heaven—even though she was very talented, they’d all gotten tired of her other songs, and it was great to see her adding more music to her repertoire. The thing that frustrated Laurie was that Cara wrote her own music, but she’d never been brave enough to perform it for them. Laurie had caught a snippet here and there through the wall as Cara composed and she thought Cara’s music was just as good as anything she’d heard on the radio, but her shy roommate’s insecurities wouldn’t let her open herself up that much.
“I guess it’s my turn for some show and tell,” Laurie said, pulling out the contract she’d gotten in the mail that day from Millie’s lawyer. She held it up with a grand flourish.
“I’ve read this over several times, and I can’t see a single thing I’d want to change,” she said. “I can’t believe how generous Millie is being—I’m getting far more out of this arrangement than she is.”
“She must not think so or she wouldn’t be doing it.” Morgan leaned forward and took the contract, glancing over it. “Maybe her payoff comes in knowing that the shop will be in good hands.”
“Is she independently wealthy or something?” Regan asked, moving out of the way as Cara swung her guitar case onto the sofa. “It doesn’t sound like she’s planning on money from the sale of the shop for her retirement.”
“She’s hinted that she’s got some money set aside, but we’ve never discussed it,” Laurie said. “I’ve been to her house, though, and it’s huge. She also talks about how she’d like to take a cruise to Greece next summer. I’d say there’s definitely some money there somewhere.”
“So, when do you sign the contract?” Cara asked. She closed up her case and set it on the floor next to the couch. Maybe now that she knew some new songs, Laurie wouldn’t cringe when she saw that case enter the living room. The day her friend was brave enough to share what was in her heart and soul and stopped relying on songs other people had written, Laurie would be the first to jump up and cheer.
“I’m meeting Millie and her lawyer for lunch tomorrow at Frannie’s.”
“A business lunch. That sounds so official,” Regan said, making air quotes with her fingers.
“I’m pretty excited.” That was the understatement of the whole entire century. Laurie was so keyed up, she was starting to wonder if she’d even be able to go to sleep that night. She’d already chosen out her lunch outfit—and changed her mind about it—four times. “Millie’s even going to close the shop for an hour so we can go without worrying about things while we’re gone.”
“Very official,” Morgan said, obviously impressed.
Just as Laurie predicted, she cou
ldn’t sleep that night. Or was it that she couldn’t sleep because she’d convinced herself she wouldn’t be able to? Either way, she was awake for hours. She tried reading, but even her favorite authors couldn’t hold her interest. She played a few rounds of Angry Birds on her phone, but soon became frustrated. Why wouldn’t the dang bird fly where she told it to? She put her phone down and stared at the closet door. Why was she so wound up? This wasn’t like a job interview where she didn’t know if she would or would not get the position—she already knew this was a done deal. But trying to be logical and pointing out that little fact to herself did nothing to calm her nerves.
Finally she got up and did some yoga. What she really wanted was to go for a jog, but no one in their right mind would go jogging by themselves at three in the morning. It was tempting to call down to the police station and ask for an escort, but no, she didn’t think the chief would approve of that, even though he was a nice guy. Yoga would have to do. And then, at last, she was able to drift off, only to dream of being chased around the block by bridezillas wielding cake knifes. Very restful indeed.
The next morning came far too soon and she felt like all her limbs were full of wet sand, but the adrenaline of knowing what the day would bring kept her moving. Her morning hot chocolate helped too, and she was full of energy when she hit the shop. It was a good thing, too, because it was her first day to train Willa, the new consultant, and new consultants always required a lot of energy.
The first thing she did was to sit Willa down with the binder that showed photographs of all the dresses they currently had in stock. The binder had been her idea when she first started at Millicent’s—each page showed not only the front and back of each dress, but gave the price and also the location of where in the stock room the dress could be found. The book was a great training tool, and every consultant was asked to familiarize themselves with it each season. They carried over four hundred dresses, and learning all the new styles could become cumbersome, but the book did help. While Willa studied, Laurie ran across the street to get the cream puffs for the refreshment display.
And Something Blue (Main Street Merchants Book 1) Page 7
