LavenderLaceTrilogy_Bundle

by Lynn LaFleur

  He wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

  “I gave up my apartment when I went to Europe,” Lane said. “My new one won’t be ready until the tenth. I’m staying with my mom until then.”

  Molly smiled. “I’m sure she loves that.”

  “Yes and no. She’s been dating a guy lately and my presence is cramping her style.”

  Julian chuckled. Lane’s mother had been divorced for a long time. He was glad to hear she’d met someone who might be special to her.

  “Thanks for dinner.” Lane drew Julian into a back-slapping hug, then faced Molly. “Nice to meet you, Molly.”

  “You too.”

  “I’ll call you,” Lane said to Julian.

  Julian nodded. He watched Lane walk to the door and leave. Part of the energy in the room left with him.

  “He’s nice,” Molly said as she set more dishes on the cabinet.

  “Yeah. We’ve been friends for a long time.”

  “Hmmm.”

  Julian paused while placing a plate in the dishwasher and looked at Molly over his shoulder. “What’s that mean?”

  “What’s what mean?”

  “That ‘hmmm’.”

  Molly shrugged. “It didn’t seem as if you missed him or anything. I mean, you said you’ve been friends for a long time and he was gone for a year. I expected more…” She stopped.

  Julian straightened and faced her. “More what?”

  “I don’t know. Teasing. Making fun of each other. Stuff guys do.”

  She was way too observant. And right. Normally Julian would do exactly what Molly said with a friend he hadn’t seen in a year. There would be playful punches to the arm, maybe a friendly slap to the head. Other than the one brief hug when Lane left, Julian had been careful not to touch his friend.

  Touching him would bring back all those memories of fucking him.

  Unsure of how to respond to Molly’s comment, Julian returned to loading the dishwasher. Instead of trying to figure out how to respond, he decided to change the subject. “Do you work tomorrow?”

  “From one to closing.”

  “Wednesday?”

  “The same.”

  “I get off at noon Wednesday. I thought I’d head to Bremerton then.” He closed the dishwasher door, set the timer and faced Molly again. “Come with me.”

  Her eyes widened in surprise. “What?”

  “I want you to meet my family and I want them to meet you. I’ll wait until you get off work Wednesday and pick you up. We can head for Bremerton then, or wait until Thursday morning if that would be better for you.”

  “Wait a minute.” She held up a hand, palm toward him. “I can’t meet your family.”

  “Why not?”

  “Well…because.”

  While Julian knew that was a perfect reason to a woman, it didn’t work for him. “Because why?”

  “Julian, we only met a week ago.”

  “What does that have to do with spending Thanksgiving with my family?”

  She twisted her hands together and bit her bottom lip. “I don’t want anyone to think I’m…pushy.”

  There was no way anyone could ever think Molly pushy. He took her hands, lifted them to his mouth and kissed each palm. “I know we only met a week ago, but I care for you. A lot. I know you don’t have any plans for Thanksgiving and I don’t want you to be alone.” He allowed a grin to turn up the corners of his mouth. “And if you think my mom’s cannelloni is good, wait until you taste her turkey and dressing.”

  His teasing earned him the chuckle he’d hoped to get from her. He kissed her palms again. “So? Will you go with me?”

  Her smile lit up the entire room. “Yes.”

  Chapter Ten

  Julian collapsed another cardboard box and stacked it next to the front door with the others. Only two more boxes and he’d finally have everything unpacked.

  Since Molly had to work today and he didn’t have to be back at work until Monday, Julian decided this would be a good day to get the rest of his stuff organized. Normally he would’ve stayed over at his parents’ house, but he and Molly had come home last night on the nine o’clock ferry since she had to be at Nordstrom early this morning.

  He chuckled when he thought about how his mother had hovered over Molly. She’d been wonderful, doing everything she could to make Molly feel welcome and wanted. A prior warning to his parents and Jill about Molly’s uncomfortable relationship with her mother meant they all avoided talking about Molly’s past, focusing on Julian instead. He wouldn’t have been surprised if his mother had gotten out the family scrapbooks she faithfully updated. That would’ve been really embarrassing.

  Molly had glowed all day with the attention from everyone in his family. It made Julian feel good to know he’d given her something that brought her such joy.

  Without Molly to occupy his time, tackling the household stuff seemed like the smart thing to do. Not exactly fun, but smart. Once those last two boxes were unpacked, he’d have a clean guestroom. Jill could stay overnight with him if she wanted to take a break from her sons.

  Or Lane could spend the night with him.

  Julian pushed that thought from his mind as quickly as it had formed. Lane would not be staying over for any reason…not in his guestroom, and especially not in his bed. He wanted Lane as a friend, but nothing more.

  His cell phone rang. Julian unclipped it from his belt, assuming it would be Molly. She’d said she’d try to call him on her break. An unfamiliar number stared back at him when he looked at the display. The 360 area code proved it was someone in western Washington calling, but he had no idea who.

  He pressed the button to accept the call. “Hello.”

  “Hey. It’s Lane.”

  Julian’s heart jumped up in his throat before settling in the pit of his stomach. “Hey.”

  “I thought maybe we could have lunch, if you aren’t busy.”

  Julian looked at the two boxes on the guestroom floor. He could easily say he was busy and they’d have to get together another time. He blew out a breath. That would be stupid. It would be better to see Lane now and settle things between them.

  “Lunch sounds good.”

  “Great.” Julian thought he heard relief in Lane’s voice “Do you want to meet somewhere? I don’t know Seattle that well, but I have GPS in my SUV.”

  Going to a restaurant would be silly when Julian had so much food from Thanksgiving that his mother had sent home with him. Besides, it would be easier to talk in private. “I have leftovers, unless you got enough turkey and dressing yesterday.”

  “I’ll always take leftovers if it’s your mom’s cooking. What time?”

  “Twelve thirty?”

  “I’ll be there.”

  Julian pressed the button to end the call. He and Lane hadn’t addressed what had happened between them before Lane went to Europe. Even though he was apprehensive about seeing Lane again, it would be good for them to talk and clear the air once and for all.

  *

  Molly propped her feet on the chair to her left. “The recession is officially over.”

  Shawna popped a potato chip in her mouth. “And you know this how?”

  “Every woman in the Metroplex came to Nordstrom this morning. My feet already hurt and I have another four hours to work.”

  “You need nourishment.” She unwrapped a thick chicken salad sandwich and divided it onto two paper plates. “Eat.”

  “Thanks.” Molly took a huge bite and moaned in pleasure. “Mmm, good.” She looked at Shawna’s plate as she sipped her iced tea. “Where’s the pickle?”

  “I hate pickles, you know that.”

  “I don’t. You could’ve gotten one and given it to me.”

  “Nuh-uh. It would’ve touched my food.” Shawna shivered. “Yuck.”

  Molly chuckled. She’d never known anyone who hated pickles as much as her sister.

  She took another bite of her sandwich and ate a couple of chips before Shawna spoke again.
“Are you going to ask me?”

  “Ask you what?”

  “About Thanksgiving.”

  Molly had avoided talking to Shawna last night about what had happened with their mother. While she’d loved the time she’d spent with Julian’s amazing family, a big part of her had felt guilty because she hadn’t gone to Everett with Shawna.

  Shawna’s eyes glistened with tears. “It was awful, Mol. She was already drunk when I got there. She microwaved a couple of frozen turkey dinners and tossed them on the table. That was lunch. I couldn’t eat a bite. I don’t think she did either. She was too busy drinking to eat.”

  Molly laid the rest of her sandwich on the saucer. She couldn’t possibly eat another bite now. “What did you do?”

  “I left after an hour and went to Aunt Dora’s. Mom begged me not to go, but I couldn’t stay there and watch her stumble over everything.”

  Thank God for Aunt Dora. She and Uncle Dewey had always been there for them when things got too horrible at home. Aunt Dora had grieved for the loss of her brother, but she hadn’t turned to a bottle. Instead she’d taken care of her two nieces who had lost their mother when they lost their father.

  Shawna wiped a tear from her cheek. “I don’t think I can go back, Mol. I can’t stand to see her like that.”

  “Did you tell her that?”

  She shook her head.

  “You should. I’ve told her how I feel. Maybe if you tell her you won’t see her again unless she gets some help with her drinking, that’ll be the final straw for her.”

  “Maybe.” Shawna swished her straw through her Coke. “She asked about you, more than once.”

  “What did you tell her?”

  “That you were with friends. She’d nod as if she understood me, then ask me again ten minutes later where you were.”

  Despite her best efforts, tears tightened Molly’s throat. She didn’t want to care about her mother. Her heart had other ideas.

  “I’m sorry, Mol. I shouldn’t have said anything. Let’s talk about something else. Tell me about your time with Julian’s family. Did you have fun?”

  Molly nodded. “It was wonderful. They were so friendly. His mother hugged me when we met.” She popped another potato chip in her mouth and chewed. “I’ll admit I had this mental picture of Julian’s mother. I thought since she’s such an incredible cook, she’d be petite and almost as round as tall.”

  “And she wasn’t?”

  “Not even close. The woman is stunning. She’s about five-seven with an incredible body. She could pass for Sophia Loren’s cousin. I would’ve felt completely dumpy beside her if she hadn’t been so friendly.”

  “Does Julian look like her?”

  Molly wiggled her mouth from side to side as she mentally compared Julian to his parents. “He has her eyes and nose. I’d say his smile is his father’s. Julian is the same height and build as his dad.”

  “Am I ever going to meet Julian?”

  “Yes. I invited him over for dinner this weekend. I’m thinking of Sunday night since I get off at four and don’t have to work Monday.”

  Shawna propped one elbow on the table and rested her head on her fist. “I’m excited to meet the guy who put such a sparkle in your eyes. You’ve been so happy since you met Julian.”

  Thinking about him sent warmth all through Molly’s body. “He’s the best. It all happened so fast with us, but I think he cares for me as much as I care for him.”

  “Do you love him?”

  “I don’t want to use the L word yet and jinx anything. But I do think we’re on our way to something very special.” Her appetite now back, Molly picked up her sandwich. “I feel as if nothing can possibly go wrong for us.”

  *

  Julian had told himself it would be good to talk to Lane, get things settled between them. Knowing that didn’t keep him from feeling apprehensive when he heard Lane’s knock.

  He took a deep breath, wiped his hands on his thighs and opened the door.

  Lane stood on the other side, dressed in a formfitting brown T-shirt and faded jeans. He smiled. “Hey.”

  “Hey.” Julian opened the door wider and stood aside. “Come in.”

  Lane walked into the room. Julian’s gaze dropped to his friend’s ass in the tight jeans. He still had a fine ass…

  “So where’s the turkey and dressing?” Lane asked as he turned to face Julian.

  “In the microwave, ready for me to hit the start button.”

  “Good.” He rubbed his hands together. “Bring on your mom’s cooking.”

  Julian headed for the kitchen. “I have green bean casserole, candied yams and homemade rolls too. And pumpkin pie, of course.”

  “I love your mother. Think she’d marry me?”

  “I think you’d have to fight my dad for her.”

  “I could do that.” Lane slid onto one of the stools at the kitchen island. “I really like your dad and I’d hate to hurt him, but all’s fair in love and war.”

  Julian chuckled. This was the Lane he remembered before Claire had turned their world upside down…funny, teasing, always happy. Both men and women had loved to be around Lane because he was so much fun. He’d had more friends than he could probably count.

  “Want a beer?” Julian asked after he started the microwave.

  “Yeah.”

  Julian pulled two bottles from the refrigerator. He wasn’t sure where to start the conversation. He couldn’t jump into what had happened between them without some kind of lead-in.

  “Did Molly go with you yesterday?” Lane asked as he twisted the cap off his beer.

  “Yeah. She wasn’t going to at first, but I convinced her I really wanted her to meet my family.”

  “And they loved her.”

  Julian nodded. “Even my nephews. I’m sure the fact that she helped them put together the puzzle they were working on had nothing to do with it.”

  Lane looked into Julian’s eyes as he took another sip of beer. “What about you? You love her?”

  The microwave dinged. Julian removed the dish of turkey and dressing and placed more food inside to be warmed. “I think it’s too soon to talk about love.”

  “It isn’t too soon if that’s the way you feel.”

  Julian grabbed plates, silverware and napkins and set them on the island by his friend. “I like her a lot, Lane. She’s fun and cute and sexy. It’s easy to talk to her. That’s important to me. No matter how good the sex is, a couple has to be able to talk to each other.”

  “Yeah, that’s true.” Lane rolled the beer bottle between his hands. “You’re lucky to find someone you care about.”

  “I had to move to Seattle to do it.” Julian placed the last dish of food on the island, then sat on the other stool next to Lane. “You didn’t meet any hot babes in Europe?”

  “Oh yeah. Lots of hot babes around.” Lane took half of the turkey and dressing and passed the dish to Julian. “But I spent most of my time on the ship. Not a lot of chances to find Ms. Right when you’re surrounded by guys.”

  The question had to be asked. “So you’re still searching for Ms. Right?”

  “Yeah.” Lane looked at him. “I’ll be honest with you, Julian. I tried sex with a couple of guys in Europe. After what happened between us… I thought maybe I’d be happier with a guy than a gal. Nope. Didn’t work out at all.” He chuckled as he spooned yams onto his plate. Julian thought he saw a hint of red creep into Lane’s tan cheeks. “Literally didn’t work at all the second time.”

  Julian winced. He’d never had a problem getting a hard-on, but he could sympathize with his friend. “Ouch.”

  “Yeah, that was pretty embarrassing. I decided right then that I’d better stick with girls.” He grinned and bobbled his eyebrows. “Never had a problem with them.”

  Julian laughed. The laughter dissolved the tension inside him. Perhaps he and Lane could fall back into their friendship and push aside what happened between them for those four months.

  Lane reg
aled him with tales of his time onboard ship and in Europe while they finished lunch. By the time they ate their slices of pumpkin pie, Julian was sure things would go back to the way they were between Lane and him before the Claire incident.

  Julian gathered up their dishes and carried them to the sink. “Want another beer?”

  “I’ll get it.”

  From the corner of his eye, Julian saw Lane rise from the stool. Instead of going to the refrigerator, he came to the sink and leaned against the cabinet next to Julian.

  “We talked about all kinds of things over lunch, Julian, except the one thing we should talk about.”

  One simple sentence and the tension once again filled the area around them. Julian continued to rinse the dishes, hoping Lane wouldn’t say what Julian feared he might.

  Julian’s hopes were dashed when Lane asked, “Are we going to talk about what happened between us?”

  He turned off the water and faced his friend. “No.”

  Lane frowned. “Why not?”

  “Because it’s in the past. It doesn’t need to be brought up again.”

  “Julian, we fucked for four months. I’d never been with a guy before you, and couldn’t even get my dick hard with a guy after you. I want to know why I was so turned-on by you.” He straightened from the cabinet, his fists clenched at his sides. “I want to know why, right now, I want to kiss you so much I can’t think of anything else.”

  Julian didn’t know what to say, especially since he felt the same way. He longed to take his friend in his arms again, kiss those full lips, stroke Lane’s ass and cock.

  Lane took a step closer. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

  He couldn’t lie, not while staring into those pleading hazel eyes. “I’m thinking,” he said, his voice husky, “I want that too.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Lane took another step closer to Julian. He felt as if he were approaching a skittish animal. He could see the heat in Julian’s eyes, yet he also saw trepidation. Julian desired him, but he didn’t want to desire him.

  Lane knew how Julian felt. He’d never understood what had happened between his best friend and him, how their friendship had exploded into such passion. For Lane, it had been more than passion. He’d fallen in love with Julian, yet had never told his friend for fear of scaring him away.