Echoes (21 page)

Today, the next thing happened to be getting herself to Glenbrooke. Teri had called the day before and left a message for Lauren saying there weren’t any really nice hotels in Glenbrooke so arrangements had been made for Lauren to stay with Teri’s friends, Jessica and Kyle. Teri had left directions and said Lauren couldn’t miss their white Victorian mansion on the top of Madison Hill. Jessica would be expecting her in time for dinner.

I’ll be a little early, that’s all. I’ll hear all about Teri’s romance, and I’ll meet new people, and I’ll laugh and smile and have a good time. This never happened. I never should have agreed to meet him. I feel so foolish!

Maneuvering her way through a maze of Portland bridges, Lauren found the I-5 Freeway and headed south. She passed under a sign with the word “Salem” on it. She drove on, not
thinking, not feeling, set on arriving in Glenbrooke with her emotions calmed. If Lauren was good at anything, it was fixing things. She would fix this weekend so it would be just right—fun, relaxing, and in every way enjoyable. The only thing she had never tried to fix was the part of her heart that bore the sign “rejection” over it. She would not allow anyone, especially another man, to pass under that sign and enter that part of her life again. In her panicked state, it made complete sense that she had done the right thing to turn from KC before he could reject her.

It was all a fairy tale, a fabricated relationship through a computer screen. None of it was real. Mindy was right. I never should have agreed to meet him
.

Then Lauren remembered something else Mindy had said about how God didn’t need an electronic dating device to get two people together. If she and KC were meant to be together, they would end up somehow, some way, meeting someday.

Was that supposed to happen, God? Was that our divine encounter, and I just blew it? I couldn’t go through with it. Did I do the right thing?

There was no answer as the car sped down the freeway toward Eugene.

“It’s awfully quiet in here,” Lauren said aloud, her quavering voice echoing off the ceiling of the rental car. “What’s going on, God? Are you about to abandon me, too?”

W
ith one hand on the steering wheel and the written instructions to Kyle and Jessica’s home in the other, Lauren turned right on to Main Street in Glenbrooke and glanced out the top of her windshield. There it was: Madison Hill. And nestled in its emerald crown stood a great white jewel of a mansion.

“Wow, Teri wasn’t kidding! I hope these people aren’t eccentric weirdoes like my Great Aunt Clarita. This could be a nightmare weekend.”

Pulling into the long, circular driveway, Lauren slowly approached the front of the Victorian charmer. A wide porch wrapped around the whole house, and lining the base of the porch were dozens of the most gorgeous hydrangea bushes Lauren had ever seen. The yard seemed to go on and on behind the house with a rolling green lawn and huge friendly old trees. A swing hung from an apple tree to the right. Off to the left swung a large, empty hammock, inviting Lauren to come sink into its knotted embrace.

Lauren pursed her lips and swallowed the last bit of her wracked emotions. She would not, absolutely would not, allow her emotions to ruin this weekend. She was here to celebrate with Teri. Even if the owners of this estate turned out to be exotic nut cases, she would be cordial and as supportive of Teri as Teri had always been of her.

Closing her car door and lifting her sunglasses, Lauren called out, “Hello? Anyone home?”

Two golden retrievers came bounding toward her from around the side of the house. Lauren walked up the wide steps, lined with terra cotta pots bubbling over with bright summer flowers. The dogs followed, two steps behind. She stopped by the open front door and patted the friendly pooches on the head.

“Hello?” She knocked on the wood frame and heard the clip, clip, clip of heels on the hardwood floor. An older woman appeared. Her silver-rimmed glasses matched her silver-white hair. She was wearing a huge white Shasta daisy pinned to the bodice of her dress. With quick strokes, she wiped her hands on her checkered apron.

“Come in, come in!” she said, holding open the screen door. “I’m Ida, Ida Dane. You must be Lauren. Teri told us to expect you.”

Lauren stepped inside. Ida shooed the dogs away and closed the door.

The entryway was breathtakingly beautiful, yet warm and welcoming. A spiral stairway was the focal point. But Lauren took in each detail of the entry, enjoying the gleaming hardwood floors, the large oak hall tree to the right with etched, beveled glass, and the huge ceiling light fixture with frosted glass bells hanging down like dainty flowers. Bunches of fresh flowers greeted her from the antique entry table to the left.
French doors opened to a charming parlor with a marble-hearthed fireplace and inviting, overstuffed chairs. Lauren noticed that the fabric covers on the furniture in the parlor were the same as her rose floral couch and easy chair covers. She instantly felt at home.

“You’re early, you know. We didn’t expect you until this evening. No matter. We’re preparing a few things for the reception tomorrow. I understand you and Teri were roommates in college, is that right?”

Lauren could barely answer yes before Ida plunged on. “She’s an absolute favorite of everyone here. We all missed her terribly when she moved to Maui at the beginning of the summer. Have you met her husband?”

“No.”

“I understand he’s Austrian,” she said in a lowered voice. “Can you imagine? I shouldn’t wonder if he doesn’t honor us with a bit of yodeling at the party tomorrow. Teri tells us he’s quite an individual. And Teri being a Spanish teacher and all. It’s an international experience for us here in Glenbrooke, if you catch my meaning. The pity is that they’re going to live in Hawaii. You know, don’t you, that he’s a minister? Just like her father. Shall we go into the kitchen?”

Lauren nodded and followed, amazed that Ida finally took a breath. This woman definitely bore a resemblance to Lauren’s Great Aunt Clarita.

“That’s always the way, isn’t it?” Ida continued. “We marry a man just like our father.”

The image that struck Lauren was that of her biological father rather than of Stan. With great effort, she stifled the thought that she might end up with a man who would abandon her, a man who could be homeless at this very moment, stealing purses from innocent women. She would never be a
victim again. Hadn’t she proved that today? How could she ever trust a man? Even Jeff, who had seemed so stable and predictable, had abandoned her.

“Look who’s here!” Ida announced as they stepped into the high-ceilinged, freshly painted, and renovated kitchen.

A woman about Lauren’s height, but slimmer, stood at the sink peeling carrots. On the counter was a pile of fresh carrots and a bowlful of snap beans. The woman’s long, honey-blond hair was pulled back and fastened with a twisted red bandanna. Behind her a tall, broad shouldered man with thick, dark hair stood with his arms wrapped around her middle. He appeared to be patting her stomach and whispering sweet nothings in her ear. Startled by Ida’s announcement they turned around, embarrassed. Both said “Hi” at the same time.

The man moved toward Lauren first. “I’m Kyle,” he said extending a huge hand. His handshake was tender, his eyes clear green, and his jaw firm. “Glad you could come, Lauren. Teri will be happy to see you.”

The woman wiped her hands on a towel and slid in next to Kyle. She had a simple, honest face with moss green eyes and fair skin. The scar above her lip curled up when she smiled. But what made the deepest impression on Lauren wasn’t the woman’s appearance, but the calm gentleness that seemed to float around her. She offered her cool, small hand, and Kyle said, “This is my wife, Jess.” He slipped his arm around her shoulder.

“Will you listen to us!” Ida said. “So busy making introductions all around we haven’t asked if Lauren would like something to drink. It’s a hot afternoon, and I’ll bet a glass of lemonade sounds good to you about now.”

Now Ida reminded Lauren of some of the sweet ladies from Shelbyville, who loved to use their southern hospitality on Lauren whenever she paid them a visit.

“Yes, lemonade would be nice, thank you.” She felt hot in her jeans and wished she had worn shorts instead.

“I’ll get it for us,” Kyle offered. “Ice?”

“Sure. This is a beautiful home,” Lauren said, glancing at the hanging copper pots above the island cook-top range. The deluxe kitchen opened into a breakfast nook where a thick, round oak table sat in a bay window area. Ferns hung in front of the window, and a blue pitcher stuffed with white Shasta daisies graced the center of the table.

“Thanks,” Jessica answered shyly. “We still have a lot of work to do.”

Lauren had assumed this was Ida’s home. But did it belong to Kyle and Jessica? Could such a young couple own a place like this? She guessed them to be in their late twenties. Kyle might be thirty. Perhaps Ida was his or Jessica’s mother; although Lauren failed to see any resemblance to either of them.

Kyle offered Lauren the lemonade and asked if she wanted to settle into her room. She followed him past the breakfast nook into a hallway that led to a laundry room.

“What do you do, Kyle?” she asked, hoping for a clue as to who ran this place.

“I’m a paramedic. Jessica teaches English at the high school. That’s where she and Teri became such good friends. I knew Teri before that, from church. We worked with the youth group together.”

They walked past several closed doors. “Unfinished projects,” Kyle explained, nodding toward the silent rooms. At the end of the hall he opened the door to Lauren’s guest room and said, “This one’s fit for company.”

The huge room was not only fit for company, but it also could have won an award for best bed and breakfast. Along the back wall was a bay window with a built-in window seat. It was
covered with bright geranium cushions and pillows, and a matching ruffle swung across the top of the window. Outside lay yards of fresh cut grass and a picture-perfect view of a flower garden in full bloom. Beyond that was the beckoning hammock. A small fireplace was nestled in the bedroom’s corner, and a king-sized bed was made up in fresh summer colors that matched the geranium window seat. An antique trunk stood guard at the foot of the bed. On the bedside table was a fresh bouquet of white daisies and red geraniums.

“This is beautiful,” Lauren said.

“Most women say that.”

“Oh? And what do the men say?”

“Not much. We don’t let them stay in this room. This is Jessica’s garden room. The great northwest room is directly above you.”

Lauren smiled. “Let me guess: Forest green, solid oak bookshelves, four-poster bed, a larger-than-life television, and an ice box.”

“You’ve seen it?” Kyle teased.

“Guess I don’t need to. Are Teri and Gordon staying in the manly room?”

“No, we have another room upstairs all ready for them. Sort of a middle-of-the-road version. Feel free to take a look if you want. You’re the first one here. The other guests should be arriving tonight. Actually,” Kyle hesitated and looked over his shoulder. Lowering his voice, he asked, “Did Teri say anything to you about Kenton?”

Lauren shook her head.

Kyle shuffled his large frame and said, “Jess thought I should warn you.”

“What? Is Kenton the psycho uncle who lives in the attic?”

Kyle laughed. “Almost. He’s my brother. He’s coming this weekend, and Teri thought we should, you know, sort of fix
you two up. But Jessica is too tenderhearted to let anyone get trapped into something like that.”

“And what’s wrong with your brother?”

“There’s nothing wrong with him. Well, not really. He and I are different, that’s all. He’s the studious brain boy who spends more time with computers than with people.”

“Sounds like my brother,” Lauren said. “Don’t worry. I know how to handle that particular species. By any chance does he shower more than once a month?”

“He’s not that bad,” Kyle said with a laugh.

“Thanks for the warning,” Lauren said, feeling a little disappointed. If Kyle had a clone somewhere in this world, Lauren wouldn’t have minded falling in love with him. It would solve the KC problem and provide affirmation for Mindy’s theory that if God had someone wonderful for Lauren, they would come together through natural, unforced events.

But then, what did Lauren know about God and his wonderful plan for her life? At the moment, he didn’t seem to be speaking to her. And she wasn’t interested in falling in love with anyone. Probably because she already had. And, try as she might, she couldn’t turn this love off like a faucet.