AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Lauren squirmed. She’d known Callie would speak the truth. “Then you think I should say no.”
Callie nodded. “At least for now. Maybe keep things the way they are with him and see what happens. What’s the rush?” Callie stopped then opened her mouth to say more only to snap it shut again.
“What? Tell me?”
“You’re not going to like it.” She sounded resigned to the fact.
“Out with it, chickie.”
“I think you should give Nate another chance. I know how much it hurt when he left, but you’re both different people now. He wouldn’t be trying if he didn’t still love you.”
Tears tickled her eyes, and she forced the happy image of her niece and nephew the previous Christmas into her thoughts. The memory did the trick, and the overwhelming sadness she’d felt moments earlier dissipated enough she could keep from bawling her eyes out. “Do you remember what I was like when he left last time? I can’t go through that again.”
Callie put a hand on her arm. “You’re assuming it won’t work before you even try,” she said in her most patient teacher’s voice. “What if everything goes the way you always wanted?” She leaned closer. “Do you want to risk that for a business arrangement? People don’t usually get a second chance like this, Lauren.”
You’d be crazy to let it pass. Callie didn’t say the words, yet Lauren read between the lines.
“I just don’t know.” The war between her head and heart continued to rage despite her heart-to-heart with Callie.
“How about you forget about it for a little while? Stay here tonight and relax. Sleep on it. Nothing will change between now and tomorrow morning.”
A few years earlier Lauren would have said yes without any hesitation. “You have company.” Callie’s family never treated her like an outsider, but she still occasionally felt like one.
Callie rolled her eyes. “Please, it’s just family. You’re practically my sister, too.”
Stay there surrounded by friends or return home alone with nothing to do but dwell on her relationship problems? It wasn’t even a fair contest. “Okay, you twisted my arm. You’ve got yourself another house guest for the night, girlfriend.”
***
“I say, let the guys stay here and we go out,” Sara said. “Maybe dinner and a movie.”
Everyone was gathered in the entertainment room enjoying each other’s company, while Jake and Christopher played a video game on the television. The sight of the two men so engrossed in the game amused Lauren to no end. Thanks to the media and the way it portrayed the two men, few would ever believe that international playboy Jake Sherbrooke and billionaire genius Christopher Hall spent their time playing video games. But while it might have surprised others, it didn’t shock her. Despite their social status, both men were down-to-earth and enjoyed the same activities as other men their age. Lauren knew firsthand that even grown men still enjoyed their video games, at least both her brother and brother-in-law did.
Most likely Nate still does, too. She’d locked all thoughts of Nate away for the night, or she had tried to. Even with her best efforts, the image materialized of Nate playing a game just as Jake and Christopher were. For as long as she could remember, he’d enjoyed playing video games. She remembered him saving his allowance just so he could buy the newest releases when they hit the shelves. And she had to admit she occasionally liked playing as well. Not the type that Jake and Christopher were playing now, but rather car racing ones. As teenagers, she and Nate would sometimes play video games like that for hours.
What about Kevin? She didn’t see him in front of screen with a game controller in his hand. She pictured him more in front of a chess board. Not that there was anything wrong with that. She played chess, although not well. She’d never had the patience necessary to learn all the strategies involved. But Kevin was probably fantastic at the game.
“I’m in,” Charlie said, breaking into Lauren’s thoughts.
“Me, too,” Lauren added, locking her thoughts of Nate and Kevin away.
“Is there anything good playing?” Callie asked.
“Always A Bridesmaid came out yesterday,” Sara answered referring to Mia Troy’s newest romantic comedy.
“Oh, that sounds like a winner,” Christopher called out.
Lauren laughed when Sara shot him a dirty look. Even after months of getting to know Sara, the transformation she’d made since falling in love with Christopher Hall amazed her. Before that, Sara came across as cold and distant. A real snob with no personality. Now Lauren considered Sara a friend.
“I wouldn’t talk. You thought Gateway 3000 was a good movie.”
She cringed at the mention of the new sci-fi movie. She’d seen it herself with a friend. “Tell me she’s joking,” Lauren pleaded. “That was a horrible movie. The only thing it had going for it was Anderson Brady.”
“He made it almost worth watching,” Sara said with a wink toward the women in the room.
Christopher began a retort, but Jake cut him off. “Unless you want to find yourself on the floor tonight, better keep your mouth shut.”
Christopher focused back on the game and shot the enemy solider on the screen. “Enjoy the movies.”
With their plans set for the evening, Lauren along with Callie, Sara, and Charlie headed out for a girls-only evening, which started with dinner at an Italian restaurant. Like just about everything in and around Greenwich, the restaurant catered to society’s elite and it showed. The name of the restaurant wasn’t lit up in bold neon colors. A canopy led from the sidewalk, where a valet took the car, right up to the carved wooden door. Inside, a maître d’ in a three-piece suit greeted them by name and escorted them to a table in a corner of the restaurant. Fine linen tablecloths covered each table in the dimly lit establishment. Fresh flowers in crystal vases graced each table, along with long slender candles in silver candelabras, providing an intimate atmosphere. If all that wasn’t enough to make Lauren aware of how out of place she was, each place setting at the table had enough utensils to fill her silverware draw at home.
However, like the other times Callie had taken her to the places in her new life, Lauren tucked her unease away and followed Callie’s lead. So when the maître d’ handed her an open menu containing a selection of wines and cocktails, she accepted it with a thank you. Looking down at the menu, she tried to forget about the discreet glances the other restaurant patrons threw in their direction.
Even the restaurants and clubs she frequented overpriced their alcoholic drinks, so when she did order one she favored those that were least expensive. A quick scan of the menu showed she couldn’t do that tonight. No dollar amounts were listed next to any of the drinks. Just another reminder of the clientele that frequented the restaurant, and the fact that within this group she was the outsider. The only one who couldn’t easily afford her portion of the tab tonight, not that Callie would let her pay. As with previous times they’d gone to restaurants like this, Callie would insist on covering the whole check. Lauren hated having Callie foot the bill for her, and they’d disagreed about it in the past. At the same time, places like this would put a dent in her monthly budget, so they’d reached a compromise more than a year ago. Whenever Callie visited her in Massachusetts, Lauren paid for meals, but when she visited Callie in either New York or Connecticut, Callie covered dinners out. While not the ideal agreement, it worked.
If I married Kevin, Callie wouldn’t need to cover my portion at places like this. As soon as she had the thought, she bent her head in disgust. Money should be the last thing influencing her decision.
“And what can I get for you tonight?” the uniformed waiter asked, once Sara finished placing her cocktail order.
“I’ll have an Espresso Martini.” Unprepared, Lauren automatically named one of her favorite cocktails and reached for her dinner menu. When the waiter returned for their dinner choices, she wanted to be prepared.
“I’ll have a sparkling water,” Callie said when the waiter turned toward her.
“I’ll put this order in while everyone looks over the menu. So, please take your time making your choices. If you have any questions, please ask.” The uniformed waiter smiled then stepped away.
“You’re not having a drink?” Lauren closed the menu, food no longer on her mind. Callie didn’t drink a lot, but in a social setting like this she would normally join in.
Rather than comment, Callie shrugged and looked down at her menu. The dismissal of the question set the gears in Lauren’s brain in motion. The last time they’d been around alcohol at the retirement party, Callie had skipped it as well. Not to mention when she stopped by to wish her a happy birthday, she’d opted for herbal tea instead of coffee. Then this morning she’d looked pale as a ghost and tired.
“Callie, are you feeling okay?” Even as she asked the question, she suspected the answer.
