Bet on a Mistletoe (2 page)

     
“Lorna,
talk to me. I promise not to judge you.”

     
It was
a combination between the softness of his voice and the warmth of his hand on
her thigh that coaxed her to open her eyes and gaze at him.

     
“Oh,
baby, don’t cry.” He rubbed her thigh.

     
Those
words made her cry. She knew she needed to talk to someone. Not wanting to
burden her parents with her problems, until she’d figured out a plan. “Richard,
I don’t want my business all over town.”

     
His
voice was gruff as he said, “I’m not a gossip. I’ll keep your confidence.”

     
His
thumb stroked her leg, a comforting gesture that had a totally different effect
on her. Fireflies raced up her thigh and seated themselves at the crotch of her
jeans. The thought that if he just moved his hand up a few inches he could palm
her sex made her clit throb and juices flood her panties. Biting down on her
lip, she took a deep breath in through her nose. She did everything to keep
herself from wiggling in her seat or forcing his hand up to the place that
yearned for his touch. The tightness in her nipples and the rapid beat of her
heart reminded her Richard was not just an old friend. Her first wet dream had
featured this man when she had just turned sixteen and they hadn’t stopped.

     
Nothing like a good bout of sex to ease her depression.
But,
she’d never been in Richard’s league and nine years hadn’t changed that.

     
Thankfully,
he removed his hand and her mind cleared.

     
“Whenever
you want to talk, I’m here.”

     
Not
taking a moment to consider whether or not Richard was the person she wanted to
reveal all to or not, she just started talking. “I got laid off six months ago.
A small part of me knew it was coming. A year ago the bonuses stopped, I never
saw my annual raise. All parties had ceased. I thought things would turn
around,
then
I thought I could find another job. My
roommate of three years left three months ago after she got married. Staying in
the apartment alone ate into my savings and when my car needed a new
transmission it took the last of it. The only money I had coming in was
unemployment. Come January I wouldn’t have been able to pay my rent. So, I gave
them my thirty day notice. I sold the furniture, dirt cheap, to pay off back
bills and overdrawn credit cards. Yesterday, I shipped several boxes to my
parent’s house. Packed up the rest in cases and drove away from my D.C.
townhouse on Connecticut Ave--” her voice broke.

     
Taking
hold of her hand Richard held it. Neither of them said anything for a moment.

     
A small
amount of relief washed over her to tell someone what was going on. Over the
last year her friends in D.C. had become scarce. No one wanted to be around a
sinking ship.

     
“You
know, Lorna,” he began, “You’re not the first person ever to leave home and
attempt to live out their dreams and hit a bump.”

     
She
shook her head.
“A bump?
More like a wall.” She stared
down at their hands still joined. As much as she was enjoying feeling his
strong hand engulfing her own, she pulled away. “Honestly, Richard, I was
ashamed, which is the real reason I didn’t tell my parents.” She felt ashamed
and defeated.

     
As they
came around the bend to her parent’s house, he pulled the truck off to the side
and dimmed the lights.

     
“What
are you doing?” Perplexed, she stared between him and her childhood home. Her
heart started to race again as she gazed out the window. It was late. Her
parents would be reading by the fire or already in bed. The Christmas lights
her dad hung every year lit up the house. The seven foot inflatable Santa Claus
awaiting visitors on the porch.

     
A click
echoed in the enclosure as he undid his seatbelt and turned to her. “Lorna.”

     
The
southern inflection in his voice was turning her inside out.

     
“Lorna,”
he said again.

     
She
looked across the cab at him. His features were concealed by the darkened cab.
“Yes.”

     
“Things
will work out, you’ll see. A lot of people are going through rough times now. I
must say I’m glad you decided to come home.”

     
“I had
nowhere else to go.” Lowering her gaze, she stared at the dark shadows of her
hands.

     
“Where
else could I have gone?”

     
“Doesn’t matter.
You still came home.”

     
Her
lips pulled up into a smile even though he wouldn’t be able to see it. “Thanks,
Richard, please don’t say anything.”

     
“I
promised I wouldn’t tell a soul and I won’t.”

     
There
was a light brush along her cheek. In the darkness she didn’t see him move, and
the touch had been so subtle she almost believed she’d imagined it.

     
The
truck lights came back up again and he pulled down the lane to the house.

     
“I
don’t know what I’m going to tell my folks.”

     
Stopping
the vehicle, he said, “You’ll figure it out.”

     
They
hopped out of the truck and removed the suitcases from the backseat. Richard
carried both cases, while she clutched her purse on the porch.

     
For the
first time that night she could clearly see his face. The heartthrob of her
youth had grown up to be a striking man. The boyhood charm had become genuine
masculine appeal. A strong jaw and sensual lips dared a woman to lean forward and
kiss him.

     
Richard
leaned toward her. Drawn to him, she was unable to resist him even though her
mind told her the move wasn’t wise. Yet and still, her eyes began to slide
closed.

     
The
familiar sound of the doorbell jarred her senses. Momentarily confused, she
realized her mistake. Richard hadn’t been ready to kiss her at all. He was just
reaching for the bell to awaken her parents.

     
Shuffling
could be heard through the door. Then it opened, saving her from looking at
Richard and discovering whether or not he’d been privy to her faux pas.

     
Her
father’s stout frame filled the door. He’d once been a muscular six foot man,
now he stood a little under five eleven and most of his broad chest had become
a round stomach, but she loved him just the same.
“Hi, Dad.”

     
“Lorna,
is that you?” He blinked a few times as if he couldn’t believe what he was
seeing.

     
“Merry
Christmas,” she cheered.

     
Swinging
the door wide, he pulled her into a bear hug and planted a kiss on her
forehead.

     
“Rebecca
Jean, come here and see what the elves have dragged home.” His round, caramel
colored cheeks broke into a big smile.

     
She
held tight to her father, as he walked with her into the house. He smelled like
rum raisin bread pudding, one of his famous desserts.

     
Light
flooded the living room, as her mother entered from the back bedroom tying her
robe. Her salt and pepper curls held back away from her face with a satin head
band, her brown skin shiny with night moisturizer. “Who is it
?...
”
Her mother’s words faded away on a gasp. “Oh, my, it’s my precious baby girl.”

     
Letting
go of her father, Lorna ran towards her mother and hugged her. This was home.
Feeling the gentle pressure of her mother’s arms around her, made Lorna swallow
more than once to keep from crying. Her world had tumbled down around her feet,
but until this moment she hadn’t felt any peace.

     
“Precious,
why didn’t you call? I would’ve kept dinner warm for you.” Time had swept
across her mother and aged her. A petite woman was now just as plump as she was
pretty.

     
“This
is surely a surprise of the first degree.” Her father commented. “Richard, were
you in on this?”

     
“No,
sir, I’m just an accessory by default.” Richard said.

     
Lorna
had almost forgotten Richard was still there with the excitement of seeing her
parents.

     
She and
her mother crossed the room to the two men, still linked arm and arm. “No,
ma’am, I don’t need anything, but my bed and daddy’s breakfast in the morning.”

     
“You
got it, baby girl.” The smile on her father’s face was more than worth the long
drive.

     
“Richard,
can I offer you a cup of coffee or some cake? Mr. Morgan made rum raisin.” Her
mother let her go for a moment to hug Richard and give him a kiss on the cheek.

     
“Oh, no, ma’am.
I’m headed home. I have a full day tomorrow
and I’ll
be needin’
my beauty sleep.”

     
He
received a clap on his back by her father, “Early to bed and all that jazz.”

     
“Yes, sir.”
Richard’s eye’s seized Lorna’s from across the
room. “Well, now that you’re in safe hands, I’ll be headin’ on. I’ll make sure
your car gets here.”

     
“What
happened to your car?” Her father looked at her, concern clouding his gaze.

     
“Nothing, Dad.
You know it gets a little cantankerous at
times.” She waved her hand hoping her father would let the conversation drop.

     
She
escorted Richard to the door. “Thanks a lot.” Turning the knob she opened the
door.
“For everything.”

     
For a
moment, he didn’t say anything, just stared down into her face.

     
“Anytime, Lorna.”
Winking at her, he left.

     
“Samson,
get the bags. Lorna, come up with me so we can get fresh sheets on your bed.”
Her mother stood at the base of the stairs waiting.

     
“Yes, ma’am.”
They traveled up to the second floor and
headed toward her bedroom.

     
“Tomorrow,
when you wake, we’ll see about what’s wrong with that car.” Her dad set the
bags down by the door.

     
“Don’t
worry, Dad. It just needed a rest. It will be fine in the morning.” She tried
to reassure him, even though she wasn’t sure about anything that had to do with
her life.

     
“We’re
your parents. Worrying is what we do best.” Her mother chimed in.

     
Knowing
it was useless to argue, Lorna remained silent as she helped her mother strip
the bed and add new linens.

     
“Well,
you get a good night sleep, precious. We’ll see you in the mornin’.” Her mother
kissed her.

     
Lorna
met her father halfway across the room and became the recipient of another
strong hug.

     
When
they left, she closed the door and put on her nightclothes. She slipped into
bed and refused to allow herself one moment to think. Tomorrow was soon enough
to face all her fears and secrets that were following her from D.C. Snuggling
down into her blankets, her mind complied with her demand, except in one area.
Richard.

     
Nothing
she told herself would remove his image from her mind. Exhausted she stopped
trying and dreamed.

     
Finally,
he got into bed. Thirty minutes ago he’d arrived home, took Max, his dog, out
for a walk.

     
Now his companion lay curled up by the fireplace in the living
room.
Richard still found it hard to believe that Lorna Morgan was back
in Carlton County. His life hadn’t been the same since she’d left their small
North Carolina town for the big city. Smiling to himself, he thought about how
interesting life in town was about to get. Closing his eyes he gave into sleep.

     
He
saw Evelyn sneak into the woods alone. It was his junior year and most of the
teens hung outat the lake for spring break. Breaking away from his friends by
the bonfire he pursued his girlfriend at the time. Circling his way around the
woods his mind had conjured up a scene of a little woodland action. Locating a
decent sized tree, he hid behind it and waited for her to cross his path.

     
A
twig snapped, and a few seconds later a curvaceous silhouette passed by him.
Quickly, he grabbed her and pulled the luscious body to him, walking her
backwards to the tree. The small gasp she made at his surprise was silenced by
his lips. Her lips were stiff at
first,
as if she
wasn’t sure ifshe was going to respond. He didn’t allow her to deny him.
Nibbling on the sides of her lip until she moaned, then he slipped his tongue
into her mouth and tasted her. She sighed.