Laurie's Time (The Fairfield Series) (4 page)

“Oh, I’m definitely not looking for anyone now,” Laurie answered back. “But I am looking forward to meeting some new people.”

“Well, I think we can arrange that,” Carol said, laughing. Cleaning up her dishes, she grabbed her purse and said goodbye. “This is my last evening shift for a while,” she said. “I work in the ER at the hospital. I’ll be going on days, and am really looking forward to that! The money won’t be as good, but it sure will make dating easier. Tom hates it when I am in the ER at night. He’s always afraid something will happen to me.” Carol looked nervous as she confessed, “I’ve had some unwanted attention from an unknown person lately, so Tom is super protective.”

“Are you okay?” Laurie asked quickly.

“Oh yes. I’m not in danger, just annoyed,” Carol answered.

After Carol left, Laurie settled in for her first evening in her new apartment. Picking up her cell phone, she called Emma.

“Hey girl! How’s the new apartment?” Emma answered with exuberance.

“It is amazing!” Laurie replied. “It’s huge and the furniture is so nice. And, oh my god, Emma, you can see the mountains from the windows!”

Emma knew how important a natural view was to Laurie because she felt the same way. Having lived in a tiny apartment without a view for years had made them both long for sunshine to pour into the windows and for a view of trees instead of another brick building.

“It sounds perfect. How’s your roommate?”

“She is also amazing. She’s a nurse at the hospital and is working a shift right now. She did say that she was going to start working days since she’s dating someone. That will be nice so that I won’t have to tiptoe around the apartment when she needs to sleep.”

“I’m so happy for you, Laurie. Is there anything you need? Anything you want me to send?”

“Just you!” Emma said only half joking.

“I know, I wish I could be there too,” Emma admitted. “But I need to finish out this year at the school I am working at and then we will see. Maybe if Fairfield ends up needing a high school counselor, I will apply.” There was a pause, then Emma continued. “Just remember, Laurie, that this is your time. Make the most of it!”

“I will, I promise,” Laurie answered. Promising to talk soon, Laurie put her cell phone down. She turned on the TV, but found nothing that kept her interest. Walking into her bedroom, she picked up her Kindle. Taking it back to the living room and settling down on the sofa, she continued the romance novel she was currently reading. Her mind wandered back to the man she had seen at the grocery store. He looked just like the men in her stories – tall, handsome, built with powerful arms that could surround her, protect her, love her.

Will I ever meet someone like the heroes in these stories? Do they even exist?
When she was little, she used to think that one day her dad would come riding into her life, like a fairytale, sweeping her mom off her feet again. But Laurie had long since realized that life was not like her fairytales.

And heroes don’t really exist.
With that, Laurie clicked off her Kindle and crawled into bed, falling asleep and dreaming of a handsome prince with dark hair riding up to sweep her off her feet.

*

Rob was at Smokey’s, a local bar owned by Wendy and Bill Evans, family friends for as long as he could remember. He was meeting Tom and Jake, his two closest friends from childhood. As he entered the bar, he saw Bill behind the bar keeping an eye on his beautiful wife, making sure that none of the newer customers were giving her looks. Bill was a huge mountain of a man with a dark scruffy beard, still protective of his knockout wife and had been for the twenty years that they had been married. Giving Bill a nod, he headed back to the pool tables to find his friends. Jake and Tom were detectives, partners in the Fairfield Police Department, and the three of them had been friends since growing up on the same street as children.

Rob was aware of the looks from the women in the bar as he made his way to his friends. They had all played high school and college football together, and he knew women liked the way they looked. His Celtic looks with his black hair and blue eyes never failed to impress. Smirking, he realized how easy it was to get a woman in this town. Well, at least a woman for a quick fuck. But one to spend time with… he hadn’t found that yet.

His mind wandered back to the beauty at the grocery store. He sure would have liked to have had a chance to get her number.
She looked sweet. Maybe she would have been worth knowing and not just screwing. Maybe… hell, where are these thoughts coming from?

“Hey man, you’re late. Jake here is kickin’ my ass, and I need
your
sorry ass in here so I can look good,” Tom called out.

Jake had been staring at him. “What the hell were you thinkin’ of as you were walkin’ over here? You looked like you were thinkin’ of a sweet piece.” Jake was an intuitive detective, and Rob felt himself redden under Jake’s perusal.

Rob laughed, knowing he couldn’t hide something from these two. “Just a gorgeous piece of ass I saw at the store earlier. Didn’t get her name or number though, so I guess I’m out of luck!”

“Carol called earlier and said her new roommate moved in. Said she was super sweet and pretty as well,” Tom said. Tom had been dating a gorgeous nurse at the hospital for a couple of months and Rob knew that a new roommate was coming into town.

“Oh no,” Rob answered emphatically. “No datin’ Carol’s roommate!” When Jake and Tom looked at him in confusion, he continued. “Look, you and Carol are startin’ something and you are already pussy whipped. Carol’s a sweetheart and would have stars in her eyes about me and her roommate. Then when I pull one of my typical fuck-and-runs, Carol’ll hate me, then you’ll hate me…. damn, that is too fuckin’ complicated.”

“Fuck and run?” Jake shook his head. “Man, I’m stuck between Tom, the reformed ‘friends with benefits man’ and you who admittedly defines his sex life as ‘fuck and run’.”

The friends laughed and ordered another round of beers, continuing the banter as they spent their evening at the pool tables. By the end of the evening, a few heavily painted women in tight clothing had made their way over to the men. Jake, never interested in a local hookup, quickly divested himself of the busty blonde that tried to attach herself to him. Tom, who just a few months ago would have already picked out his flavor of the night, was also having to forcefully push away one of the scantily clad women trying to lean her large, fake tits on his arm.

Rob just laughed at his friends. Grabbing the cute redhead pressing her leg against his crotch, he headed out of the bar. Thoughts of the sweet-looking brunette from the grocery store flitted through his mind, but he pushed them back, deciding that a night of mindless sex would be just what he needed. They walk the short distance to her place; he stuck to his rule about not taking women to his apartment. For one thing, he hated the feeling that someone would assume they meant something to him by seeing where he lived. The other reason was probably more practical – his mom might drop in at any time!

Jolted out of his musing, he allowed her to pull him into her apartment. The smell of cigarette smoke assaulted his senses. A quick glance around gave evidence of the girl’s inept housekeeping skills.
Hell, I saw cleaner frat houses when I was in college.

There were dirty dishes piled in the sink and clothes scattered around the floor. She turned quickly once inside and pressed herself up against him again. Grabbing the front of his T-shirt, she pulled him in for a kiss. She forced her tongue in his mouth, but the taste of her whisky shots intermingled with stale cigarette, had Rob pulling back quickly.

“No kissing,” he spoke curtly.

“No problem, handsome,” she purred. She led him down the hall to her bedroom, pulling her top off at the same time. She stepped into the bedroom, turned, and began fondling her huge, fake tits. Rob suddenly found himself thinking again of a pair of natural looking breasts in a cute top. Before he knew it, the redhead in front of him was naked and had backed up to the bed. Rob looked at the bedroom that was just as nasty as the rest of the apartment, then he looked down at the bed. Not focusing on the naked woman squirming in front of him, all he could see were the soiled sheets on the unmade bed. The knowledge that her sheets hadn’t been cleaned since the last hookup she had brought here turned his stomach.

Shaking his head, he backed out of the room. He couldn’t remember the last time he turned down free pussy, but he literally felt his dick shrink at the thought of being with this girl.

“What the fuck?” she yelled, following him out of the bedroom, still naked.

“Sorry, babe. I just can’t be your next fuck for the night, and you sure can’t be mine,” he stated as he headed out of the door.

He walked out, her curses still ringing in his ears. Feeling very sober at the moment, he walked back to his car at Smokey’s and headed home. Entering his own apartment, he looked around as though seeing it for the first time. The furniture was clean and comfortable, if not new. The kitchen sink was empty, with the dishes filling the dishwasher. He never thought much about being so neat, but ever since he left college, he had wanted to live as an adult. His mother’s constant reminders not to live like a slob when he was growing up must have paid off.

This is a nice place. I could easily invite a girl here for an evening. A beautiful brunette with a great body and a sweet smile. God, if Jake and Tom could see me now, they’d ask if I had grown a pussy in place of my dick!

Knowing he wasn’t getting laid tonight, he headed to the shower to take care of things himself.

L
aurie and Carol spent time the next week exploring Fairfield. They visited several of the boutiques, but Laurie was only window shopping.

“Can’t you find anything you like?” Carol asked, as they walked out of the shop.

Laurie explained honestly, “Oh, I’m just looking now. Until I get my first paycheck at the end of September, money is a little tight.” Laughingly, she continued, “And as much as I love those clothes, I am a first grade teacher…. Tight skirts and high heels just won’t work when I need to squat on the floor and chase after the kids!”

Carol nodded in understanding but rushed to assure Laurie that if she needed to put off her rent payment for the first month she would understand.

“Oh goodness, no! I have plenty of money for what I need. Believe me, my Aunt Emma taught me how to budget! But there is just no extra money for a new club dress right now.” Laurie said smiling.

Carol noticed how Laurie spoke so easily about money, budgets, and even lack of resources. Laurie seemed so self-confident, something that Carol knew she struggled with constantly. Looping her arm through Laurie’s, she steered her down the sidewalk. “Well, I have just the place for us to visit. Bernie’s Bakery. They have the best coffee and pastries in the town. Let’s indulge – my treat!”

*

Bernie’s Bakery was in the center of the renovated downtown area. The pink awning over the doorway invited customers in, and once in, the smells of the homemade pastries and coffee enticed them to stay. Bernadette MacDonald was the owner of Bernie’s Bakery. A dynamo to watch, she would call out coffee orders to the barista, while plating the pastries that were ordered. Known as Bernie to all of her friends, she knew most of the customers in town, evident by the personal greetings that she gave to everyone who came into her shop.

Her son, Rob, was visiting with his mom this morning as he was picking up an order to take back to the firehouse. His dad was the Fire Chief of Fairfield, and Rob worked alongside him. Rob had left Fairfield to play football in college, and upon graduation he came back home as he had always planned to do, to work for the Fairfield Fire Department. He loved his job, loved his family, loved his friends, but was beginning to want more. More than just a night at a bar looking for a hookup. More than just a fuck buddy. More than just a one-night stand. Thoughts of the long haired beauty came to mind.
Why can’t I get her out of my mind? She is haunting me, and damn, that has never happened before now. Maybe I just need to get laid again. And soon.