Then He Kissed Me (24 page)

Nate saw the tears on her face and he didn’t wait to be asked inside. Instead, he put Hector on the ground, then he picked her up in his arms, kicked the door closed, and deposited her on the couch. “Thank God you’re here.”

Okay, this was good. If he was coming over to break up with her, he wouldn’t have swooped her up like that and she wouldn’t be sitting on his lap right now.

“Where else would I be?” she asked softly.

“I don’t know. But I was afraid you might not want to see me.”

“Is that why you didn’t call?”

He nodded.

“What happened between you and Jessica?”

“She’s under the delusion that we belong together. I told her it wasn’t happening. End of story.”

Relief flooded every cell in her body. “Something tells me it’s not going to be that easy to get rid of her, though.” He didn’t respond. Making some of that relief feel premature. “Where is she by the way?”

He didn’t meet her gaze. “She’s still at my place.”

“
What
?”

“You were right. She was waiting for me—
damn it
—she still has a key to my house,” he said, like he’d just remembered that. Nate blew out a frustrated breath. “I explained to her that my feelings had changed and, I think she understands. But she said it was too late to find a hotel for the night.”

“You mean, she refused to leave.”

He looked at her. “Yes,” he admitted. It was first time Nate had
ever
fudged information.

“Wow.”

“Jessica is ballsy,” he agreed. “It’s what makes her a good attorney.”

“I bet.”

“In which case, Jessica is now at my place and I find myself homeless for the night.” He quickly glanced around the living room. “Where’s Henry?”

“Spending the night at the Grant’s.”

“Excellent.”

He went in to kiss her, but Lauren placed her hand against his chest and slipped off his lap. “Nate, we need to talk.”

He looked wary of what she was about to say. “Okay, so talk.”

“I believe you when you say you think you don’t have feelings for Jessica anymore. But…this is all too much for me right now. You understand that, don’t you?”

“Just because Tom Donalan was an asshole, doesn’t mean I’m one, too.”

Of all the things she’d expected him to say, that hadn’t been one of them.

She stiffened. “What does this have to do with Tom?”

“I know you felt like you always came in second to Allie, but Jessica
isn’t
my Allie. If I wanted Jessica, I could have her. I want
you
.”

She glanced down at her clasped hands. He was saying everything she wanted to hear. So why was it so hard to believe him? He’d never been anything but honest with her. “I want you, too,” she said. “But I think…we need to take a step back. I can’t go forward until Jessica is completely gone from your life.”

“She
is
gone from my life.”

“Really? Because I thought you just told me she’s staying the night at your place. All this time, she’s had a
key
to your house, Nate. And what? You just forgot about it?”

“Yes, I just forgot about it.”                              

Lauren felt her lungs seize up. “Nate, please be honest with me. Do you still love her?”

“Absolutely not.”

“But…you did love her at one time. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have stayed together for three years, and you wouldn’t have proposed. I
heard
you that night at The Harbor House, remember? You got down on one knee and asked her spend the rest of her life with you. Nate, that was less than six months ago.”

He raked a hand through his hair. “What can I say? I was insane.”

“But you did love her once, right?” she persisted.

He couldn’t meet her gaze. “I suppose so. Or at least, I thought I did.”

“Then maybe you owe it to one another to talk again. To see if there’s still something there.” She hated saying it, but she cared enough for Nate to want him to be happy. Jessica was totally wrong for him, but he needed to figure that out for himself. She was nearly positive that he
had
figured it out, but if by some slim chance Jessica made him happy, then who was she to stand in their way? Her eyes felt suspiciously wet. Oh, no. She was going to cry again, and she didn’t want to cry in front of Nate. She wanted to be the strong, supportive friend he needed right now. Even if it
killed
her.

“Believe me, there’s nothing there,” he said. Maybe just a tad too vehemently.

“I think the man doth protest too much,” Lauren said softly.

“Please don’t use some bullshit Shakespearean psychology on me.”

“I’m just saying…I asked you to either get back with her, or break up with her in a way that she understood. Obviously, that didn’t happen tonight. And…I can’t live in this kind of limbo. I just can’t. We’ve only been together a few months. It’s still early enough that no one will get hurt here if we decide to end it between us.” It was such a lie. But she had to give him an out.

 His face went blank. “Right. No one will get hurt.”

“So… maybe it’s best if you and Hector go somewhere else tonight. I just need some time, that’s all.

He looked at her, then nodded slowly. “All right. I’ll go to my sister’s.” He picked up Hector and turned to go and in that instant she caught a fleeting moment of true sadness in his eyes. And it made her so sad that she almost asked him to stay. But she couldn’t.

“Nate? Can I ask you a question? Do you dislike dogs?”

“Of course
not
. Where did that come from?”

She gave him a shaky smile. “Nowhere important.” Jessica had no clue who Nate was. Or what he felt. Or how his mind worked. All she had seen three years ago was an attractive package that she could mold into something she wanted. But she’d never taken the time to understand what it was
he
wanted.

She remembered the first night they made love. She had looked into his eyes and thought
who are you
? She hadn’t known then, but she did now.

Nate Miller was a decent man who tried his hardest to live up to the expectations of the people he cared about. He was a good son, a good brother, and a good friend to anyone lucky enough to know him. He was patient and smart and thoughtful. And ironically,
he did
care about other people, and he did want to give back to the community. He had become (or had been all along) his own stock answer to the question he said he hated so much.

All those years ago in high school when she’d somehow felt that he was the only person who could really see her… It was uncanny. Now, after all this time, she still felt that connection. Only this time,
she
was the one who saw him for what he really was.

She watched him walk to his car. She’d done the right thing asking him to leave. Not because she didn’t care for him, or because she thought he was really in love with Jessica.

But because she wasn’t sure where the two of them would end up. And the thing was, somewhere in the middle of everything that had happened in the past few months, she had fallen in love. Truly deeply in love for the first time in her life. And nothing had ever scared her more.

M
onday morning was bustling
at the shop. Not with actual live customers, but Dhara had come in early to help Lauren handle the flood of virtual customers who had placed Internet orders. “I think we’re going to need some more help besides my mom and the aunts,” Dhara said gleefully.

Lauren looked at the computer screen in amazement. “I think you’re right.” There were nearly 200 orders to fill. It seemed impossible to believe. But in the short span of two days Baby Got Bump had somehow gone viral.

“This is what we do,” Dhara said. “First, we put a hold on new orders. Not only will that allow us to catch our breath, but customers always go crazy when they want something they can’t get. Like when Apple makes everyone wait in line for their new iPhone and then they run out.”

“Doesn’t that just make people angry?”

“Yes, but in a good way.”

“Okay, you’re the marketing person, so I’ll take your word on that,” Lauren said.

“Then we contact all the customers and we offer them a discount if they’re willing to wait an extra couple of weeks before we get out their orders. Then, we work day and night until we fill them.”

 “What about wages?” Lauren had no idea what the going rate was for skilled seamstresses, or anything else for that matter.

“Let me handle that,” Dhara said. She pulled out a notebook from her work tote and began jotting down figures. “Anything else?”

They had a budget. They had a place to order supplies. They had a workspace, at least, temporarily. Now all they needed was to put their plan in action.

 “One more thing,” Lauren said, “I know you were looking for a marketing job, but this idea could be something really good. Do you think you might consider a partnership? Fifty-fifty between us? I would be responsible for the designs and the work flow, and you could handle the business end of it? The website and the orders and all that?”

Dhara smiled like she knew something Lauren didn’t. She pulled out a folded sheet of paper from her tote. “I already took the liberty of drawing up a contract between us.
Just
in case you offered.”

Lauren opened the paper and quickly read the contents. “This looks good. I’ll have someone look at it tonight, just to make sure we’re both covered here.”

“Of course.” Dhara began to squeal. “Oh, my God! I can’t believe this! I own a company. Well, I own half a company. You’re not going to be sorry, Lauren, this is going to work. You’ll see!”

They gave each other a hug.

“There’s just one more thing,” Dhara said.

“Uh-oh, why don’t I like the sound of that?”

“No, it’s totally cool, it’s just…you should probably know that I didn’t come up with Baby Got Bump all on my own.”

“Oh, lord, please don’t tell me you plagiarized it or anything.”

“No, nothing like that. It’s just, my girlfriend came up with that one night when we were messing around.”

Lauren felt like the world’s most clueless wonder. “
Girlfriend
? Oh, I had no idea!”

Dhara flushed. “It’s just we’ve been keeping things on the low down. Just in case it didn’t work out, but I’m pretty sure we’re going to be moving in together, so you need to know about that, too.”

“Does your family know…I mean—”

“Does my family know I’m gay? Oh, yeah, they’ve known forever. But my mother would kick my ass if she knew I turned down a perfectly good marketing job for a woman. The thing is…this new venture between us has so much more potential than the job I turned down. I really think it’s totally worth the risk.”

“And your girlfriend is cool with us using Baby Got Bump?”

“Totally cool. As a matter of fact, you know her.” Dhara smiled slyly. “Or at least, you know her brother really well. I’m seeing Lanie Miller.”

Lauren felt her jaw go slack. It took her a few seconds to recover. “That’s…great! Um, you do know she can be pretty intense, right?”

“You mean like the day she came in here and practically threatened you if you stood up her brother? Oh, yeah, I was listening to some of that. That’s the day we met, actually.”

Lauren laughed. “Okay.” Then she sobered. Talking about Lanie made her think of Nate, and she’d been trying really hard not to think of him. Because whenever she did, her eyes would become mysteriously misty.

“What?” Dhara asked, sensing Lauren’s sudden change in mood.

Lauren told her all about Jessica and her return to Whispering Bay.

“Lanie can’t stand her,” Dhara said. “But honestly, you have nothing to worry about. Lanie says she’s never seen Nate happier in his entire life since he’s been with you.”

“She said that?” Lauren asked hopefully.

Dhara nodded. “You’ll see. Everything will work out just the way it’s supposed to in the end. And if it doesn’t, then it’s not the end.”

Lauren narrowed her eyes. “Wait. Isn’t that a quote from a movie or something?”

“Busted.” They laughed and then Dhara picked up her coffee mug and held it up in the air. “To skanky ex-girlfriends who get what’s coming to them!”

Lauren picked up hers as well and they clinked mugs.

“To Baby Got Bump!” Lauren said.

“To getting rich!” Dhara shot back.

Well, yes, there was always that, too.

*~*~*

T
he first thing Nate
did Monday morning after Jessica left his house for her “new job” was find a locksmith. He’d wanted to change out the locks yesterday, but Jessica had refused to leave. He’d gone down to the police station to see what his options were, but according to Zeke, if Nate wanted Jessica physically removed from the premises, he’d have to press trespassing charges.

He’d been tempted. It would serve her right, and he’d been mad enough to do it, but Lanie had cautioned him against doing something so drastic. “As much as I’d like to see her scrawny ass in the clink, you’ll regret it later.” So he’d ended up spending the weekend at his sister’s. He hadn’t called Lauren. Or tried to see her. Staying away from her had been the hardest thing he’d ever done. But she was right. Until he could look her in the eye and tell her that Jessica was no longer in his life, he didn’t deserve her. Hopefully, changing the locks on his house would be the big clue Jessica needed to understand things were over between them for good.

He gave the locksmith directions and instructed him under no circumstances, was he to give a key to anyone except Nate himself.

The whole thing made him late for work.

“It’s about time you showed up,” Lola said.

Nate put Hector in his cage then picked up his patient schedule. He was startled to see Maureen Handy listed as his first patient of the day. “I can’t see her.”

“Yeah, I saw that. Funny thing is, she
requested
you,” Lola said.

“Maureen Handy requested
me
? I thought she only saw Doc.”

“Apparently not. At least not today. And that was before she even knew he’d called in sick.”

“What? Again?
Shit
,” he muttered. He pulled out his cell. “Has he seen a doctor? I’m going over to—”

Lola grabbed the phone from his hand. “You’re doing nothing of the kind. If you must know, Doc is in Destin today. Golfing.”

“He’s golfing?” Nate said, stunned. “I don’t understand.”

“Lord, when they passed out the brains you must have thought they said trains and asked for a slow one. Doc hasn’t been sick, you idiot, he’s been calling out sick to force the patients to see you.”

Nate slowly shook his head. “What?”

“You heard me. And believe it or not, it’s working. The people in this town must be pretty desperate.” She lifted the print out. “Almost a third of these patients are yours now. Congratulations, it looks like we’re going to be stuck with you.” She looked up to the ceiling as if addressing the heavens and shook her head. “God help us all.”

*~*~*

N
ate picked up his
laptop and paused at the exam room door to read Bianca’s nursing assessment. Vital signs were all normal. Next to the line for chief complaint was the word PRIVATE in all caps. Private? He didn’t know Lauren’s mother well, but what little he did know about her told him he was probably going to wish he hadn’t come in to work today.

For one crazy moment, he thought about going back to his office and calling Lauren. Not to discuss her mother. No. That would be a HIPPA violation. But the last two days had been the longest in the past couple of months that he’d gone without either seeing her or hearing her voice. And the truth was, he’d never been more miserable. His appetite was sluggish. Whenever his cell went off his pulse skyrocketed, only to plummet down radically when he realized that it wasn’t Lauren on the other end of the phone. This morning’s run had been the worst time of his adult life and he could barely concentrate on the crossword puzzle. For the first time since he’d incorporated it into his daily routine, he hadn’t been able to solve it.

If things didn’t get back to normal soon he didn’t know what would happen next. He only knew…he needed her in his life. She’d come along when he’d least expected it and somehow, he’d fallen in love with her. Not because they were compatible (although they were), and not because the sex was good (to call it good would almost be an insult. It was the best he’d ever had in his life), and not because she was beautiful or smart or kind (although, again, she was all those things).

But because with her, for the first time in his life he could truly be himself. He didn’t have to think about what he said, or how it would come across. She accepted him exactly as he was. She didn’t want to change him or make him into something that he wasn’t.

The idea that she could possibly be in love with him as well, nearly brought him to his knees. He couldn’t think straight. Not until he told her how he felt and knew how she felt in return.

He took a moment to compose himself, then knocked on the door, waited a few seconds, then entered. “Mrs. Handy, it’s a pleasure to see you.”

She sat on the exam table, but instead of a patient gown, she wore grey slacks and a rose colored silk top. She was an attractive woman, in her early sixties. Lauren had inherited her coloring and her bone structure. He found himself wondering briefly if this is what she would look like in thirty years. He hoped (prayed) he’d be around to find out.

“Hello, Dr. Miller. How are you?” her soft southern drawl spoke of refinement and elegance.

“I’m well, thank-you. What can I do for you today?”

She lowered her eyes and began fidgeting with the pearls around her neck. “I want to thank you for seeing me. Normally, I see Doc, of course, but…I have a situation that I didn’t want to talk to him about.”

Nate sat on his stool and waited.

“First off, can I just tell you how wonderful I think it is that you and Lauren are dating? And your sister. Well, I don’t know your mother at all, but that Melanie! What a lovely girl. She has such a natural way with animals. It’s a shame that she isn’t dating anyone! I’m making it my personal mission to find her someone by the end of the year.”

Nate felt a trickle of sweat roll down his back. Was the air conditioner on the fritz? “Mrs. Handy, I’m not sure you’re aware, but, my sister is a lesbian.”

She blinked. “Yes, I know that. What? Did you think I was going to set her up with a man?” She chuckled. “Oh, no. I don’t think that would work at all. No, I’m keeping my eye out for her. She’s counting on me, you know.”

Nate took a moment to recover, then he went through her chart on his computer. No allergies. No major medical problems. Blood levels all normal. He studied her history. “You had some GYN surgery done in the early eighties?”

“Oh, yes, back in eighty-one and eighty-two. Fertility problems. Dan and I tried for almost ten years before I conceived with Lauren. She really is my miracle baby. She was the sweetest thing. Never…cried. Never fussed. Always such a Daddy’s girl! That’s why Dan calls her his Sweet Tea, you know.”

He turned back to look at her. Tears ran down her cheeks.

“Are you all right?” he asked, startled. He handed her a box of tissues.

“Oh, I’m just being silly.” She took a tissue and dabbed under her eyes. “I was cleaning out closets yesterday. I’m heading a new committee at the country club where we recycle suits and dresses to give to people who’ve been out of work. It’s so difficult to make the right impression in an interview if you aren’t dressed smartly, you know.” She gave him a shaky smile. “Not that you would have that problem. You always look so sharp!”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Neither of them said anything for a few moments. He sat there, waiting for her to start up again. He didn’t have to wait long.

“Dan was a smart dresser, too. He was an accountant, you know. A certified CPA. We met at the University of Florida. I’m not from here originally. My people are all from the St. Augustine area. I was a freshman and he was a senior, and he was so handsome. We were engaged by the time he graduated. Back then, girls didn’t always finish school, not if they’d already gotten a fellow. It was a joke. Getting your MRS degree. Dan was from old Whispering Bay money, so naturally, we moved here. His daddy was loaded and he set him up with this nice little firm in Panama City. Not that he didn’t work hard for his success. Dan was always a hard worker.”