“It’s a long story, most of which I’m still learning as we go along,” admitted Angela. “But Nick invited his mother out here for a visit, and I think she’ll be up sometime next month. He’s – well, we’ve both had issues with our families in the past, but I think it’s time to try and change that. Though maybe not so much with his father.”
“I’m really happy for you, Angie,” Lauren told her quietly, giving her hand another squeeze. “You deserve it, especially after all those years of being miserable. And – I swear I never, ever thought I’d be saying this after the hell Nick put you through – I think you should move in with him. Both of you have been alone way too much.”
Angela nodded. “That’s how I feel, too. And it’s actually good timing, since the lease on my flat is up in October. And with Julia moving out of her flat in January, I’ve been thinking about making a change anyway.”
“Hmm. You and Jules both moving out of San Francisco at nearly the same time,” lamented Lauren. “Guess I’ll have to find another place to crash when I’m in town.”
“I’m sure Nick wouldn’t mind if you stayed here,” assured Angela. “It’s a pretty big place as you can see.”
Lauren shrugged. “We’ll see. I don’t want to intrude on you lovebirds. That’s why I only stay at Julia’s place when she and Nathan are at his condo. Or out of town like they are this weekend.”
Her sister and brand new brother-in-law had flown out to Michigan a couple of days ago for an extra-long weekend to see Nathan’s family and celebrate his younger brother’s birthday.
“Doesn’t Nathan have two bedrooms at his condo?”
Lauren wrinkled her nose at Angela’s question. “Yeah, that’s not the issue. What is the problem is that those two are damned noisy in the sack. Jesus, it’s like having a real life porn flick being filmed in the next room.”
Angela laughed. “What’s the matter? Are you suddenly turning into a prude?”
Lauren didn’t reply for long seconds, merely sipping her coffee and gazing out at the million dollar view of the bay from Nick’s back deck. When she did speak, her voice was soft and uncharacteristically somber. “Maybe I just don’t want a constant reminder that everyone else I know seems to have someone special in their life and I don’t.”
Over the course of six weeks or so, it had felt like everyone she knew was pairing up in one way or another. Julia and Nathan had been married at the end of June; a couple of weeks later Chris’s girlfriend Mindy had moved in with him; Ian Gregson and his “forbidden love” Tessa were officially a couple, and had been since her divorce a few months ago; now Angela and Nick were finally back together, and just last night Lauren had received a phone call from Karl that still had her reeling.
Tamsyn, it seemed, was pregnant, and it had been one of her hormonal outbursts that had caused their most recent break-up. But now they were not only back together but married as well – having done so in a simple ceremony at the local courthouse, with only their parents and siblings in attendance.
And as if all that wasn’t enough, Karl had dropped an even bigger bombshell on her.
“When my contract is up at the end of the year, I won’t be renewing it,” he’d confided. “No one else knows yet, not even Ben or Chris, so keep a lid on it until I can break the news. It’s just that with a baby coming, I feel like I want to be here, you know? To help take care of Tam and the kid, and not miss any milestones. I don’t want to be clear on the other side of the world on an assignment when my kid says its first word or takes its first step. And maybe this will finally be the motivation I need to write that book I’ve never managed to finish.”
Lauren had been alternately thrilled for Karl and Tamsyn, and left feeling a little lost at the knowledge he wouldn’t be part of her crew any longer. He had always been like a big brother to her, someone to bounce ideas off of, and they had always had each other’s backs. Even if she had never seen fit to confide in him about Ben.
Angela frowned. “Lauren – that’s crazy. You could have almost any guy you wanted, anytime you wanted. You don’t ever have to be alone. Unless, of course, there’s one particular man you’ve got your eye on and he’s not interested? Which, of course, would make him a complete moron.”
Lauren shook her head. “Forget I said anything, okay? Once in awhile I just get into a little funk and start thinking out loud a little too much. Nothing a night out on the town won’t cure. It is Saturday, after all, so I figure I’ll hit a few clubs, do a few rounds of shooters.”
“Alone?” asked Angela, frowning.
“Hmm. Well, I’m just guessing your man won’t let you go with me, especially since you’re supposed to be in recovery mode. And with Julia out of town – not to mention still in the honeymoon phase with ole Lover Boy – guess I’ll have to go with Plan C – C as in Courtney.”
Angela looked horror stricken. “Not the same Courtney who works in Julia’s office? The one with the green hair who might be the only person in the world who can out drink you?”
“Hey,” objected Lauren. “She might have managed one more shot than I did at Julia’s bachelorette party, but she also passed out cold right after – meaning that I can sure as hell hold my liquor a lot better than she can. And I think her hair is platinum blonde now. Whatever color it is, she’s always good for a few laughs.”
Angela rested a hand on her best friend’s forearm, her dark brown eyes filled with concern. “Are you sure you’re okay? Julia is worried about you, too, you know. When she visited me here a few days ago, she thought the same thing I did – that you were pining over some guy. Why won’t you talk to us about him, Lauren? I mean, if you can’t confide in your twin sister or your best friend, who can you talk to?”
Lauren waved a hand in stubborn dismissal. “I’m not pining over anyone, Angie. Pining is not my style, as you know. And there’s nothing wrong, I promise. Just some stuff I’m working through – on my own, okay?”
Angela glared. “How come you’re always butting into everyone else’s life, demanding answers and bossing us around, but when we try and do the same to you, it’s like pulling teeth to get anything out of you?”
Lauren grinned. “Because that’s what I do, Angie. I boss people around, give them lots of unsolicited advice, and make sure that they’re happy.”
“But who looks out for you, Lauren?” asked Angela sadly. “When will it be your turn to finally be happy? You deserve it more than anyone else I know.”
Lauren pasted a bright smile on her face, one she hoped didn’t look as forced as it felt. “Hey, I’m always happy, you know that. No bad times allowed for Lauren McKinnon. As for all that happily ever after crap – it’s enough for me that you and Julia have found your true loves. Not everyone can live in a fairy tale world, Angie.”
“Lauren - ” Angela began to object until Lauren held up a hand to silence her.
“No more today, okay?” pleaded Lauren. “It’s bad enough I’ve got to fly back to New York tomorrow night, and that the last time I checked the weather report it was supposed to be something like a hundred and forty degrees with three hundred percent humidity. So instead of moping about how I haven’t found my Prince Charming yet, why don’t you help me strategize on how to challenge Courtney to a rematch of our drinking contest and kick her skinny ass this time?”
Chapter Nineteen
August – New York City
It had been, thought Lauren as she exited the elevator into the lobby of her office building, possibly one of the top ten shittiest days of her life, a day that had actually begun late last night. She’d been nursing a rare but nasty hangover after bar hopping the previous evening with Courtney and a few of her friends, and the flight from St. Louis to New York had been unusually turbulent due to scattered thunderstorms. The flight had also been more than an hour late getting in, and she’d had to really hustle in order to get to the office on time. And the whole time – during the roller coaster ride of a flight, the cab ride through wall to wall traffic from the airport, the mad dash from Maddy’s apartment here to the office – Lauren had asked herself why she continued to put herself through this torture. As much as she loved her job – the travel, the excitement, the once in a lifetime experiences – the downsides that came with it were starting to wear on her. Namely, all the trips to New York, the meetings that seemed to be lasting longer and occurring more frequently these days, the budget restrictions that kept getting tighter, and, well – Ben.