CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
LORI
Friday evening, Lori went to her sister’s house, taking her usual place in the guest room, where she had stayed when babysitting the girls over an extended period.
Aurelia and her husband were taking a quick trip to Tucson, Arizona, for four days of rest and relaxation.
Lori knew that as a doctor’s wife, Aurelia didn’t always get enough time with Gordon.
He was the type of GP who even made house calls if his patients were desperate enough.
Aurelia had already stocked the refrigerator and freezer with anything Lori might need to keep the girls nourished.
She noticed the two casseroles prepared for them and couldn’t help grinning.
It was typical of her sister to do this.
Lori ensured that the girls were active, and she and her nieces enjoyed ordering food to be brought in at the end of a busy day.
By Sunday, however, a pre-prepared meal would be perfect.
The girls rushed into the kitchen. Sara, at nine, was an active, slender girl whose love of ballet was evident in the way she constantly tried to stand on her toes or twirl around.
Lizbeth, a less graceful seven-year-old, was more of a tomboy who declared she was going to play football when she got a little bigger and stronger.
Both girls had their mother’s dark hair and their father’s light blue eyes.
Sara kept her hair in a long ponytail. Lizbeth’s soft, curling locks fell just to her shoulders and swung about when she moved her head.
“What are we going to do tonight?” asked Lizbeth, giving Lori a gap-toothed grin.
“I thought we’d go to the ice skating rink for some free skating and then get some pizza. Sound like fun?”
“Yes!” Lizbeth cried, jumping up and down.
“Skating and pizza?” said Sara. “Thanks, Aunt Lori.”
“I’m glad we all agree,” said Lori. “We can watch a movie when we get home, and then it’s off to bed for all of us.”
###
As she drove to the local ice skating rink, Lori listened to the girls’ chatter from the back seat.
As the older sister, Sara liked to take charge, but Lizbeth held her ground.
The interchange reminded Lori of how Aurelia and Flo used to argue for control.
Being the youngest, Lori had always known her two older sisters were in charge.
It made it easier for her to follow along until it was important to speak out.
“Aunt Lori, will you help me with my skates first?” asked Lizbeth.
“We’ll all need a little time to get our skates on. And when you need help, of course, I’ll be there.” Lori knew enough not to fall for the trap of first or second place.
They walked into the rink and confirmed the high school hockey team had ended their practice, which was why she’d chosen this time to come for a free-skating period.
The high school coach, a friend of Flo and Blake, waved at her, and she waved back. He’d tried to date her right after Nick’s death, and she’d turned him down. Now, he was happily married with a child on the way.
Lori helped the girls with their rental skates and then put her socks and skates on while they moved impatiently beside her.
“There! Done,” said Lori, standing up and moving toward the entrance to the rink.
The three of them went onto the ice at the same time.
Lori held on as the girls wobbled beside her and then became more confident.
Ice skating had always been a favorite sport of hers growing up.
While she had no desire to compete professionally, at one point, she had a teacher who taught her some basic skills.
During the last couple of years, when she found herself going over and over Nick’s death in her mind, she’d discovered that skating was a way for her to let those disturbing thoughts go.
She made sure the girls were comfortable on their own and then took off skating in long, smooth strokes around the rink, going faster and faster until she leapt and spun in the air.
As she landed, the few people who shared the rink with her clapped, along with the girls.
Smiling shyly, Lori bobbed her head and continued skating to where the girls were clinging to the side.
“I want to do that someday,” said Sara.
“Not me. I want to play hockey,” Lizbeth said, pointing to a couple of the boys on the hockey team who’d stopped to watch Lori do her trick.
“Whichever one you choose will require a lot of practice,” said Lori. “C’mon, let’s have fun. Grab my hands, and we’ll do some more skating.”
A while later, they’d all had enough exercise and began taking off their skates in preparation for going out to dinner.
Lori knelt to help the girls get their skates off and was startled when a voice behind her said, “Hello. I didn’t expect to see you here.”
She turned to find Dawn smiling at her.
“Hi,” Lori said. “What are you doing here?”
Dawn indicated the man standing away from them. He was one of the most handsome black men Lori had ever seen.
“An old flame of mine is in town. He’s a former hockey player and is thinking of buying into this business.”
Lori spoke softly so the girls wouldn’t hear. “Wow! It might be time to rekindle that old flame. It could get hot.”
Dawn chuckled, adding a sparkle to her brown eyes. “We’ve been thinking of it.” She waved to her companion. “Come meet a fellow teacher at the preschool, Lori Hamlin.”
The tall man strode easily to them. “Hi, Lori. Wayne Hopkins.”
“Dawn says you might be part of this business. I hope so. We need someone to take a more active role in managing the place, offering classes and the like.”
“We’ll see what happens,” said Wayne, smiling at Dawn.
Sara tugged on Lori’s coat.
“I’m sorry. I’ve got to go,” said Lori. “I’m taking care of my nieces, Sara and Lizbeth Evans.” She turned to the girls. “Can you please say hello to my friends, Miss Dawn and Mr. Wayne?”
“Hello,” said Sara, and Lizbeth piped up, “Hi.”
Lori led the girls away, so happy for Dawn that she wanted to skip. Dawn had never looked more excited. Lori could see why. Maybe that’s how easy it was when the someone you were with was the right person for you. It had certainly felt that way with Nick.
###
The next morning was a gray, cold, rainy one. Lori lay in bed, one sleepy girl on each side of her, and stared up at the ceiling.
“What are we going to do today?” asked Lizbeth.
“Can we do a spa day?” asked Sara.
“I don’t see why not,” said Lori. “I brought nail polish and my old makeup bag.”
“You’re the best,” said Sara, throwing her arms around Lori.
Lori hugged Sara and inhaled the strawberry smell of her shampoo, loving the joy that filled her. There was a time when she’d imagined what her children would look like. But after mourning the loss of Nick for a couple of years, she forced herself not to think about it.
Not to be left out, Lizbeth threw herself onto Lori and clung to her.
Lori rubbed her back and said, “Well, ladies, should we do it? Get up and face the day?”
They scrambled out of bed.
“I want pancakes,” said Lizbeth, tugging Lori onto her feet.
“Okay, but I’ll need your help. You can take turns stirring the batter, and you can both set the table while I get a cup of coffee and make things ready.”
The girls left the room and hurried down to the kitchen.
###
Later, after breakfast was cleaned up and everyone was dressed for the day, Lori set up
the kitchen for their spa day. Spa days included nail polish on hands and toes, skin cream, lipstick, mascara, and eye shadow. The kitchen bar stools proved to be very handy for all the procedures.
These events had happened often enough that Lori knew Sara would choose pink polish for her fingernails while Lizbeth would choose green. Both girls liked purple polish on their toes.
The special fun for the girls was practicing putting makeup on Lori.
Midmorning, while the polish was drying on the girls’ nails, the girls practiced applying eyeshadow and lipstick on Lori. One eye was shadowed with blue, the other, green. The bright red lipstick was applied way beyond the actual line of her lips as the girls tried to even out each side.
The doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it,” said Sara.
“No, I will,” countered Lizbeth.
Lori sighed. “You girls stay here. I’ll get it. Hopefully, it won’t be anyone I know.”
She went to the door, opened it, and stared at Guy, who tried not to laugh at her appearance.
“You said you’d be at your sister’s house. I was hoping I could talk to you,” said Guy. “But I can see that you’re busy.”
“No, no. Come in. We can speak inside,” said Lori. “First, I have to check on my nieces in the kitchen.” She stood aside to let him enter and then led him to the kitchen.
“We’re having a spa day. This is Sara, and that’s Lizbeth,” said Lori.
“Hi, girls,” said Guy. “Okay, if you give your aunt and me some privacy?”
Unsettled, she quietly said to her nieces, “Why don’t you get dressed? Your nails should be dry now. Then, when I’m free, we’ll do your makeup.”
The girls gave Guy questioning looks, then jumped off their stools and headed upstairs.
“Would you like a cup of coffee? Or anything else?”
“Coffee sounds great. It’s pretty nasty outside,” said Guy.
“I’m surprised to see you here,” said Lori, preparing a cup of coffee for Guy and fixing one for herself.
When she turned back to him, he was staring out through the kitchen’s sliding door to the backyard.
“Here’s your coffee. Black, right?” she said, handing him a cup.
“Yes, thanks,” he answered.
“Let’s sit at the table,” said Lori. “It must be something important for you to come here.”
“Yes, it is. I know you and Susannah saw me at Sal’s Thursday night with Sage. Susannah spoke to me about it. I was going to call you after the weekend when I knew you’d be home, but decided not to wait.”
Lori saw the discomfort on his face and knew what he was about to say. Oddly, she wasn’t the least hurt by it when he spoke.
“I like you, Lori. You’re an amazing woman and a lot of fun to be with. But I sense you’re not ready, at least for me, and I don’t want to play games. It’s a small town, and I want us both to be comfortable living in it.”
Lori reached across the table and patted his hand. “I’ve been having some of the same feelings. More than anything, I want to be friends. It’s nice of Susannah to act as a liaison between us to encourage us to settle this. I like her and want to continue to be in her group of friends.”
Guy leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh. “I’m glad we could have this conversation.”
“Me, too,” said Lori, more relieved than she’d thought possible. “Being with you at the Valentine's dance helped me become more realistic about what I needed. Thank you.” She clapped a hand to her mouth. “What about the trip to wine country? Should I return the packet to you?”
He shook his head. “As I suspected, I’ll be at a conference in Las Vegas that week. Why don’t you keep the packet and enjoy the trip? My gift to you.”
“Thank you. I do want to go,” said Lori, thrilled.
“Have fun. It’s all for a worthwhile cause,” he said. “When I saw your disappointment, I was almost sorry I’d won. But this way, you’ll get to go, after all.”
“You’re very kind,” said Lori. “I appreciate it so much. How’s your house coming along with Sage decorating it?”
He grinned. “You’ll have to see it sometime. She’s doing a fantastic job. She’s very talented. It turns out she’s done a lot of interesting projects in New York.”
“I’m happy for you,” Lori said. “It’s a beautiful house.”
“Thanks,” said Guy, getting to his feet. “And thanks for giving me this time to talk. I’d better go. It looks like you’re having fun here with the girls.”
She laughed. “You have no idea how exhausted I’ll be by Monday morning.”
Lori walked him to the door, and when he gave her a friendly kiss on her cheek, it felt right for both of them.