by Aubrey Parr
She hung up the phone, rubbed Lauren’s back, and joked, “Just in case you ladies are hungry.”
“I can always eat,” Lauren said and took a deep breath. Everything was going to be okay. She knew it.
“We knew we loved you,” Kate replied.
They dressed for a day in New York and packed their clothes while they waited for breakfast to arrive. Lauren filled her bag to the brim with her new clothes and stared at it for a few minutes. Her entire life was in that bag. How was that possible? Twenty-five years and that’s what she had to show for her. Then she smiled. It was a good thing- she could focus on the future without all kinds of baggage to bring along. She was going to travel light from now on and see where that took her. Whether she was staying in New York or flying back to Chicago, she was ready for it.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
With everything that happened that morning, the hotel was doing everything possible to make the girls happy. That included giving them a limousine ride over to Prospect Heights in Brooklyn.
When they reached Cameron’s address, it looked just like what Lauren expected from Brooklyn. There was a front stoop leading up to a thick wood door. Each residence looked similar to the others, all with the same uniformed front stoop and windows, yet the colors of brick came in every shade from tan to red. When they reached Cam’s front door, there was a buzzer system.
“Oh, that’s what the number two was for,” Nicole said in realization.
Lauren pushed the button next to the box marked “Two”, and Cam’s voice through the intercom, “Come on up.”
They heard a large click, and the door was unlocked. Kate pulled it open, and they walked into a makeshift entry way. It must have been a larger house at one point and then turned into two smaller units. Cam’s was upstairs. They climbed the original staircase and found another door with a large “2” on it.
Cam opened the door. “Welcome, come on in.”
He gave each woman a hug, holding onto his sister for a few seconds longer. His emotions were still a tad raw when it came to Lauren.
“Let me show you around.” He half laughed, given the place wasn’t large, but Lauren was thankful that it wasn’t nearly as small as Zane’s. Luckily, there were different rooms. They entered into the small living room, with a breakfast table. The kitchen nook was small but useable. There was about a two-step hallway which led to Cam’s room and the bathroom. Lauren was getting a little nervous until he opened the one closed door off the living room. It was small, very small, and skinny, taking up the small space behind the living room. It held his desk, a love seat, and lots of boxes. It looked like what started to be an office somehow turned into a storage room. As Cam walked into the small space available inside, he turned and looked at Lauren.
“I know it’s small, but I was thinking that we could change the couch out for a futon or something. I’ll get rid of these boxes; I’ve been meaning to go through them. You can keep the desk in here, if you want.” He gave her a questioning look as he rambled, looking for the right thing to say.
Nicole and Kate both held their breath, waiting to hear Lauren’s reply. They both knew she didn’t have a home when she got back to Chicago. She had reconnected with Cameron and was head over heels for Zane. It made perfect sense.
“Really?” Lauren smiled and threw her arms around her big brother. “Really?” It was all she could say.
“Are you kidding me? I’m not letting you go. Plus now I can make sure you’re safe.” They both laughed with excitement about what was to come. “I know you have this new boyfriend, but I’m hoping we can still spend lots of time together. We have ten years to make up for.”
“Thank you!” Lauren practically yelled and looked over, smiling, at her friends. “Can you believe this? I get to stay in New York!”
“We’re so happy for you.” Tears began to form in the corner of Nicole’s eyes. “You’ll still come back and visit, right?”
“Of course.” Lauren was on cloud nine.
“Okay, okay, enough of the sappy stuff. Let’s get out of here and walk around a bit. I wanna show you where you’ll be living.” Cam smiled and closed the den door. “We’ll get this straightened out this week. I figure you can crash on the couch or stay at Zane’s till we’ve got you a bed or futon.”
Lauren looked at him with surprise.
“Lauren, I’m not Dad. I know you’re a grown woman. I know you’ll want to stay with him sometimes. I want you to be happy here. But if he hurts you, I’ll beat his ass.” Cam wrapped his arm around her and kissed her head. “Now let’s go.”
Lauren’s new residence couldn’t be any closer to all the action in Prospect Heights. There were coffee shops and trendy restaurants and cafes at the end of the block. That main street led them to the Brooklyn Public Library. Lauren couldn’t wait to get her library card. Past that was the Botanical Gardens. Cam told her that she was going to need to get a membership, because she’d be there all the time. Lauren saw the train station she’d be using, and the stops for the local bus, and the best place to catch a cab. Cam was the perfect tour guide as they walked. They made their way to Smorgasburg, the outdoor flea market, of sorts. The ladies were all happy that they wore sensible shoes. It was gorgeous out, and New York City in the summer had a life of its own.
Smorgasburg was like the Taste of Chicago festival on crack. Aisles and aisles of food and craft tents lined the waterfront. Crowds of people walked around with every type of food imaginable. There was laughter and music everywhere. It was infectious. Lauren felt alive. It felt weird to think that this was now her city. She would be able to experience this over and over. She couldn’t wait to stuff her face and pick out handmade jewelry with Zane. How should she tell him that she was staying?
After walking around for another hour or so, Kate spoke up, reminding them that the hours were passing by. “Well, we are still going to have a plane to catch, my dear. Plus your things are still at the hotel.”
Cameron looked at his watch. “I need to get ready for my shift as well.” He pulled a key out of his pocket. “Before I forget, here’s my spare key. I know nothing is ready for you yet and I won’t be back until after ten tonight, so I understand if you don’t stay tonight. All I ask is that you let me know if you’ll be home each night.”
Lauren wasn’t exactly sure how to respond. Part of her wanted to spend the night with Zane and part of her wanted to wait for her brother to get home, to hear more about the past ten years of his life. Why hadn’t he married? Had he come close? Was he dating now? There was still so much ground to cover.
They made their way back to a main road and hailed a cab. They dropped Cam off at his place and then continued to the hotel. Before he left, Lauren told her brother that she’d be there when he got home. She’d have the better part of the evening to spend with Zane when he got off at five that night.
Then she realized that she needed to quit her old job in Chicago and find one in New York. She’d call her bar once she was back at the hotel. Quitting a job wasn’t the type of thing you do over the phone in a cab.
While they waded through New York City traffic, Nicole asked, “Are you nervous about moving?”
“You’d think I would be, but honestly, I’m not.” Lauren looked out at her new city and smiled. “I didn’t even have close friends anymore. Not since college, at least. I had friends through work, but only casual. I didn’t care for any of Tim’s friends or their girlfriends. It really does make it easy to pick up and leave.”
“Do you think you’ll look for a job in Manhattan or closer to where you’ll live?” Nicole was truly interested in her decisions.
“Maybe both. I’m not exactly sure how it works here, but in Chicago, if places can’t give you enough hours, it’s common to work at two bars.” She twisted her mouth in thought. “I really should consider getting back into some classes. I need to see what kind of hospitality degrees there are around here. I don’t have much left, if my credits transfer.”
“Well, they do need a new manager at the hotel,” Nicole joked.
“Then Zane could be sleeping with his boss. Yes, that’ll work perfectly,” Lauren giggled.
“Didn’t Zane tell you that they needed another bartender? Would you want to work with him?”
“Sometimes it’s not a good idea, but we worked great together the other night. I could see it happening. I’ll have to see if Zane can pull some strings for me.”
…
Zane walked around the bar in a daze most of the morning. Slow days were nice when you could barely focus, but it also meant less in tips. Given his condition, he was happy it was slow. The money didn’t matter right now. He tried interacting with his guests, but he couldn’t find ways to include himself in their conversations. He caught himself looking over at the lobby every ten seconds, hoping to see Lauren walk in. He knew she was with her friends, visiting her brother. He wanted her to enjoy the time, but needed to know if there was a possibility that she could stay in New York and live with Cam.
A couple of ladies walked in, and he could tell they were doing their best to flirt with him. He didn’t care if they wanted a free drink or to find a way into his pants. He wasn’t interested. He was in a shitty mood, and wasn’t sure how to pull himself out of it. Especially if Lauren went back to Chicago today.
Finally, just as his lunch guests were ready to continue on with their day, Lauren and her friends walked through the lobby towards his bar. Unable to contain himself, he ran around the bar to see her. Holding Lauren’s hands, he leaned in for a quick kiss on her lips. “How was your morning? Did you like the area?” He was trying to sound casual, but he was failing miserably. He wanted to shake her until she told him if she was staying.
“It was great.” She smiled over to her friends and looked back at Zane. “I’m going to love living there!”
She widened her eyes and her smile and made a small scream with her arms held out.
Zane didn’t realize he had been holding his breath since he spoke. His eyes rolled back in relief as he exhaled all of the worry from the day. He picked her up and twirled her around. Both Nicole and Kate laughed as the couple hugged and kissed, still spinning. Finally, Zane set her down.
“I’m so relieved. It’s all I could think about. I’ve been a fucking horrible bartender today.” He kissed her again.
“I know you have to get back to work. I’ll go upstairs with the girls until they have to leave. Then I can wait at the bar for you. I want to stay at Cam’s tonight, but can you hang out with me until then?”
“You know it.” The look on Zane’s face was priceless.
“I’ll talk to the front desk. You can just hang out in the room until he’s off. It’ll be fine,” Nicole interjected.
“Really?” Lauren asked.
“Sure, rent a movie or take a nap.”
Zane held her face in his hands and kissed her lips. “I’ve gotta get back to work, but I’m so excited that you’ll be staying. You made me the happiest man.” After one more quick peck on her lips, he went back behind the bar, and the girls headed for the elevator.
“I can’t thank you both enough,” Lauren said as Nicole let them into the hotel room. After all the walking, the three girls each claimed a seat in the living room and lifted their feet up onto the coffee table.
“We don’t need to leave for at least an hour,” Nicole told Kate.
“Perfect. I don’t think I could move right now,” Kate answered.
All three slowly rested their heads back on the cushions, exhausted from the excitement of the day and all their walking. Lauren, especially, wanted to close her eyes for a few minutes, but didn’t want to lose any time with her friends. As she was fighting to keep them open, there was a knock at the door.
“Who could that be?” Kate asked the other two without opening her eyes.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Groggily, Nicole walked over to the door and opened it to see both her husband and Kate’s smiling back at her.
“Ahhhh!” She screamed and threw herself into Derek’s arms. “What are you doing here?”
Kate heard Nicole’s reaction and practically jumped over the couch to get to Dominic. Lauren laughed at their reactions.
“We both agreed we needed to come see how the two of you were doing in person,” Derek told them. Walking in with Nicole still hanging around his neck, he met Lauren in the room. “I’m so sorry to hear about what happened. I hope you know that not all men are like that.”
“Thank you. I’m Lauren.” She smiled back at the forty-something-but-still-gorgeous man Nicole was nuzzled into. He looked like he used to be a fighter, with his lean muscular build and his salt-and-pepper hair shaved short. His tattoos dripped down below his t-shirt, which she knew Nicole loved. He was exactly as she described him.
“Nice to meet you. Derek Stone.” He shook her hand and set his wife down.
Looking past the Stones, she saw Dominic Price and was admittedly a bit nervous being in his presence. She wasn’t sure why. Kate and Nicole were extremely down-to-earth, and Derek seemed the same way. She tried to remind herself that he was most likely the same as his wife and friends.
“We would have helped kick his ass if we were here,” Dominic said, walking into the living room. “Dominic Price, nice to meet you.” He took her hand to shake as well.
“I love your art. Nice to meet you.” Lauren blushed a tad. She probably wouldn’t have been able to pick him out of a lineup before, but he had that bad boy look that Kate said she loved about him. His jet-black hair was cut short throughout, with longer strands in the front that fell into his face. He was tall, dressed in ratty jeans and a rocker style t-shirt with a thick leather belt and boots. He looked like an artist.
Another thing she liked about them was that they looked like guys that would get along with Zane. She smiled, realizing she could already tell that about him in such a short time.
“Is Kenzie with Julie?” Kate asked.
“Just for tonight.” Dominic kissed his wife, knowing how much she missed her daughter. “Think you can hold off seeing her till tomorrow? We thought another night in New York might do you ladies some good.”
“I’ve already talked to the desk, and we have the room for another night,” Derek added.
“Of course. We can video chat with her later,” Kate replied.
Derek looked at Lauren and realized that she’d need a room as well. She would be going back to Chicago with them in the morning. “We’ll get you a room, too,” he told her.
Other than Zane, this would be the first time she got to tell someone the exciting news about moving to New York. “That’s very nice of you,” she said with a huge smile on her face. “But my brother has asked me to stay here with him.”
“Her brother is one of those bad ass New York City cops,” Nicole joked.
“Very nice,” Derek replied.
“You guys are too much.” Lauren felt incredibly lucky to have found friends that really looked out for each other. “Thank you for offering to do that. I’m excited to start a new life here.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re not letting that crazy asshole ruin it for you,” Dominic said as he sat down on the couch and curled his little wife into his lap. He had missed her and couldn’t wait to get her into that bedroom.
“My brother and Zane were there. They saved me.” Lauren looked down, remembering it.
“Zane?” Derek raised an eyebrow.
“Don’t you start,” Nicole joked. “You’re not going to interrogate him and scare him off. Kate and I already checked him out, and he’s a good guy.”
“If you say so, Love,” he replied.
“I do say so, and you’ll get a chance to meet him later. He’s the bartender downstairs.” Nicole scrunched her nose at her adoring husband.
As they lounged on the couch, they chatted about their weekend visit. They told the guys about Prospect Heights and how they needed to see the massive market that reminded them of
the yearly Taste of Chicago event.
“Mentioning food, who wants something to munch on?” Derek asked
“I could eat,” All three women said in unison.
“You’re just like them. I love it,” Dominic laughed.
Derek grabbed the phone and called down to Room Service. “Bring us one of each appetizer please.”
Lauren laughed at Nicole’s husband. “You’re just like your wife. She did the same thing with breakfast.”
“We never know what we’re going to like; it’s become a habit of ours.” He smiled at Lauren and leaned over to kiss his wife.
…
The rest of work flew by for Zane. Knowing that he and Lauren had a real chance at a relationship calmed his soul. He had been a pile of raw nerves, wondering if she’d be leaving today. Finally, he could breathe. No other woman had consumed him like this. Love at first sight just didn’t exist in his eyes, but he now understood why people believed in it. Did he love Lauren? Probably not yet, it had only been a weekend. But he could tell that it was a definite possibility.
He wasn’t dumb. He knew that a lot of his tension came from the events of the morning. What if he hadn’t heard her? His fists clenched just thinking about it. He had already lived through it once, and management wanted him to explain it again as soon as his replacement got there. Given the situation, everyone was chipping in. The evening bartender had agreed to come in early, so that Zane could talk to the higher ups.
Just then he saw the bartender, Brent, walk into the bar.
“Got here as quick as I could. I hear you’re a hero! Good going, man.” Brent slapped him on the back, before tying his apron around his waist. “I got this. Now get out of here.”