“Do what?” I mostly followed that and wasn’t sure what to make of it. She frequently answered her own questions within seconds.
“This, this whole stupid game that made you feel bad about being a virgin and me have to find out about Lucas. Lori is a mess. She can pretend all she likes, but this is making her crazy. If she won’t face it then what’s the point?” Marina put her plate to the side and shook her head. “Maybe it was a big mistake.”
“No, I don’t think so.” I frowned.
“Because your part is over and done. What about Lori? Did I just extend her misery of turning thirty?” Marina raked her fingers through her hair, massaging her scalp.
“Better she finds out now if Nick is the right one or not than regret it at fifty. Isn’t that what you said? No regrets. I don’t have any. Clearly, Brian wasn’t the right one for me. At least now I don’t have to wonder or hide my lack of experience anymore. I feel like I can get out there and you guys are behind me.”
Marina frowned and examined her nails. She analyzed her decision, second-guessing herself. “Lori is different.”
“She’s an adult. She can take it. You’re not afraid to see Lucas again, right?” Maybe if I steered her in another direction she wouldn’t derail this. Lori and Nick seemed like a fit. Lori was just stubborn.
“Afraid? Hell no. I don’t care. Why should I have to? Have you seen him again?” Marina reached for her plate and looked calmer.
“Yeah, today in fact. He wants the three of us to have lunch.”
Marina looked at me in disbelief with her mouth still full. “You’re kidding,” she managed without hardly opening her mouth at all.
“No, he doesn’t have a girlfriend or a wife. He isn’t fat or bald. He did say there was a woman he’s interested in. He’d like the three of us to have lunch and catch up with you. Would you mind?”
Marina licked her lips and I could tell she was pondering her answer. “Jen, I don’t know. That’s old stuff to dig up again. I know that’s the point. I really thought he’d be married with kids by now. That’s what he wanted. A wife, two kids, a house in the suburbs with a dog and a white picket fence where he could show off his wealth in fancy cars and lawn ornaments. We only had a spark in the bedroom.”
“That doesn’t mean you can’t have lunch to be sure. Please, it’ll make me feel like I did my best and fulfilled my part. If there is no spark, you never have to see each other again.” She was going to back out. “I’m not saying you two should get back together. It might smooth things over.”
No, she had to go. She had to! I had to be sure he was clear and free for me. At least I believed she didn’t really want him now. My spirits were up. I might be able to date Lucas.
Pouring herself more wine, Marina shrugged. “Okay, as long as he’s buying.”
“Obviously. Don’t worry, I didn’t tell him you wanted to get back together or anything. I made it sound like a coincidence and old friends getting back together. He didn’t ask too many questions.” Relief washed over me. I could have a clear conscious and a gorgeous guy who was actually nice, with a little luck.
“That sounds like Lucas. Not the chattiest guy in the world. Probably just wants to brag about his portfolio. Show off what I passed up. If it’ll make you feel better for me to see Lucas and then you’ll put my little trip down insanity lane to rest, I’ll go.”
“Excellent! Where?” I wanted her to pick the place so she didn’t back out.
“How about that new Mexican place we keep meaning to try? Looks good.” She seemed to perk up at the mention of good food that Lucas would pay for.
“Great. How’s Monday?” I asked.
“Make it Tuesday. He should wait to see us.” She winked and took her dish to the sink. “Was he civil to you, at least? He can be thoughtless.”
“More than civil, he was very nice. You don’t get far without people skills, Marina. He had to learn them sometime.” Time changed people’s perception of things too. Marina dumped him for a reason. Now she only really remembered the bad stuff, except for the sex. The Lucas I knew wasn’t rude or showy with his money.
“Good because if he was mean to you, I’d have to give him a lecture. He hated my lectures.” She stood at the sink, paused in her dish rinsing and beamed in remembrance. The man who’d be right for Marina would be a very patient and yet very tenacious person. Lucas was persistent. He lacked that measure of patience, which I found intriguing. I had no patience on the job or man front.
“No, no lecture necessary, I promise you. Just think of it as a last meal with him. Then we can focus on fixing Lori and Nick.”
“I’m half tempted to give up. Neither will budge.” She shrugged.
“Can you blame him? She dumped him for being poor and not good enough for the family. Not for being a jerk or cheating on her or because they weren’t getting along or because there were no sparks. Would you want snobby in-laws?”
“I get the picture,” Marina interrupted. “I understand why he’s mad. I should’ve known this would deadlock. He has every right to hold his ground. She’s the one who needs to go and talk to him. The effort needs to come from her.”
“That’s not likely.” I shook my head.
“Maybe, maybe not.” Marina’s eyes searched the ceiling for an answer. She had something cooking in that brain of hers and I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.
“Do you think he’ll talk to her if she does make an effort?” I asked.
“Yes, I do.” Marina sounded confident. “He took out his anger on me because I was there. They need to have a blow out fight. Get everything off their chests and then they can move forward.”
“Are you thinking of locking them in the garage alone together one night? That’d be great. We could watch through a security camera and everything.” I was intrigued. Marina’s mind was far more devious than mine and I’d come up with that much myself.
“Oh my God, we’ve created a voyeuristic monster.” Marina laughed. “No, that won’t be necessary. It’ll be fine. I’ve already pushed too much. If Lori can’t go after him herself, she doesn’t really want him or doesn’t deserve him. I just need to talk to her. Let her know he’ll listen once the venting is over. And the sister thing will help. I need to tell her everything once I’ve talked to Eddie and then leave her alone.” Marina nodded sharply.
“Since when are you anti-meddling?” I feared my friend had lost her mind.
“I’m not. There is good meddling and bad meddling. Good gets her to do it, bad is me forcing her to do it. If Lori can’t face her family and stand up to them, she shouldn’t string Nick along. It won’t work.”
“Do you think she can?”
“Lori is thirty years old. She’s a self-sufficient adult who argues for a living. She can do this. The old excuses she used before don’t matter. If she doesn’t do it now. she’ll regret it. And not just Nick, she’ll be under her parents’ thumb forever. Cross your fingers she wants him bad enough.” Marina dug through the fridge for some ice cream cones and tossed me one.
“I don’t need this.” I had imagined getting naked with Lucas and feeling sexy. Ice cream landing on my hips didn’t help the picture.
“Sure you do. We both struck out. Lori’s the only one left with a chance at a man.” Marina flopped down on the couch and handed me ice cream.
“We don’t regret it,” I added. I unwrapped the ice cream cone so she wouldn’t suspect. Extra work out tomorrow, no question.
“Very true.” Marina nodded as the phone rang. She grabbed it and glanced at the id first. “Lori. I was wondering where she was. Since this Nick thing started, she’s been very bad at being alone with her thoughts.” Marina grinned and answered.
Chapter Nine
Marina’s Plan Looks Iffy
I was intentionally early for my lunch with Eddie. I wasn't looking forward to it. The information for Lori wouldn't help if she refused to try at all. That was my biggest fear now and a real possibility.
It wa
sn't a date or anything, but Eddie was cute so I went halfway and wore my funky black boots under boot cut jeans and finished it with a dark blue sweater that showed off my assets without the plunging neckline. I needed to feel like a woman who was desired for a change. However, I didn’t get the feeling Eddie need a big flashing green light.
Before lunch, I had to get a little advice, so I went down to Mom's bakery. Penny was swamped at the register so I nodded at her and slipped in the back.
"Hi." I was met with a full kitchen including mom, aunts, and two cousins. All greeted me as they kept on with their work except for mom. She could tell this wasn’t a normal drop in just to say hi.
"What's wrong?" She nodded for me to follow her into the supply room.
"Lori. I'm beginning to think I didn't do such a good thing." No reason to waste time on the formalities. Mom was busy. I was due at this lunch. I needed a reality check on what I was doing to my friend.
"Why?" Mom organized things as we chatted. Her hands rarely stopped moving.
"Nick isn't very receptive and Lori doesn't seem to want to make the first move either." I pulled my compact out of my purse and dabbed powder on my forever oily t-zone. “She’s so damn stubborn.”
"Should she talk to him?" Mom asked.
"Nick's theory is she broke off the relationship so she should make the effort to come back. I don't disagree, however she's stubborn." I snapped the compact closed and tossed it back in my bucket purse.
"Give her a little time," Mom said.
"That's the thing, if she won't go and talk to him, after all this time, will she ever? Did I just drag up ancient history and torture my friends for what I thought was a good idea?"
"You had good intentions, dear. But things don’t always turn out the way you want."
"So why do I hear that old cliché of the road to hell being paved with good intentions running through my head?" It had been an impulse to combat Lori's depression and I thought it would all just click.
"Don't worry, you did the right thing." Mom nodded with her back to me as she straightened spices. “Lori will see that in time.”
"How do you know that?" I asked. Mom never said those fake mom sayings just to pacify us. That's what made her advice so useful.
Mom turned and smiled knowingly. "Lori stopped by to see me."
"You're kidding?" I felt my jaw drop. Lori sought out maternal advice.
"She just needed to talk to someone older. Her mother sounds very unreceptive to all of this." Mom shook her head disapprovingly.
"I doubt Lori's mom even knows about this or that Nick existed. I don't get that relationship. Her whole family is a bunch of snobs."
"At least she's talking to someone. I'm not sure if I helped, but she seemed to feel better." Mom turned to me and frowned.
"I'm sure you did. She's been quieter lately. Thinking is my guess." I wasn’t about to ask for details of their conversation. Mom never shared private stuff from talking with my sisters. I knew she’d give Lori the same privacy and respect.
"She should give it some thought before she acts. Unfortunately, she can think all she wants, but that won't get her Nick back. Sooner or later, she’ll have to go after him. Assuming that's what she wants. He has to be worth it in her mind." Mom shrugged.
"Oh, I'm sure that's what she wants. Otherwise, she wouldn't care about my talking to him. Lori certainly wouldn’t have come to see you if she wasn’t confused, at least. She's been acting so weird lately." I’d known Lori long enough to see even a minor mood change. This wasn’t very subtle.
I didn’t want it to be permanent depression or for her to start smoking again. Nothing was worse than her on nicotine withdrawal, except possibly Nick withdrawal. At least the cigarettes were out of her system. There was no such thing as a Nick patch.
"Love makes people act weird. You've done the best you can. It’s up to her now."
"Almost." I nodded. "I have one more thing to do. I'm meeting with a friend of Nick's and we'll see what he can tell me. Maybe I'll get something that'll help Lori decide. Nick’s already tied in knots about it. Maybe all I need is one more piece to push her over the edge."
"In the end it's up to her," Mom warned.
I nodded. I knew she was right. "Whether they end up together or not, I really want her to at least talk to Nick. She needs to put this behind her. He's either the one or he's not. He can't be the one that got away forever. I can't still be hearing about this guy when I'm eighty. And she’ll never stop. I can just see Lori and I puttering around a nursing home. Having to listen to her stories of Nick would make me want to call Dr. Kavorchian. She’s my best friend, but the drama will kill me."
"I think she'll talk to him eventually. She has to get brave enough first. That or she’ll hit rock bottom being without him. Either way, feelings don’t just disappear. Let her think it through and she’ll come to you about it. How is Jen doing with this?"
I took a deep breath. "Pretty good, surprisingly enough. Her ex-boyfriend turned out to be a gay guy and she's really a virgin. She bounced back."
"I could've told you the virgin part." Mom smiled. “She’s clearly shy.”
"Those mom powers get scarier every day." I shook my head at her. "Anyway she's found Lucas and doesn’t find him as annoying or boring as I did. I'm having lunch with them next week."
"You don't want him back." It wasn't a question, just a fact.
"No. Jen wants the lunch so she feels like she held up her part of it."
"Sounds fair since that's what you want Lori to do," Mom agreed.
"That's mainly why I'm going along with it. I need to show Lori it won't kill her to see an ex again." I folded my arms tightly.
"When are you going to start finding new men then and stop pulling out the ex’s?" Mom asked.
"Is this a thinly veiled, when are you getting married talk?" I asked.
"You know I'm in no rush, still you haven't had a serious boyfriend in a while either. The family is beginning to talk about you turning into an old maid. You’re too smart and attractive for that.”
"Mom, in order to be an old maid, I'd still have to be a maid. Born again virginity is crap, mine was gone a long time ago."
"You know what I mean. No one wants to see you old and alone." She waved off the sex conversation. No better way to halt a conversation with a good Catholic mother than to throw your sex life at her.
"When I find the right one, I'll let you know." I was a bit shocked at mom's questions. She hadn't been one to push marriage. I was closing in on thirty, however. My sisters had all been married by my age.
By my age, my mother had given birth to all five of us. At the rate I was going, I’d never have any kids. That thought made me want to hide under the covers for a split second. Then a saner me took over, I wasn’t ready for kids. Not yet.
"Don't wait until I'm dead. I'd like to see the wedding." Mom smiled.
I glanced at my watch. I had some time left. I wanted to get out before the conversation really got out of hand. "I'm going to be late for lunch."
"Is he cute?" Mom asked.
"He's not good potential. Just good information on Nick." I knew Eddie wasn't husband or even boyfriend material, even though he was attractive.
"Oh well, good luck."
"Bye." I made my way out of the bakery and felt weird. My mom actually brought up my getting married. I felt the creepy chill of Catholic guilt. I tried to shake it off and headed for the restaurant. Eddie wasn’t marriage material, but he was good enough for now.
~* * *~
I beat Eddie to the restaurant and got a table before the lunch crowd took them all. It was a little Greek restaurant in the neighborhood where I grew up. Hardly pricey, but this wasn’t a date.
I ordered a diet Coke and flipped through my appointment book. That damn lunch with Lucas. I had no desire to see Lucas, at least I could point out to Lori that I was willing to put him behind me face-to-face. Jen didn't count since she never actually had a real relatio
nship and her guy was long distance on top of it. Lori had no such excuse. If I could swing it to work to my advantage, maybe it’d be worth putting up with him for one lunch.
"Sorry I'm late." He sat down across from me in his work shirt and jeans. Eddie was cute. I had to admit there was some attraction.
"No problem. Get stuck at work?" I asked.
"Yep. I have the rest of the day off though. All yours." He grinned.
"Let's order and then get down to the Nick information." I smiled and scanned through the menu quickly. He wasn't the best conversationalist in the world; he was a means to an end. And not terrible to look at.
We placed our order and I waited for him to begin. After a few minutes I finally had to ask. "Did you learn anything new about Lori and Nick?"
He downed his second cup of coffee. "Right. Nick's sister is totally behind this and called him again to give him hell. Once she opened the can of worms, she figured why not keep the pressure on?"
"And?" I pushed.
"Nick's sticking to his position. Lori has to come to him."
"You men and your egos. He’ll be miserable, of course he’ll keep his pride." I jabbed the straw back into the pop glass. "Will he listen if she does come?"
"Yeah, I think he wants to see her. Hear what she has to say." He nodded.
"I don't want her to go to Nick just to have him humiliate her and send her away. If he's just in it to make her miserable, he can forget it. I won’t see my best friend hurt by this."
"Nick's not like that. He isn't out for revenge. If Lori isn't willing to come to him, I don't think he'll believe she really wants him. Nick has as much to lose himself, she could make him look like a fool if he goes to her." Eddie nodded.
"I understand that. She’s very hot-tempered.” Our salads arrived and we busied ourselves with eating for a bit. “Is there anything else?"
"From what his sister says, he hasn't had a serious girlfriend since Lori. That’s years. That's a long time." Eddie frowned.
"Lori hasn't had a real boyfriend either, not since Nick. Lots of first dates, though no one really made it to boyfriend status." I kept coming back to the conclusion I was right. Lori went to my mom for advice and Nick was talking about her, if only to his sister. This might turn out okay.
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