by ANDREA SMITH
“You go right ahead, sweetie. I’m going to finish my tea, read, and then go to sleep.”
“Okay,” she said, leaning over to give me a kiss on the cheek. “See you at breakfast?”
“Absolutely.”
She left me alone in my private refuge where I’d been for the past two days, wallowing in self-pity. I needed to snap out of this funk.
Becky was right. If it was meant to be, then Slate wouldn’t have left. I needed to get on with life and see how things unfolded with all of Jack’s shenanigans. Lindsey would most likely have a lot to face in the near future. Hopefully, her budding relationship with Eric would cushion the blow for her. I still worried about what all of this would do to her once it all came to light.
I finished my tea then took a shower and got into a summer nightgown. I opened the window, letting the cool night breeze filter in. I was sleepy now. The tea had done its magic for calming and relaxing me.
I curled up underneath my cool sheets and started to doze off when I felt a flutter in my womb. Our baby was moving; the baby that Slate and I had made was moving. It gave me comfort and sadness at the same time. I placed my hand on my abdomen and fell asleep feeling the fluttery movement that felt like butterflies spreading their wings.
chapter 34
~ LINDSEY ~
I was really looking forward to the end of my shift at Banion Pharmaceuticals. I’d washed my hair and done a manicure and pedicure last night in my room. I was so looking forward to going to the movie tonight with Eric.
His invitation had caught me a bit off-guard. I wasn’t sure that he’d regarded me as dating material. I was only going into my sophomore year of college. He was at least six or seven years older, by my estimation. I based that on all of the time he’d spent in college changing majors.
I loved talking to Eric. He seemed to know a little about almost everything, and a lot about certain things. I’d almost come to regard him as a big brother type, only hotter. He was definitely hot!
Maybe the older thing was where it was at. I’d certainly struck out with my high school boyfriend, as well as Matt, the guy that I’d been seeing briefly at Cornell. Matt had been too much of a partier and a player on top of it all. After catching him in his hundredth lie, I made the decision to tell him to ‘fuck off.’
Eric swung by the lab after he clocked out for the day. He crept up quietly behind me as I was signing off on some scrapped raw material.
“Are we still on for this evening, Lindsey?”
I jumped, totally caught off-guard by his presence.
“God!”
I heard his sexy laugh. “Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t do that on purpose.”
“Yes,” I laughed, my heartbeat returning to almost normal. “We’re still on. You have the address, right?”
“Absolutely. What do you have there?” He asked, looking at the scrapped material that was bagged up.
“Oh, it’s just some expired raw material that I was told to tag out. It will be written off the inventory and disposed of with all of the other expired stuff, I guess.”
I affixed the red label with the chemical identification, batch number, and date of disposal to the container.
“So, I’ll be by around sevenish to pick you up, Miss Lindsey.”
“Don’t keep me waiting, Eric. My parents are looking forward to meeting you,” I replied with a wink.
He rolled his eyes as he turned to leave. “Yeah, that’s always been my favorite part,” he mumbled.
“You’ll do fine,” I called out after him. “My father will love you for going into pharmaceutical science…period.”
“Later, Lindsey.”
I sighed after he left. What a sweet, although a bit serious and uptight, guy. It was no big deal. We were just friends . . . for now.
Once I clocked out, I hurried home in my VW Bug to get ready for this evening. I’d already decided what I was going to wear. I’d bought a cute pair of khaki capri pants. I’d also purchased a peach-colored, cotton v-neck tee. My new heeled sandals would look great with the ensemble. I mentally reminded myself to accessorize with a light gold chain and bracelet.
I took a quick shower when I got home and declined dinner with the folks. Mom balked at that a bit, but I was too busy trying to look great for Eric.
There I went again, presuming this was going to lead to a romance. I wouldn’t even see him after I returned to Cornell. Still, there was something to be said for a summer fling. I blushed at the thought.
chapter 35
It was quarter to seven, and I was just finishing up in the kitchen. I brushed a stray wisp of hair back from my face. I’d put my hair into a ponytail as the day had heated up. Even with the air conditioning going full blast, I seemed to have issues with my bodily thermostat these days.
Lindsey had been in and out of the kitchen at least a half dozen times wanting my opinion on this or that for her movie date. Every time I referred to it as a ‘date’ she got pissed.
“It’s not a date, Mom. We’re co-workers, barely friends. He doesn’t know anyone around here, that’s all.”
Yeah, yeah, yeah - right!
For all of her denial, she’d certainly been fussing at Jack and me to make sure we looked presentable for ‘Eric the friend.’
“Mom, you’re going to change your top, right?”
“Bermuda shorts, Daddy? Really?”
I’d changed into a summer dress and sandals, putting some blush and mascara on; dabbing a bit of color on my lips. Working in the yard had given me a light tan, so this was as good as it was going to get. Lindsey had finally nagged Jack into putting on a pair of summer Dockers and a polo shirt.
I heard the doorbell ring. Jack called out that he had it. Lindsey came down for one last nod of approval from me. As she walked down the hallway toward the entry, I caught a glimpse of Eric from behind. He was tall, had dark hair that was neatly cut and was dressed eerily like Jack.
In that split second I hoped to God that Lindsey wasn’t looking for someone like ‘dear old dad’.
Jack was introducing himself, shaking his hand as they heard us approach. He turned to us, with his fake, congenial smile.
“Here are my girls,” he said, giving Eric a dazzling grin. “Of course, Lindsey, you already know. This is my wife, Sammie.”
“Samantha,” I corrected, smiling, holding out my hand as Eric turned to face me.
I felt my smile freeze.
Those incredibly blue eyes took only a nanosecond to register recognition and then they froze up like blue ice. His smile never faltered.
“Glad to meet you, Mrs. Dennison,” he said. “I’m Eric.”
His hand captured mine and, for a moment, I felt the brutal squeeze as he let me know that he’d made the connection, as if I couldn’t already tell that by his arctic glare.
“Eric,” I repeated, as if in a daze. He still hadn’t released my hand, even though I was attempting to pull back. In a couple of seconds, it was going to be obvious to Jack and Lindsey.
“I didn’t catch your last name, Eric.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am.”
Did he just refer to me as a ‘ma’am’?
“Slater,” he said. “Eric Slater.”
I was finally able to pull my hand from his grasp. Instinctively, I crossed my arms in front of my belly, anxious for his eyes to move on to anything or anyone but me. They didn’t though.
I saw his gaze lower to my rounded little baby bump. It registered as his eyes returned to mine. Ever so slightly, his right eyebrow cocked questioningly. I hurried to break our gaze.
“Eric, Lindsey tells us you attend Purdue? Are you from that area?” Jack had blessedly forced Slate’s attention from me.
“No sir,” he answered politely. “I actually grew up in Virginia. I came to Indiana for college.”
“I see,” Jack replied. “Well, since tomorrow is the 4th, please come by for a cooko
ut, won’t you?”
I could see Lindsey beam at the idea. I wanted to puke.
Eric/Slate gave one of his slow, lazy smiles to Jack. “Thank you, sir. I’d love to.”
He turned his attention to Lindsey.
“You look great, Lindsey. Ready?” he said to her in his slow, sexy voice that I thought had only been for me.
“Yep,” she replied smiling up at him. “Good night Daddy. Good night Mom.”
“You kids have fun,” Jack called after them as they crossed over the threshold. I wanted to strangle him with my bare hands.
I noticed Slate had his hand on the small of Lindsey’s back as he escorted her outside to his waiting vehicle, the pick-up truck, no doubt. At that point, I wanted to strangle him with my bare hands as well.
“He seems like a nice enough fellow,” Jack commented after they’d gone.
“Hmmph,” I said rolling my eyes. “A little too old and worldly for Lindsey at this stage in her life.”
“How can you tell that by the thirty seconds you were around him, Sammie?”
“Call it mother’s intuition.”
I didn’t care to discuss it any further with the mannequin, so I retreated to my bedroom downstairs. I immediately phoned Becky.
“‘Sup girlfriend?” she giggled.
Becky had obviously been starting her July 4th celebrating a day early.
“How many margaritas have you had, Bec?”
“I don’t know, two…maybe three, why?”
“That’s not nearly enough for you to handle what I’m about to tell you. Guess who’s coming to dinner tomorrow with Lindsey?”
chapter 36
I played it over and over again in my mind as I made the potato salad the following morning, and the deviled eggs, and the baked beans. I continued to play it over and over again as I filled a Jell-O mold of the American flag using red, white and blue Jell-O.
What in the hell was Slate doing? Was this some sort of twisted revenge? Had he played me all along? If so, why?
Lindsey finally sauntered into the kitchen around 11:00 a.m. She was still in her summer pajamas.
“Can I help you with anything, Mom?”
“I’ve got everything pretty much done, sweetie. As soon as the brownies come out of the oven, I’ll give them a dusting of confectioner’s sugar and that should be it. You were out kind of late last night, weren’t you?”
She poured herself a glass of orange juice from the fridge. “Gee, I don’t know, Mom. I don’t think 11:30 is all that late.”
“It was more like 11:45,” I replied.
“Were you waiting up for me?” she asked, with a smile crossing her face. “I’m almost nineteen you know.”
“I know how old you are, Lindsey. I was there, remember?”
“Just sayin’.”
“Did you have a nice time?”
“Sure did. Eric’s nice and so funny, too.”
I wondered if Slate had suddenly acquired a sense of humor after parting with his long locks.
“What do you mean, funny?” I asked.
“He said that you and I look more like sisters than mother and daughter. Isn’t that a hoot?”
“A laugh riot,” I commented. “Maybe he’s trying to impress you by complimenting your parents.”
“Maybe,” she said thoughtfully, “but he didn’t have any compliments for Daddy. Said he looked kind of uptight. He sure was surprised when I told him you’d be thirty-six in a week or so.”
I choked on the iced tea I was sipping.
“You told him my age?”
“Sure, why not? It’s not a secret, is it?”
“Honey, once past thirty, it isn’t polite to advertise someone’s age. Speaking of which, isn’t Eric a bit old for you?”
“Geez, Mom. We’re not getting engaged or married, just hanging out a little bit this summer. Eric says he can’t commit to anyone until he gets through with all his schooling and interning. I get that.”
“That sounds sensible to me,” I agreed. “So, he didn’t get fresh with you or anything last night?”
“No mother, he didn’t get fresh. I can’t believe you’d even ask me that.”
Lindsey was clearly getting irritated with my questions. I needed to chill. I had to figure out what Slate’s deal was without putting Lindsey in the middle. I’d be furious beyond reason if I discovered he was, in some way, using Lindsey as some pawn in a scheme. None of this made sense.
Becky had been too tipsy the night before to offer much help or speculation. Perhaps I needed to find out directly from the source. I would try to get Slate…Eric; whoever the hell he was these days, alone, to find out exactly what he was up to and why.
Jack had been out most of the afternoon. He still hadn’t returned. He was only supposed to be getting beer, wine, hamburger, brats and hot dogs. I couldn’t figure out why it was taking hours to do this. My parents arrived at 3:00 p.m. They were early (as usual). The cook-out wasn’t scheduled until 5:00 p.m.
I’d showered earlier in the afternoon. I was wearing my hair up on top of my head with a few wispy tendrils hanging down. I dressed in another sun dress that did a bit more to hide my growing baby bump. I certainly didn’t want Slate’s attention to be focused on that the whole evening.
I noticed Lindsey had dressed in some tight little shorts and a tank top that accentuated her cute figure. She kept her hair shorter than mine. It was cut really cute. It fell just below her ears. She looked cute and wholesome. There was no doubt about it. Slate had better leave her the hell alone.
As soon as my parents had greeted Lindsey, they headed down the hall and into the kitchen where I was making up a relish tray of snacks.
Daddy gave me one of his notorious bear hugs as soon as he walked in, telling me how proud he was of the fine job that I’d done with Lindsey, reiterating what a good man Jack was.
I wanted to puke for the second day in a row.
“Where the hell is he, anyway?” he bellowed. “I could use a cold beer.”
“Should be here anytime, Daddy. Take a seat on the patio. Lindsey’s getting the lawn chairs out of the garage. When Jack gets here, we’ll start the grill.”
“Okay,” he hollered back. “Need a cold one before long, though.”
Mom wasted no time cornering me in the kitchen as I made a fresh pitcher of lemonade. I knew that she was going to lay a guilt trip on me as only a mother can.
“Well, dear, I’m glad you decided to share the good news about the impending birth of a new grandchild with everyone, with the exception of Daddy and me.”
Guilt properly laid.
“Mom, I’m really sorry. The truth is, you guys travel so much, I can’t keep up with where you are one minute before you’re going on to yet another vacation spot.”
“That’s nonsense, Samantha, and you know it.”
This is so not like Mom.
“Mom, I don’t know what else to say, other than I’m sorry. It was thoughtless of me, I know.”
“Can I ask you something, Samantha, and will you promise to be totally honest with your answer?”
I looked over at her as I poured both of us a glass of lemonade. She had a serious look on her face. It was if she’d wanted to ask this question for a long time, but dreaded the answer.
“Of course I will.”
“Did your Daddy and I make a mistake in forcing you into a marriage with Jack?”
I had no clue why my mother was acting so out of character; trying to delve deep into something . . . but what? And why?
“Mom,” I said, hoping the sincerity in my voice made up for the fact that there wasn’t an honest answer I could give that wouldn’t tear her up. “You and Daddy did what you thought was best for all concerned. Jack’s been a wonderful father to Lindsey.”
“That’s not an answer, Samantha,” she snapped, almost loudly. “You promised to tell me the truth.”
I
sat down across from her at the kitchen table and took her hand into mine.
“I’m not sure if I can answer it honestly. I’ll try, though. I don’t know for certain if Lindsey would’ve turned out so well had she not had Jack’s love and attention. I also don’t know whether Jack would’ve given her as much love and attention had we not married and had he not been given his position at Banion, which afforded us things for the family. I can tell you that I don’t love Jack, though I was fully prepared to love him. I can also tell you that it’s doubtful Jack has ever loved me.”
“I knew it,” she said with a sob, hanging her head. “I knew it was a mistake on our part. Forgive us please, Samantha? I know your father will never see that as being a mistake, but I did. Can you forgive me for not standing up to him for once in my life for my little girl?”
“Oh, Mom,” I said, leaning over and hugging her to me. “There’s no need to ask me for forgiveness. I had choices after that I could’ve made, should’ve made, and didn’t.”
“No,” she said, still upset, “parents should never put their children in a position to be hurt like that. It was wrong. Just know that whatever you do in the future, you’ll have my total support, okay?”
I nodded, wiping a stray tear from my cheek. She leaned in close as if she had a secret to share.
“This baby isn’t Jack’s, is it?”
Her eyes almost looked hopeful; as if by some chance it made my escape from Jack easier, which perhaps it did. I smiled back, squeezing her hand.
“No,” I replied. “This baby isn’t Jack’s. He had a vasectomy years ago. Lindsey doesn’t know this yet.”
She patted my hand as I saw her smile for the first time since she’d come in to see me.
“Your secret’s safe with me for as long as it needs to be, Samantha.”
chapter 37
~ ERIC/SLATE ~
I’d been a fucking wreck all night after seeing Sunny… . . . Sammie, whatever the fuck her name was, when I went to pick up my little co-ed friend.