26. Chapter 26
Adam and I decided to fund Lisa’s new business venture. She stopped by so we could read over the final business plan and sign the contract.
She didn’t waste any time. As soon as we sat down for a cup of coffee, she asked about Loren and me.
“So, are you and your pretty neighbor dating now?” she asked, reaching for a chocolate donut from the baker’s dozen she brought.
“I don’t particularly like talking about my personal life,” I said, trying to put an end to this topic of conversation.
“Well,” she began, “The look on your face tells me she flat-out turned you down.”
“Yes, she did,” I said, reaching for a maple bar.
When I was seeing her out, my eyes drifted away for a moment when I saw Loren walking with a woman I recognize from the office. Lisa did a quick take over her shoulder, and before I knew what was happening, she threw her arms around my neck and pulled me in for a hug.
“Wait, what are you doing?” I asked.
“Just go with it,” she said before letting out a laugh that was loud enough for Loren and her companion to hear it.
I awkwardly hugged her back.
“Trust me,” she said.
“Famous last words,” I countered.
“You can thank me later,” she whispered in my ear, “I love gelato.”
I found myself patting her on the back like I do baby Jon when he needs to be burped. I quickly realized just how young this girl is. She’s a child in my eyes.
“Lisa, you’re twenty-one,” I said, ending the hug and looking intently into her eyes. “No one would ever believe there’s something going on between us.”
“Loren doesn’t know how old I am, and besides, haven’t you ever heard of a May-December romance?”
“Go home, young lady,” I said, smiling down at her.
I walked her to her car, and before she climbed in, she stepped on her tiptoes and gave me a kiss on the cheek.
After she pulled out of my driveway, I glanced toward Loren’s house and caught her looking out the window.
I realize things just got a lot more complicated for me. When I go back in the house to grab my luggage, I briefly consider going next door to explain myself, but I decide against it.
Maybe Lisa is right. I will be thanking her later.
On my drive to Boston, I have a long time to think, and I can’t help but feel a wave of guilt rush through me. I don’t like playing games or being deceptive. I think about calling Loren at least a dozen times before pulling into the parking garage at the condo—my new home.
The first thing I do when I arrive is take a long hot shower to help loosen the tight muscles on my shoulders and to help me relax after the long drive in heavy traffic. After I change and put away my two weeks’ worth of clothes, I pick up the phone and call my parents to video chat with Holly before she goes to bed.
“Your room is all pink and purple, just like you like it,” I tell her.
“Pink and purple are my favorite colors,” she says, “Thank you, Daddy!” Her big blue eyes are twinkling with delight.
“Don’t forget to bring your bike with you,” I remind her. “There’s a park a few blocks away where you can practice riding it without the training wheels.”
“I won’t forget, I promise,” she says before she turns her head to the side and yells, “Grandma, Grandpa! Don’t let me forget my bike, okay?!”
“I love you, Angel,” I say, smiling. “Have a good night, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I love you too, Daddy.”
After we end the call, I realize I haven’t had anything to eat since this morning’s maple bar. I’m starving. I don’t want cereal or a sandwich, and the stuff I find in the refrigerator requires a little more than three minutes in the microwave.
I opt to go for a walk in search of something to eat. I find a pub down the street with large, brightly colored signs plastered on the windows that promise good beer and award-winning chicken wings.
They weren’t lies. After I eat ten of the twelve wings on my plate and drink two beers, I order a slice of cheesecake and black coffee.
When the waiter walks away, I glance up from the dessert menu I’m still holding in my hand and notice four women sitting in a corner booth. They’re all looking at me, and it’s obvious I’m the topic of their conversation. The tip of my left thumb instinctively searches for my wedding band, but it’s no longer there. I remember I took it off weeks ago.
A few minutes go by before the brunette in the group makes eye contact with me, smiles, and gets up, making her way over to my table.
“Hi, I’m Lizbeth,” she says, extending a hand and taking a seat across from me.
I shake her hand, but don’t introduce myself.
“Hi Lizbeth, it’s nice to meet you,” is all I can offer, knowing right away where this is going.
“I made a high-stakes bet with my friends over there,” she says, pointing her thumb toward the booth where her friends are all waving at me.
I give them all a wave in return and then focus my attention on Lizbeth.
“What is a handsome man like you doing here all by himself?”
“I’m here on business, and I was hungry,” I say in response, hoping I don’t sound short.
“I’m a sucker for dimples.”
“That’s what my mom tells me,” I say.
“I bet my friends a round of drinks that you and I will leave this bar together.”
How easy would it be for me to help this young woman win the bet? No commitment, no strings attached, no questions asked.
As beautiful and available as she is, I spend the next ten minutes politely turning her down.
She finally gives up and walks back to her booth. My coffee and dessert arrive a minute later, and I spend the next half hour trying to focus on the football game being televised on the multiple big-screen televisions in here.
When I get ready to leave, I ask the waiter to add a round of drinks to my tab for the beautiful foursome sitting in the corner booth. I figure it’s the least I can do for Lizbeth.
I walk back home with my hands deep in my pockets and my mind deep in my thoughts. I never cheated on Julie. I never cheated on her memory, either.
I’m a free man, my wife is gone, the ring is put away. I haven’t been with a woman in two years. What was it precisely that kept me from leaving that bar with Lizbeth?
The realization hits me like a lightning bolt; I’m in love with Loren Linder. But the sad and harsh reality is that she doesn’t love me back.
By the time I get home, it’s after nine. Determined to put some distance between Loren and me, I look for flights to California for the holiday season. I book four tickets for the weekend before Thanksgiving and again for the week before Christmas. Holly will stay in California between the two holidays, giving me time to finalize the move to Boston.
My plan is to be completely moved by January. There’s a vacant unit down the hall that my parents are thinking about buying. Even if they move with us, I can’t expect Mom to be available to watch Holly all the time. I need to look for a nanny to watch her while I’m at work and to take her to school every day.
I close my laptop at half past eleven and call it a night. When the phone rings ten minutes later, I’m surprised to see that it’s Loren. I don’t answer it, but I pick it up when it rings again a few minutes later.
“Hello,” I say, hoping to sound courteous but not eager.
“Hi, Aaron. Did I wake you?”
“No, I’m still up.”
“How was your drive to Boston?”
“Uneventful,” I say curtly.
“You’re probably wondering why I’m calling you so late.”
“I’m wondering why you’re calling me at all.” My cold words are out before I have a chance to stop them.
“Pardon me?”
“I’m sorry, Loren, but why are you calling me?”
“I just wanted to,” she sounds hurt. “I just wanted to make sure you made it to Boston okay.”
“Yes, I made it here safe and sound. Thank you for asking.”
“Why are you being so short with me?” Her voice is shaky. I can tell she’s on the verge of tears.
“What do you want from me, Loren?”
“I thought we were friends.”
“We both know this is more than a friendship, but you’re too stubborn to admit it.”
“What about Lisa?”
“What?” I ask, completely confused by the question.
“In the month we haven’t seen each other, have you and Lisa gotten closer?”
“What on earth are you talking about?” I ask.
“I saw the two of you this morning.”
“Are you talking about the hug?”
“And the kiss,” she says, “She was all over you.”
“Are you comparing a chaste hug and an innocent kiss on the cheek with the way I touch you? The way I kiss you, and you kiss me back?”
“Nothing about it looked innocent to me,” she says.
“You didn’t answer my question,” I say. “I wish I could come over right now to show you the difference.”
“She was squealing like a schoolgirl being asked to prom.”
“You’re jealous,” I say in a calm voice.
“I am not!” she retorts.
“What I would give to be there to witness the blush spreading across your cheeks right now.”
“Good night, Aaron!” she says before hanging up on me.
A smile spreads across my face when it dawns on me that Lisa was right. Forget the gelato. I might just owe her an all-expenses paid trip to Italy.