“I enjoy my height until I have to buy clothes,” Lauren said, letting the woman hold her hands because she didn’t know what else to do.
“Jim, introduce us please,” Sandy said, turning a beaming face to him.
Jim stepped up and took a deep breath. “Lauren, this is my sister Cassandra Gallagher-Simpson and her better half, Samuel Simpson. Sam, Sandy—this is my girlfriend, Lauren McCarthy.”
Lauren watched the silent exchange between Sam and Jim over Sandy’s head. The yellow-haired, blue-eyed china doll beaming at her missed the exchange. She also had yet to relinquish her grip on Lauren’s hands.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you all. Could you excuse me a moment? I’m sorry to be so rude, but I need to find the ladies’ room,” Lauren said with a smile.
“I’ll show you where it is,” Sandy said.
Lauren felt herself being pulling along by the hand Sandy refused to drop. Jim’s startled gaze met hers, but Lauren smiled and just shook her head at him before looking back at Sandy.
“Jim didn’t stop the whole way here,” Lauren told Sandy on a laugh.
Sandy smacked Jim smartly on the arm as they walked by him. “I’m telling mother about your bad manners.”
“Lauren—you never said you needed to stop,” Jim complained without thinking, exasperation with her in his tone.
“Did you want her to beg for a chance to go the bathroom? Really, Jim,” Sandy said, exasperation in her tone. “You should know to ask.”
Sam and Hector both laughed at the utter shock on Jim’s face at being chastised over his treatment of Lauren.
“Will they be all right alone together?” Jim asked, when the women had rounded the corner.
Sam and Hector looked in the direction of the bathrooms, turned to Jim and shrugged.
“You two are not helping,” Jim said, running a hand through his hair. “Tell my mother on me? Did you hear what Sandy said?”
“Si,” Hector said. “Is your mother here in the facility as well?”
“What? No. My parents are both dead,” Jim said, the truth rolling out uncensored, concern for Lauren swamping him. “Sandy’s talking about her mother. Her mother and father are residents here. I moved them here right after Sam and Sandy moved in. They’re in their seventies.”
“Jim,” Hector said reverently. “You care for Sandy’s parents as if they were your own?” Hector’s mind trailed off at the new knowledge, something tickling at the edges of it. All the little hairs on his body stood up. It was a feeling he had come to value in his life because it meant he was going to receive an answer.
“What? Hector, did you ask me something?” Jim voiced the question, but his mind was occupied with thinking of all the things the women could potentially be saying to each other. Lauren had no practice at dealing with Sandy’s quirks.
“When are you coming back after today, Jim?” Hector asked, his mind racing. He needed time.
“Probably next Tuesday with Ben and Casey,” Jim replied absently.
Sam laughed boldly, startling Jim out of his concern.
“Relax, Jim. Sandy’s not going to do anything to Lauren,” Sam said with a shake of his head. “Except love her to death maybe.”
It was bizarre for Sam to be comforting him instead of the other way around, and for a few moments Jim was speechless. When his presence of mind returned, he looked warily at the two men.
“So what do you think of Lauren?” he asked them, striving for some normality in the situation.
“Your woman both looks and acts like an angel,” Hector said with a smile. “You can tell she had a good heart.”
“And she fills out her jeans really well,” Sam said seriously, looking off in the direction of the bathroom again, as if looking would make the women return sooner.
“Si, padre. You are right. Lauren does look very good in her jeans,” Hector agreed.
When it came to beautiful women, men were all the same, Jim thought, no matter what was going on with them.
“Great. Just great. I’m sorry I asked,” Jim said at last, his tone sarcastic. “I just wanted to know if you two thought she was nice.”
It didn’t help his peace of mind when both of them just laughed at his comment.
*** *** ***
Sandy was leaning against a mirrored counter when Lauren exited the stall she’d used.
“Do you mind if we just talk for few minutes before we go back out?” Sandy asked. “I’m sure Jim is wondering why I came with you, but I wanted to talk to you alone.”
Lauren walked to the sink and started washing her hands. What choice was there except to talk with the woman? “Okay. Sure.”
“Tell me your story. How did you meet Jim?” Sandy began.
“We met doing some charity work. I’ve actually known him for a couple of years, but I didn’t—we just recently got together at a friend’s engagement party. I asked him to dance,” Lauren explained, giving Sandy the abbreviated version.
“Did Jim tell you he was married once?” Sandy asked, picking at the buttons of her shirt.
Lauren swallowed hard. Her throat was almost too tight to talk. “Yes. Jim has told me about his life. I was married once too. It’s something we have in common.”
Sandy was nodding her head, looking worried. “Jim is very secretive about his marriage, even with me and our parents. I don’t know what happened, but I think he’s still working through it. I just wanted you to know that my brother is a very sensitive man. His feelings run deep. He can be—really intense sometimes.”
“I figured that out for myself, and I agree, Jim can be very intense,” Lauren said truthfully, taking a seat on small couch in the sitting area. “He told me about your parents as well. I’m glad they get to live near you.”
“Jim takes good care of all of us. Did he tell you about my—problems?” Sandy asked, head down. “I’m not really in the retirement community here. Sam and I are what Jim calls special residents. He doesn’t know I’ve heard him call us that, but it’s okay. I know it’s just the way he explains us to people who don’t know.”
Lauren could see Sandy biting her lip, and compassion unwound the knot in her belly. Whatever the problems, whatever the reasons, underneath the delusion this woman loved and cared about Jim.
“Jim said you had some problems at one time, but that you were happy with Sam and doing great here. Every conversation we have that involves the two of you—well, it’s easy to tell how much you mean to Jim. I was worried about meeting you, wondering if you would like me. If you didn’t, I can’t imagine Jim keeping me around. He’s very devoted to his family.”
Lauren saw her soft laugh and light words had the desired effect of putting Sandy more at ease. Though the woman’s eyes widened at the thought of Jim choosing her and Sam over Lauren.
“But you see, that’s my brother’s problem,” Sandy said, her voice dropping to a conspiring whisper. “Jim thinks I have issues, but his problems are just as big. You’re the first woman he’s been with in years—or at least that I know about. When I’ve asked him before, he just said there was no one else, that he was too busy for a relationship. I think he’s still getting over his divorce.”
Lauren smiled. Close enough to the truth, she thought.
“Jim and I have that in common as well. I got divorced seven years ago but only recently starting dating again. I will never forget the day Jim asked me to not to date anyone but him. It was very romantic.”
It would be very easy to forget this woman was still legally Jim’s wife, Lauren thought, especially since it was very obvious Sandy didn’t think of herself that way. In fact, it would be all too easy to buy into the life Sandy was leading, and not the real one Jim had to contend with all the time. While it was a luxury Lauren might crave, it was not one she could indulge in, or one that would ultimately do Jim any good. He needed a friend to help bear the load, not a needy woman pining for a type of commitment he wasn’t free to give.
Sandy laughed and nodded. “
My Samuel is romantic too. He lights a candle when we sit down to eat, and double-checks all the doors twice before he comes to bed. I am a very lucky woman.”
“Sam sounds wonderful,” Lauren said sincerely. “Is there anything else you want to ask me? I think we should hurry before Jim sends someone in to check on us. Like every other man, he’s probably intimidated by two women potentially plotting behind his back.”
Sandy giggled at the thought. “I just have one more question. Are you planning to come back?”
Lauren thought carefully about what to say, what would be truthful, but not too promising—just in case.
“Jim and I have only been together a little while, but I already care about him more than any other man I’ve known. If things do work out between us, Jim’s entire family would be important to me because I know how important they are to him. I would gladly come back whenever I was wanted.”
Sandy walked over and offered her hand to Lauren, who took it.
“My brother rarely tells me no. Maybe I can talk Jim into keeping you,” she teased, liking the beautiful woman now in Jim’s life.
The teasing comment got a genuine laugh out of Lauren. Cassandra might be delusional, but evidently the woman was sharp enough to get one over on Jim when it suited her. He probably didn’t even know.
“You’d do that for me?” Lauren joked back. “Talk Jim into keeping me?”
Sandy nodded. “With pleasure—I’m tired of worrying about Jim being all alone.”
Lauren dropped her hand and put an arm around Sandy’s shoulder. “Well, you can stop worrying now. Jim has me to help him.”
And that was all the validation she needed to be one hundred percent guilt free herself, Lauren decided. If Jim’s wife wanted her in his life, then to hell with what everyone else said about their relationship.
“Would you like to see our flower gardens after lunch?” Sandy asked, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Nothing is in bloom yet, but you can see where we spend most of our time.”
“Love to,” Lauren replied. “What kind of plants do you have in your gardens?”
“Pink ones, blue ones, white ones, and green ones,” Sandy said on a giggle. “You’ll have to ask Sam. I can never remember their names.”
Lauren laughed, snorted, and ended up giggling herself.
When they rounded the corner, both of them were still giggling over the plants. Jim looked ready to bolt and run. Lauren walked up and put a comforting hand on his back, rubbing the tension away.
“Took you long enough,” Jim said, irritation in his tone. “Ouch!” He had to rub his arm where Sandy had smacked him again.
“You’re never going to keep your girlfriend if talk so mean to her all the time,” Sandy warned him.
Over her head, Jim saw Hector and Sam look away as they tried not to laugh.
“Sorry,” Jim said to Sandy, who just held up a finger to point at Lauren, who hid a laughing face against his sleeve.
“I’m sorry,” Jim said to Lauren as she lifting her laughing gaze to him. “Take all the time you need in the bathroom.”
“Now I know who to tell when I’m mad at you,” Lauren said, half teasing, half telling him with her eyes everything was okay.
Jim snuck a small look at Sandy’s crossed arms but now smiling face. He reached out and lifted Lauren’s chin with a finger to hold her gaze to his.
“I suppose you’re going to be expecting a full apology before we leave town,” Jim said, enjoying the blush creeping up her neck.
“No,” Lauren said, all but choking on the word, embarrassed Jim would sexually tease her in front of this crowd, even if they didn’t understand the innuendo. “I’m willing to wait until you make me mad again. I’m sure we’ll fight about something on the way back to Virginia.”
“No doubt,” Jim snorted, already planning to give her an apology she wouldn’t be forgetting any time soon. God only knew, he had never forgotten the one she gave him in the shower.
They ate lunch, met Cassandra’s parents, took a tour of the facility, and stayed later than they intended looking at flower gardens that weren’t in bloom.
On the way back, Jim pulled into the motel parking lot and pulled a protesting Lauren into the room he’d procured in about five minutes. If Jim’s look of evil hadn’t clued the proprietor in on what was going on, Lauren’s blushing would have revealed the whole story anyway.
“I have never rented a motel room just for sex in my life,” Lauren told him.
“Consider it one more contribution of mine to making you notorious. It’s the best forty bucks I’ve spent in a long time,” Jim said, his voice husky with laughter.
“Forty bucks? Oh God. Don’t ever tell my mother we had sex in a forty-dollar motel room,” Lauren begged. Jim’s hands were running over her, finding their way under her shirt to cup her breasts. “If my mother finds out, she’ll tell the world what a horrible and easy woman I am. Oh God, that feels so good.”
She was laughing while Jim stripped the clothes from her body, laughing as he pleasured her with hands, teeth, and tongue, before delving inside her body to pleasure himself.
“I love you, Lauren. Please help me find a way to keep you in my life,” Jim begged, releasing himself inside her, pressing her into the double bed that barely fit them.
As he settled against her at last, she stroked his broad shoulders, relishing his weight resting on her. “I’ve always believed when a person acts with good intentions, things just tend to naturally work out right. Neither of us intends any harm to Sandy or Sam. Now you don’t just have Hector to help you. I’ll help you too. We’ll figure it all out somehow.”
Jim put his arms under and around her, lifting her as tightly into his arms as he could.
“Well, I intended to divorce Cassandra and marry you,” Jim confessed, his heart too open not to tell her the whole truth. “I couldn’t find a way to do it and still legally be able to take care of Sandy and Sam. I’m never going to stop looking for a way, but my attorney couldn’t find a judge even willing to hear the case.”
Lauren stopped stroking to wrap her arms as tightly as she could around him. What a good man she had picked. She was so grateful Regina had pushed her, that Alexa had told her the truth about men. She wasn’t going to wish for the world when she had been given so much.
“Thank you for wanting that kind of future for us. You are the best man in the whole world, James Gallagher. I’d marry you in a flat minute, but if that’s not possible—I’d still rather live in sin with you than marry anyone else. Next week I’ll look into selling my house.”
Lauren felt Jim’s face tucking against her neck, felt his tears on her shoulder. Digging deep into her new notorious self, she found what she was looking for to salvage the moment for both of them. There would be plenty of time for tears in the life they were signing on to have with each other.
“Sweet intentions aside,” she said, putting resignation in her tone. “You have no choice but to keep me now anyway. I’m completely debauched. Once people find out I’m sleeping with a married man, no one else will have me. Well, maybe my ex-husband, but he’s certainly no prize. No decent man will want to date me again.”
“Debauched? Does anyone use that word anymore? Well, it’s good to know my evil plan is working,” Jim whispered in her ear. “I guess I don’t have to keep you tied to me with great sex after all—since no one else will want you.”
“Oh, I don’t think it works like that,” Lauren said wisely. “I was talking about dating, not sex. I’m in an exclusive club with several other notorious women. I have on good authority that a woman only gets more desirable after she confesses her sins. If you don’t keep me happy in bed, I’m asking Alexa for a list of men.”
“Only if you plan on visiting me in prison. I’d have to kill any man who put his hands on you now,” Jim said, biting her neck and pressing his weight on her, around her. “I’d beat my chest and scream my woman at the top of my lungs when they came around, but I’m st
ill afraid of you.”
“It was only one little temper tantrum,” Lauren mocked. “Hard to believe a big guy like you is afraid of a woman like me.”
“I limped for days,” Jim declared laughing, rising up to stare down into her face as she laughed.
“Then you better keep me happy and not make me mad very often,” Lauren said easily. “And for the record, I do expect a full apology later for making me blush today.”
Jim was laughing as he rolled them over where he could run his hands over the back of her naked body, which he did until she sighed and laid her head down on his shoulder.
“Are we going home or staying here tonight?” he asked, truly not caring so long as he was inside Lauren.
“Let’s go home,” Lauren said with a grin. “I want to see the proprietor’s face when we check out. It will make a great story for Alexa and Regina.”
“Do you tell each other everything?” Jim asked, hoping it wasn’t true.
“Yes. This motel deal will definitely prompt a bragging contest, and finally I have the best story to share. I am completely sick of hearing how good Casey and Ben are in bed,” Lauren said.
“Shit,” Jim said. “Have you said anything about me yet? I haven’t even shown you my good stuff.” He was bluffing, but he knew where he could learn anything he needed to know. He had purchased a full set of Regina’s books but never read them—never had a reason to until now.
“Casey taught himself the Kama Sutra so he could use it on Alexa. Can you top that?” Lauren asked on a laugh, having more fun teasing Jim about sex than she thought possible with a man.
“Kama Sutra, huh? I agree that’s going to be hard to top. What’s Kaiser’s deal?” Jim asked.
“I can’t tell you,” Lauren said laughing. “It’s too much information.”
Jim tickled her until they came apart in ways he hadn’t intended. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. Tell me about Kaiser. I need to know what I’m up against competing in the notorious women club’s sexual hall of fame.”
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