CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
LORI
Waiting for Guy to pick her up for their evening together, Lori paced her living room.
Her nerves were on fire. She felt like a high school girl waiting for her date to pick her up for the prom.
In fact, that was the last date she’d had with Guy before his family whisked him off to California.
It seemed strange that, after fifteen years, they were dating again.
A lot had happened to each of them in those intervening years.
She went into the bathroom to check on her hair one more time. The tiny diamond earrings Nick had given her shone through the wisps of hair at her ears. The gold locket she wore, a gift from her parents, looked elegant against the red of the dress.
Sighing with pent-up nervousness, she returned to the living room to look out the window. This time, she saw Guy pulling up to her house.
“Okay,” she told herself. “I can do this.”
When she went to the door to greet and usher him inside, Guy’s wide smile at seeing her signaled his approval. “Beautiful.”
“Thanks,” she said, handing him her coat to help her into it. She wished she had something fancier than a puffer coat to wear, but her dress was all that she wanted to splurge on for this occasion.
They left the house, and Guy ushered her to his car and helped her inside.
“We’ll be sitting with my partners and their wives,” Guy explained. “But we’ll be able to roam through the crowd during the cocktail hour and meet up with old friends.”
Lori remained quiet. Growing up, there’d been a distinct break socially between those whose families belonged to the country club and those who didn’t.
It was silly, of course. Ellenton was a small town with no reason to boast about wealthy people or a country club compared to more glamorous towns around them.
Still, high school had pitted country club girls like Cynthia against Lori and her friends who didn’t belong.
Guy pulled up in front of the low-slung, white clapboard building and pulled to a stop. “I’ll drop you off here and park the car. That way, you won’t have to trudge through the cold weather.”
“Okay, thanks,” said Lori smiling at the valet who stood ready to help her out of the car.
Guy drove off, and she walked into the lobby to wait for him. From there, she could see into the dining room where red linen cloths covered tables.
She was relieved when Guy appeared.
“Let’s check your coat,” he said, helping Lori out of it and leading her to the counter off the lobby.
The older woman who accepted the coat winked at Lori. “Pretty dress, hon.”
Guy put his arm around Lori. “I think so, too.”
They walked into the dining room hand-in-hand.
Guy led her to a table near the dance floor.
“This is us. You know Josh Bingham and his wife, Susannah. He took over for his father at the law firm. Steven Franklin is a new man on board who’s taking Ben Smith’s place.
He’s retiring next month. I haven’t met Steve’s wife Nicole yet.
I'm told they moved here from New York City for a quieter life.”
The others hadn’t arrived. Lori placed her purse at the seat Guy indicated and then walked over to the end of the room where the cocktail party was taking place.
“What’ll you have? Wine?” asked Guy.
“A glass of pinot noir, please,” said Lori.
While Guy left, Susannah Bingham approached her.
Cynthia joined them, studying Lori’s outfit. “You’re wearing one of my friend’s dresses. I’ll have to tell her how nice it looked on you.”
Lori felt the blood leave her face and rush back in a heated flow. She didn’t know where to look or what to say.
“Lori, you look beautiful, as always,” said Susannah. “Come with me. There are some women I want you to meet. See you later, Cynthia.”
As they walked away, Susannah said to Lori, “That woman irritates me no end. She has no idea her snobby airs would be considered laughable in more sophisticated social circles outside of town.”
They stood by one of the long windows overlooking a patio and beyond it to the golf course.
A group of women Lori recognized as mothers of children she worked with approached them.
“It’s a pleasure to see you here, Lori, “ said the mother of a two-year-old boy whom Lori watched at Bright Beginnings. She turned to Susannah. “My son adores Lori. But then, all the kids do. Parents, too.”
Susannah smiled at Lori. “I can see why. I'm signing her up as soon as my daughter is ready for preschool. I’ve already requested for Lori to be her teacher.”
“But there’s a lot more interesting things to talk about with Lori,” said one of the mothers. “I saw you walk in with that handsome man.”
“He’s a new partner at the law firm,” said Susannah. “Guy Phillips.”
“He looks like Chris Hemsworth,” said another woman.
They turned to see Guy holding two drinks in his hands and facing Cynthia, who was leaning toward him as if expecting a kiss.
“There’s that obnoxious woman,” muttered one of the mothers. “She hit on my husband one night when she didn’t know I was around.”
Guy noticed Lori in the group and headed their way, ignoring Cynthia trailing after him.
“ ’Evening, ladies,” said Guy. “I’ve got a drink for Lori. Can I get a drink for anyone else?”
When no one spoke up, Guy said, “Excuse me. I’ll be back. I see Steven’s just arrived, and I want to talk with him.”
“I’ll go greet his wife, Nicole,” said Susannah.
After she left the group, one of the mothers hugged Lori. “I’m glad to see you dating. It looks like you got the hot guy everyone has been talking about. Just think. If things work out, we could be neighbors.”
“Whoa,” said another mother. “Don’t push her into anything. Right, Lori?”
“Yes, but I appreciate your encouragement,” Lori responded.
From across the room, Susannah signaled her to join her and two other women.
On the way, Lori noticed Cynthia whispering to a couple of her friends as the three of them stared at her.
She straightened her back and continued walking.
###
Susannah introduced Lori to Nicole Franklin, who looked to be in her fifties, and to Barbara Smith, whom she knew to be in her sixties and was about to retire with her husband to Florida.
They all greeted her warmly, and Lori couldn’t help thinking that if anything between Guy and her became serious, she’d have supportive women around her. That was a comforting thought.
They sat at their table while the men continued to talk at the bar.
When the men joined the women at the table, Guy slid into a chair next to Lori and whispered in her ear, “You look beautiful.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. “You, too.” She clapped a hand to her mouth. “I didn’t mean …”
He winked at her before turning to Susannah on his other side.
Lori turned to Ben Smith on her right. For a man who was ready to retire, he looked to be in outstanding shape. His gray hair was thinning but still held an attractive thickness. His hazel eyes were alert.
“I’m glad to see you fit in with the group,” Ben said to her. “We’re happy to have Guy become part of the firm. I think it will be superb for all of us.”
“He seems excited about the opportunity,” said Lori, unwilling to say anything more. It wasn’t her place to do so.
The first course of shrimp cocktail arrived, and the table grew quiet as everyone enjoyed their food. Lori took a moment to assess the dining room.
Dark-stained pine wainscoting covered the bottom half of the walls.
Above it, a medium peach color brightened and warmed the large room whose only other features were the long windows on the outside wall that were softened by lighter peach window treatments.
It was an attractive room but nothing extraordinary.
Lori then studied the other three women at the table. She already knew and liked Susannah, a pretty blonde who came from Atlanta and still had a bit of a Southern accent.
She knew Barbara from her support of library functions, which Lori’s mother oversaw. She too seemed healthy and eager for a different, warmer retirement life in Florida.
Nicole looked a little out of place. She was wearing a midi dress of black lace and wore an abundance of jewelry.
Pretty, with dark hair and brown eyes, she leaned forward intently as she and Ben began discussing the New York business culture across the table.
Her husband, Steven, looked on but said nothing and faced her with a smile.
On her other side, Guy leaned over. “How are you doing? Susannah told me Cynthia was nasty to you. I remember she was the same way in high school.”
“She and I have never gotten along,” said Lori, wanting to leave it at that. She couldn’t let Cynthia ruin this evening for her.
The main course, a surf and turf presentation, arrived.
The noise in the room settled down as everyone dug into their meals.
Lori was enjoying the last bite of her lobster tail when she noticed Guy staring at her.
“What?” she asked him.
“I like to see a woman who isn’t afraid to eat,” he said.
Lori looked down at her near-empty plate. “It’s delicious.”
Guy clasped her hand. “I meant it as a compliment. You’re just fine.”
As the wait staff began to pick up plates, Guy said, “Care to dance? We can join the other couples on the floor.”
Lori drew in a breath and let it out. “All right. But it comes with a fair warning. I’m not the best.”
“No worries. We’ll just enjoy it,” said Guy. He held out his hand to her. She took it and got to her feet.
He led her out to the dance floor and drew her into his arms. The soft, old classical jazz was easy to follow, with Guy leading her.
He wasn’t as smooth a dancer as Griff had been.
Lori remembered how easily she’d nestled up against him.
Still, Guy managed to keep from stepping on her toes or she, on his.
She cast a look at the diners watching them and whispered to Guy, “We have an audience.”
He chuckled. “Let’s forget them. I want to enjoy having you in my arms.”