A Great Kisser (26 page)

L
auren checked her hair again, then rolled her eyes and made herself walk out of the bathroom. She paced her motel room instead. It was ridiculous to be nervous about meeting her own mother.

Of course, Lauren knew why she was nervous and it had nothing to do with having limp hair issues at eight thousand feet. There was a lot to talk about. And then lunch had been postponed to dinner. And since Jake was still tied up with the guys from Vegas, it hadn’t mattered to her. Except it had given her way too much time to think. About everything.

She thought about the message Jake had sent earlier, which prompted as big a smile now as it had when he’d sent it earlier. She could have been put off by his presumptuousness. That just because they’d spent one night together, that he assumed he’d be spending tonight as well. Except she could hardly be insulted by the assumption when she’d been hoping for the very same thing. They’d just begun. And she wanted more. A whole lot more. And not just Jake in bed. She wanted as much time with him as she could get. Doing anything and everything they could do together. A lot of anything and everything.

It was such an entirely different kind of relationship than any she’d ever had. Partly because of where she was, both literally and figuratively, in her life. She’d have never met anyone like Jake in her day-to-day life back in Washington. And partly because the intensity and immediacy of their attraction and bond was such that…well, it simply didn’t compare to anything she’d ever felt. Maybe that was tied up with where she was, too, here in Colorado, and in her professional career. Maybe it was just the thin air and the fact that she was wildly attracted to him.

Mostly she was just happy that, for whatever combination of reasons, he seemed to feel the same way. If anything, he seemed more sure of it, of them, than she was. Which…“Insane,” she whispered. “Truly. We’re both nuts.” Thank God.

Which was the only conclusion she’d come to after spending far too many hours alone with her own thoughts. Well, maybe not entirely alone. There had been the phone call from Daphne. Lauren still wasn’t entirely sure what that had been all about. Someone had called her former co-worker and best friend saying they needed to ask a few questions as part of the hiring process. So Daphne had called to let Lauren know she’d vouched for her friend, and to excitedly ask what job, exactly, Lauren was going for, since she hadn’t caught the full name of the company from the person making the call.

Lauren had no clue where any of that had come from, unless Todd had put her name forward to a friend or contact, thinking he was doing her a favor. Which wasn’t outside the realm of possibility, as he’d offered it more than once when they’d talked about her leaving his team. She’d have to contact him on Monday and see what was up.

In the meantime, no matter what had prompted the call, it had been wonderful to talk to someone who was outside of her personal emotional whirlwind, even for a few minutes. Daphne had been cut off by work demands, but had promised to call her back later so they could gab at length, for which Lauren was eternally grateful. An objective opinion right now would be very welcome. On any number of topics. She’d all but begged Daphne to keep that promise, and given she was never the one with private life stuff to talk about, she was pretty sure her friend would follow through. Besides, she also wanted to hear how things were going with Natalie, her successor, and things in general since her departure.

A quiet knock on the door mercifully interrupted her thoughts. “Yay.” She went to the door, peeked out—habit—and smiled as her mother smiled back. She opened the door and did the most natural thing in the world, which was to hug her mother as if this were their first meeting after a long separation. And in some ways, despite the fences already mended, it felt that way. Maybe because she was going to get the chance to tell her everything and finally be completely herself again.

Her mother hugged her back just as tightly. “It feels really good to be able to do this. Having you here makes me realize how much more I missed you than I even realized.” She stepped back, still holding on to Lauren’s arms. “And I missed you a lot.”

Lauren felt the quick sting of tears and blinked them away as they continued to beam at each other. “I know. I did, too.” She ushered her mother into the room, but Charlene stalled out in the hall.

“I was thinking, it’s a gorgeous afternoon, well, early evening, anyway. Maybe we can go for a drive out in the mountains, see the sunset. Just the two of us. We’ll have the same privacy, and you’ll get to see a bit more of my new home.”

“Let me grab my purse.” Hours spent cooped up in her room made her mother’s offer sound like round-trip tickets to an island getaway.

“Yours?” Lauren asked in surprise as her mother opened the driver’s side door to a small SUV.

“A concession to mountain living. I still have my car, but we might travel roads that aren’t paved to perfection, so opted for this instead for today.” They both climbed in. “I’m glad you thought it was a good idea.”

“Great idea. Jake was going to take me up in the plane today, but—”

“Investors, in from Vegas,” Charlene finished. “I heard from Ruby Jean,” she said by way of explanation. “She was heading out as I was leaving, going to help Jake ferry them into town for dinner. I’m guessing that’s good news if they’re staying for dinner? Something to celebrate?”

Jake hadn’t said one way or the other in his text, but she assumed she’d hear it all later. She hesitated to tell her mother that she’d be seeing Jake tonight, then reminded herself that today was all about putting everything on the table. “I hope so. I’m sure he’ll fill me in tonight.”

Her mother cast her a quick glance, her expression carefully pleasant. “So…it’s going well with him, then? I enjoyed his company at the barbecue. I’m glad you brought him along.”

“I am, too. And, yes…it’s going well. The fact that there’s anything to go anywhere is something I’m still getting used to,” she said with half a laugh. “I certainly wasn’t looking to start anything with anyone when I came out here, but…” She wasn’t really sure what to say. It was one thing for her and Jake to make all sorts of wild revelations to one another. Another thing entirely to try and explain that to her mother, about a man she’d known for such a short time.

“I wasn’t planning on running halfway across the country and eloping either, but…these things happen,” Charlene said.

“I guess they do,” Lauren said, thinking it was very different what was happening between her and Jake, and whatever it was that had happened between her mother and Arlen. And it wasn’t about age, or the ick factor of thinking about your own mother in a heated, passionate relationship…just that she hadn’t witnessed anything between them to make her feel that was possibly the case.

“You two didn’t seem like a newly dating couple,” her mother went on to say. “It was almost as if the two of you had been a pair for some time. Which is funny, because I don’t know that I’d have picked someone like Jake—much as I like and admire him—for you, but I suppose that’s because I wouldn’t have thought of it, in the context of your life.”

“I guess we both have men in our lives we wouldn’t have pictured ourselves or each other with.” When her mother didn’t directly comment on that, Lauren bravely pushed on. She wasn’t going to back down this time. There were no interfering townsfolk or barbecue meals to be consumed. It was just the two of them, no interruptions. So it was now or never. “I was thinking about that, today. He and I have each commented on how swiftly we’ve…connected.” Lauren debated how to phrase the question that was on the tip of her tongue. It was one thing to want to clear the air and another thing to actually blurt out what was most on her mind. “If I can be candid…”

Her mother laughed. “Why stop now?”

Lauren flushed, but smiled, too. “I know, but some things…”

Her mother’s smile faded. “What is it, sweetheart?”

“I think you sort of hit it on the head, about me and Jake. It’s crazy how quickly and, well, intensely we’ve hit it off. With you and Arlen…on the surface, it would seem that it’s the same kind of thing, given the sudden elopement. But…now that I’ve spent time with you both, and in your own home, your own surroundings…well, I don’t mean any disrespect, and I’m not questioning your contentment, I see that part loud and clear, but that connection is mostly with Cedar Springs. I don’t see that same kind of obvious connection with Arlen. In fact, it’s harder for me to believe now that I’ve met him that he swept you off your feet.”

“I just said the same about Jake. He’s not exactly your type, or the type you’ve always dated.”

“I don’t mean just that. I’m…well, I guess I’m just not seeing you two, you know, as a couple. You don’t act very couple-like. In some ways, you act as if you’ve been married for years.”

“Well, then—”

“So many years that you’ve grown comfortable in your separateness. That’s not how newlyweds act. I don’t see you being affectionate with one another, or making eye contact, or finishing each others’ sentences, or even really including each other in the conversation. I could assume it’s just generational. Jake says maybe it’s out of deference to my stated discomfort with the union from the start.”

“You’ve discussed my marriage with Jake?”

“I’m here for the sole purpose of meeting Arlen, and figuring things out between us, so it stands to reason that we’ve talked about that, yes. I don’t mean to make it sound intrusive, or like any kind of betrayal of privacy on my part, but he’s actually been very helpful in being objective eyes and ears for me, and the voice of experience in knowing Arlen.”

Her mother’s smile was brief, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Well, I appreciate that much, anyway.”

“I’m not trying to be critical, really, I’m not. You’re obviously happy with your partnership. I’m just trying to explain why it’s still hard for me to wrap my head around it, that’s all. I guess I thought—hoped—that spending time with you two, there would be this undeniable…I don’t know, vibe or something. I’d witness this powerful connection you must have had with my own eyes, and feel better about all of it.”

“Powerful connection. You mean like you and Jake have?”

“Well…yes. Like Jake and I have.”

“So…it’s serious then. Or could be.”

“Yes,” she said, seeing no reason to beat around the bush with it given the direction of their conversation. “I can’t explain how or why it’s happening, but it definitely is. It’s just the beginning, and I don’t know where it will lead, but I guess I want to find out.”

“Could it lead to you relocating here?”

“I haven’t thought that far ahead.”

“Would he leave Colorado for you?”

“I don’t think so, but I wouldn’t ask—”

“Arlen wouldn’t move to Florida, either. But then, I was retired and he’s mayor here. His roots are here. And I was rather…rootless.”

Lauren reached over and covered her mother’s hand. “I know. I mean, I didn’t know, had no idea really, how you felt about your life. But I do now. And regardless of what I say about you two as a couple, I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that you’re happy here. And for that alone, I’m happy for you. But you don’t have to stay with Arlen for appearances, or to guarantee your place here. People like you, I see that when they talk to you. I don’t think it’s because you’re the mayor’s wife.”

“My, my, you already have me divorced and moving on with my life.”

“Mom, can you look me in the eye and tell me you love him? That you’re happily, blissfully in love and thrilled to be married? It’s only been six months. And after waiting so many years to finally fall in love again…I think you’d be positively giddy with it. I guess that was part of why it all just struck me as so…” She lifted her shoulders and let them fall, suddenly tired of talking about it. Maybe she should just let the whole thing drop. It really wasn’t her business. Did it really matter what she thought? Her mother was, as she’d stated, a grown woman with her own mind. So what if the new love of her mother’s life didn’t fit Lauren’s preconceived notions about how those things should be? So far she hadn’t turned up anything between the two that would suggest her mother had gotten in over her head, or wanted out. Or that Arlen was overtly bad for her in any appreciable way. She should just drop it. Once and for all.

Her mother glanced over briefly, then kept her eyes glued to the road, both hands on the steering wheel now, her grip tight, if the strain across the back of her hands was any indication. “Not all matches are about wild and uncontrollable lust,” she said at length.

Lauren choked on a surprised half laugh. Hadn’t she just, more or less, been thinking that very thing? But hearing her mother put it like that, well…“Is that how you see me and Jake? We hardly touched each other in front of—” She broke off, but her mother sent her a knowing look anyway. Now it was Lauren’s turn to look out the window.

“I’m simply stating that, especially at my age, it can be as much about companionship as—”

“Pardon me, but bullshit.” Lauren sighed and realized she wasn’t quite ready to let it go after all. She shifted in her seat so she faced her mother a bit more directly. “You’re the most passionate, affectionate, life-living person I know. I cannot imagine you settling for something as—as sterile as what you’re describing.”

“I never said it was sterile, merely that it might not be as, well, physically tempestuous—”

“You would thrive with a tempestuous partner, Mom. Dad certainly was, your own father was larger than life. You’ve been surrounded your whole life by—”

“And maybe that’s precisely why calm and more reserved is suiting me more these days.”

Lauren didn’t immediately refute that, in fact she sat back and thought about it for a few minutes. “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Okay, what you say might make sense.”

“For someone else, you mean,” she added with a tired laugh.

“I said okay.”

Her mother merely slanted her a dubious look, then went back to looking at the road ahead.

“So, tell me how quiet and reserved equals running off to Vegas? How does one lead to the other? What’s not tempestuous about eloping? I just can’t see the two of you doing it, that’s all.”