CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
LORI
Lori lay in bed reviewing her evening with Guy, remembering the chemistry between them. She wasn’t ready to go to bed with Guy, even though she was pretty sure he’d be a kind, considerate lover.
There was a lot to like about Guy, but she couldn’t help remembering how easily he’d cut off any communication with her all those years ago, leaving her to wonder if she’d just been a convenience for him, a date to the senior prom.
Or maybe, as she’d once worried, the problem back then was that in his parents’ eyes, she wasn’t good enough for him.
Her sisters would tell her those were old concerns, that both she and Guy had done a lot of growing up since then, and she should let bygones be bygones. But they wanted things to work out for her so much that they were willing to avoid probing too deeply into her feelings of doubt.
One thing she knew for certain. If Guy couldn’t go with her on the trip to California wine country in April, she was definitely doing it alone. She was going to pencil in vacation time for that week at work.
Lori climbed out of bed and gazed out the window at the dusting of snow on the ground. It was a precursor to a winter storm on its way.
She decided to use her day off to clean the house, prepare for the workweek ahead, and do some baking and meal preparation. Incoming snowstorms always brought out nesting instincts in her, she thought, chuckling at the memory of Nick saying those exact words to her.
In the kitchen, she poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the kitchen table where she could watch an assortment of birds fluttering around her bird feeder. The way they gobbled the seed made it appear as if they, too, wanted to be prepared for bad weather.
The phone rang. Flo.
“Hi, Flo. What’s up?”
“I’ve just put Eloise down, and Hudson isn’t awake yet, so, spill. How did last night go? I bet you looked beautiful in that red dress.”
“Thanks,” said Lori. “Last night was fun, and the dress was perfect even if Cynthia announced in front of another woman that it had belonged to a friend of hers.”
“What? Cynthia actually said that. It was cruel of her. Didn’t you tell me you saw her at your favorite Thrift store?” asked Flo. “Then, why is she saying something like that?”
“Cynthia and I have never gotten along. Now, she’s after Guy.
She and a friend are meeting him sometime today.
Apparently, Cynthia’s friend is an interior decorator and is hoping for some work.
But Cynthia just wants time with Guy.” Lori shook her head.
“I’m not about to get into a battle with her. What will happen will happen.”
“It sounds as if the evening was fine, but you weren’t swept off your feet,” Flo said. “Am I right?”
“Yes, but it might be that I’m simply not used to dating. I don’t think it’s a bad thing. Any relationship needs time to grow. That’s all.”
“I get that. Just be ready and open to a new situation. Guy has a nice reputation, is attractive, and has an interesting job. All of them important qualities.”
“I know,” said Lori. “I’ll try to go along with it. Oh dear, I hear Hudson crying. I won’t keep you. Thanks for the call.”
Lori ended the conversation and set her phone down.
She hadn’t mentioned to anyone in her family or among her friends that she’d met an intriguing man in Florida over the New Year’s Day weekend.
She didn’t intend to say anything about it now.
It had become a treasured time in her mind.
But were those moments with him holding her back?
She’d had more than one sexy dream about him.
###
When she went into work, Janie, Dawn, and Cara clustered around her, asking her how the date with Guy went.
Laughing at all the questions peppered at her, Lori held up her hands. “Stop. Enough. The dinner dance was lovely, my red dress was perfect, and I had a pleasant time with Guy.”
“That’s it?” asked Cara, whose personal goal was to find a man to marry within the next year.
“Well, I got to sit at the table with all of Guy’s partners and their spouses. Susannah Bingham, whose daughter, Elle, is already signed up for next year, is very sweet. I hope to see more of her. She made the evening very comfortable for me.”
“She and her husband are decent people,” said Janie. “I had an excellent interview with them. Guess we’d all better get to work. I’m glad you had an enjoyable evening, Lori. It’s about time you did.”
“Thanks,” said Lori, realizing how much the school and the people in it had done for her since Nick’s death. She followed Janie into her office.
“I’d like to reserve the first week in April as vacation time,” said Lori.
“Are you going somewhere?” Janie asked.
“Guy won a trip to California wine country and has given me all the details to handle,” she said, unable to stop a smile from spreading across her face. Maybe, just maybe, she’d have a chance to see Griffin Sawyer again.
“Okay,” said Janie. “I’ve made a note of it. There should be no conflict with our other teachers.”
“Thanks,” Lori said. “I’ll let you know if there are any changes.”
She left the office feeling like dancing, wishing time would hurry up.
###
After a week of not hearing from Guy, Lori decided that he might have changed his mind about dating her. Every single woman his age was dying to go out with him, and she was loaded down with baggage from the past. She couldn’t blame him for backing off.
Lori was relieved when Susannah called the following week to invite her to a girls’ night out event.
“We’ll meet for drinks at Sal’s Thursday night at six. I hope you’ll join us,” said Susannah.
“I’d be delighted,” said Lori. “That will give me time to go home and change.”
“Fantastic. I’ll see you there,” said Susannah. “You’ll like the other women in the group, but I’ll make sure to get there early to introduce you to them.”
“Sounds fantastic. Thanks,” said Lori. She knew a couple of the women in the group through Bright Beginnings and liked them. More to the point, it was a new incentive to get out of the house and do some things for herself.
###
That Thursday, she was changing her clothes at her house when Guy called. “I’m wondering if you’re free tomorrow night. We could go to a movie or do whatever you’d like.”
Lori hesitated. He’d called late in the week without specific plans. “Thanks for the invitation, but I’m busy this weekend. I’m babysitting Aurelia’s daughters so she and Gordon can go away.” She wouldn’t ask him to join her during that time.
“Oh, okay. Just thought I’d ask,” said Guy. “I hope all is well with you. Talk to you later.”
Lori ended the call, realizing she didn’t really care about being too busy to go out with him. If she was honest with herself, the magic she wanted with him wasn’t there. But she’d always be grateful for his interest and for making her try to be more social.
She finished getting ready and headed out to Sal’s, an upscale bar that served excellent food. A great place to meet and chat with new people.
###
Lori walked into Sal’s and stood a moment looking around.
Susannah waved to her from a large table in a booth and hurried over to her. “Hi. I’m glad you could make it. Come over and meet some of my friends. One woman couldn’t make it, but three others could.”
As Lori approached the table, she noticed the different appearances of the others. A blonde, a redhead, and a woman with jet black hair. They all smiled at her as Susannah made the introductions.
“I know you, Allison, from Bright Beginnings,” she said, smiling as she took off her coat and slid into the booth facing outward. Allison was married to a surgeon and had two little boys enrolled at the school.
The other two women lived in the Highlands, along with Susannah, her husband, Josh, and Guy.
“It’s delightful you could join us,” said one of the women. “I hear you dated Guy Phillips recently. We couldn’t make the Valentine dance at the club, but I heard all about it.”
“If you look now, you’ll see Guy coming into the bar with a woman who is his new decorator,” said the other woman.
“I don’t know what that’s all about,” said Susannah. “But I do know that Cynthia Walters set them up.”
“Her name is Sage Winters,” said Allison. “Isn’t that artsy?”
They studied the woman with strawberry pink hair, a low-cut, V-neck white sweater, and tight black leather jeans that matched her boots.
“Wow, she’s sexy,” said Susannah. “I can’t imagine what she’s doing for Guy’s house, but I bet it will have an edgy new look.”
“Quit staring, or they’ll notice us,” said Allison. “We’re here to have fun, not spy on one of our neighbors.”
Susannah put a hand on Lori’s arm. “We ordered a pitcher of margaritas. Is that all right with you?”
“Sure,” said Lori.
“You okay?” asked Susannah softly beside her.
“Yes,” Lori said firmly. “I’m not surprised to see Guy out with someone else. I’m glad. We were really never more than friends catching up with one another.”
The pitcher of drinks came, and after drinks had been poured into each glass, the women at the table lifted theirs in the air.
“Here’s to another Girls’ Night Out!” said Susannah. “Time to relax and remember what it’s like to have a few minutes to ourselves.”
“Hear! Hear!” cried the women in unison.
The conversation darted from one light-hearted subject to another before settling into more serious matters. Lori loved that the women could talk honestly about their feelings and were comfortable enough to ask for advice.
One of the women turned to Lori. “What about you? Anyone serious in your love life?”
“Not at the moment.” She swallowed hard.
“I dated Guy a couple of times, but more as friends catching up than what I’d call a serious date.
He’s a nice guy, but it wasn’t going to work out between us.
” Lori looked around at the group. “Most of you know I was happily married before my husband died. Should I be worried about finding someone I think is as wonderful, or should I understand that I might not find something like that again and settle for less?”
“Oh, hon, I didn’t know about your husband,” said one of the women who reached across the table and squeezed Lori’s hand. “We’ve only been here a couple of years.”
“I don’t think you should settle for less with anyone,” said Susannah. “No matter who you find, it will be different. But it doesn’t have to be less than you want or deserve. We all want a little magic in our relationships to help us get through the bad times.”
Lori nodded thoughtfully. She and Nick had needed a lot of that to get through the ugliness of the disease.
She cast a glance across the room, and seeing how Guy and Sage were huddled together, she knew she’d been right to turn down Guy’s latest invitation. They looked happy.
Soon, she was laughing with the others as Susannah told a story about Elle swearing at the dog.
“Honest, I didn’t realize she’d overheard Josh swearing while he was at his workbench in the garage,” said Susannah. “It’s like me when I’m picking up poop in the yard and let out a few F-bombs,” Susannah added, bringing more laughter.
The rest of the evening was just as enjoyable, making Lori happy to be part of this group. Here, she could talk to the other women in a way that wasn’t possible with her sisters. Aurelia and Flo wanted to protect her too much.