One Summer Night Page 8

  He had been under the assumption that Latham sent him to New York in order to bring some distance between him and his daughter. Now being accused of hiding away, like a coward, was more than unfair. If Lauren had only listened to him, talked everything out with him, just this once . . . He would never have left her side. But she had offered him no hope of a relationship, never mind a future together. Which was why he had thrown himself into his work and tried very hard to forget that he’d fallen for his boss’s daughter. He wasn’t really the relationship kind. All in all, he was quite satisfied with his life of no obligations and commitments. But meeting Lauren had made him question that lifestyle. Ordinarily, he did not enjoy waking up in a bed that was not his own. But starting his day with Lauren in his arms had felt so right and, under different circumstances, might have turned into something more.

  Two days later he wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans and knocked on her door. The honeysuckle emitted a tantalizing scent, and hundreds upon hundreds of tiny yellow flowers gleamed and glowed along the porch pillars. He wasn’t exactly keen to visit Lauren at the lake house, but the hospital had told him that she’d been released that morning.

  It was Chris who opened the door, and even though Tim had never been the jealous kind before he now found himself feeling irritated that this guy was obviously spending quite a lot of time with Lauren.

  ‘Hi! Come on in,’ Chris said, trying to mask his surprise with a nervous cough. ‘It’s been a while, since . . .’

  ‘I’ve been busy!’ Tim cut in. ‘Not that that’s any of your business.’

  Chris rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders.

  ‘As you wish, dude! But whatever it is you think you’re doing here, this is in fact my business.’

  Tim glared at his opponent. That guy was seriously getting on his nerves! Long hair, tattoos, and the black motorcycle in the driveway – what did Lauren see in him?

  ‘I’m here to see Lauren, not you.’

  Chris grabbed Tim by the arm, and Tim caught a glimpse of the body of a snake winding itself around Chris’s neck. It was probably supposed to look dangerous, but he wasn’t intimidated one bit.

  ‘If you hurt her one more time, sunshine, I will drag you outside, lock you up in a trunk, and leave you to die a slow, miserable death!’

  ‘Is that supposed to be a threat?’

  Chris grinned, but it looked more like a snarl.

  ‘You bet your ass it is.’

  ‘How cute.’ Tim pulled free. He would have loved to give Chris a shiner, but that would likely annoy Lauren even more. ‘Is she upstairs?’ he asked instead, smoothing down his T-shirt. Chris’s faint nod was more than enough proof that he would have preferred to kick him out of the house than to let him see her.

  Still, he let him pass, and Tim climbed the stairs up into the attic.

  The windows were open, and a light breeze carried the smell of summer into the space. The sun was painting long stripes of gold onto the floor and made the furniture sparkle. In the falling light, dust particles were dancing above the bed. Lauren had apparently overheard him and Chris talking downstairs, because she was uneasily looking toward him. She was sitting upright in her bed, a book in her lap, and a thin blanket spread over her legs. Her baby belly was now clearly pronounced, and Tim hesitated for a moment. Lauren being pregnant had been one of only a few things on his mind these past few months, and yet seeing her like that now: it startled him.

  She looked stunning. Her golden freckles lent a warm shimmer to her light skin, and her curls fell softly over her face. There was a hematoma on her cheek from the accident, shimmering dark behind her curls.

  ‘Hi,’ he muttered and slowly stepped closer as she stared at him in silence. Carefully, he sat down next to her on the edge of the bed, and only now noticed her foot wrapped in a cast.

  ‘Hi, Tim,’ Lauren greeted him and shifted to the side to give him more room.

  He let his eyes wander over her and felt a familiar sense of tenderness that came on every time he was near her. She seemed a little chubbier, but then he had always liked curves. It was crazy to think that there should be a baby in her belly. He found it hard to imagine a tiny person growing inside of her. And yet, he felt magically drawn to her belly and had to force himself not to reach out and touch it.

  ‘How are you feeling?’ he asked, to break the silence.

  ‘I’ve been better.’ She smiled, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn’t sure how she’d react. Accuse him? Pick a fight? Be angry? Show disappointment, maybe? He would understand if that was how Lauren felt. And yet, she smiled at him: a good sign.

  ‘Your father told me you had an accident?’

  Lauren nodded and wrapped her arms around her baby belly.

  ‘Yes, I did. Is that why you’re here? Did he send you?’

  Tim hesitated. It wasn’t easy to answer that question. Of course Peter had sent him, except . . . except maybe he would have come of his own volition if offered the choice.

  ‘I’m here because I want to know how you are. You . . . and the baby,’ he replied matter-of-factly.

  Lauren looked at him, as if doubting his words, but left it at that.

  ‘The baby’s fine. It’s my leg, that’s all . . . I guess I’ll be confined to bed for a while.’

  ‘Do you need anything? Is there anything I . . . I can do for you?’ He shrugged his shoulders helplessly, trying to figure out how to breach this distance between them. He wanted to be there for her until she was feeling better.

  ‘Thanks for asking, but I’ll be fine. Chris is staying over until this evening . . . and my brother is coming this weekend. Plus, my parents are nearby, so . . .’

  ‘So are you and this Chris guy together now?’ he asked sharply, a moment later wanting to slap himself for posing the question.

  Lauren raised her eyebrows in surprise, and he could feel her withdrawing back into her shell.

  ‘I’m sorry . . . That . . . that’s none of my business.’

  ‘Damn straight!’

  Tim waited, hoping she’d give him an answer anyway. A simple ‘We’re just friends’ would have been fine, but Lauren just pressed her lips together tightly.

  ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry, just wanted to make myself useful.’

  ‘Out of the blue like that? Given how not so long ago you were quite against any kind of commitment?’ Lauren asked, infuriated now.

  ‘Lauren, that’s not true! You never gave me a chance to play a part in your life!’

  Lauren’s eyes glowered with anger, and Tim couldn’t help but swallow hard. He reached for her hand to breach that chasm between them.

  ‘Are you trying to put the blame on me, Lauren? Then try to be honest at least! You confronted me with your decision to have the baby, and then you pushed me away without giving me so much as a chance to even get used to the idea!’

  She wanted to break free, but he wouldn’t let go of her hand.

  ‘That’s not true! You’ve been very clear from the beginning that you were in no position to have a serious relationship, never mind giving up your career for something as inconvenient as a child!’

  ‘That’s bullshit! All right, I admit I didn’t think much about a future together when we first met. Do you really want to hold that against me? You were just as horny for me as I was for you. Are you trying to tell me that you were in love with me right from our first night together? After we had, like, a total of three conversations before then? You’re a hypocrite if that’s what you’re trying to make me believe.’

  He could tell he’d hit the nail on the head, because Lauren’s cheeks started burning and she no longer fought against his grip.

  ‘And you know what, Lauren? That’s perfectly fine. Because we’re grown-ups. We’re allowed to have an adventure without knowing where it’ll lead. We can climb into bed together as long as we’re not hurting anyone. We didn’t promise each other undying love, before . . .’

>   ‘All right! You can stop now! I get it. I’m not asking you to have a relationship with me. Nobody’s asking you to. So, what do you want?’

  ‘I don’t know, Lauren. I don’t know! I want you to stop thinking in only black or white. Just because we’re not a couple we’re not allowed to hang out? Bullshit!’

  Lauren didn’t say anything and, hesitantly, he released her hand.

  ‘I want to help you, Lauren. And I’m glad you’re having the baby – whatever that might mean for the two of us. Really, I’m glad.’

  Lauren’s lips trembled, and he wanted nothing more than to kiss her and promise her a life safe from harm, but which he was unable to guarantee.

  Someone behind Tim cleared his throat, saving Lauren from having to respond. It was Chris, who had climbed the stairs and was now staring at them from across the staircase.

  ‘I need to get going. One of my clients broke down on the highway, and I have to tow his car to the repair shop.’ He cast a wondering eye over Tim. ‘Do you want me to come back later, or . . .’

  Tim got up and planted himself by the head of the bed. Putting his fists against his hips, he looked determined.

  ‘She’ll be fine. I can stay with her.’ Chris raised a skeptical eyebrow.

  ‘Lorelei?’ he quizzed his patient. He could see conflicting feelings reflecting on her face, before at last she gave a faint nod.

  ‘It’s all right, Chris. I . . . We will try not to kill each other.’

  Tim laughed out loud. Optimism at its best.

  * * *

  Tim shot Chris an angry glance. Back then, he didn’t like the close relationship Chris and Lauren shared, but today he knew how important he was for Lauren. He was the kind of friend anyone could wish for, but it had taken him a lot of time to realize it.

  Tim placed his arm across Lauren’s upper thighs and caressed her gently.

  ‘That was a good day,’ he muttered, staring up into the clear night sky.

  ‘Excuse me? A good day? My bones were broken . . .’ Lauren called out, and everyone laughed. Tim tilted his head to the side, as if considering this.

  ‘Fine, maybe not a good day per se. But that’s not what I mean, and you know it. It was a good day for me because it allowed me to be close to you again.’

  Finding Each Other

  After Chris had left, Lauren became only too aware of Tim’s physical presence. Some kind of awkward truce settled over them. She’d been mad at Tim for months, but now that he was here it all seemed so insignificant. Instead, all she could think about were all the things they had done with and to each other in this very bed.

  ‘Should I make us some coffee maybe?’ Tim asked, unsure.

  ‘Do you mind?’

  ‘Not at all. I could really do with a cup myself.’

  Tim disappeared downstairs, and Lauren breathed a sigh of relief. Her heart was thumping in her chest, and she could feel the butterflies in her stomach that always came to life when Tim was around. It was enough to drive her crazy! In spite of everything that had happened, she still had a major crush on him. There was a crease in the comforter where he had sat only moments before, and she traced it with her finger, wishing for things to be different between them.

  Tim was busying himself in the kitchen, and Lauren meditatively ran her hands over her belly. That’s the way it should always be. She and Tim – and the baby – and nobody else. If there was even the slightest chance of a future together, she would fight for it.

  But did such a chance exist?

  It didn’t take long until Tim returned with two cups of coffee. He put Lauren’s cup down on the narrow bedside table, walked over to the window, and leaned against the windowsill. The sun was low on the horizon, shrouding his body in an outline of gold and making his blonde hair shimmer.

  They looked at one another, and smiled.

  ‘It’s weird, isn’t it?’ Lauren said, fishing for her cup.

  ‘Yeah. We can barely look each other in the eye without it feeling strange,’ Tim conceded, sipping his coffee. ‘Careful – it’s hot. Wouldn’t want you to sue me.’

  Lauren laughed. She had completely forgotten about the stupid lawsuit she had threatened at the diner.

  ‘I can’t believe you remember that.’

  ‘I remember everything, Lauren.’ There wasn’t a trace of a joke in his voice anymore. Quite the contrary. His voice sounded serious, and coarse. ‘Every little thing. Every detail.’

  Just one look into Tim’s blue eyes, and her heart started racing again. His words sent pleasant shivers down her spine and all over her body, but Lauren was not willing to give in to them.

  ‘Are you sure you’re not confusing me with Caroline? Or some other old flame from New York?’

  She knew she sounded like a jealous wife, but she didn’t care. She had to face the truth that Tim was involved with many different women. No matter what he said: she meant nothing to him.

  ‘Yes, I’m quite sure, Lauren,’ he retorted cheerfully, strolling over to the bed. ‘Because I haven’t been with a woman since the fall.’

  ‘You’re lying!’ Hah, she had him! What a liar he was. ‘I saw you with Caroline at Christmas, so don’t give me that bullcrap!’ Lauren was surprised at how much it hurt to talk about it. And how much his lying hurt.

  ‘What? What are you talking about? I’m not lying! The last woman I slept with was you! Last fall!’

  ‘Boo-hoo! Save yourself the trouble. I saw you. I drove by your apartment, and I saw you hugging each other. The day after Christmas.’

  ‘You’re wrong! . . . Oh . . . wait, I know what you mean.’ He laughed and sat down beside her. His coffee cup was empty, and he set it down before looking her in the eye again. ‘Caroline and I had breakfast that morning. She tried several times to reach me, and I never returned her calls. When I realized why I was avoiding her, I knew I had to tell her, because even though we weren’t technically together I at least owed her an explanation.’

  Lauren was furious. His story was outrageous.

  ‘So you had “breakfast” did you? And you want me to believe that?’

  Tim smirked.

  ‘You don’t have to believe me, but it’s the truth. I told her that I didn’t want to see her anymore.’

  ‘Well, when you were hugging it out it didn’t exactly look as if you’d just broken her heart.’

  ‘Believe what you will, but Caroline and I were never a couple. We stopped seeing each other, but we’re still friends.’ And with a wink, he added: ‘That’s what grown-ups do, sometimes.’

  ‘Idiot,’ she muttered, contemplatively biting her lip. Should she believe his story?

  ‘Lauren?’ he said and gently lifted her chin. ‘You don’t have to believe me, but it’s true. I haven’t been with anyone else since then.’

  ‘Why are you telling me this?’

  He smiled, and for the first time he put the flat of his hand against her belly.

  ‘Because I want you to know that I believed in us – last year, in the fall. I really wanted to know what the two of us might become.’

  Lauren shivered.

  He spread his fingers over her belly. His eyes locked with hers as he gently pushed his hands under her T-shirt, touching the taut skin underneath.

  ‘Tim, I . . . ’ Somehow she felt like apologizing to him. If it was true what he said, then she . . . had single-handedly blocked the path to her own happiness, only because she assumed the worst and didn’t dare to trust him.

  ‘Do you know what it’s going to be yet?’ he asked before she could start with her apology.

  Her skin tickled from his touch, and the baby shifted.

  Tim froze, but Lauren placed her hands on his and guided him to her side, to the spot where the baby kept digging its tiny foot into her coastal arch.

  ‘That’s where she likes to kick me,’ Lauren explained, and with perfect timing her abdominal wall rose up and met the palm of Tim’s hand.

  ‘S
he? She likes it?’ he pressed, and Lauren nodded. She smiled a happy smile because she had wished for a girl.

  ‘Yes. Mia. I am going to call her Mia.’

  Tim didn’t reply. He seemed fascinated by the idea of having made contact with his daughter for the first time. A smile danced around his lips, and his eyes were all but closed. Strands of hair had fallen across his forehead, and Lauren needed to force herself not to brush them back. It was nice being this close to him, without fighting. She couldn’t help but wonder if the two of them had just been offered their second chance.

  It was almost dark out; only a thin sliver of light still illuminated the trees from behind. Lauren finally worked up enough courage.

  ‘I’m sorry, Tim . . .’ she whispered, trying not to disturb their new-found intimacy. Slowly, he raised his eyes to look at her. ‘I . . . I should have told you, but . . .’

  ‘Lauren, stop. It doesn’t matter anymore.’

  He pulled his hands out from under her T-shirt, and smiled. ‘You made a really tough decision. And you have a lot more courage than I probably would have. I’m not angry anymore.’

  ‘But . . . but where do we go from here? What . . . ?’

  He laughed, stretched out beside her on the bed, and pulled the comforter over them both, all without so much as touching her. Yet his eyes were as soft as a caress.

  ‘Stop making plans all the time, Lauren. Plans have this habit of never working out.’

  ‘So the plan is to not have a plan?’ Lauren frowned, and Tim laughed.

  ‘Yeah, something like that.’

  The wind billowed out the curtains, carrying with it the heavy, sun-kissed fragrance of honeysuckle. Tim kissed her on the temple and reached for her hand.

  He was here. He was really here. It seemed like a dream to her, and she didn’t dare close her eyes for fear of waking up and finding out that the dream was over. His fingers were tightly wrapped around hers, and she could feel the warmth emanating from him. Inconspicuously, she inched a little closer. It felt good, his body close to hers. She wished that they weren’t fully clothed.