by Maria Geraci
Lauren had gone to high school with Nate, but they hadn’t been friends. Their graduating class had only a hundred or so students and Lauren had prided herself on being friendly to everyone. She’d even had a few classes with Nate, but he’d been the studious sort who kept his head low and grade point average high. In high school, he’d been tall and lanky and worn wire rim glasses. He’d recently completed his medical residency and was back home practicing with Doc Morrison, Whispering Bay’s only physician.
Lauren studied him out of the corner of her eye. Discreetly, of course. He was even taller than she remembered and he’d filled out in the shoulders. He still wore glasses, but they were the type of designer frames you’d see a man wear in one of those expensive magazine cologne ads. The kind that said you won’t be sorry when I take these off. His brown hair was short and still the tiniest bit unruly, but that was probably because it had some natural curl to it.
Their paths had crossed a few times since he’d moved back to town, but other than the barest tip of his head in her direction, he never really acknowledged her. Lauren had begun to refer to it as “the nod.” Of course, she hadn’t really done much more than nod back herself. It wasn’t that she was being rude. It was just that they had nothing to say to one another.
Tonight he wore a dark blue suit and he looked sharp. He pulled out a chair for his date, then went around the table to his own seat, and in doing so, caught Lauren’s eye. He blinked and tipped his head slightly in acknowledgment (there was the nod!). Lauren smiled back, then quickly averted her gaze and reached out for her wine glass. Expensive restaurant, chilled champagne, roses, and a suit. The hostess had said the table was reserved for a special occasion. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what that special occasion was. It looked like the restaurant was in for a big romantic treat tonight.
Their salads came up first and Lauren dug in. This would have been the time in her night when Jimmy Stewart would be running down the streets of Pottersville, horrified to find what his hometown would have been like if he’d never been born. It was Lauren’s favorite part of the movie. She sighed.
“As I was saying,” Ted said, “too bad this town is stuck in another century. If my company had been allowed to build here, your little antique shop would be sitting pretty.”
What? She’d completely lost track of the conversation. “It’s a vintage clothing shop.” It was at least the third time she’d corrected him on that.
“Isn’t that what I said? Anyway, I moved on. You know, there are places around here that appreciate a man like me. What’s wrong with making money? Absolutely nothing, that’s what I say.”
For a successful businessman, he sounded remarkably bitter. Like somehow, Whispering Bay had “bested” him and he still hadn’t gotten over the loss. She wondered if he kept a scorecard for things like that. Whispering Bay: 1. Ted Ferguson: 0. The evening was quickly disintegrating into a solid six.
“So, my mother told me she met you at an Alzheimer’s charity event.” Hopefully, they could find some common ground here and turn the evening around.
Ted nodded. “Damn shame what’s going on with your father,” he said, his mouth full of lettuce.
“Thank you, but I’m optimistic that we can stop this before it advances.”
Sympathy flashed through Ted’s gaze. “Good for you. Never take no for an answer, I say.”
A violinist suddenly appeared, walking slowly amidst the tables. He was playing something soft and pretty, but when he got to Nate’s table, he switched up tunes to play My Heart Will Go On.
It was obvious this had been planned in advance. Lauren wondered briefly who’d made the song choice. The violinist? Or Nate? Or maybe it was the redhead’s favorite song. It was lovely, to be sure, but there was all that depressing imagery that went along with it. Ships sinking. People dying. Leonardo DiCaprio floating away…
The violinist finished his serenade, then shuffled himself off to the side to wait. Yep, that had definitely been planned out in advance. Noticing the sudden lack of music, most of the restaurant’s patrons turned their heads in curiosity.
Nate got up from his chair and went down on one knee.
“Oh, boy,” Ted said gleefully.
Lauren laid down her napkin and discreetly turned her chair. Just a notch. Nate took the redhead’s hand in his. He reached inside his jacket and produced a diamond solitaire ring (at least two carats from what Lauren could see). Go, Nate!
“Jessica,” Nate said, “will you make me the happiest man on earth and do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
As far as proposals went, it sounded a bit scripted. Like something he’d probably seen on T.V., but hey, at least he was putting himself out there. Lauren had always thought public proposals took a lot of hutzpah. A guy had to be pretty sure he wasn’t going to be turned down to lay his heart out there for the whole world to see.
A few seconds went by. Waiters stood frozen. Diners shuffled their chairs into the best position to watch the scene unfolding in front of them. A woman, a few tables over, came up behind Lauren and stood with her cell phone in the air, videotaping the event. Lauren wondered if she would offer to send the video to Nate and his future bride as a souvenir. They would probably play it at their wedding reception. Or at their engagement party for all their friends to ooh and ah over.
Jessica pursed her lips together. Her eyes went wide with…oh no. Lauren sucked in a breath. Was she the only one who noticed that the future (maybe) Mrs. Nate Miller didn’t look pleased?
“Can we talk about this later?” Jessica whispered, but loud enough that Lauren could hear.
Nate, still on his knees, shook his head in confusion. “I…you said you wanted a big gesture.” He raised the ring higher in offering.
Lauren glanced around the paralyzed restaurant. She wanted to tell everyone to turn back their chairs and mind their own business, but like the rest of the captive voyeurs all she could do was look on in horror.
After a few more seconds, the silence became unbearable. “So, does this mean, no?” Nate said.
Lauren cringed. She wanted to leap from the table and pull Nate off his knees. But poor guy, he must have been in shock, because he continued in the classic proposal position, despite the fact it was obvious that Jessica was turning him down.
Jessica, realizing that everyone was staring at them, plastered a smile on her face. “Nate, sweetheart, can we discuss this somewhere more…private?”
Nate slowly got up, pocketed the ring and sat back down. The violinist seemed as gobsmacked as Nate. Initially unsure of whether to not to resume playing, he now took the initiative and began another round of My Heart Will Go On.
Ted snorted. “What a loser!”
Lauren fought the urge to splash her drink in Ted’s face. Free food and a chance to wear the dress weren’t nearly enough compensation for having to sit through a dinner with him.
Everyone went back to eating. Two minutes ago it had been quiet enough to hear a pin drop, but now the noise level had risen to an excited hush. Poor Nate. The whole restaurant was talking about him. Lauren didn’t think she’d ever witnessed anyone be publicly humiliated before. It was…awful.
The violinist finally finished playing. She watched from the corner of her eye as Nate stood and handed the man some money. She also noticed that Jessica was smiling and eating as if nothing had happened, while Nate still seemed to be in a daze.
Lauren didn’t fault the girl for turning down Nate’s proposal. She knew better than anyone that marriage wasn’t to be taken lightly. But she did fault Jessica for having so little empathy for the man she was obviously in a relationship with.
Ted was in the middle of a story detailing his company’s latest corporate kill. Lauren was struggling to finish her surf and turf (she was going to eat every last bite of it, even if her stomach exploded), when she stood. “Excuse me, I need to use the restroom.” She grabbed her purse and escaped to the ladies room.
She was in the middl
e of washing her hands when Jessica walked in. They smiled awkwardly at one another. Jessica set her bag down on the counter, took out a compact and proceeded to touch up her face. Lauren could feel the redhead’s gaze on her.
“That’s a really cool dress you have on,” Jessica said.
Lauren was surprised the other woman had initiated conversation. Jessica liked vintage clothing! Which meant she couldn’t be all bad. “Thank you. Your dress is lovely, too.”
Jessica glanced down at her black dress and shrugged. “My boyfriend told me to wear something nice for tonight’s dinner, but I really had no idea…” Her cheeks went pink.
“I’m sorry. That must have been awful for you out there.”
She whipped around. “Right! Now I look like the bad guy while he’s sitting out there pouting. It was so embarrassing, having all those people stare at me!”
Lauren cleared her throat. “I meant, awful for you because you had to hurt him like that.”
“Who? Nate?” She laughed. “Trust me, he’s not hurt. More like confused.”
Lauren could feel the little hairs on the back of her neck rise.
Sensing Lauren’s reaction, Jessica continued. “I know what you must be thinking. Poor guy, how could he not know what my answer would be in advance? But believe me, we’ve had this conversation more times than I can count.” She turned back to the mirror and began reapplying her lipstick. She was pretty, Lauren thought. Really pretty. Tall, and leggy and probably only about twenty-five, twenty-six, tops.
“I met Nate my first year of law school,” Jessica said. “He was finishing med school and he was so…smart. We’ve been together forever, but he’s the most stubborn man I’ve ever met. I have this fantastic job with a huge corporate firm in Miami, yet he insists on practicing in this little backwater town.” She paused and made a face. “Sorry, I don’t mean to be rude. You’re probably thinking why is this girl telling me all this? I love Nate. I really do. But sometimes men just need to be guided in the right direction, you know?”
Lauren was beginning to think maybe Jessica had had a touch too much champagne. She should excuse herself from the conversation and ditch the bathroom. It was bad enough that she’d had a front row seat to Nate’s botched proposal, but she couldn’t help where they’d been seated. Listening to his girlfriend air their dirty laundry in the bathroom, however, seemed wrong. For some reason, though, her feet seemed incapable of moving.
“The right direction?” Lauren asked.
Jessica glanced around the empty bathroom. “You seem like a really nice person. What do you think? Should I give up my career for his?”
“Absolutely not,” Lauren said.
“Right!” She reached out and hugged Lauren. Yep. The girl had drunk too much champagne, all right. “My mother says I’m an idiot. Men like Nate don’t grow on trees, and all that. But I say I’ve worked too hard to just throw everything away, especially when he’s been offered this once in a lifetime fellowship in Miami. He could be a surgeon! He could make tons of money and I would have my dream job and we would be brilliantly happy. Instead, he wants to look down people’s throats all day long while I stay at home and bake chocolate chip cookies for the 2.5 brats he expects me to pop out.”
Oh dear.
“And…the two of you have never discussed this before?”
“Oh, believe me, we’ve discussed this ad nauseam. He knows exactly how I feel and I know exactly how he feels.” She put up her fingers to make air quotes. “‘I want to find a way to help other people and give back to the community,’” she mocked. “He can help other people by helping himself first and he can give back to the community by living up to his talent and becoming a surgeon. I told him I’d marry him if he was willing to make a big gesture. As usual, he took it literally. This wasn’t the big gesture I meant.”
Wow. Initially, Lauren had felt sorry for Nate, but now she was beginning to think he’d dodged a bullet here. “You mean, you want him to follow you to Miami.”
“Exactly. See? You get it. I don’t know why he doesn’t.”
Lauren knew she shouldn’t ask, but just like she’d been compelled to stay in the bathroom and listen to Jessica, she felt compelled to find out what would happen next. “So, does this mean the two of you are going to break up?”
Jessica’s gaze sharpened. “Bingo.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, but if the two of you have really different goals in life, then maybe it’s for the best.”
Jessica leaned closer and lowered her voice. “Don’t be sorry. I’ve thought this through, and I think the only way Nate’s going to get his head together is if he thinks he’s going to lose me permanently.” She readjusted her dress, smoothing down the fabric over her flat tummy. “He’s completely lost without me. You probably didn’t notice him, but that suit he has on? And those glasses? I have to practically dress him myself. You should have seen him when we first started dating.” Jessica shuddered. “He looked like something out of Duck Dynasty. Except without the beard.”
Of course, Lauren had noticed him tonight. Most women would, she realized with a start. She’d never thought of Nate as handsome before, only because she’d been stuck seeing him the way he’d been in high school. With his scruffy hair, big glasses, and faded jeans, he’d been like the original Shaggy from Scooby-Doo. Only he’d grown up to look like an Armani cover model. Ew. It was weird to think of Nate and sex in the same thought, but there it was.
“I’m afraid he’s left me no choice, really,” Jessica continued. “I’m going to have to play hardball here. Tonight, when we go back to his place, I’m going to break it off completely. I’ll let him know that it’s either me, or this town. Trust me, one day, he’ll be on his knees thanking me.”
“So, you’ll think he’ll pick you, huh?”
Jessica smiled slyly. “I give him a week, tops, till he’s on a plane down to Miami begging me to take him back.”
The whole thing sounded so messed up. But who was Lauren to stick her nose in anyone else’s relationship? “Well, good luck with that.”
Jessica hugged her again. “Thanks so much for all your advice!” Lauren wasn’t sure that she’d given Jessica any advice. She knew what she’d like to tell her, but she doubted Jessica would listen.
Back at the table, their entrees had already been cleared. “Didn’t think you were going to eat the rest of that, so I took the liberty of having the girl box it up,” Ted said. Lauren must have made a face, because Ted laughed and said, “Don’t worry, you can take it home with you.”
Lauren grit her teeth and smiled. They went through the pros and cons of dessert. By now, she should have been in tears watching the residents of Bedford Falls save Jimmy Stewart from being hauled off to prison. The part where the bell chimed (signaling that Clarence, his guardian angel had gotten his wings) choked her up every time.
“I’ll have the fudge volcano,” Lauren told the waitress, purposely picking the most outrageous dessert on the menu.
“I guess someone’s not afraid of getting fat!” Ted joked.
The waitress sucked in a shocked breath. “Is that to share?” she asked, her eyes darting between them.
“Oh, no, that’s just for me.” Lauren handed her back the menu, then gave Ted a fake smile. “And no, strangely, I’m not afraid getting of fat.” I’m only afraid of having to spend more time with you.
Ted shook his head. “I just meant…a little thing like you? Where do you put it all?”
She knew where she’d like to put it all. But Ted was an acquaintance of her mother’s and it wouldn’t be polite, so instead she sat back, plastered a pleasant expression on her face and listened to more of Ted’s business talk as she ate her fudge volcano. It was the most decadent thing Lauren had ever put in her mouth—a mixture of rich chocolate cake, fudge and vanilla ice-cream. She struggled, but it was worth the million or so extra calories to see the astonished look on Ted’s face every time she took a bite. Every once in a while, she’d come up for air a
nd glance at the table across from her. Jessica seemed to have no problem chatting away while finishing her meal. Nate, on the other hand, pushed the food around on his plate with a total look of misery.
For one wild second, Lauren thought about telling him about Jessica’s little plan to slap him back in line. But again, it was none of her business. Maybe Nate liked having someone manipulate him. Lauren had spent ten minutes in the bathroom with Jessica, more than enough time to discern her true nature. According to Jessica, she and Nate had been together for years. He had to know exactly what he was getting there.
*~*~*
The temperature had dropped while they were inside the restaurant. Lauren tightened the shawl around her shoulders as Ted made small talk with the tall valet who’d parked his car, while the shorter one brought the Ferrari around to the restaurant entrance.
The tall valet was assisting her back into the car when Lauren remembered her leftovers. “I’ll just run back inside and get it,” she said to Ted. The valet offered to do it himself, but Lauren insisted. “It’ll just take me a second.”
She opened the door to the restaurant to find the hostess holding up the bag. “Your waitress said you forgot this.”
“Thanks,” Lauren said. There was almost half a meal in there. The price of which would have covered almost half a week’s groceries. Not that Lauren was a miser, but now that she was supporting herself, she valued the cost of a good meal and she wasn’t about to let it go to waste.
She stepped back out into the nippy air, doggy bag in hand, and for the first time tonight got a full view of the Ferrari from the back. On the car’s bumper, sitting squarely in the middle for everyone to read, was a sticker that read, MY OTHER TOY HAS TITS.