One Summer Night Page 11

  ‘I did. Your father offered me a loan. And now I am asking you, Lauren, to not make this a lonely decision.’

  Lauren looked around. This was insane!

  ‘How do you picture this, Tim? How can we . . . ? It’s way too big!’

  ‘Well, I picture the two of us moving in here as soon as possible.’ He smiled, and in spite of her surprise Lauren couldn’t help but chuckle. ‘I also picture us playing with Mia in the yard, getting a dog, and how we’re going to spend our wedding night over there in that beautiful four-poster bed.’

  Their wedding night?

  Lauren’s heart stopped beating, and her throat was suddenly very tight. Tim placed a finger on her lips and looked deep into her eyes.

  ‘And I picture us putting another blonde angel to bed, right over there in that crib.’

  He flipped over the tiny cushion inside the baby crib and revealed a small jewelry box. With shaky hands he took the box and got down on one knee.

  ‘Lauren, I . . . ’ his voice broke when he noticed her tears. Reassuringly, he squeezed her hand. ‘Lauren, you know me. I never thought much of having a plan. Five years ago, I fell head over heels in love with you, all without making a plan. I had no plan when we got together, and even less so when Mia was born. The only thing I was ever sure of was that I wanted you: when I met you at the diner for the first time, when Mia was born – and every single day in between during these past five years. And because of that, I have decided to make a plan after all. A plan for our lives together, with you and Mia and a new baby with blonde tufts of hair. And all this in this very house.’ He opened the box and took out a ring. ‘What do you say, Lauren? Do you think this plan could work?’

  Lauren found herself unable to swallow. She could barely breathe with her throat so tight, and so she nodded instead, wiping tears from her face with the back of her hand. She dropped to her knees, eye-to-eye with him, and offered a weak smile.

  ‘It sounds like a great plan.’

  ‘Lauren, I love you. Marry me!’ he begged. For the first time since she’d known Tim, she saw fear in his blue eyes.

  ‘Of course!’

  She could not believe what was happening. She was stiff with excitement when he pushed the ring over her trembling finger. He had told her that he loved her! And best of all she believed him! She believed him without a shadow of a doubt. After everything they had been through together, after the first couple of difficult years and the wonderful three that followed – during which they were truly happy together – they could both say with certainty that they knew each other well. That they had taken their time to explore their feelings for one another, and that ‘I love you’ from the lips of the other held actual meaning.

  ‘I love you, too,’ she whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck. ‘God, Tim, I love you so much!’

  He pressed her against him so tightly that they could both barely breathe, and kissed her fiercely.

  ‘Why did we give each other such a hard time, Lauren? Why waste so many years?’

  ‘Oh, who cares. We’re going to grow old together, see our kids grow up and then our grandkids, and then one day we’ll sit down there on the porch, sipping red wine, old and gray-haired and senile.’

  Tim laughed and nodded solemnly. ‘That’s exactly how I pictured it.’

  He kissed her, got up and pulled her to her feet.

  ‘Where is Mia? I want to tell her the good news.’ Lauren looked around the nursery, but it was empty except for the baby crib.

  ‘She knows about the house, she picked the stencils and she helped me and Ben haul the furniture over here,’ Tim revealed, and smiled. ‘But she’s staying with your parents tonight.’

  Lauren raised her eyebrows in surprise.

  ‘Oh, really? And . . .’ She followed Tim who got up and backed out the door, winking at her. So everybody knew. Tim had moved heaven and the earth to make this surprise possible. ‘. . . and what are we doing now?’

  He loosened his tie, pulled it over his head, and let it drop to the floor with that wicked smile of his. Then he opened the top button on his shirt.

  ‘We . . .’ His voice had this seductive undertone that turned Lauren on no end. ‘. . . we are going to spend the night in this house. I want . . .’ His shirt slipped to the floor as well, and he waited for Lauren to join him. Then he grabbed her waist and playfully tugged the velvet-red blouse out from her skirt.

  ‘What do you want?’ Lauren asked breathlessly, as he slowly opened the buttons on her blouse one by one, grazing her collarbone, her chest and her ribs.

  ‘I want to see what it’s like to lie next to you when the sun sets, to taste your skin, and to hear your laughter. I want to feel your heartbeat underneath my fingers and feel your breath against my skin. I want to make love to you all night – here, in our new home.’

  Lauren’s blouse slipped from her shoulders and she stepped out of her pumps.

  Her eyes locked onto the tiny scar on his lip, when his mouth curled up into a seductive smile.

  ‘Well, I guess we should go to bed then – wouldn’t want us to miss the sunset,’ Lauren suggested, squinting her eyes at the sun that was high up in the sky.

  They would find a way of whiling away the hours until then . . .

  * * *

  ‘And yet somehow we managed to miss the sunset after all,’ Tim laughed, looking at Lauren with happiness in his eyes.

  ‘Yeah, I guess we got distracted.’

  Everyone around the fire chuckled, only Mia shook her head at her parents’ declaration of love.

  ‘We should have been more aware, more mindful,’ Lauren pondered, and Chris nodded. He pulled Mia to her feet and twirled around with her.

  ‘You’re right. Those were amazing years – and they flew by all in no time at all.’

  Mia giggled as the mechanic pulled her to his chest in a display of mock passion. ‘Let’s dance, little Mia! This is a party, isn’t it? Wouldn’t want this night to pass us all by, would we?’

  Lauren laughed as she watched Chris dance with her teenage daughter. Mia was about to turn into a young woman, and Lauren was glad that her circle of friends offered her such a strong support system. Chris was born to be a protector and, Rachel too, would do everything in her power to make Mia happy. Mia was almost like a daughter to her.

  Plans Don’t Always Work Out

  Lauren looked out over the deck, where Mia was hunched, fully focused on her homework. She was holding a strand of blonde hair between her lips and tapping with the end of her pencil against her cheek. The homework exercise seemed to be giving her difficulty; something that happened rarely. But today Lauren didn’t mind. That way at least her daughter wouldn’t notice Rachel sitting in their living room, completely beside herself, sobbing and with tears running down her face.

  Full of compassion, Lauren rubbed her friend’s back, trying to comfort her.

  ‘What’s wrong with me?’ Rachel kept mumbling over and over, but Lauren still had no answer.

  ‘There’s nothing wrong with you! That’s what your doctor says, too.’ She tried to look cheerful, confidently patting her friend on the back of her hand. ‘You’re putting too much pressure on yourself.’

  Rachel nodded and blew her nose. It was red from weeping, her eyes puffy.

  ‘We’ve been trying for five years – and nothing is working, even though we both have no physical issues! Why, Lauren? Why?’

  Lauren helplessly shook her head. ‘I don’t know!’ she muttered. ‘But you have to stop putting so much pressure on you and Mason. Having sex according to an ovulation calendar, measuring your temperature to increase your chances of conceiving, and whatever else it is you guys are doing – it’s going to destroy your relationship if you’re not careful. I mean look at you, sweetie. You can’t think about anything anymore except getting pregnant.’

  ‘That’s easy for you to say! You have a child – even if you never wanted it!’

  Laur
en clenched her teeth. They’d had this discussion a thousand times before, and the more time passed without Rachel conceiving, the more she seemed to resent Lauren for having had an unplanned, uncomplicated pregnancy.

  Once more, Lauren turned around to her daughter, because she didn’t need her to overhear their conversation.

  ‘Stop it, Rachel! I don’t want you to go around saying that I never wanted Mia! Because it’s not true! Getting pregnant was not something I had planned, true – but as soon as I found out that I was, there was not a doubt in my mind that I was going to have the baby. And besides, none of that has anything to do with you!’

  Rachel sniffled, and wiped away her tears.

  ‘I’m sorry. I have no idea why I keep thinking that. I know full well that your pregnancy and the time that came after was anything but easy on you two. It’s just that I really, really want to have a baby.’

  ‘Your time will come, Rachel. You only just turned thirty.’

  ‘Mason and I have been planning for years to have kids,’ Rachel ranted.

  ‘Stop planning, and just allow it to happen when it’s going to happen. Tim always says plans never work out,’ Lauren said. As always, when she thought of Tim, she touched the set of gold rings on her finger. It would be unfair to tell Rachel that she’d been trying to conceive herself for several weeks now. It would probably hurt her friend, which was why she wanted to wait and see if things happened as quickly as Tim and she hoped they would.

  Mia was seven now, and Lauren was ready for another child. A planned child. It wasn’t that Mia wasn’t exactly the child Lauren had always wanted, but her little darling was getting more and more independent, and she wanted to see another tiny creature grow up. And this time it wouldn’t be as hard as before, because they were a proper family now. They made a great team, and there was nothing they couldn’t overcome.

  ‘Well, your plans seem to have worked out just fine. You are happy, aren’t you?’

  Yes, Lauren was truly happy. She was embarrassed to admit as much in front of her friend, but yes, she was happy.

  ‘How many times have you heard the story of a woman who falls pregnant the moment she stops hoping and starts living? Take a break from wanting a child, and enjoy your time with Mason. Once a baby comes along, things will never be the same again! Having kids also means compromising and making sacrifices.’

  ‘And how exactly are you making compromises? You have everything!’

  Lauren laughed. ‘Nonsense! You know how I always wanted to travel through Italy. To admire the works of the great artists . . . Do you think I’ve forgotten that? I haven’t, but I can’t exactly drop everything and leave to spend a few nice weeks in Europe!’

  Rachel was still sniffing, but the stream of tears had finally stopped. Lauren got up and noticed Mia packing away her things for school.

  ‘How about I make us a nice cup of coffee, and then we go and do some shopping? How does that sound? Mia needs a new pair of pants – again! – and maybe we’ll find something nice for you. Or me.’

  Rachel nodded and attempted a smile.

  ‘Mia’s been growing quite a bit these past few weeks, hasn’t she?’ she said when Lauren returned with their coffees. Rachel looked a little more composed now.

  Lauren nodded.

  ‘Yeah, I always think of her as my little baby girl, but every time I look at her . . . It’s crazy that she grows up so fast. I think she’s taking after Tim. She’s going to be taller than me, I can already tell.’ Rachel turned around when Mia entered through the patio doors and sat her school backpack down in a corner.

  ‘Mom, we have PE class tomorrow, and . . . Hi, Aunt Rachel!’ Mia waved and skipped into the living room. ‘Did Uncle Chris tell you that I helped him change the tires on Mr Kayne’s car yesterday?’ Mia asked, visibly proud of herself. ‘He told me I was more hard-working than his own staff! I think one day I’m going to be a mechanic, too – and then I can work with Uncle Chris every day.’

  Rachel smiled. ‘I haven’t seen him today yet, Mia. But I’m sure it’s going to be the first thing he’s going to tell me. I think you should ask him to pay you next time,’ she suggested with a conspiratorial wink.

  ‘Good idea!’ Mia giggled. ‘And then I can buy the same earrings that Kim has. They’re made of silver, with a dolphin hanging from them.’

  ‘You don’t need to have everything that Kim has,’ Lauren interjected, pushing Mia off the sofa. ‘Why don’t you go comb your hair, you look all tousled. We want to drive into town and get you a new pair of pants.’

  Mia played with her hair and didn’t seem to take her mom’s criticism too seriously, because she made no move to go into the bathroom.

  ‘Are you coming, too, Aunt Rachel? Cool! You’re so much better at picking clothes!’

  Lauren pulled a face behind Mia’s back and stuck her tongue out at her daughter.

  It came as no surprise that she was the lame mom, while Rachel got to be the cool aunt. Kids!

  At least Rachel was so flattered by Mia’s admiration that she forgot all about her own worries. She nodded solemnly and grabbed her face powder from her purse.

  ‘Go comb your hair, you little tomboy. I will pretty up, too – and then we’ll paint the town red!’

  At last, Mia raced up the stairs, and Lauren leaned over to Rachel.

  ‘I think she has a crush on Chris. Every single Saturday she wants to go to work with him at the auto repair shop. And all she can talk about after is what he did and said all day.’ Lauren smiled and glanced over at the staircase, checking for her daughter’s return. She didn’t want to tease her about it, but she found it quite amusing that her seven-year-old daughter had such a crush on a man who was several years older than Lauren herself. Maybe it was because Chris – with his shoulder-length hair, countless tattoos, and the eternal hard rock music blasting through his shop – was so much cooler than she and Tim were.

  ‘You better watch out. You know that Chris likes younger women,’ Rachel giggled, hinting at her brother’s most recent conquest. ‘He’s dating Linda from the pharmacy right now!’

  Lauren’s eyebrows shot up. This was the first she’d heard – Linda was barely twenty years old.

  ‘Well, at least she knows all about contraception and the morning-after pill!’ she joked, grabbing her purse.

  Eight months later, Lauren remembered that afternoon with Rachel only too well, and it slightly spoilt the happy occasion for her. Doubtfully, she looked at the ultrasound, proof that she and Tim were having another baby.

  Lauren knew what this meant: she would have to give up on her long-awaited trip to Italy, go without sleep and avoid a lot of the things she loved eating, at least for as long as she was pregnant. Besides, she’d be putting on all that weight again, and she didn’t know if she’d be disciplined enough to lose those extra pounds this time.

  But would she have to give up on her friendship with Rachel as well? She hoped that the answer was no, while at the same time she could only imagine Rachel’s pain. The news would hit her hard, Lauren knew that much. Which was why she was sitting here, in her car on the parking lot, instead of going in to the diner to meet Rachel. She didn’t want to hurt her friend.

  With one last look at the ultrasound picture, she stuck it behind the visor and grabbed her purse. No point putting it off. Taking a deep breath, she got out of the car. She desperately tried to think of the right words to use, but it seemed impossible that the happy news wouldn’t be a punch in the gut for Rachel.

  What to do?

  At the diner, Rachel was already waiting in their favorite booth. She even had a cup of coffee sitting in front of her. Lauren cursed under her breath. She was late! Not a great start.

  A young waitress with short hair was leaning behind the counter and didn’t even look up when Lauren walked by.

  Rachel looked impatient. Shit!

  ‘Hi,’ Lauren said, slipping into the bench opposite her friend. ‘I’m sorry, I . . .’
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  ‘What’s going on? Why were you sitting in your car for a solid ten minutes?’ Rachel launched her attack, motioning through the window at Lauren’s car.

  ‘As I said – I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you wait. Mom called me on my cell phone, and I didn’t want to cut her short,’ Lauren lied. ‘Have you ordered?’

  Rachel nodded and ran her fingers through her hair.

  ‘You look great. Did you just get your hair done?’ Lauren asked, admiring her friend’s shiny black bob.

  ‘Yeah, I had them try a darker shade. What do you think?’

  ‘I think it looks amazing! I wish I had such straight hair!’

  ‘But I love your curls!’ Rachel laughed her deep, booming laugh. ‘Do you remember when we were teenagers – you tried to straighten your hair but burned it, and I unsuccessfully tried to roll up my flat, lanky hair with the curling iron!’

  Lauren laughed.

  ‘Yeah, we looked horrible by the end of it!’

  ‘You always want what you can’t have,’ Rachel confirmed, and they laughed about their hair-styling mishaps from so many years ago.

  ‘Rachel, I’m pregnant,’ Lauren confessed abruptly. ‘I’m sorry, I know how hard this must be for you, but . . . but Tim and I are going to have another baby. I didn’t know how to tell you . . . I don’t want you to be sad.’

  Rachel didn’t say anything. She looked at Lauren, and the smile had disappeared from her face.

  ‘Rachel?’ Lauren asked quietly, anxiously watching her friend slowly unfreeze.

  ‘That . . . that’s wonderful,’ Rachel whispered, and looked Lauren in the eye. Tears were welling up in her face, but she smiled. Lauren circled the table, sat down next to her friend, and hugged her tight.

  ‘I am so sorry, Rachel,’ she said with her voice shaking, but her friend resolutely shook her head.

  ‘Don’t be. Honestly, I’m happy for you. I . . .’

  Her voice was breaking, and she dug her face into Lauren’s shoulder. Lauren rubbed her hands down Rachel’s back, trying to comfort her, and fighting back her own tears.