The View from Alameda Island - Robyn Carr Page 0,92
me?” she asked.
“Absolutely. I’m not going to trick you. There would be nothing in that for me.”
“No one’s waiting up for you?” she asked.
“No. They all ran for the hills after Pamela. They were probably afraid she’d come back.”
“Will you come to bed and hold me?” she asked.
“Just waiting for the invitation,” he said.
* * *
In the small hours of the morning, she snuggled against him. She felt secure. Secure and satisfied and peaceful. She lifted her head from his shoulder and kissed his chin. “I love you,” she whispered. “I love you and I want to be with you forever.”
He tenderly kissed her mouth. “Me, too. Me, too.”
* * *
The week following Thanksgiving everything seemed a bit calmer to Lauren. She took Lacey out for a nice dinner and some shopping and heard all about Thanksgiving, secretly a little gleeful that Lacey had had a perfectly miserable time with Adele and Brad. Unsurprisingly, he was in a foul mood, stuck with his mother, spoiled daughter, with no whipping post on hand.
It never occurred to her last June that six months after moving out, she still wouldn’t be divorced, wouldn’t have any property from her old house. Therefore, there were no Christmas decorations. But Lauren knew how to make centerpieces and wreaths and bought herself a few flameless LED candles that lit and went off on a timer. Red and white candles. She stopped by the craft store to get florist supplies and ribbon. She knew where to get greenery scraps at a great price by driving north to the warehouses that supplied flower shops. She offered to make a wreath or centerpiece for Beau if he’d come along.
It was just the perfect distraction for Beau, loving gardens and flowers as he did.
They filled the back of his truck with varieties of fir, pine, juniper, eucalyptus, cedar, holly and other holiday greens and pinecones. Lauren put a sheet over her dining table, got out the florist’s clippers she’d bought and got busy creating wreaths and centerpieces.
Beau brought in all her cuttings and hung around to watch. He was so intrigued by her creations that she showed him how she was doing it. “Can I try?” he asked.
He was irresistible. “Sure. Let me show you. The centerpiece is easier, we’ll start with that.”
By five they had made ten centerpieces and several wreaths. Their fingers were sappy and sticky. Beau looked at his watch.
“Got an appointment?” she asked.
“I’m hungry,” he said. “How’s your beer and wine supply?”
“All set, but that’s not food.”
He went to the sink and started washing his hands. “I’ll go get us something, unless you feel like going out.”
“I want to use up all these greens while they’re fresh,” she said. “I’d eat anything you feel like eating.”
There was a tapping at the door and when she opened it, there stood her boss, Bea.
“I’m sorry. I should have called. This was impetuous. It’s about work...”
“Come in,” Lauren said. “We were just making Christmas decorations. Bea, this is my friend Beau and Beau, Bea is my supervisor at Merriweather.”
Beau put out a hand and nodded. “Pleased to meet you, Bea,” he said.
“I think I’m interrupting...”
“Not at all. Beau is ready to quit for dinner. Let me wash my hands and let’s have a glass of wine,” Lauren said. “You’ve never been to my house. Well, my rental. But I’m kind of proud of it—my first house of my own.”
“I don’t want to take up too much of your time and I can see...”
“I’m on my way out to get us something for dinner,” Beau said. “Will you join us?”
“No, but thank you. I just need a few minutes.”
Lauren was washing her hands vigorously. “This must be something important. This is the first time you’ve ever called on me on a weekend to discuss company business. I’ve been there over a dozen years...”
Bea was looking at the greenery lined up on the countertops—centerpieces of all sizes, a few wreaths leaning against the cupboards. “These are beautiful. You’re such a talent.”
Beau dried his hands and came to Lauren’s side, kissing her on the cheek. “I’ll bring you something you like. I’ll take my time.”
“Thank you,” she said. As Beau left, Lauren continued chatting with Bea. “Since I still don’t have access to anything in my house, I have no Christmas decorations. So I set about creating some from scraps. My daughter and her boyfriend are coming for the holidays and I’d like it to be—”