Because of Lauren: A Love Story

by Vivi Underwood

  They held each other silently for a long time, savoring the love between them until Jonas, between kisses, whispered, “Thank you, Lauren.”

  Her eyes opened and looked straight into his. “You’re welcome, but what are you thanking me for?”

  “For showing me Heaven.”

  Lauren had never forgotten the wistful expression on his face that first Saturday on the island when she had asked him why he wasn’t married. Now she knew how lonely he had been.

  “I didn’t show you Heaven, Jonas,” she said softly. “We found it together.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  The flight home was long and uneventful. Once back home, Lauren and Jonas hoped to have a couple of blissful weeks to themselves, destination unknown to family and friends.

  They slept a good part of the way. Cuddled in Jonas’ arms, Lauren felt loved and cherished and so very blessed.

  With dawn, the first slivers of light squeezed through the cracks of the partly closed window coverings. Lauren raised her curtain a bit and peeked out. A sleepy smile broke out across her face. The clear blue sky above and the ocean below created a spectacular picture. Norway was putting on a fabulous show for their arrival.

  She eased gently out of Jonas’ embrace so as not to wake him, then raised the window shade a little more. The scene below pleased her as few things did: glorious, coastal, western Norway in all its splendor! With its many islands and inlets, the rugged coastline held a charm that never failed to delight her. She spotted colorful summer homes scattered not far from the water’s edge, with boats anchored to nearby docks. Flagpoles were a common sight, and a raised flag indicated the owners were in residence. Lauren smiled as she saw a flag here and there wafting in the gentle breeze. She wondered briefly if she and Jonas would fly their own flag today or if Jonas planned on keeping their presence on the island quiet.

  She felt the stroke of his hand on her hair and turned around. Indicating the scenery below she said, “Look, Jonas, we’re almost home!”

  Her words went straight to his heart. He was taking her away from her family, her country, her culture, and her language, but Lauren was determined to meet those challenges with courage and optimism.

  He leaned over her shoulder. “See the cluster of islands way up ahead? The group close to the shore? There is a large elongated one and a group of smaller islands scattered around it?”

  “Uh-huh. I see them.”

  “The large one is our island.”

  Lauren’s face lit up. “It is? How can you tell from so far away?”

  “I have flown over the area in a small seaplane a few times. You may be able to spot the house as we get closer.”

  She turned and put her arms around him, then said softly, “Oh, Jonas, we really are home, aren’t we?”

  “How does a couple of days in town sound?” Jonas looked anxiously at her, hoping she wouldn’t be too disappointed. He had promised her a honeymoon, and he still planned to deliver on that promise, but a matter had cropped up that required his immediate attention.

  “Problems at the office?” she asked calmly, putting down her knife and fork. Although Jonas hadn’t said so, she knew that fitting in a honeymoon at this time had been difficult for him. But that was the beauty of being on the island. They were close enough to town for him to take care of business when necessary.

  He stood up and turned to her. “With our manufacturing plant in Lithuania. I’m hoping to avoid having to make a trip over.”

  “How soon did you want to leave?” The three days they had already spent here had been magical, but she didn’t see a problem with spending a few days in town.

  “I’d prefer this evening so I can be at the office first thing in the morning.”

  Lauren rose and turned toward him, and he gathered her close. “I’m sorry, Lauren,” he said in a husky, regretful voice. “This wasn’t how we planned it. And I still owe you the boat trip.”

  “We can do that another time. The island isn’t going anywhere.”

  “You are being very accommodating.”

  Lauren only smiled. “One of these days, Jonas, you will figure out that you didn’t marry a spoiled child, but a woman used to the demands of business. And who said we’re cutting our honeymoon short? Unless you were planning on leaving me behind.”

  Jonas crushed her to him and whispered, “Never. You belong with me.”

  Lauren felt a little twinge of regret as they lowered the flag on the pole that evening, folded it, and put it away. They left everything neat and tidy, turned off the lights, locked the doors, and headed for the dock.

  Her phone rang mid-morning the following day. She smiled when she recognized the number.

  “Hi, Jonas!”

  “Hello, my love. How are you getting along?”

  “I’ve been very lazy. I found a good book in your library and have been sitting on the terrace enjoying both the sunshine and the book.”

  “Are you too engrossed in the book to fit in lunch with your husband?”

  Her happy laughter lifted his heart. “It will be tough, but I think I can manage it.”

  “Do you want to eat out or at home?”

  “Home, please,” she said at once. “The fridge is empty, so I’ll make a quick run to the market.”

  “Good answer. I should be there around one. Will that work?”

  “Perfect. I’ll have lunch ready.”

  “Love you, Lauren. See you in a couple of hours.”

  Lauren scanned the fridge and pantry, made a quick list and headed for the market. She didn’t know how long they would be in town. She shopped sparingly, just enough fresh food for a few days. After completing her purchases, Lauren swung by the open-air market and bought fresh-cut flowers, a bag of fresh shrimp, and just-picked raspberries. Then she noticed the new crop of Norwegian plums available that morning. She couldn’t resist and added those to her purchases, too. She’d make open-faced shrimp sandwiches for them with fresh fruit for dessert.

  Lauren was humming happily in the kitchen. She had arranged the flowers on the table and was putting the groceries away when the doorbell rang. Curious, she went to answer.

  A furious Elisabeth pushed Lauren aside and marched into the apartment with determined strides. “Where is he?” she demanded in a shrill voice, waving a set of news clippings.

  Astonished at her rudeness, Lauren said mildly, “If you are looking for Jonas, he is at his office. Can I help you?”

  “You!” she shouted. “Cousins!” In her fury, she almost spat the word as she continued to wave the clippings. “Have you read these? Simon Berg’s columns?” Without waiting for a reply, she added, “I could kill him!”

  Lauren gaped in surprise. “Who? Simon Berg?”

  “No, you moron!” she raged on. “Jonas! It says in here that he got married. Last week! In the States! To a Miss. Lauren. Hart,” she quoted in angry staccato. “Granddaughter of the late ship-owner Erik Hjellestad. Is it true?”

  Her voice had risen to such a level Lauren’s eardrums were ringing with pain. She stared at Elisabeth’s face—that usually beautiful, serene face—now contorted with fury. The transformation shook Lauren.

  “Yes, it’s true.”

  “Ooh!”

  Elisabeth stomped her foot and continued ranting until Lauren finally said, “That’s enough, Elisabeth. Please control yourself.”

  The words, firmly spoken, set off another tirade, and suddenly Elisabeth tossed the news clippings onto the coffee table and made straight for Lauren. Without warning, she started pushing, hitting and clawing like a wildcat. Lauren put up her hands and arms to protect her face, but there was no stopping Elisabeth.

  “He’s mine!” she shouted hysterically with each scratch. “He is mine! He has always been mine!”

  “Stop it, or I’ll be forced to defend myself, and you won�
��t like the result,” said Lauren sternly from the sofa where she had landed and where Elisabeth was now leaning over her, trying to force Lauren’s arms away from her face. Her fury knew no bounds.

  Jonas, in a hurry to get home to Lauren, left work a half an hour earlier than planned. Absurdly happy and anxious to see her, he stepped out of the elevator and to his horror saw the door to the apartment wide open and Elisabeth screeching and hitting his wife, while Lauren, with both arms covering her face for protection, tried to reason with her attacker.

  He ran across the room and grabbed hold of Elisabeth’s clothing by the nape, pulled her off Lauren and tossed her into the nearest chair.

  “Just what is going on here?” he shouted furiously. “Have you lost your mind?” He went to Lauren and gently pulled her arms away. Her face appeared to have escaped Elisabeth’s vicious nails, but deep, bloody gashes marked her arms, and her hair stood on end from the yanking it had received.

  Jonas pulled her into his arms and held her close. Running gentle fingers through her hair he pressed her face against him.

  Elisabeth sat curled up in the chair Jonas had tossed her into, suddenly completely spent. And humiliated. Her face, hidden behind both hands, was wet from the hulking sobs racking her body. This was not one of her finer moments.

  Hardly glancing at Elisabeth, Jonas stroked Lauren’s face tenderly, relieved she had been able to protect it. She had once laughingly told him about a college friend who had taught her some boxing moves to use in self-defense, and he wondered why she had allowed Elisabeth to get the upper hand. “You should have used that left hook you told me about,” he said in a low voice. “This would have been the perfect time to try it out.”

  “I considered it, but I was afraid I’d break her nose. I didn’t want to damage such a beautiful face.” Her words were muffled against him as she admitted, “But I was losing my patience and was this close to socking her. If you hadn’t come when you did, she would be sprawled on the floor by now.”

  Lauren felt his silent laughter against her cheek and tried to control her own. The episode with Elisabeth had been surreal. She pulled away slightly and said, “My arms hurt. Some of the scratches are deep. She was so angry, Jonas.”

  His touch was very gentle as he inspected the damage. The big gashes were still bleeding, and ugly welts covered her arms in several places. “We’ll cleanse them and put on some antibiotic ointment. If any of the wounds look serious, we’ll have them looked at.” Puzzled, his glance traveled from Lauren to Elisabeth then back to Lauren. “What brought all this on, do you know?”

  “Simon Berg’s column.” Lauren motioned to the pieces of newsprint tossed on the table. “It mentioned our marriage in the most recent one. She went ballistic and came looking for you, and when you weren’t here, she made do with me.”

  Jonas hugged Lauren to him again. “I am so sorry, Lauren. It never occurred to me that those innocent columns would cause problems for us. I thought they would do just the opposite.”

  “I’m sure they accomplished what you hoped they would. Except in this one case.”

  “I haven’t read them, but Annie said they were charming.”

  “Stop talking about me as if I’m not here,” Elisabeth implored them in a voice filled with subdued anger and humiliation.

  Jonas turned to her. His look made her cringe, but he could drum up very little sympathy. “I hope you realize that Lauren would be justified in calling the police. Your behavior was disgraceful, not to mention criminal. Someday I’d like to know why you thought this was an acceptable way to behave. In the meantime, you can apologize to my wife.”

  The look on Elisabeth’s face said she was clearly not ready to do that. She was still angry, as well as embarrassed. She had been observing them unobtrusively and hated what she saw: Jonas was in love with his wife. It was evident in every touch, every look, even the way he said, ‘my wife’. She was forced to admit to herself something she had always known but had refused to acknowledge. Jonas had never loved her and had never pretended he did. He had been a good friend, someone she could lean on, but she had shamelessly taken advantage of his kindness and generosity and had pressed him for more. He had never taken her up on what she offered, had never taken advantage of her. Recalling the disgust on his face when he looked at her just now, she suddenly felt very ashamed of what she had done.

  She watched the two of them as Jonas checked Lauren’s arms. He had never looked at her like that, not even right after Rune died and she was so broken. He had been gentle and kind and very patient with her, but he had never looked at her with love. She sighed deeply and got up and closed the front door quietly then sat back down. Jonas’ apartment was the only one on this floor, but she closed the door just the same.

  Watching her, Jonas said with a bite to his voice, “Was there something else you wanted, Elisabeth?”

  She showed no sign of leaving, and he was too well bred to toss her out ceremoniously, so he asked pointedly, “Will Lauren be safe here while I get the first aid kit? I don’t want a repeat performance.”

  Elisabeth raised deeply ashamed eyes to his. “I won’t touch her,” she whispered. “I’m sorry, Jonas.”

  Acknowledging the apology with a nod, he said, “It’s not me you need to apologize to,” and left the room.

  Alone, the two women summed each other up. Although her arms hurt, Lauren sat without fidgeting, but her eyes never left Elisabeth.

  Elisabeth looked at her rival with eyes showing a mixture of shame and anger. On her way to seek out Jonas for an explanation of the Simon Berg column, she had been almost insane with jealousy and anger. And then, finding Lauren in Jonas’ apartment, she had reacted with blind rage.

  Appalled at herself and what she had done, she wondered how she could have allowed herself to sink so low. Finally, she said, “You must think I’m insane. You would be justified in thinking that.” Elisabeth ran her hands down her face and surprised Lauren by saying, “I didn’t know I had it in me to get quite so angry and jealous. When I read about the marriage, I just lost it, even though Jonas has never pretended he saw me as anything but a friend. I have been stupid for a very long time.”

  Lauren couldn’t agree more but refrained from saying anything that might set Elisabeth off again. She breathed a sigh of relief when Jonas returned with the first-aid supplies. He looked at Lauren’s strained face and felt only loathing for Elisabeth. For the first time in his life, he actually wanted to hit a woman. In a controlled voice, he said, “Everything alright?”

  At Lauren’s nod, he said in a voice that brooked no argument. “Goodbye, Elisabeth! I believe you know the way out.”

  Elisabeth, who never blushed, turned crimson with mortification. She had never heard Jonas speak like that before and knew she had destroyed the most important friendship she ever had. Without a word, she bent down and retrieved her bag, then walked toward the door without a backward glance.

  The door closed quietly behind her, then clicked shut.

  “That was illuminating,” said Jonas when they were alone. “I have known her for twenty years and have never seen that side of her.”

  “Neither has she if we believe her.” Lauren ran her hands down her arms and winced in pain. “She has world-class nails, though.”

  Jonas looked at her arms again and said, “Come sit at the table, and we’ll get you fixed up.”

  With gentle strokes, he cleansed each wound. He heard Lauren’s indrawn breath and felt her pain. At that moment, he hated Elisabeth. Gently he applied the antibiotic ointment and placed bandages on the deepest cuts.

  “Thank you. It feels better already. But I look kind of goofy with all these Band-Aids on.”

  “Very sexy,” teased Jonas with a smile, “for a girl on her honeymoon.”

  “If anyone asks, please don’t tell them the truth.”

  Jonas looked at her with eyes ful
l of regret. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am about Elisabeth. I must be one of those incredibly dense males one hears about because I never saw it coming.”

  “You didn’t believe me when I said she was in love with you.”

  “I thought she was over it long ago.”

  “Well, she is over it now. Or she’d better be, or I really will flatten her.”

  “My, my we are getting feisty!” said Jonas as he pulled her off the stool and into his arms. “But I have a hunch we won’t be seeing much of Elisabeth in the future.”

  “I know this is going to sound strange, but I feel sorry for her, Jonas. She didn’t come here to attack me. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  “Yes, well.” Personally, he hoped they had seen the last of Elisabeth.

  “I never fixed our lunch. The doorbell rang as I was putting the last of the groceries away.”

  “What were you going to fix?”

  “Just shrimp sandwiches and fresh raspberries. And the local plums looked so good, I couldn’t resist them.”

  “I’ll help you, just let me make a phone call. I have a meeting scheduled this afternoon. I’ll tell Sverre to delay it.”

  They ate on the terrace in the warm sunshine. Their time together was so precious neither of them wanted the time to end.

  The meeting would not be a long, drawn-out affair, Jonas decided as he lingered over their goodbye kiss. He should be with Lauren after what she had been through today. Elisabeth’s behavior was enough to traumatize anyone, no matter how brave a face Lauren put on it.

  “Don’t answer the door,” he admonished her as he left. “If it is important, they will try back.”

  Lauren thought he was being overprotective, but didn’t say so. Instead, for his peace of mind, she agreed to ignore the doorbell.

  Alone in the apartment, she began cleaning up after their meal, then straightened the living room. She idly picked up the news-clippings Elisabeth had left behind and glanced at the content. She counted four articles with Simon Berg’s byline. Curious to see what he had written, and hoping to discover what exactly had set Elisabeth off, she made herself comfortable on the sofa and began reading.