by Amy Vastine
Aaron realized Sasha had no idea that Lauren was the Lauren who was causing Bonnie all her trouble. “We’ll get out of your way so you can throw that out. It looks heavy,” he said, trying to move Sasha along.
“It’s not that heavy,” he said, shifting it into the crook of one arm. “See? Oh, I remember now. There’s a Lauren in town trying to take down my girl Bonnie. Can you believe anyone would have beef with someone like Bonnie? Blows my mind. That woman is one of the nicest people I have ever met. Bad Lauren better hope we never cross paths, but it was nice to meet you, Aaron’s sister Lauren.” He walked out the front door with the toilet.
Lauren paled and looked like she needed to throw up.
“He didn’t really mean anything by that,” Aaron said, trying reassure his sister. “He wouldn’t actually do anything if he knew who you were.”
Her fear was evident on her face. He wouldn’t doubt she had the sudden urge to flee.
“I know he looks scary, but he’s actually a really nice guy. He was at the coffee shop the other day when your so-called friends attacked Bonnie while she was out buying me and her dad some coffee.”
Lauren hugged herself tightly and closed the front door. Again, lowering her voice, she said, “So because other people were mean to her, I’m the bad guy? Does he even know what Bonnie did to me?”
“How many times do I have to remind you that she didn’t do anything?” His sister was exasperating. “She didn’t even give Mitch her phone number!”
“Help!” David called out from the living room.
Aaron didn’t hesitate. He raced into the living room. He had promised Bonnie there would be no accidents involving her father, and he’d meant it.
David was on a ladder in the center of the room, holding a piece of the ceiling that was falling down while the ceiling fan he’d apparently decided to take down by himself dangled by its wires. He had leaned forward to keep the ceiling from crashing down on top of him, and the ladder was ready to tip over.
“What is going on?” Aaron went to steady the ladder. “Lauren, come help.”
“I don’t know what happened. I was trying to take this fan down, and when I pulled the wires out to detach them, I must have pulled on the electrical box and this section of drywall just started to collapse on top of me. Where’s Sasha?”
“Lauren! Come hold the ladder so David doesn’t fall.” Thankfully, his sister did as he asked. He heard the front door open, and a second later, Sasha was there to help as well. He was tall enough to help David hold up the sheet of drywall while Aaron detached the fan from the electrical box. Once Aaron could help Sasha with the drywall, David was able to climb down the ladder safely.
David grabbed his utility knife and went back up to cut away the part of the drywall that was still hanging on so the other two could carefully set it on the ground.
“I made your daughter a promise I wouldn’t let anything else happen to you on this job. Are you trying to get me in trouble?” Aaron asked.
“I’ve never had anything like that happen before. I’m guessing that’s where the roof leak was and they painted over the stain instead of fixing the problem, compromising the drywall.”
“Good thing we had Nice Lauren here to help,” Sasha said. Aaron prayed David wouldn’t ask what that was supposed to mean and make everything ten times more awkward.
“Absolutely. Thank you for helping out, Lauren,” David said. “I don’t think I’ve had a ceiling-fan incident like this since you and Bonnie decided to use the one in her bedroom as a cat toy.”
Lauren actually started to laugh. Laugh. That was something Aaron hadn’t heard her do since her canceled wedding.
“Oh my gosh, Buttons loved it at first.”
“Yeah, until she got tangled up in that yarn you two draped over the fan blade and went on the ride of her life,” David said, chuckling, too.
“We tried to turn it off, but we ended up speeding it up.” Lauren doubled over. “That poor cat. Bonnie felt so bad. She thought Buttons would never come near her again.”
“Oh, that cat loved her more than anyone else in the house. It used to make her mother nuts. Abby thought Buttons should love her the most since she was the one who fed her all the time, but that cat would only cuddle with Bonnie. And you, if I remember correctly.”
“She was a sweet cat,” Lauren said wistfully. Mentioning Bonnie so much stopped the laughter, but Aaron could tell his sister had been lost in the memory long enough to recognize it felt good to talk about the way things used to be.
“You’re not only Aaron’s sister, but you’re Bonnie’s friend?” Sasha seemed to think that was a good thing until he started to put two and two together. He had to know that the Lauren who’d had a falling-out with Bonnie used to be a good friend. His smile faded and was replaced with a furrowed brow. “Please tell me you’re not Bad Lauren.”
“She’s not bad,” David said in her defense before Aaron could speak up.
“Lauren’s lost her way a bit, but I know the two girls will figure things out.”
Lauren’s eyes were wet. “I should go. I... I need to go.”
Aaron followed her out. “Hey, I don’t think you’re Bad Lauren, either. I hope you’ll think about finding a way to make peace with me. And with Bonnie.”
His sister wiped the tears on her cheeks. “I don’t know, Aaron. I have to get back to work,” she said, getting into her car.
It wasn’t a no. He would consider that progress in the right direction. If Lauren and Bonnie could find a way to get along, maybe there was a possibility Bonnie would be open to exploring these feelings he thought perhaps both he and Bonnie were feeling for one another.
A guy could hope.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
BONNIE HOPED THIS wasn’t a joke. Mary had texted her that she wanted to meet her for lunch. She wasn’t going to let it hurt her feelings that Mary chose a restaurant fifteen miles out of Blue Springs—at least she wanted to get together.
“Welcome to Gianna’s. How many for lunch today?” the dark-haired hostess asked.
Bonnie had seen Mary’s car in the parking lot. “I think my friend might already be here.” She scanned the eating area, spotting Mary sitting in the corner. “I see her.”
She approached the table warily. There was no telling what might happen at this rendezvous. She was trying to be optimistic, but nothing much had been going her way lately, so there was no reason to believe this would be any different.
Mary offered her a slight smile when she caught sight of her. That was reassuring. Bonnie wanted so badly to regain the trust and support of at least one friend. She was so tired of feeling alone.
“Hi,” she said, sitting down across from Mary. Her stomach ached from anxiety. Eating was the last thing she wanted to do.
“I’m glad you found it,” Mary said, fiddling with the napkin on her lap. Perhaps she was just as nervous as Bonnie was. “I was worried since you said you’d never been here before.”
Bonnie reached for the glass of water in front of her. “It wasn’t hard to find.”
Gianna’s was a sweet little café in New Castle. The tables were covered in white tablecloths, and there was a candle and bud vase with fresh flowers on each one. None of the chairs were matching—instead they were an eclectic mix of different styles and colors. There were floor-to-ceiling windows on the west wall and exposed beams running across the ceiling.
Mary picked up her menu and then put it back down. “I know you’re probably wondering why I asked you to meet me for lunch, and I feel like we should get that out of the way first.”
Bonnie sighed with relief. “That would be appreciated, because I don’t think I can eat with the way my stomach is tied in knots.”
Mary reached across the table and touched Bonnie’s hand. “Mine, too. I’ve missed you. I’ve missed hanging out and getting our
nails done together. I miss Margarita Thursdays at Tim’s Taqueria.”
Fighting back tears, Bonnie nodded. The lump in her throat prevented her from telling Mary how much she missed those same things. Lauren had taken not only herself out of Bonnie’s life, but so many others who were important to her. Mary was one of those people. It wasn’t fair.
“I feel like Lauren is close to changing her mind about you. I think she’s beginning to realize that maybe she was wrong about what was going on or not going on between you and Mitch.”
“Nothing was going on.”
“I know,” Mary assured her, leaning back in her seat.
“What happens if she decides to change her mind? Is she going to ask me to forgive her for what she’s doing to me?” Bonnie needed to make it clear that Lauren was not the victim in this situation. Lauren was the one who needed to beg for Bonnie’s forgiveness, not the other way around.
“I don’t know that she’ll be looking for you to forgive her as much as she’d let everyone know she’s forgiven you.”
“Forgiven me for what?” Bonnie’s voice rose so much that some of the other patrons couldn’t help but stare.
“Don’t get upset. I know it’s not ideal.”
“‘Don’t get upset’? I didn’t do anything. I was treated like a social pariah. She attempted to run me out of town. She got my dad fired. At the very least, I deserve an apology. A very public one, at that.”
Mary picked up her menu again as if she needed to use it to protect herself from Bonnie’s anger. Bonnie knew Mary hadn’t come here to be yelled at. She was clearly here to negotiate the terms of this reunification. However, Bonnie wasn’t ready to meet Lauren halfway. She wanted Lauren to do some crawling. It was only fair.
“You know Lauren. She’s not going to fully admit being wrong. I also think there’s a part of her that is so afraid that you will tell her you want nothing to do with her if she does try to make amends. I need to know that if Lauren wants to be cordial, will you be open to it, or is there no coming back from this?”
It was a valid question and not one Bonnie wanted to answer without truly thinking about the potential consequences. There was a strong part of her that didn’t want to talk to Lauren Cole ever again. There was another part that wanted to be invited over for a Netflix binge with wine and popcorn like they used to do all the time.
The waitress came over to take their orders, offering Bonnie some of that time to think about how she wanted to respond. If she let Lauren believe all she had to do was lift the curse, she’d be giving her the message that it was somehow okay to treat her friends that way. Not even just friends, but more so people in general.
Once the waitress went to put in their orders, Bonnie rested her forearms on the table. “Listen, I know it’s hard for Lauren to eat some crow. She doesn’t do it. Ever. But I guess that’s why it’s even more important for her to do it in this situation. Her strong opinions about me have nearly destroyed my career and my reputation. She actually got my father fired. It’s not okay. She should be sorry about that.”
“Here’s what I know,” Mary said, folding her hands together. “She should apologize, but I’m not sure she will. She wants to move on, but she won’t even do that unless she knows you’re going to move on as well.”
Bonnie could feel her cheeks getting hot. “So what you’re saying is that if I don’t go along with her publicly forgiving me for something I didn’t do, she’s going to keep this going?”
Mary expression was sympathetic. “Pretty much.”
“And you’re okay with that? You’re going to continue to shun me if that’s what Lauren asks you to do?” Her temper was rising. Anger wasn’t an emotion that Bonnie had had to manage very often until recently. She wasn’t very good at it.
“Obviously I would keep trying to convince Lauren to stop. I know Cheryl thinks she should make up with you, too. We’ll both keep trying.”
Bonnie stood up and tossed her napkin on the table. She would not be staying to eat. Not with someone who wasn’t willing to stand up for what was right. “That makes you a terrible friend. To me and to Lauren.”
She found the waitress and canceled her lunch order, offering her a tip for her trouble. Bonnie got in her car, and a flood of emotion poured out of her. What kind of world was she living in where people would choose to follow someone so clearly in the wrong? Maybe what she needed to do was pack up her things and get out of Blue Springs for good. Leave the town and all the horrible people in it behind.
It felt like the right thing to do in this moment, but she knew she couldn’t leave her father behind. He would never leave because everything in Blue Springs reminded him of her mother. He needed to be there, because that was where the memory of her still remained.
Bonnie couldn’t run. In fact, the ultimate revenge against Lauren would be to stay in Blue Springs and act like none of this bothered her in the least. She wiped her face and checked her reflection in her rearview mirror. The people Bonnie wanted in her life would stand up for her. Sasha, her dad, her boss Gordon, and Aaron. He had stood by her through all of it. Even when his family turned on him. He knew what was right, and he was willing to fight for it.
From now on, that would be her focus. No more worrying about what Lauren wanted or how much she missed her old friends. She would appreciate those who had her back. She would be worthy of their loyalty.
* * *
“I FEEL LIKE IT would be easier to tear these walls down than to spend the rest of my life trying to take this godforsaken wallpaper off,” Aaron said as he scraped another strip of wallpaper. It was tearing into small pieces instead of coming off in a big sheet. At this rate, he’d be stripping wallpaper the rest of this flip.
“It might seem easier, but it would be more expensive for you and more time-consuming for me,” David said. He was busy working on the plumbing in the kitchen because the inspector was coming in a couple days to sign off on the electrical and plumbing. Sasha was in the master bedroom framing out the new en suite bathroom and closet.
Time was an issue. They had basically lost a week of work on the inside while the asbestos had been removed. Aaron had opted to contract out replacing the roof. He didn’t even bother trying to get anyone local for fear that his father had threatened everyone in a fifty-mile radius not to work with him. He ended up hiring some guys from Sacramento and offering to pay for their lodging while they were up here.
Once they could get back inside, they had torn down the ceilings in the living room and framed it out. Next up was the master bath plumbing. Aaron had foolishly chosen to peel off wallpaper while he waited for the other two to finish their current tasks. He figured it was the next logical priority, since after plumbing and electrical, it was time to hang the new drywall and fix any flaws in the existing walls.
“Hello?” Bonnie called out from the foyer. Aaron’s heart jumped. It seemed to do that more and more when she was around. “I come bearing gifts. I hope you guys didn’t stop for lunch yet.”
She walked into the living room carrying two pizza boxes from Aaron’s favorite pizza place in Morris and a six-pack of beer. As much as he appreciated the gesture, David had mentioned she was having lunch with Mary today. It didn’t make sense for her to be back here with food in hand.
“That was thoughtful of you, sweetheart,” David said. “How was your lunch?”
“It wasn’t great, but it doesn’t matter. I want to have lunch with the people who really matter in my life.”
Aaron again had mixed feelings. He was happy to be someone who mattered to her, but disappointed that things with Mary hadn’t gone well. “You want to talk about it?”
“Not really,” she said with a sad smile. She handed her dad the beer.
Aaron had been so hopeful after his visit with Lauren. It seemed like things were moving in the right direction when Mary contacted Bonnie. He couldn’t imag
ine what had gone wrong.
He touched her elbow. “I’m here for you.”
She reached up and placed a hand on his cheek. Her touch was electric. She made his heart beat faster. “I know you are, and that means everything.”
It was as if the whole world dropped away and they were the only two people left. Sometimes he wished he could take her away to some private island far from all of this drama. Somewhere no one could hurt her and where he could have her all to himself. “You have the most beautiful eyes. Did you know that?”
The corners of her lips curled up. “You smell better than anyone else who has ever worked construction. Did you know that?”
“Can you two stop flirting long enough to hand over those pizzas?” Sasha said as he entered the room. “I’m starved and my growling stomach will be heard three states away if I don’t get food.”
Bonnie dropped her hand and set the pizzas on a card table in the middle of the room. “Eat up, my friend.”
Aaron was glad Bonnie didn’t protest that they weren’t flirting, because he knew he was and hoped she was, too. Maybe when they finished this flip and sold the house for top dollar, he’d take her on that trip.
“I can’t believe how much you guys have gotten done. I love this open layout. It’s going to be so nice when you get all the cabinets in here, and that island.”
“Speaking of which, I need to go pick out my fixtures, but I could use some help with the design. You up for going with me to do some shopping?” he asked her.
“Are you asking if I want to be hired as your designer?”
“I am absolutely asking you to be my designer. You have great taste and the most knowledge of what will sell in this area.”
“Let me think about it.” She picked up a huge slice of sausage pizza and took a bite as she mulled it over. She cracked open a can of beer and took a swig. He loved that she could just be one of the guys when she wanted to be.
The four of them ate and commiserated about how things were moving along. Sasha showed Bonnie some new pictures of his niece. She immediately oohed and aahed, offering to babysit if his sister needed a respite. Aaron finished off his drink and made eye contact with David, who hadn’t said much during this impromptu lunch.