Breaking Even (5 page)

“Well, did he give you a decent reference?”
Lindsey asked.

“Fox, Lindsey wants to know if you gave me
a decent reference.” More background chatter.

“Earth to Laura… skip to the important
part,” Lindsey said. She made circular motions with her hand even though Laura
couldn’t see it.

“Well, he flew out here, desperate to stop
me from going to work in Las Vegas. He wants me to come to work with him in
Atlanta … and …”

“And?” Lindsey asked, wishing Laura would
just spit it out.

“He proposed! We’re getting married.”

Lindsey’s world lurched. She would be
completely alone if Laura had her own family. “Wow—See, I told you everything
would work out. Have you set a date?”

“Oh, we haven’t gotten that far. Sometime
next summer, but I’m planning to move in with him as soon as we can get it
arranged. Then I will put my condo on the market, and we will go from there.”

“That’s great! You’ll only be a couple of
hours away. That’s much better than a plane ride or two days by car.”

“True. Hey, Fox says if you’re his new
little sister, you can’t go get yourself kidnapped in the Bahamas all the time.”

Lindsey laughed. “Roger that. No more
kidnappings. Why don’t you guys plan on coming up for dinner the Saturday of
Labor Day weekend? That will give me time to get furniture and get my life a
little bit organized.”

After they finalized the details for
Laura’s visit, Lindsey ended the call. She couldn't believe her sister was
moving forward so fast. Normally, Laura drew up a pro and con chart for every
decision. What had come over her sister?

After two weeks in
the house, Lindsey found a workable routine. She was so busy, Laura's visit at
the end of August arrived sooner than she expected.

As a teaching assistant, Lindsey led
discussion groups and provided tutoring. On top of that, she had her own
classes and coursework to finish. She found a local fencing club, but after a
few practices, decided she didn’t have time to join their roster.

Ric had asked her to go to Vegas with him
Labor Day weekend, but she couldn’t miss class on Monday. Her professor waited
until Friday before he canceled Monday's classes. By then she had already
invited Laura and Fox up for dinner Saturday, and she didn’t want to cancel.

Laura had asked to meet Ben, but it looked
like that wasn’t going to happen. He hadn’t been around much, and this was the
grand opening for his uncle’s bar, The Globe. Ben had been spending all his
time on renovations at the bar. According to Ben, the bar targeted graduate
students and faculty. They planned to stock a large variety of wine and bottled
beer.

Her house now felt like it was her own
space, more than anywhere she had lived since selling her mother's condo. The
main room had an open floor plan and large, bright windows. She had bought
green and gold scarf valances and matching pillows that tied the room together.
She could see herself living here several years and had created her first
family picture wall.

Her favorite picture was the one she had
printed of her and Ric together in Calliope. Out of picture frames, she had
left it on the refrigerator for a while. While unpacking, she found an empty
pewter frame that said “Friends Forever.” Her mother had given her the frame
years ago, for her best friend, and she had never found anyone worthy to put in
it. Why not Ric? She had felt odd hanging that picture on the wall with the
others, so it found a home on her nightstand.

Expecting Laura any minute, Lindsey walked
through again, looking for anything out of place. She wanted everything perfect
when Laura saw where she lived.

When the doorbell rang, she opened it to
find Laura and Fox carrying a ficus tree taller than Fox. She waved them
inside, laughing at the unwieldy present.

“We brought a housewarming gift. A little
greenery brightens everything,” Laura said.

“I love it. Come help me find a place for
it. I want to make sure it gets the right amount of light.”

Lindsey noticed Laura looking around. She
hoped that her sister approved of her decorating choices.

“Is Ben here? I’d like to meet him,” Laura
asked.

“No, he’s working.” Ben had called her a
few times, and she could tell from the background noise that crowds had come
out to fill the new bar.

“On Saturday night?” Laura asked.

“His dad and uncle are opening a bar this
weekend and it’s all hands on deck.”

“Oh,” Laura said, surprised. “Opening a
bar?”

“Yes. His uncle talked to Ben about moving
up here after he graduated from college. When his dad heard about it, he wanted
in as a partner.”

That answer satisfied her. “Have you heard
anything more from that man on the island? What was his name? Ray?”

Lindsey stiffened at the intentional
slight. She was beginning to think Laura didn’t want her to date anyone. “Stop
it. You know his name is Ric. And we talk several times a week.”

Laura stared at her. “Honey, he’s way too
old for you.”

“Ten years. That may seem like a lot, but
it’s not." Lindsey defended Ric even though she didn’t exactly know how to
define their relationship. It’s not like they were lovers. “The whole Taser
thing was just a misunderstanding. He was sorry that his men hurt you.”

“I’ve forgiven him, and I would just as
soon forget everything that happened on that island. Just make sure you manage
your expectations. You need to focus on graduate school right now.”

Lindsey wanted to argue, but saw the look
in Laura’s eyes and let it rest. “When have I ever let anything come between me
and a good grade? Enough of that. Come take a tour.”

She showed off her picture wall first, a
collage of family and college pictures.

“That’s my favorite,” Laura said, pointing
to the picture of their mother with both of them. Laura had been at college,
and Lindsey was still in high school. Their mother still had her hair in that
picture.

“Mine too,” Lindsey said, squeezing
Laura’s hand.

In Lindsey’s room, Laura’s lips tightened
at the picture of Ric, but she didn’t say anything else.

Lindsey didn’t show Laura and Fox Ben’s
room. Sometimes he smoked clove cigarettes, and Laura didn’t like smokers. Fox
inspected the windows and doors and seemed satisfied with the security. Laura
gushed over the new furniture and how Lindsey had pulled it all together.

When the three of them had returned to the
main room, Lindsey realized she hadn’t even asked about the ring.

“I was so excited. I can’t believe I
almost forgot. Tell me about your engagement.” She took Laura’s hand and pulled
her down beside her on the couch so she could get a close look at the ring. Fox
definitely knew diamonds. “Oh, it’s gorgeous! Now tell me exactly what happened
in Vegas. The clean parts, of course,” she added as an afterthought.

Laura told the story of how Fox had flown
to Las Vegas and surprised her at the same blackjack table where they had met.
They went back up to her suite, where he then asked her to marry him, and then
asked her to join his new consulting firm.

“We’re in the planning stages, but we want
to help smaller hotel properties have a web presence. Early on, we will focus
on bed and breakfast hotels. Most of them have something on the web, but often
it’s dated or uses old technology. We feel like the market will explode in the
next few years.”

“That’s great. You’re starting a business
and planning a wedding. Have you set a date yet?”

“Not yet. I’ll have to sell the condo in
Miami, so it may take a while. Everything has happened so fast, we’re not in
any hurry to rush the next step.”

The oven timer went off, and Lindsey stood
up.

“Sounds like dinner’s ready. If you want,
you can help me with the salad and garlic bread.” They gave Fox the job of
setting the table with Lindsey’s brand new dishes.

For the first time, Lindsey had tried to
duplicate their mother’s lasagna recipe. When she pulled it out of the oven to
set, the top layer of noodles and cheese was the perfect shade of brown.

“Look at you—homemade lasagna! I thought
you would order a pizza, being a college student again and all.”

Lindsey laughed. “I’m trying to cook at
least once or twice a week. I can’t eat takeout all the time. I want to start
trying some of Mama’s favorites.”

“I forgot about her recipe book. When you
get time, maybe you can make me a copy?”

Lindsey grinned. “Will do.”

Laura sliced and buttered the French bread
while Lindsey whipped together a salad. She had just placed the salads and
bread on the table when the doorbell rang.

“Could you go see who that is while I
finish in here,” Lindsey asked her sister.

“And just what are you doing here?”

Laura’s shrill voice carried all the way
back to the dining room. Lindsey put the bread down and dashed back into the
living room. She stopped when she saw Ric standing in the foyer, holding an
armful of yellow, orange, and red roses. After a heartbeat of a pause, she
continued, heading straight to him. He wrapped his free arm around her and she
stretched up to kiss his cheek.

“Ric—I thought you were in Las Vegas. Come
in, of course—the flowers are beautiful.” She took them in her arms, smelling
each color in turn. “And so many colors.”

“I liked them all,” he offered by way of
explanation, giving her a goofy grin.

Happy tears threatened to squeeze past her
lashes. “That is so sweet. But why are you here and not in Vegas?”

“My meetings ended sooner than expected.”

Lindsey stared at him, still tongue-tied.
Instead of his usual suit, he wore a collared shirt and gray slacks. The
combination was a bit overdone for a college town, but she would take it. “Yes,
here you are.” She stepped back, remembering that they had an audience. “You
remember my sister Laura and her fiancé Fox. They drove up for dinner, but
you’re welcome to join us.”

Fox had managed to recover before Laura
did and he extended his hand in greeting. “Ric, good to see you again.”

“You too, Fox.” Ric turned to Laura with a
slight bow. “Laura, you look well and beautiful as always.”

Laura’s lips tightened. “Yes, thank you.
I’m feeling much better than the last time I saw you.”

His lips twisted at the reminder of the
Taser incident. “Congratulations on your engagement. When you choose the date,
I would love to host your wedding on Calliope.”

“Oh, wow, that’s generous of you,” Fox
said.

Lindsey didn’t wait for Laura’s response
to that. “I’ll get an extra salad. Ric, come help with the flowers.”

Ric followed her into the kitchen. Despite
the open floor plan, the kitchen was an older style with a swinging door that
closed behind you. Lindsey arranged the roses in a vase and set them in a
prominent position on the kitchen counter.

“These flowers are beautiful, Ric. I don’t
know what to say.”

“I didn’t want to barge in on your evening
without bringing something.”

“Why the three colors?”

“Each color signifies a different feeling.
I couldn’t choose.”

Lindsey wanted to ask, but with Fox and
Laura in the other room, decided to wait. She smiled up at him and brushed a
bit of flower greenery from his shirt. “I still can’t believe you’re here, but
I’m glad.”

“Are you? You looked shocked to see me.
The way you hesitated in front of Laura makes me think that you didn’t tell
your sister all about us.”

Well, he didn’t pull any punches. Lindsey
grabbed the extra greens from the refrigerator and made another salad. She
couldn’t quite look at Ric in the eye yet—she didn’t know what to tell him.

“What else is there to tell? You’re in
Calliope, I’m here—there didn’t seem to be much point.”

Ric’s lips tightened. “I see. I’m sorry I
dropped in on you tonight. I suppose I should have waited until I had an
invitation.”

She reached out and touched his arm.
“Don’t be like that. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

Ric cut his eyes away, as if he were
trying to decide what to say, and then met her eyes, unafraid. “You need to
decide what you want.”

Lindsey’s eyes widened at his abrupt
demand. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“I mean that I want it all. I don’t want
to have to hide from your family, to feel like you’re ashamed of me.”

“I’m not ashamed of you. I just wasn’t
expecting you tonight. I told Laura we’ve been talking.”

One minute, Ric was on the other side of
the kitchen and the next his arms circled her waist. The kiss came from
nowhere. He held her neck while he pressed his lips to hers in a full court
press. This was not the tender approach he had shown on Calliope. This was his
frustration, poured out in the open.

Lindsey’s mind reeled. She thought she had
imagined the heat that flowed through her at his kiss. She had thought that she
couldn’t feel that way from the mere touching of lips. Now she knew the truth.
She needed him in her life, needed to explore the potential she had with him.

He pulled back a couple of inches, and she
leaned into him, her eyes locked on his lips. “This is talking?” he asked.

“No, this is—” she countered, pulling him
back down to her. She teased his lips and swept his mouth with every bit of
passion she felt.

“Lindsey, do you need help in there?”
Laura’s voice reached through Lindsey’s passionate fog. She pulled back just
enough to answer her sister.

“No, we’ve got it. Thanks.” She laughed
and leaned into him. “We’ll talk more later. Come eat with us.”

Considering Ric’s unexpected arrival,
Lindsey thought dinner went well. Over salads, Fox talked about the new
consulting business. He and Laura planned to help smaller hotel properties with
marketing.

Lindsey watched them talk, feeling
relieved. Maybe Laura would like Ric after all. She cleared the salads and
brought out the lasagna. It looked good at least. She cut the lasagna into
squares, happy to see that the layers stayed in position. She served the
plates, laughing when Fox told her he needed a bigger helping.

Fox was the first to try it. “This is
good. You definitely need to hook Laura up with that recipe.”

“Hey, I make a great baked ziti!” Laura
protested.

“Yes, you do, but we need to add lasagna
to the rotation. Something different.”

Laura laughed. “He’s right. It is good,
Lindsey. I didn't know you were going to show me up in the kitchen. And you’re
right, this is just like Mom used to make.”