Open Spaces

by Barbara Winkes

  Reassured, she took in their surroundings, the intimate table in the nook by the window. The small Italian restaurant in the city center was the perfect place for a romantic dinner, food and wine delicious. Summer had suggested the restaurant, a place she’d been coming to on and off with friends, before…She didn’t want to think of all the ways her life had changed in the past years, only the promises of the present.

  A friendly waitress came to refill their glasses and asked for their dessert wishes.

  “The tiramisu is otherworldly,” Summer said, “Would you like to try it?”

  After a moment of consideration, they ordered one portion to share. “Since we don’t have a way to work it off tonight,” Lauren reasoned when the waitress was out of earshot.

  “Or maybe we do.”

  * * * *

  From the moment they had entered the apartment, most of the communication had been wordless. Summer was only half serious when she said, “Do you think we have a lot in common except for this?”

  “This” was still making her toes curl with little aftershocks—for the third time. It would be another short night, she thought, smiling to herself.

  “Would that be so terrible?” Lauren asked, her tone a bit smug.

  Summer wasn’t so sure if her touch was supposed to make her calm down or get started all over again, but she’d follow either way.

  “I guess not. No, not at all.”

  Lauren pulled the sheets over them, pulling her close. “We both appreciate art, right? I know you’ve been dying to check out the bookshelf downstairs, though I admit I haven’t given you many opportunities to do so. We could go back to the museum sometime, when we’re both sober…and if you decide to come live here, I’d like you to have a say in the décor. We both like good food, wine and sex. Don’t tell me that’s not a good foundation.”

  Summer laughed, relieved that Lauren seemed to have resolved whatever had been on her mind, and that the offer still stood.

  “You know, if you’re really serious about it...I could imagine living here. It’s such a magnificent space. I’ll make more money after I graduate. Plus, I could always pay you back in other ways.”

  “Oh, I like the sound of that. You could have an office in the guest room.” Lauren sounded wistful, but maybe that was because she felt the same as Summer. Life was seldom this easy. This was a new experience, the pieces coming together just like that.

  “That sounds great. Before I forget it, there’ll be a luncheon at the university at the end of the month. I wanted to ask if you’d like to be my…plus one?”

  “I’d love to,” Lauren said without hesitation. “Although, I do have to check my calendar. If there’s nothing that’s burning, I’ll be there.”

  “I’ll take it. Do you think I could check that bookshelf now?”

  They had tried and failed to keep their clothes on as planned, but as Summer walked down the stairs, wrapping Lauren’s robe around her once more, she didn’t feel worried. Dates without sex were overrated.

  * * * *

  Summer and Lauren met for lunch at the famous observation tower, over coffee discussing the last details for the weekend. The party wouldn’t start until the late afternoon, so Summer would have plenty of time to visit her mom. She would take her own car, because Ethan and Josie had lured Lauren into helping out with the surprise party preparations.

  “Like he’s not going to notice anything when I ask him to come over on his birthday, for no real reason other than keeping him out of the house.” Lauren leaned back in her chair, sipping her cappuccino. She felt a bit queasy, and it had nothing to do with the height. She was used to heights. A little fear of falling had never harmed anyone, it made a person cautious.

  “I look forward to meeting everybody,” Summer said. She laughed. “I’m also a bit nervous about it. I know you’re out to them, but what if they have really high expectations for your girlfriend?” She flinched, as if the term “girlfriend” was somehow inappropriate.

  “Well, first of all, it’s my life, but I think you will more than exceed everyone’s expectations. My Dad’s, for sure, with the gift you got him. Josie’s a big fan of Jane Austen. You’ll do fine.”

  That, Lauren was convinced of. She hoped she’d have some time to talk to her parents about the job offer, get a different perspective. For sure, she already knew she wasn’t too fond of the administrative part of the work. There were always compromises, clients’ wishes, practicality, but her current position allowed her to follow her own creativity a great deal. If anything, she had hoped to go further into that direction, not the opposite.

  She wondered if there was any way Summer’s mom could move too, but of course, it wasn’t that easy. Summer had a job here, and friends. Lauren couldn’t uproot her life because she’d been given an opportunity that most people considered too good to refuse.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, “I’m not good at conversation at the moment. I’ll have to go back in a few.”

  “Yeah, me too.”

  “You’re turning in your dissertation soon, right?”

  Summer’s face lit up, as if she was delighted Lauren hadn’t forgotten. Attention to detail, she was good at that.

  “Yes, I can’t believe it. All this work. I’m terrified I overlooked something.”

  “I’m sure you didn’t,” Lauren said. It wasn’t just the selfish way out to postpone the conversation about the job. This was a milestone for Summer, and Lauren didn’t want to ruin it, or even distract her from it—there would be another time to approach the subject of her own career.

  * * * *

  “You build high rises,” Jeremy Schaeffer said mildly. “What could I possibly help you with around the house?” Of course he had soon figured out that Lauren’s call had been a distraction, but he had come anyway.

  “Don’t blame me. The excuse was not my job. Since you’re here, though, there’s something I’d like to talk to you about,” Lauren told her father. He sat down in an armchair. She remained standing.

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Yes. Please, don’t worry. I got a call from Atlanta…they’re offering me the VP position.”

  “That’s a big step up,” Jeremy remarked. “You don’t seem happy about it.”

  “It’s a big deal. I’m very honored that they asked me, and—”

  “—and you deserve it too. I read the articles about the addition of the museum. You worked hard for this.”

  “Yeah.” Lauren sighed. “I met someone.” She finally perched on the edge of the couch. “You’re going to meet her later, and please, don’t bring this up. I haven’t told her yet. There’s no way she could move, and I don’t want her to think…that I’m ungrateful, but I don’t think I want to leave everything I have here. That includes her.”

  Jeremy nodded. “I see. I’m sure it’s a tough decision to make.”

  Well, it pales in comparison to having to sell your childhood home, to make sure your mom who doesn’t recognize you most of the time gets the care she needs. Those are tough decisions.

  Lauren didn’t need to put her own career on hold. She just had to make a decision about which way to go.

  “You know, whenever something big like this came up, your mom and I would go about it this way—where would we be in two years, five, or ten, and would we still be happy with it? Also, we didn’t give a damn about what anyone else said. Did we always do the right thing? I don’t know, but most times, it worked pretty well.”

  Lauren contemplated his words, something in particular striking her. “I need to tell her.”

  “That would be a start,” Jeremy agreed. “Not to be a nosy dad, but you haven’t been together for that long, have you?”

  “That’s not the point. I want to be with her.” Lauren became aware of her curt tone. “I know it hasn’t been long, but I believe you know when something is going the right way. You and Mom did.”

  “True. If you know what you want, you already know what to do, don’
t you?”

  “Yes, of course. I’ll be getting a lot of scrutiny for not going.”

  “You’re not scared of scrutiny,” Jeremy said. It wasn’t a question, and Lauren didn’t understand it as such.

  “Come on, let’s go,” she made a lame attempt at diverting him from the subject. There wasn’t much more to say, and either way, she’d have to deal with the tricky parts on her own.

  “I promised Summer she wouldn’t be alone with no one she knows for too long.”

  “At the surprise party.”

  “I didn’t say…” Her father’s smile made it hard to keep a straight face. “Please act as if you didn’t figure it out, okay? You’ll love Summer’s gift. That will be a surprise, I promise.”

  * * * *

  “This is…a surprise,” Jeremy Schaeffer said, making everyone crack up, as he shook his head at his assembled family and guest. Lauren shrugged in Josie’s direction. Her sister-in-law looked somewhat resigned as if to say she’d expected this outcome. Summer had arrived at the same time, getting the full treatment of mischievous adults and kids yelling “surprise!”

  “So much about that.” Her mother wasn’t much concerned either. “Summer, I’m so sorry for this strange introduction to our family. I swear for the most part we’re pretty boring.”

  “Mom,” Lauren said.

  “What? It’s true. Welcome, Summer. I’m Donna. Jeremy, my husband, who is a big fan of surprise parties, as you might have guessed. Ethan and Josie.”

  In spite of Summer’s insistence she was horrible at small talk with strangers, it only took a few strategically well placed questions on Josie’s side to strike up a conversation.

  If Lauren had had any doubt that she had it bad, the completely inappropriate pang of jealousy would have been a dead giveaway. Josie had been with her brother for over ten years. She wasn’t doing anything but make a new guest feel comfortable.

  Jeremy looked amused. Lauren had to admit he knew her better than anyone else in the family. It was true: She already knew what to do regarding the job offer. With that knowledge, she could finally relax. Summer never had to know about it.

  “How’s your dissertation going?” Lauren finally asked. They hadn’t had much time to talk since they’d last seen each other.

  “Oh, great, thank you,” Summer said. “I turned it in this week. Now it’s back to waiting and nail-biting until the defense.”

  “I’m sure Lauren will help distract you,” Josie said with a wink. “Did you see the new museum wing already?”

  “Why don’t we get to the gifts?” Lauren suggested before the turn of the conversation could trigger any memories that would be highly inappropriate at the moment. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I’m starving.”

  “I have seen it,” Summer said, with a quick sideways glance and a smile to Lauren. “It’s a dream.”

  They settled in the living room where the kids, Hannah and Matthew, were playing. Donna offered champagne to the adults, while Jeremy started to open his gifts. As predicted, he was delighted at the first edition of the Ian Fleming novel.

  “You’ve got to hold on to a woman who has that kind of connections. Thanks so much, Summer.”

  “No problem.” Summer blushed a little. “You just have to know where to look.”

  After the champagne, Lauren set the table with Ethan while Matthew and Hannah involved Summer and Josie in their play. Watching them interact made her feel even better about decisions made in silence—Summer’s seamless inclusion into the family was just one more piece of the puzzle.

  “You’re not actually jealous of Jo, right?” Ethan whispered to her.

  “You’re so funny.”

  “Not my intention. If you bring someone to a family dinner, it must be serious. Why haven’t we seen her before?”

  “That’s because we didn’t meet that long ago. At the museum, when the new wing was opened to the public.” Lauren didn’t deem it necessary to share all the details, like that they’d nearly given in to the instant and intense attraction right there in the restroom. “You’re going to see her more often.”

  “Cool. She’s obviously into you. I’m happy for you, Lauren. This is your big year as it seems.”

  “Oh yes. I’m going to marry her.”

  Ethan dropped the fork, metal clinking against porcelain, drawing everyone’s looks to them.

  “Come on, that was a bit exaggerated,” she scolded him. “I’m serious.” She was, Lauren realized, no matter what their friends would say. Why wait, when you were certain? Make that, why wait, when you were a certain age, as well.

  “When were you going to tell us?”

  “Not tonight,” she said quickly. “It’s Dad’s day, even if he’s not too thrilled about it.”

  “Well, he is now, thanks to the gift from his future daughter-in-law. Wow, Lauren, this big. I had no idea you even wanted to get married.”

  “People change their minds,” Lauren said, smiling at the wide-eyed look Hannah was giving Summer. “Please, don’t tell anyone yet.” That seemed to be her motto of the week.

  Chapter Five

  There were moments when life felt too good to be true…and then, there was this new feeling, something Summer didn’t think she’d ever experienced before. Connie seemed to be doing well those past few visits. She didn’t remember Lauren, but she was a lot less anxious than she’d been in her first months at the home. Maybe it was because Summer was a lot less anxious these days. She knew she’d done excellent work on her dissertation. She was looking forward to the new position, new responsibilities, the future in general.

  She had also become a lot less hesitant and self-conscious when shopping for lingerie. Before leaving the university, she called Lauren at work, but only got the voicemail.

  “Hey, I know you’re working late tonight. I hope you’ll have a moment to…look forward to tomorrow. I know I do.”

  What Lauren didn’t know was that Summer was going to pay her a visit later today. When she worked late, chances were no one else was around, which was what Summer was hoping for. Otherwise Lauren would have to wait another day to admire all of Summer’s new purchases, and take them off of her.

  Her heart was beating faster as she imagined the possibilities. Her hair was looking soft to the touch, the dress doing just the right amount of covering, revealing and showcasing her figure. Lauren might enjoy this sight at the end of a long workday…and not just the sight, Summer hoped. She took a moment to let memory and imagination merge, praying that there would be no one but Lauren at the office. Summer smiled at her mirror image, taking in the color on her cheeks. She’d never been in lust with someone like this, that the mere thought of them made her breathless with the sensations.

  The surprise was a little spoiled by the fact that she had to pass by the security guard who would give Lauren a quick call. She had time in the elevator, however, to change her flats to a pair of pumps with heels of unusual heights, and take the bottle of champagne out of her purse. Then, Lauren opened the door of her office to her, and her jaw dropped just a bit.

  “I hope this is a good surprise.”

  “Oh, don’t worry, it is. I’m not sure what the occasion is, but I’m almost ready to go home. You want to come with me?”

  “I thought you might want to come now, drink later,” Summer said, pleased when she noticed Lauren catch her breath. “There’s no one else around, right?”

  “You weren’t hoping for a threesome, were you?” Lauren asked with barely hidden amusement.

  “No. You’re all I care about.” Summer set her purse on the floor and the bottle on the desk, before she slowly untied the belt of her coat. “It’s probably not what you think, because it was too cold, and just in case you still had company, but…”

  “It’s beautiful. Perfect.” Lauren pulled her close, her hands wandering over her hips and up her back. “It’s also…short. I appreciate you wearing the coat over this. It’s for me only, right?”

  “Right
,” Summer gasped, the caressing fingertips presenting an almost unbearable tease. “All yours.”

  “I appreciate that.” When they kissed, Lauren turned her around so the edge of the desk was against her backside. The next moment, she sat on the edge of the wooden surface, Lauren standing between her open legs, her dress pushed up to somewhere higher than mid-thigh. “I didn’t realize we had something to celebrate, but I’m not opposed.”

  “Funny. I feel like celebrating since the day I met you.”

  “Same here.” Lauren kept her gaze on Summer as she ran her hand underneath her dress, tracing the seam of the lace panties. Summer opened her legs wider in reaction, feeling feverish as her earlier fantasy was about to become true. “You’ve given this some thought, haven’t you?”

  The friction of warm fingers gliding against her skin felt wonderful, making her shiver with need. It would be impossible to deny Lauren’s question, so Summer just held on to her, let her take the lead. She had never regretted it, and she wouldn’t this time.

  * * * *

  Summer hadn’t meant to snoop, but when Lauren went to get some files she’d need for the next day, her gaze fell on the note on the desk. Miraculously, they hadn’t displaced anything.

  “I know you were famous, but I didn’t think you’d have the President’s phone number,” she joked when Lauren returned.

  Lauren chuckled as she slipped on her coat. “Can you walk to the car in those shoes? It’s not the President, but our boss in Atlanta.” The tone of her voice made Summer halt.

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Yes. Come on, let’s get home and continue the celebrating. I think I know what the occasion is, besides turning your dissertation. How about you tell your landlord you’re leaving? I loved this little scene, but I hate waiting for the next date. We are in this, right?” It was much unlike Lauren to ramble like this. Summer hesitated.

  “I’d like a hot bath now. What about you? Would be the perfect place to have a glass or two.”