Risky Investment

by Beth Moore

  “Yes, I think everything is going to be fine. I really am going to try my best, Matt.”

  “I know you will. I’m just really worried about making a mistake.”

  Chris grabbed her purse and opened the door. “Well, maybe you’ll feel better with a full stomach.”

  Matt followed her out the door and walked to the driver’s-side door.

  “Uh-hum.” Chris cleared her throat. “If we’re going to make this real, you’d better be opening my car door!”

  Matt rushed over to the passenger-side door, unlocked it, and opened it for Chris. “See, I think we needed more time…”

  Chris smiled and slid in so that she was seated in the middle of the seat, where a woman would sit if driving with her boyfriend. “I’ll try and remind you of the little things, now get in!”

  Matt walked around to his door and slid behind the wheel. He started the ignition, put the car into drive, and slowly pushed against the gas pedal. “Here we go!” he said, trying to sound calm, while his stomach did flip-flops all the way down the road.

  Matt and Chris walked into the diner and sat down at a booth.

  “Well, good morning!” Chris looked up from the menu to find Lynn’s smile.

  “Good? I don’t know about good, I mean this could be the beginning of the end…” Matt started.

  Lynn looked at Matt and then over at Chris. “I can see that he’s a little nervous. Want coffee?”

  “A little nervous? Quite an understatement!” Chris laughed. “Yes, coffee please, and definitely decaf for Matt. He’s driving me crazy already!”

  “I only have decaf to offer, I already drank all the heavy stuff trying to keep my eyelids open!” Lynn laughed and walked behind the counter.

  “By the way, thanks for the daisies, they really calmed my nerves this morning,” Chris said to Matt.

  Matt looked confused. “Daisies?”

  Chris examined Mate’s face. “Never mind,” she mumbled, realizing that he wasn’t the one who had left the daisies for her. It must have been Lynn. That was really sweet, she thought.

  Chris began examining the menu again, just to be interrupted for the second time.

  “Hey, you two don’t look like you’re in love!” commented another waitress standing in front of their table.

  “Hey, Betty. I guess Lynn clued you in on this little charade, huh?” Matt answered.

  “Yeah, she was afraid that you’d come in with your parents and I’d say something inappropriate about you being with a woman and all.” Betty then smiled, blew a tiny bubble with her gum, and pulled it back into her mouth. “Really though, you guys need to be sitting closer, holding hands or something, or you’ll never fool your folks.”

  “Thanks Betty, good advice,” Matt said politely.

  “Yeah, it is good advice,” Lynn said as she slipped in with the coffeepot and poured the two cups of coffee. “You didn’t really practice any of that.”

  “Are you trying to make me more nervous, because you’re doing a good job at it,” Matt said sarcastically while placing his menu on the table.

  “Sorry. What do you guys want? The regular, Matt?”

  Matt nodded his head and turned to Chris. “Everything is great here. What do you want, eggs?”

  Lynn shook her head. “Haven’t you listened to a word she’s said? She doesn’t like eggs. How about some waffles?”

  “That sounds good, and some bacon, well done, please,” Chris answered, feeling uneasy about treating Lynn as a waitress.

  Lynn returned in a few minutes with their breakfasts.

  “God, I’m glad you’re back. I was tired of watching Matt roll up pieces of his napkin into little balls!” Chris said.

  “Just one of his little quirky habits that made you fall in love with him, huh?” Lynn chuckled. Matt rolled his eyes and took his first bite.

  “You mind if I take a break with you guys?” Lynn asked as she slid in beside Matt with her cup of coffee.

  “Not at all. Thanks for the bed last night, I really slept well.”

  Lynn turned to Matt and slapped his arm. “I can’t believe that you didn’t offer her your bed! I don’t know if I’d marry this man!” She smiled at Chris.

  “Well, we know that you wouldn’t marry this man,” Chris said sarcastically, “or any man for that matter!”

  Matt laughed. Lynn was taken aback, and then smiled. She was glad that Chris was finally feeling comfortable enough to tease back.

  “Hey, Lynn! Where’s our food?” a man yelled from another table.

  Lynn turned to look for the voice, then yelled, “Hold your shorts, Andy, Betty’s getting your food!” After searching the diner and not finding Betty, she stood. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

  Lynn walked over to the counter, retrieved the plates of food, and sauntered over to the men. “You boys owe me one!” she kidded. The men chuckled and Andy reached over to pinch Lynn’s butt. “Yeah, I’ll give you one!”

  Lynn swiftly took the man’s wrist and bent it backward, bringing Andy halfway off his chair. “Do I need to teach you a lesson about manners again, Andy?” she said with a serious look on her face.

  “No, ma’am,” Andy said, wincing with pain.

  Lynn released her grip, smiled, and tousled the man’s hair. “I didn’t think so,” she said as she walked away from the table, leaving his buddies laughing.

  Chris watched in amazement, then smiled when Lynn caught her gaze. “Remind me that I don’t ever want to be on your bad side!” Chris laughed.

  “They just caught me on a bad day is all. I have no patience for little boys today,” Lynn replied.

  She slid back into the booth beside Matt. “Anything else I can get you guys?”

  “Yeah, more coffee,” Matt complained.

  “Sorry! I wouldn’t want to lose my extraordinary tip!” Lynn rolled her eyes, walked over, grabbed the coffeepot, and filled their cups. “I can’t wait to fall into bed, or rather on top of the bed, since it seems like Matt, the gentleman that he is, isn’t going to offer you his bed. You are going to stay at the house, aren’t you?”

  Matt looked at Chris. “You know, it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea for you to stay the whole week, that is, if you don’t mind.”

  Chris shrugged. “I’ll have to pick up a few more things from my apartment, and you guys will have to remember that I have to study.”

  “Yes, dear,” the two said in unison and then made motions like they were crossing their hearts.

  Several customers walked in the door of the diner. “Looks like it’s back to work!” Lynn stopped and looked into Matt’s eyes. “You’re going to do fine, I really believe that. And if you don’t, and your parents disown you, which I seriously doubt, just remember, you will always be a part of my family.” Then she was off to seat the customers.

  Since Matt was obviously not in the mood for conversation, Chris found herself observing Lynn as she finished her breakfast. She sure was putting on a good act for being so tired, laughing and joking with the three women at the next table. Of course, they were nice-looking women, she may be flirting, Chris thought to herself Chris’s suspicions were confirmed when the women left.

  Lynn rushed past Matt and Chris’s table. “Hmmm, a phone number left on a napkin, what in the world could that mean?” she teased and pocketed the piece of paper.

  Chris felt a twinge. Could it be jealousy? No, she was sure it was just nervousness. Earlier this week it had been stress, now it was nervousness, she convinced herself.

  “You ready to go? We should probably head on over to the airport,” Matt moaned as if going to face a firing squad.

  Chris slid out of the booth, stepped over to Matt, and offered her hand as he slid out “Come on, relax, this is going to be fun!”

  Matt took her hand in his, waved good-bye to Lynn, and the two made their way to the door.

  “Now that’s more like it! Now it looks like you at least like each other!” Betty called across the restaurant, “Good luck
, sweetie!”

  Matt smiled at Betty, opened the door for Chris, and followed her out the door. They were on their way.

  “You’d never know Lynn was tired, huh?” Chris said, trying to break the unbearable tension within the vehicle.

  “Yeah, Lynn’s never too tired to flirt!” Matt smiled.

  “Well, it looks like it paid off. How did she even know any of those women were gay? They didn’t look gay to me.”

  “That’s why they call it ‘gaydar’!” Matt laughed.

  “I mean, I guess not many of the women in the bar looked gay to me either. I just can’t believe how crowded it was last night!”

  Matt nodded as he weaved in and out of traffic.

  “So, how many of those women at the bar do you think that Lynn has been with?”

  Matt chuckled again. “God only knows! I don’t know if Lynn even knows!”

  Matt steered the car into the parking space at the airport and pushed the gearshift into park. Then he just sat there, silent. Chris slid out and walked around to the driver’s side and opened the door. Matt turned toward her, his face white with worry. As he climbed out of the car, Chris took his hand. “Matt, take a deep breath. Anytime you feel a panic attack coming on, just squeeze my hand. I’ll be right here.”

  They walked into the airport and strolled to the arrival gate. Matt squeezed her hand. “Your hand feels strange, so tiny and soft. I’m used to feeling a strong, masculine hand in mine.” He took her other hand and looked into her eyes. “I don’t know if I’ve told you lately how much I appreciate this. Thank you.” Chris smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

  “Okay you two, no making out in the airport!” the loud voice called from the gate. It came from a distinguished-looking man, his arm around an elegant-looking woman. Chris, realizing that these must be Matt’s parents, squeezed the hand that was shaking in hers.

  “Oh, Charles, this must be her!” the woman cried as she hugged Chris tightly. Then, realizing that she had ignored her son, she gave him a hug. She stepped back to take a look at the pair.

  “Son,” Charles said sternly, and offered his hand for his son to shake. Turning, he offered his hand to Chris. “And you must be…”

  “Mom, Dad, this is Chris. Chris Newman.”

  “Chris.” Charles shook Chris’s hand.

  “Mr, and Mrs. McKinley, it’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.”

  “Honey, call us Charles and Marie,” Marie warmly suggested.

  Chris nodded in agreement, then turned to Matt. “Honey, why don’t we go locate their luggage?”

  “Marie, why don’t you go with them to get our luggage. I’ll pick up the rental car and meet you out front,” Charles said as he walked away.

  “Okay, lead the way!” Marie said as she turned to Matt. Wedging her way between the two, Marie put her arms around both, and followed their lead. “Oh honey, you don’t know how long we’ve been waiting for this day! Matt’s our only child you know! We’ve felt so lucky to have him!”

  Chris looked over at Matt and smiled. “Well, I feel pretty lucky to have him, too!”

  The three stood waiting for the luggage to come down the ramp. Matt grabbed both bags and led them out to the loading area. Charles was just arriving with the rental car, a Mercedes. He popped the trunk and Matt lifted the baggage into the compartment.

  “You want to follow us over to the hotel? We can grab some lunch and then I’m afraid these old bones need a nap,” Charles said as he opened the door for Marie, who slid into the passenger seat.

  “Oh yes, my tummy’s rumbling! Can you imagine that they only gave us a sweet roll on the plane?” Marie complained.

  Matt agreed to follow them to the hotel, then put his arm around Chris and led her toward their parking area.

  “God, I don’t think I can eat again!” Chris remarked.

  “Sorry, I guess I didn’t think things through very well,” Matt answered.

  “Oh well, now that I’ve caught my man, I don’t need to worry about my girlish figure!” Chris said, trying to lighten the mood. It worked: Matt smiled.

  Matt followed the rental car to the hotel, where the valet parked both cars. The three wandered around the lobby while Charles checked in.

  “Just send our bags up to the room, we’re going to grab a bite to eat,” Charles instructed the desk clerk.

  The two couples were seated on the patio, overlooking the ocean. Marie, with her hand settled on her chin, stared out over the water. “I know why you can’t bear to leave here, Matthew, it’s just so beautiful!” Then, turning, she asked, “Have you lived here all your life, Chris?”

  “Actually, I’ve lived many places. Before my parents died, my dad was in the military, so we moved around a lot,” Chris answered.

  “A military brat, huh?” Charles chuckled. “We have a lot in common, young lady. I too was the product of the military system.”

  “That’s what Matt has told me.” Chris reached for her glass of water, took a sip, and continued, “What made you decide not to follow in your father’s footsteps, into the army, that is?”

  Matt smiled. Chris had led his dad into a conversation that could take up the rest of the afternoon. Which it did, through their lunch, through dessert, through what seemed like the tenth cup of coffee they had had today.

  At a break in the conversation, Charles looked at his watch. “Well, I think it’s time for that nap. Are we going to the club for dinner?”

  “You bet, I already made reservations!” Matt replied.

  “Lynn’s coming too, I hope. It’s been ages since we’ve seen her!” Marie said.

  “Sure, I know she’d love to join us,” Matt answered as the two couples separated in the lobby. “Meet you there at seven o’clock?”

  “See you then, honey. Good-bye, Chris!” Marie called back.

  “I didn’t know Lynn was joining us tonight,” Chris said as they waited for the valet to bring around their car.

  “Yeah, she doesn’t either,” Matt replied.

  Matt and Chris arrived back at the house after stopping by Chris’s apartment. When they walked in, Lynn was flipping through the television channels.

  “Hey, we thought you’d be passed out by now!” Matt joked.

  Lynn looked exasperated. “I’m exhausted, I have a splitting headache, and I can’t seem to go to sleep!” She paused. “But enough about me, how’d it go?”

  “It actually went pretty good, thanks to Chris. She started dad talking about why he didn’t go into the military,” Matt answered.

  Chris bowed and smiled. “His parents are really nice people. Frankly, I don’t know what you were so nervous about.”

  “By the way, Lynn, my parents requested your presence at dinner tonight,” Matt said, then bit his lip, afraid of her answer.

  “Matt! I would, I really would, but, were you listening about, what, one minute ago when I said ‘I’m exhausted, I have a splitting headache, and I can’t seem to go to sleep’? Plus, I have to play a hill night in”—she looked at her watch—”six hours?”

  “Seven hours, it’s Friday night. Come on Lynn, please?” he whined.

  “Hey, I bet you’re just really tight, let me give you a massage!” Chris offered.

  “A massage?” Lynn remarked. Just what I need, your hands all over my body, like that would make me relax, she thought.

  “I bet I can help you go to sleep. You know, a big part of physical therapy is massaging. I have great hands!” Chris pleaded.

  “You have great hands?” Lynn smiled, looked at Matt, and winked.

  “You could at least try it.” Matt ignored the suggestive wink.

  Against her better judgment, Lynn agreed.

  “Come on, you can lie down on the bed,” Chris suggested. She started down the hall. Lynn followed her reluctantly and lay facedown on the bed.

  “Okay, just relax,” Chris said softly as she began rubbing Lynn’s back. “You know, this isn’t going to work,” she said a
s she got up and closed the door. “You need to take your shirt off. I can’t do it through this material.”

  Lynn cringed. First she wants to rub all over my body, now she wants to do it with my clothes off. She added, I feel another cold shower coming on. Nevertheless, Lynn pulled her top off to reveal her bare skin. She was glad that she had already taken a shower.

  Chris watched as Lynn pulled off her top and felt that sharp twinge again. Ignoring the feeling, she placed her hands on Lynn’s bare back. She began softly pushing her thumbs into Lynn’s back muscles. Lynn let out a moan, which made her smile. Chris felt like she was getting warm as she slowly let her fingers massage the firm muscles. Climbing off the bed, she turned on the fan in the corner of the room and positioned herself to begin again. Chris watched as small goose bumps rose from Lynn’s tanned skin. The fan might be cooling Lynn, but it was doing nothing to relieve the heat Chris was feeling.

  Lynn felt Chris’s fingers against her bare skin, pushing, massaging, kneading her skin, Chris’s fingers were on her back, but she felt them through every inch of her body. She had been glad when Chris turned on the fan, but now the cool air assisted in Chris’s touch, sending even stronger sensations through her. She was trying to remain calm. Pretend its someone eke, pretend it’s a mail-, she tried to convince herself. Little did she know that all the heat in the room was radiating not only from her body but from Chris’s body, too.

  Chris didn’t know how much longer she could stand it. She was feeling hot, weak, and lightheaded. She could feel herself pulsating below. She tried to recover from the feeling by massaging up and down Lynn’s arms, but then found herself kneading the skin on the tan legs. She felt possessed, like someone else had taken over her hands. She massaged farther and farther up the long legs, onto Lynn’s buttocks. She had to stop. She had to stop now. The feeling was so unprofessional. She had done a lot of massages, but none made her feel like this. She pulled her hands away and watched as Lynn’s back raised and lowered with her steady breathing. Great, she’s asleep, and I’m—could it be—turned on? Damn! She tiptoed into the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. Looking in the mirror, she searched the image to see if it was still the same reflection that had always stared back at her. She ran her hands over her face, down her neck, and over her breasts. She still looked the same, so what had changed?